Tranona
Well-Known Member
There are two (almost separate) issues. First is the "benefits" to the user of having a marina berth compared to a swinging mooring and that decision is up to the individual as many here have indicated.
The second is the cost associated with building and operating a marina. I have explained some of this in a similar thread elsewhere. Most of the marinas on the South Coast are built in reclaimed intertidal marshland or shallow tidal harbours which require dredging to create depth and constant dredging to maintain water, as well as maintenance of sheet piling and piles sunk into mud for pontoons.They also need significant landside facilities and have to compete with other uses, particularly housing and industrial for land. Add to this the planning constraints and environmental issues you will easily see why there is a shortage of marinas in the areas of highest demand - therefore prices are high.
Move away from those constraints and costs (and therefore prices) tumble. Just have a glance at the marina price guide published in PBO if you don't believe it. Marinas built in old commercial docks or in economically deprived areas are relatively cheap to build and cheap to run, particularly if no dredging is involved and land does not have alternate uses. Similar conditions apply to many marinas in France. They are built in economically deprived areas where there is little competition for land and building and maintenance costs are low. In some cases (particularly in the south) marinas are parts of huge housing/holiday developments as anyone who has been to Port Grimaud will appreciate. However, where there is competition from other activities and high demand, prices will be high. Compare the Med coast prices with Brittany and Normandy - bit like comparing the Solent with the north of the UK.
The real problem is that the "cheap" locations are in places where few people want to keep their boats and/or there is nowhere locally to cruise. That (together with low building costs) is why they are cheap, and why berths in heavily populated but popular sailing areas are "expensive".
The second is the cost associated with building and operating a marina. I have explained some of this in a similar thread elsewhere. Most of the marinas on the South Coast are built in reclaimed intertidal marshland or shallow tidal harbours which require dredging to create depth and constant dredging to maintain water, as well as maintenance of sheet piling and piles sunk into mud for pontoons.They also need significant landside facilities and have to compete with other uses, particularly housing and industrial for land. Add to this the planning constraints and environmental issues you will easily see why there is a shortage of marinas in the areas of highest demand - therefore prices are high.
Move away from those constraints and costs (and therefore prices) tumble. Just have a glance at the marina price guide published in PBO if you don't believe it. Marinas built in old commercial docks or in economically deprived areas are relatively cheap to build and cheap to run, particularly if no dredging is involved and land does not have alternate uses. Similar conditions apply to many marinas in France. They are built in economically deprived areas where there is little competition for land and building and maintenance costs are low. In some cases (particularly in the south) marinas are parts of huge housing/holiday developments as anyone who has been to Port Grimaud will appreciate. However, where there is competition from other activities and high demand, prices will be high. Compare the Med coast prices with Brittany and Normandy - bit like comparing the Solent with the north of the UK.
The real problem is that the "cheap" locations are in places where few people want to keep their boats and/or there is nowhere locally to cruise. That (together with low building costs) is why they are cheap, and why berths in heavily populated but popular sailing areas are "expensive".
