Marina berths contract what is included

[Seastoke]

John Cleese would agree there.

It was to put off BP

 

[Boathook]

Perhaps he was after an insurance claim lol

Insurers take a dim view of boats sinking at a mooring !

 

[Seastoke]

Great views though, especially from some of the hotels

I was doing press ups , just because her off the yacht next berth was in my way is not my problem .

 

[Bouba]

This was the Situation. Happened slowly apparently but Only what I have been told. Not sure how you could miss that if it did happen slowly. Twas a lovely boat and might be again

Imagine if someone here bought it

 

[Seastoke]

It's good to know that, despite the vagaries of written communication on the internet, my tone in this post was successfully conveyed! I'm not sure what startled plums out of his slumber this week but he's got multiple threads on varying topics - and I suspect we are once again being played to at least stoke his ego, if not his youtube profits.

Please don’t bring Stoke into this .

 

[DougOut]

You sure on the berth fees increase? MDL Chatham is flat, this year to last. May vary across the estate of course.

Regarding the checking of boats: I’ve variously been in Woolverstone, Cobbs Quay and Chatham since the 90’s. Found all 3 MDL locations attentive to lines, fenders ‘popped’ onto the pontoon, part unfurled sails etc. With pontoon walks the norm, shortly after the shift change, morning & night. On one occasion followed by appearance of the high capacity pump.

Hi John,
Yep, I know how much I paid 2 years ago, last year it went up 9% and I've just received the renewal notice which is another increase of 9%. This was at two of their marinas on the Thames. As far as the checking of boats go I've simply reported my own experiences.

 

[rafiki_]

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.

I reported a very nice boat, but with an open side window on C pontoon at Haslar. The marina crew dealt with it swiftly. I guess they called the owner who gave them permission to enter the boat and close the window? I have called the marina crew to remove the transom shower head during the cold snap last month. They said they had done this. When I got down to the boat a couple of weeks ago, the shower head was still attached. There must be another boat on the pontoon missing its shower head

 

[aerobat]

I can only speak for germany :

While the stuff of a marina may or may not look for owners boats its the full responsibility of the owner to keep the boat in a floatable condition and proper mooring .
No marina is liable if your boat sinks or breaks loose or catches fire . The owner is responsible for every damage and/or pollution your boat creates to the marina infrastructure or other boats .

Many marinas ask you for an insurance confirmation when you dock.

That said a good harbour master with a sober look should be standard and of course sound the alarm or even take action if your boat lists and sits low in the water - but do not rely on it .

I have two stories and both are true confirmed by my own "eyes"

1) a bigger and old steel yacht overnight slipped a loose clamp of the main fuel tank hose with the result several hundret liters diesel started flowing into the bilge until the auto bilge pump kicked in and pumped it into the harbour . You can imagine next morning ... police , firefighing units , pollution control and much more . Thankfully the owner was insured since the oil removal costs and water pollution would ruin him . Nobody sounded the alarm .

2) a wife cheated with a stranger on her boyfriends boat such severly that the harbour had wave action on a calm evening . The harbour master saw the foreign guy and called the boat owner . Everybody expected a murder to happen ...

 

[Lucky Duck]

I reported a very nice boat, but with an open side window on C pontoon at Haslar. The marina crew dealt with it swiftly. I guess they called the owner who gave them permission to enter the boat and close the window? I have called the marina crew to remove the transom shower head during the cold snap last month. They said they had done this. When I got down to the boat a couple of weeks ago, the shower head was still attached. There must be another boat on the pontoon missing its shower head

In contrast I called them because my neighbour’s bow line was about to chafe through and the owner said he couldn’t make it down until a couple of days later

A member of staff turned up, claimed they didn’t have any spare lines they could temporarily attach and wondered off

 

[John_Silver]

Hi John,
Yep, I know how much I paid 2 years ago, last year it went up 9% and I've just received the renewal notice which is another increase of 9%. This was at two of their marinas on the Thames. As far as the checking of boats go I've simply reported my own experiences.

Sounds as if life is better below the Thames Barrier in both respects!

 

[Irish Rover]

I don't put anyone on ignore

Of course not. Otherwise you might miss an opportunity to impress bore us all with your unparalleled knowledge of everything and anything, and have another crack at the world record for multi quotes.

 

[Seastoke]

Of course not. Otherwise you might miss an opportunity to impress bore us all with your unparalleled knowledge of everything and anything, and have another crack at the world record for multi quotes.

Is that not rude.

 

[Irish Rover]

Is that not rude.

I can see why you might ask that question.

 

[Little Ricky]

This was the Situation. Happened slowly apparently but Only what I have been told. Not sure how you could miss that if it did happen slowly. Twas a lovely boat and might be again

Interesting that the bloke with the camera decided to take pictures of a sinking boat rather than raise the alarm.

 

[Aardee]

This was the Situation. Happened slowly apparently but Only what I have been told. Not sure how you could miss that if it did happen slowly. Twas a lovely boat and might be again

The marina staff can and will report it to the owner and do what they can (within the constraints of what they're allowed) to keep it afloat, but ultimately if the owner doesn't take any action our hands are somewhat tied.

 

[Bigplumbs]

The marina staff can and will report it to the owner and do what they can (within the constraints of what they're allowed) to keep it afloat, but ultimately if the owner doesn't take any action our hands are somewhat tied.

I have no idea if the Marina took any action or indeed contacted the owner. I just know the boat sunk. I would have thought if contacted that owner would have done something Not good in an MDL Marina I feel.

 

[Aardee]

I have no idea if the Marina took any action or indeed contacted the owner. I just know the boat sunk. I would have thought if contacted that owner would have done something Not good in an MDL Marina I feel.

They contacted the owner.

Knowledge, not speculation.

 

[potentillaCO32]

They contacted the owner.

Knowledge, not speculation.

I can fully believe. There was a motor boat getting lower and lower over weeks with essex marina. I went into the office and they said that they called the owner several times but that he hadn't been down to see the boat from the day it was launched 2 years ago.

Some people just dont care. I think they took it out before it sank.

 

[Anibal]

I don’t think the sunken boat event reflects on MDL as a whole, in the worst case scenario, it would reflect on the particular marina where the boat was moored, providing that no action was taken by the marina staff, which I believe was not the case given some of the previous posts. Also, one thing is a boat taking on water gradually because of the rain and another thing is a defective bunk plug or a faulty bellow, stern gland, seacock, etc. One of those scenarios will sink a boat in a blink of an eye and no bilge pump out there will be up to the task.
I have been with MDL for almost 12 years and I don’t have any complaints whatsoever. Yes, they may charge you a fee some may not agree with, hell, I don’t agree with the amount of taxes HMRC charges me every year, but I have to pay it and move on. Boating is not a necessity, it is a hobby, and some are more expensive than others. I am not in any way affiliated with MDL (other than being a berth holder) but my honest and personal opinion is that at least in Chatham and now Penton Hook, the boat is safe after taken all the essential precautions before leaving, and I sleep soundly knowing my boat is berthed there.

 

[Irish Rover]

I'm surprised any management would let a boat sink in their marina. A few years ago I noticed the boat next to mine was low in the water, no bilge pump running. I wasn't 100% sure the boat wasn't always like that. I was going out for a couple of hours so I took a photo and checked when I returned to the berth. It was about 20cm lower. I called the head marinero but he didn't answer. I went to the office and asked for him. They're all in a management meeting I was told. Grand, when the meeting is over please tell him boat X is sinking. Obviously the management meeting was within earshot, and 4 of them nearly knocked me down heading for the door. They tried to contact the owner but failed. They brought a mobile pump and pumped it out, ghen towed it to the lift and put it on the hard. Honestly that's what I'd expect to happen.