Hamble

[Guest]

Is anybody out there worried about the state of marinas on the hamble. I keep my boat in the cheapest on the river. But this marina (no names) is now redevolping the whole area to include modern offices and things...where will the money come from i wonder..?

Because i cannot afford to pay upfront for a whole years mooring in advance i am finding it very difficult to find anywhere else to go.

Sure i can get a lovely river mooring on the hamble...£1500 upfront please.

So it it just me or is anybody else getting worried about being priced out of the south coast.

And please lets not have any smart remarks from people who don't have boats on the hamble...!

For me and where i live it is the only sensible location that at present i can afford.

I asked this question some months ago and didn't have a single response so lets see what this one brings up..??

 

[Col]

Whats your boat called?

 

[Guest]

I know what you mean. It is very expensive to keep a boat on the Hamble or any where on the south coast it seems.
Looking at the number of boats now residing on trailers e.g at the Royal Southern, it seems to me that this is an option for some sailors. It must be cheaper to keep a boat in the storage yard and just launch her down the slip when you want to sail than to keep her on a pontoon or river mooring.
I don't know what sort of boat you have but it may be worth looking into this option. Either put your boat on a trailer or if not, trade it in for a trailer sailer. If the boat is small enough to be a true trailer sailer then you might even have room to park it at your home. I've seen some very well appointed 25 footers that can be trailed behind a 4 wheel drive vehicle.
The Hamble does seem to attract the property developers. I note the number of apartments now built adjacent the RAFYC. Hardly any of them seem to be used during the week. I get the feeling that they are the weekend retreat for well off city whiz kids who can afford both property and the marina prices for their toys. I'm afraid that with afluent users deciding to use the area, local businesses and property developers are going to cash in to the detriment of the less well off.

 

[Guest]

Why do you want to know what my boat is called....???

 

[Guest]

My boat is just a little big to fit on a trailer. Also i use it a lot and launching it each time would be a pain.
I would like to move to southampton water but again the cost of marinas has put me off.
Lymington would be nice but i can't face the summer traffic getting to it on a weekend.

I guess i will just have to put up with it for now until i win the lottery...!!!

 

[Twister_Ken]

With the help of an Ordnance Survey map, getting to Lyminton doesn't involve traffic problems.

Hint, avoid Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, Beaulieu. And no, I'm not telling you my route!

 

[Guest]

If you can get to the Hamble then surely you get to Portsmouth Harbour without too much inconvenience and you could certainly get a swing mooring for that sort of money there. Give Gosport Boatyard a call.

David

 

[charles_reed]

Sailing on the S Coast

I watch aghast at the sheer lunacy of people who are prepared to pay the prices for moorings, marinas and boats that are asked on the S Coast.

Last year I spent £25/month for a safe pontoon berth for my boat over the winter months (and that included water and electricity) - this year 6 months on a hard (including lifts in and out and power wash) will cost me about £285 in total.

There are endless cries of pain on this and similar boards about prices, the wickedness of MDL - all I can say is that mugs and their money are soon parted.
The only way to bring down prices is to vote with your feet - whilst you, the cannon-fodder, continue to queue to be desanguinated the industry will continue to oblige.

 

[Will]

Re: Sailing on the S Coast

Naturally nobody wishes to spend more than they have to on a mooring, but it is all too easy to criticise when you are fortunate enough (and smug enough) to be paying somewhat less. Good for you.
However, the south coast is very often the only reasonable choice for the weekend sailor with limited time on his hands and a living to earn. No doubt if Peter kept his boat in a canal basin in Nottingham he too would only be paying tuppence a year. But would the local area provide such good quality pottering, racing etc? No, of course it wouldn't. Unfortunately, as out of proportion as it may seem, this is just a case of you get what you pay for...

 

[Col]

I'm up that neck of the woods,we might be near neighbours.

 

[charles_reed]

Neither smug nor fortunate

The £25/month mooring was in an area which probably rivals the UK S coast for places to go, certainly has as much international racing, far more sun and only costs £39 and 2 hours to get to.

As long as there are people lining up to pay "ridiculous" money for berthing the prices will continue to rise.

To believe you HAVE to keep your boat on the S coast, just because you live there, IMHO shows a lack of objective thought.
Public transport and the Tunnel make N French ports at least as easily accessible as the S coast for London dwellers. Admittedly prices in these marinas, fuelled by "les anglais foux" are about 50% higher than those in the Vendée, but they're still half that of MDL.

The East coast, though different, is a delightful area and far cheaper than the S coast.

Too the S-coast-centric complainants who all too frequently occupy space on these boards - the answer to the problem is in your own hands.
Stop acting the lemming.
The truth is that UK boating prices are inordinately high, the industry incompetently managed and the customers insufficiently demanding.
For that reason the UK is now 2nd and about to become the 3rd largest marine market in Europe.
The whole scene is on a slide into oblivion.

I've taken my action - got the hell out, and found far better and unspoilt sailing areas than the Solent.

 

[Seafort]

Re: Neither smug nor fortunate

East Coast? Just quoted at Burnham Yacht Harbour:- £2,400 ex VAT for 11 metre Berth..

Now thats an "ouch"

DF

 

[robp]

Re: Neither smug nor fortunate

This lunchtime I will pop over to the boat and check a couple of things. This weekend I don't have time to sail but might have a couple of beers in the yacht club on Saturday and use the boat as sleeping quarters. Next weekend (depending on the weather), I might at the very last minute decide to take my youngest sailing.

I don't like the prices and congestion but have to accept it for my uses. That doesn't make me a "Lemming" with "lack of objective thought" and a "S-coast-centric complainant". Just another observer that we live in a nice place that has less space than France, with correspondingly high real estate prices. All this does conspire to promote the "Rip off Britain" culture yes - but we're not morons because we can't change it.

Is your 2 hours journey Door to Washboards??

 

[Guest]

Sure i can get a swinging mooring in portsmouth but not deep water. As i have a long keel i don't really want a mud berth.
I have been in a mud berth before and i hated the limits that it put on my sailing time.

Also where i am i have an almost walk on pontoon so it's very useful. But i guess i can't have it all..!!

 

[Guest]

What's the average cost of moorings in lymington..is it worht me looking into it..??

 

[Guest]

I'm up near the bridge at burlesdon.....i won't mention tha marina...

 

[Guest]

Re: Sailing on the S Coast

All i can say in reply is that i enjoy sailign and during the whole year i like to get out as often as i can.
I have had tidal moorings before that saved me a great amount of money but i gto fed up with only having about 45 mins each tide to get on it...!

It's not that we mad by paying thr prices it;s just that for most of us normal people we simply have no choice.

I like many others do not live local (30 Miles away) to my boat so i have to plan and try to get the most time on the water that i can.

if we want to be able to go sailing at any state of tide and at any hour then we have no choice but to pay what they ask...what esle do we do...vote with our feet.

The simple choice is that if like me you can only sail at weekends you have to have a berth that is not restricting. And the only type avaliable in most parts of the solent is in marinas....we simply have no choice...!!!

 

[bedouin]

Gosport Boatyard have deep water swinging moorings in Portsmouth. I don't think there is even a waiting list.

 

[Guest]

We all have the option...

...if you don't want to pay the prices, don't moor there!

If you want the convenience of a Marina berth in a popular area, then just accept the fact that it IS going to cost more than:-

1) A Marina berth in a less popular area.
2) An all tide, swinging mooring in a popular area
3) An all tide swinging mooring in a less popular area
4) A drying mooring

I choose to moor on a deep water pile mooring. I like the convenience it offers. I pay for it. If I was not happy to pay the price, I would have to accept the inconvenience of a drying mooring. If I felt that mooring costs were running away, then I have the option to choose new sailing waters.

I am certain that option rests fairly with you. Charles is right, there are options and if choice 1 is costing too much look at choice 2,3 & 4 or take up Golf!

 

[Col]

Mike I saw a mooring for £60 pcm advertised on the Itchen. the limit is 30 ft x 2.7 mtr beam.Any good?If your interested,I'll look the number out for you.I know it was available last week because I enquired.