dgadee
Well-Known Member
I was told Berthon used to turf owners out if you didn't spend enough on their services. Maybe they still do.
Is boating in a death spiral?
- Thread starter Otter
- Start date
Tamar
Well-Known Member
This in a nutshell.
doug748
Well-Known Member
Can you tell us which marina this is Tamar. Looks like a good case for customers to get together - much easier now we have the internet. They will not like publicity.
Give me a PM if you would rather not make it public.
Tamar
Well-Known Member
Pm sent
nevis768
Well-Known Member
My mooring on the Clyde for a 32 ft fin keel is £550 a year, so it's not all doom and gloom.
Bouba
Well-Known Member
Obviously if it’s on the Clyde....then it’s mostly doom and gloom
mrming
Well-Known Member
In my experience, marinas that do this soon find out they’re incapable of running anything other than very basic services like antifouling. Lack of available staff or contractors with the correct skills and inability to project manage quickly cause a huge waiting list for even simple jobs. Even on the busy Solent it’s very difficult to get work done on your boat in a timely manner.
Sea Change
Well-Known Member
This is the norm over in the US (the Land of the Free... where you need to ask permission to work on your own boat). Very sad to see it starting in the UK as well.
Snowgoose-1
Well-Known Member
The next possible step is to have no hard standing at all. This has happened to an MDL marina on the East Coast. No agro or heavy machinery/ maintenance/insurance/staff possibly.
More likely, a better or perhaps a more lucrative use of the land available. You can't blame them . I would do the same. If you can fill the marina berths without extra facilities why bother.
steve yates
Well-Known Member
I would blame them, and move elsewhere.
Blueboatman
Well-Known Member
When Brighton marina was created ( by an act of parliament I think, it was controversial) there was a lot more hardstanding and a lot more locked in mooring space. Which was then filled in and turned into a 24/7 giant Asda . Which wasn’t all bad . But the boatyard now is miniscule
And last I saw there were giant flat blocks built and talk of putting Asda underground with more flats on top
And the boatyard?
Maybe it’s just a generational thing.
Modern maintenance free cars and boats and people with an emphasis more aligned with digital skills ? Dunno
My idea of hell is a wall sized tv and a sofa
sigma38dave
Well-Known Member
To be fair to boat yards and marinas the way some people behave you can see why they can’t be bothered with the aggro and just ban everyone from maintaining their boats.
Dry sanding anti foul, letting rip with angle grinders, sand blasting without sheeting, leaving rubbish everywhere etc etc
Dry sanding anti foul, letting rip with angle grinders, sand blasting without sheeting, leaving rubbish everywhere etc etc
Snowgoose-1
Well-Known Member
All that has happened, is the people who want to come out for maintenance go to a different boatyard for hard standing. They then return back to their wet berths for the sailing season. Everybody seems happy enough.
Lucky Duck
Well-Known Member
When Brighton marina was created ( by an act of parliament I think, it was controversial) there was a lot more hardstanding and a lot more locked in mooring space. Which was then filled in and turned into a 24/7 giant Asda . Which wasn’t all bad . But the boatyard now is miniscule
And last I saw there were giant flat blocks built and talk of putting Asda underground with more flats on top
And the boatyard?
Maybe it’s just a generational thing.
Modern maintenance free cars and boats and people with an emphasis more aligned with digital skills ? Dunno
My idea of hell is a wall sized tv and a sofa
Apart from those up by Ancasta hardly any of the remaining spots seem to be in use. Meanwhile a goodly number of tidal berths are now given over to floating homes, jet ski versadocks or simply missing the pontoon “finger” so unavailable
Lucky Duck
Well-Known Member
IIRC just before MDL stopped the hardstanding at Woolverstone they needed to hire in a mobile crane as the resident one was no longer functional.
They did the same at Mercury on the Hamble except the travel hoist seemed perfectly serviceable so the old ‘drop dock’ is just there unused.
ashtead
Well-Known Member
I think at Haslar many stay in over winter as opposed to lifting out at GBY or Endeavour -clearly Deacons is an option if you can brave the tides etc
Snowgoose-1
Well-Known Member
The downside is if you have an emergency such as water ingress which cannot be easily controlled . Having worked in two marinas, this does happen from time to time.
You could of course join a local yachtclub with hardstanding. Finding one with free space is likely to be difficult and could turn out to be more costly than an alternative yard.
Sea Change
Well-Known Member
Do many clubs have their own lifting gear on site? The ones I've been familiar with always hired in a mobile crane twice a year. Saves the not inconsiderable effort and cost of maintaining and operating your own equipment, and if dozens of boats are lined up to launch or lift out then the cost can be very reasonable when split between them all.
Blueboatman
Well-Known Member
Oh yes I’ve seen promos for the floating homes, I haven’t been on or ‘in’ one. Possibly a good berth rental revenue stream for the unused areas.
The funny thing is that weatherwise it is so much calmer and quieter, with less salt spray and fender wear etc etc -and with clear water, you can see the bottom - in the inner harbour yet still relatively less popular with seagoing boats.
Berth holders used to come from Eastbourne to use the boatyard as they (we) could make more noise, being relatively tucked away from housing . And usefully profitable arm for the marina operator too . Maybe that’s why it hasn’t been built over