Marina berths contract what is included

[Bigplumbs]

When you have a contract to keep your boat in a marina such as MDL for which you tend to pay quite a considerable sum does this include or should one expect Marina staff to check boats to ensure they are not taking on water, the canvas is generally in tact and the ropes have not come undone and fenders are working ok for example

I would not expect them to sort issues out unless very simple but would expect them to at least notify the boat owner.

Do they for example walk the pontoons on a daily basis and perform a simple visual inspection.

I am wondering what in this regard is generally included in the price and what the reality is generally

 

[Anibal]

The MDL in Chatham and Penton Hook do walk the pontoons twice a day with a clipboard in hand. They will try to sort out minor issues,
like a line coming loose etc, if they notice it, however, they are not allowed to board your vessel and fasten your canopy or anything else. Their duty is primarily to ensure the safety of the pontoons and appliances. Obviously if your boat is sinking they will report this immediately as it will affect them as well but one should not rely on marina staff to police boats etc, that is the owner responsibility.

 

[Bigplumbs]

The MDL in Chatham and Penton Hook do walk the pontoons twice a day with a clipboard in hand. They will try to sort out minor issues,
like a line coming loose etc, if they notice it, however, they are not allowed to board your vessel and fasten your canopy or anything else. Their duty is primarily to ensure the safety of the pontoons and appliances. Obviously if your boat is sinking they will report this immediately as it will affect them as well but one should not rely on marina staff to police boats etc, that is the owner responsibility.

Interesting. I have been informed that a boat ‘slowly sunk’ in an MDL Marina and no notification was made to the owners. If this is true it is concerning I think. I don’t know full circumstances but sunk it did

 

[SC35]

Here at MDL Sparkes, staff plod around the pontoons twice daily to check the basics and inform owners of issues or fix minor ones if they can.
They also pump out some of the smaller uncovered tenders if they have filled up with rainwater.

 

[Aardee]

We walk the pontoons at least twice a day and twice at night - If bad weather is expected we'll make additional checks of lines, cleats & fenders. As Anibal says, we're not supposed to board vessels but will always make good as best we can and report any issues to the owner. We have a salvage pump which can be used if a boat is sinking and can't be moved to be lifted, plus we have all the relevant kit to contain any pollution.

I'd be very surprised if a boat was just left to slowly sink with no action as we're ultimately responsible for any environmental impact.

 

[ashtead]

This is often where those who spend more time on their boats can be invaluable. Create a WhatsApp group with your fellow pontoon licencees and they will often tell you of any issue and rendered short term solution in advance of any reporting by marina staff who as said at Haslar do inspections,gritting pontoons if icy or such like. Such often in regular occupation owners (I resist the temptation to call them liveabords as clearly they are not) will be useful craftsfolk in doing simple jobs as well and perhaps have more units of time on hands to keep an eye open for that worn cable or warp or popped up fender /lose cockpit cover type item.

 

[Bigplumbs]

We walk the pontoons at least twice a day and twice at night - If bad weather is expected we'll make additional checks of lines, cleats & fenders. As Anibal says, we're not supposed to board vessels but will always make good as best we can and report any issues to the owner. We have a salvage pump which can be used if a boat is sinking and can't be moved to be lifted, plus we have all the relevant kit to contain any pollution.

I'd be very surprised if a boat was just left to slowly sink with no action as we're ultimately responsible for any environmental impact.

I was surprised as well about the 'Slowly sinking' But that is what I have been told. There is a thread linked to the boat on this very forum. If this is the case I am surprised at MDL and in particular the MDL Marina in question where boats are very visible from the office. The boat certainly sunk somehow.

I am and was thinking of leaving my Boat in an MDL Marina hence the questions.

 

[Seastoke]

MDL , TORQUAY , do what peeps have said 3 years ago they took my rear canopy off and put in Lazo which saved it. Recently they have renewed new ropes on other craft which bright yellow ones. They also have a battery powered pump taking water off sunken canopies on S 24’s.

 

[Seastoke]

I was surprised as well about the 'Slowly sinking' But that is what I have been told. There is a thread linked to the boat on this very forum. If this is the case I am surprised at MDL and in particular the MDL Marina in question where boats are very visible from the office. The boat certainly sunk somehow.

I am and was thinking of leaving my Boat in an MDL Marina hence the questions.

Torquay is shit.

 

[potentillaCO32]

Slowly sinking could mean anything. A boat could have sunk in hours and that is slowly sinking. But that could be overnight.
If it were days or weeks then surely not just marina staff but other users would have reported a boat veing very low.

I have had two boats bearly sink on a mooring. One was a stuffing box drip that became a drip,drip drip. The other was a through hull that must have become someone elses anode and went pink and porous very quickly.
In both cases other mooring users sounded the alert before it moved from water just above the floor to sinking. Still needed a rewire though.

 

[potentillaCO32]

Torquay is shit.

John Cleese would agree there.

 

[Bigplumbs]

Torquay is shit.

Was not that one. More where Pirates roam

 

[Bigplumbs]

Slowly sinking could mean anything. A boat could have sunk in hours and that is slowly sinking. But that could be overnight.
If it were days or weeks then surely not just marina staff but other users would have reported a boat veing very low.

I have had two boats bearly sink on a mooring. One was a stuffing box drip that became a drip,drip drip. The other was a through hull that must have become someone elses anode and went pink and porous very quickly.
In both cases other mooring users sounded the alert before it moved from water just above the floor to sinking. Still needed a rewire though.

Yes I would also expect all of that to happen but seemingly not in this case. Also a Auto Bilge pumping running until it flattened the battery. Now would that not have been noticed. I just worry about what is said is done against what is actually done. It is not as if you pay these people small sums of money

 

[ylop]

I was surprised as well about the 'Slowly sinking' But that is what I have been told.

That’s the problem with the internet - people hear facts they don’t believe and then repeat them to see what the reaction is rather than engage their brain and say that doesn’t add up and dismiss it.

No marina wants the trouble of a sunk boat.

A marina like MDL probably don’t even want the sort of scruffy boat that typically slowly sinks!

It’s much more likely that the marina did try to contact the owner who ignored it (or who had not updated the details) or that the marina has contacted him several times and he’s attended and bailed it out without fixing the underlying issue and then the problem got worse or the staff normalised that boat always being in a state.

I am and was thinking of leaving my Boat in an MDL Marina hence the questions.

And you thought the best way to find out how they operate and what the value proposition was was to ask the internet rather than approach them as a prospective customer?

I know of one marina who offer an extra package for “remote” customers which involves things like checking battery voltages, etc on a regular schedule - for an extra fee of course!

 

[Momac]

I may be wrong but doubt any marina contract mentions a daily walk around. I don't recall seeing anyone do this in any marina. I think they may do a walk around when it suits them but more to check for any obstructions or issues on pontoons rather than checking boats .
But I would expect a marina to take action to contact the relevant boat owner if a fault like a sinking boat is noticed or reported to them by a customer.

 

[ylop]

I may be wrong but doubt any marina contract mentions a daily walk around.

Yes, no marina I have ever been in has ever said they do this, but it is common practice.

I don't recall seeing anyone do this in any marina.

In poor weather they will often post on social media or email all customers to reassure them that “all boats have been checked” or in really severe weather “our staff are currently unable to access the pontoons for safety reasons but all vessels and lines were checked at HHMM and in good order”. Often after a storm “Genoa on one yacht has unfurled, staff have secured it and the owners have been contacted”. I assume this is about trying to stop worried owners bombarding the phone lines!

I think they may do a walk around when it suits them but more to check for any obstructions or issues on pontoons rather than checking boats .

And to make sure they haven’t got any unpaid visitors!

But I would expect a marina to take action to contact the relevant boat owner if a fault like a sinking boat is noticed or reported to them by a customer.

Yes - but we are being trickle fed information, I wouldn’t expect a marina to notice if a bilge pump was running a lot nor if it had stopped because the battery was dead. If you want that level of attention you need to either install electronics or pay someone to babysit the boat.

 

[Aardee]

I may be wrong but doubt any marina contract mentions a daily walk around. I don't recall seeing anyone do this in any marina. I think they may do a walk around when it suits them but more to check for any obstructions or issues on pontoons rather than checking boats .
But I would expect a marina to take action to contact the relevant boat owner if a fault like a sinking boat is noticed or reported to them by a customer.

I've just walked back into the office having done the morning muster, which is specifically to check customer boats (and, indeed check for unannounced visitors). The last one was done at 5am and I'll be doing another late afternoon before handing over to the night dockmaster who will do one probably around 10pm-ish.

Just because you don't see it (or notice it)...

 

[Aardee]

Yes, no marina I have ever been in has ever said they do this, but it is common practice.

In poor weather they will often post on social media or email all customers to reassure them that “all boats have been checked” or in really severe weather “our staff are currently unable to access the pontoons for safety reasons but all vessels and lines were checked at HHMM and in good order”. Often after a storm “Genoa on one yacht has unfurled, staff have secured it and the owners have been contacted”. I assume this is about trying to stop worried owners bombarding the phone lines!

And to make sure they haven’t got any unpaid visitors!

Yes - but we are being trickle fed information, I wouldn’t expect a marina to notice if a bilge pump was running a lot nor if it had stopped because the battery was dead. If you want that level of attention you need to either install electronics or pay someone to babysit the boat.

A frequently or continually running bilge pump is often the first thing we notice when a boat is taking on water. Most of us are also sailors/ boat owners.

 

[SimonX]

MDL again at Hythe, they do walking inspection twice a day and will inform owner if anything untoward. If owner can’t come immediately, they will ask permission to board and investigate. One of the windows on our hood had split so they duct taped it until we could come.

 

[Bonefish Blues]

John Cleese would agree there.

Great views though, especially from some of the hotels