marina/ swing mooring fee's

[robertj]

does the forum feel that marina and swing mooring prices are cheap/fair/expensive for what they get?

If prices need to be altered for the current financial climate?

financial compensation or level of services improved etc?

 

[snooks]

You pay your money and you take your choice.

It's that simple, no one forces you to have a boat, or tells you where you have to keep it.

No one forces us to keep our boat in a marina, but we do out of convenience and choice, we have 24 hour access, and we're close to the open water. It's not the nicest town to keep a boat, but we can afford to keep our boat there, so we do.

If we didn't have a berth, they could find someone else to take it. A mooring isn't really an option for us, I use the boat to stay on during the week.

Value for money wise, it's what it is, of course I would like it to be cheaper, but then again so would anybody who keeps their boat somewhere.

 

[jhr]

Prices will only be adjusted downwards if the market warrants it - supply and demand. In fact, modern boats have got beamier and this poses a question as to what can be done about it - if berths get broader to accommodate these boats, there will be fewer of them (or finger pontoons); either way it will probably result in higher fees, not lower.

My swinging mooring is about half the price of an equivalent berth in the nearest marina to me. In any realistic context it's a ridiculous amount of money to pay, although I take great pleasure, for less than a couple of grand a year, in sharing a view with people who have paid millions for the houses on the riverbank.

I'd love mains power and (even more so) water on tap, but it ain't going to happen.....

 

[clinker lifeboat]

I run my family's marina on the south coast. Our prices rise every year at about the rate of inflation same as any other business. The council owned moorings in our area rise by alot more. At the start of the year I was a little worried about the financial climate and the effect on our business as the boat is always the first thing to go if things are tight but we didn't have any spare moorings and still have a healthy waiting list. As a small family marina, we offer the best service and price we can and couldn't drop our prices if we wanted to. I hate to say it but if you can't afford the annual running costs then you really can't afford a boat.

www.willowmarina.com

 

[Boat44]

Yup pays your money takes your choice. Thats why I'm on a pontoon as the local marina put up its prices too much. I also use to keep it for the odd week in other marinas for convenience. They put up there prices and I no longer visit. Still I'm small beer to there annual fees.

It is very much supply and demand. Whilst we have a recession, there is still a vast amount of money around. Just drive down the M4 any day of the week and count the bentlys and astons.

 

[Ubergeekian]

You pay your money and you take your choice.

It's that simple, no one forces you to have a boat, or tells you where you have to keep it.

That's true, but there has also been a long and dishonourable tradition of owners - harbour authorities, the crown estates and so on - evicting long established swinging moorings for the builders of marinas. That gives us all, I think, some interest in what happens as a result.

Personally I'm not bothered about marinas, as on the whole they suck up the floating caravans and keep them away from the rest of us. When it gets to the stage that there is little room left for real sailors I think there is a problem, but that doesn't seem to apply to too many places yet