Marina Charges

My place charges me for 32ft when my boat is definitely 31ft long with nothing sticking out fore or aft. Doesn’t bother me, they’re nice people, not in the slightest bit officious and go out of their way to be helpful.
 
Gargleblaster said:
I have had to build a frame out beyond my transom hung rudder on my Invicta and then added a Windpilot. I think it all would add another metre. Fortunately I avoid marinas if I can preferring the quietness of a swing mooring or an anchorage. I was peeved going into Ramsgate last year and they told me that they rounded up the length to the nearest metre. The harbourmaster at Rendsburg sailing club on the Kiel Canal did query whether my statement of 10 metres for my Rival 34 was accurate with another Windpilot hung off the back, but fortunately she didn.t measre it. It would be interesting how they would measure a boat in a Baltic box mooring.
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We are 10.25m, well short of the 34ft of our model's title. Generally we say 10.2 at the harbour office but on one occasion my wife said 10m at the Kiel canal lock and the keeper objected that our boat clearly said 34. As often as not in the Baltic we were rounded down to <10.
 
This year when I visited Rathlin Island, just north of Ballycastle in Northern Ireland, the habour master was very accommodating by rounding my length down from 9.7 to 9m - and it was run by the local council!

Having visited a lot of harbours this year, I never had any that questioned the length. In the far north many places charged by the boat either with a break point at 12m or just a flat charge.
 
MartynG said:
I wish I did pay by the pontoon length since my boat is longer than the pontoon.
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When we sailed to the Med if the Marina wanted sight of our registration document being 8.24m they'd charged us at the 8-10m rate but then put us on an 8m pontoon as there was less call for those. The exception tended to be when they'd a catamaran in, which they were charging a 50/100% premium, as we were narrow too, they could usually squeeze us in beside it
 
In our trip around the UK this year, the only place that insisted on precise measurements from tip to toe were the guys in the Caledonian Canal. I guess that's so they know which boats fit inside the locks together.
 
SaltIre said:
Sadler 25 is actually 24' 4''.
Having said that my first one had an outboard on a bracket but I paid for 7.4m.:)
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I seem to pick undersized boats. Our Cirrus was probably about right at 22’ but the Mystere 26 was 25.5, the Sadler 29 about 28.5 and my current HR34 also short by half a foot. The Bavarias all seem to be oversize, some by quite a margin. I don’t know how honest their owners are though.
 
Daydream believer said:
I enjoy Ramsgate. The staff helpful & polite. The fees are well known as are the facilities. One takes them as offered. What do you regard as "poor service". Or is that your best defence for attempted theft?
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I enjoy Ramsgate too, I'm a regular visitor.

Over the years I've had to go into their yard and unbolt a cleat from an old pontoon and install it on my berth myself, I've been directed to 'vacant' berths which aren't , suffered the 'facilities' block with cans of Special Brew left empty in the showers, dealt with the marina office (that's a tale for another day) and bought door mats to stop the 2 inch deep bird shit on the pontoon finding its way on board during a winter visit.

If I've saved £20 on the advertised rates when visiting, while paying thousands their way with my winter berthing etc I'd be surprised. The knocking a couple of feet thing off stated when a berthing master said 'Today you're 34ft,'

If that in your eyes puts me in the same boat as people that knock old ladies over for their purse, I guess I'll just have to live with it.
 
It all seems very petty and penny pinching for marinas to measure and charge for the last inch. A boat takes up a berth whether it's 8 metres or 10.1 metres. Especially so if applied to swinging moorings. I can see the justification if applied to groups of berth say 50ft, 40ft down to 20ft etc.
Now if the principle was applied to air travel, charging bloaters more than lightweights, it would make sense.
Is this a particularly UK thing? I noted that in Netherlands when I quoted 9.5m it was usually rounded down to 9m.
 
DanTribe said:
It all seems very petty and penny pinching for marinas to measure and charge for the last inch. A boat takes up a berth whether it's 8 metres or 10.1 metres. Especially so if applied to swinging moorings. I can see the justification if applied to groups of berth say 50ft, 40ft down to 20ft etc.
Now if the principle was applied to air travel, charging bloaters more than lightweights, it would make sense.
Is this a particularly UK thing? I noted that in Netherlands when I quoted 9.5m it was usually rounded down to 9m.
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Given that marinas will aim for a certain overall income, the matter of measurement comes down to what is fair between berth-holders. I might well feel narked if I paid full whack while another boat with a long bow extension and a load of gear were charged as a couple of metres less than me.
 
The only time I've complained is when an overhanging bowsprit takes about half the pontoon width. It did hurt a bit when encountered in the dark and when I was talking to someone and turned round without remembering it was there. It's difficult. if the mariner asks them to berth the other way round, it's then a hazard for people berthing.
Surely it is cheaper and safer to ship the bowsprit.
 
LONG_KEELER said:
The only time I've complained is when an overhanging bowsprit takes about half the pontoon width. It did hurt a bit when encountered in the dark and when I was talking to someone and turned round without remembering it was there. It's difficult. if the mariner asks them to berth the other way round, it's then a hazard for people berthing.
Surely it is cheaper and safer to ship the bowsprit.
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I cannot help thinking that it is extremely inconsiderate of any owner to poke part of their boat over the pontoon. One can see it all the time. It is cerainly a danger to pedestrians children in particular.
 
Daydream believer said:
I cannot help thinking that it is extremely inconsiderate of any owner to poke part of their boat over the pontoon. One can see it all the time. It is cerainly a danger to pedestrians children in particular.
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I have visited the occasional marina where this was policed and offending craft made to move back, but generally it is left to the good sense or otherwise of the skippers. Please don’t get me onto the supposed merits of mooring stern first.
 
Daydream believer said:
I enjoy Ramsgate. The staff helpful & polite. The fees are well known as are the facilities. One takes them as offered. What do you regard as "poor service". Or is that your best defence for attempted theft?
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I think you need to look up the definition of theft. Also Xyachtdave was very polite in his retort back to you. You sir are just plain rude and of course perfect in every way
 
xyachtdave said:
I enjoy Ramsgate too, I'm a regular visitor.

Over the years I've had to go into their yard and unbolt a cleat from an old pontoon and install it on my berth myself, I've been directed to 'vacant' berths which aren't , suffered the 'facilities' block with cans of Special Brew left empty in the showers, dealt with the marina office (that's a tale for another day) and bought door mats to stop the 2 inch deep bird shit on the pontoon finding its way on board during a winter visit.

If I've saved £20 on the advertised rates when visiting, while paying thousands their way with my winter berthing etc I'd be surprised. The knocking a couple of feet thing off stated when a berthing master said 'Today you're 34ft,'

If that in your eyes puts me in the same boat as people that knock old ladies over for their purse, I guess I'll just have to live with it.
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Quite right ignore those that think they are better than others
 
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