Marinas...again

[Joe_Cole]

One of the advantages I hear about Marinas is that you can just walk onto your boat and go.

What I don't understand is why people will then use a Marina (like Weymouth or Cobbs Quay) where there are restrictions like a bridge, cill or whatever, which mean that you are very restricted in how you can then use the boat. As far as I know these places are no cheaper.

It seems to defeat the whole purpose of the places, or am I missing something?

 

[fireball]

shore power, easy access to fresh water, no dinghy to maintain, no outboard to maintain , quick to go down and check the boat, easy to get on and off, easy to un/load supplies, less chance of being scraped by a windsurfer, dinghy or other careless water user ...

I'm sure theres more ... but to agree with you slightly, no I couldn't keep my boat anywhere that there were big restrictions on access to open water.

 

[bilbobaggins]

...One of the advantages of marinas is that you can just step onto your boat - and stay. In any marina I've been near in recent years, over half the occupants clearly venture out rarely - if at all.

Check the half-metre of green stuff growing on the waterline of so many fine boats, in so many marinas......

Someone explained it - they're cheaper than the waterside apartments overlooking all the pontoons.

 

[Joe_Cole]

Shore power and water I can understand, but if you don't have a dinghy then surely you are limiting where you can go and missing out on the pleasures of anchoring overnight, or picking up a mooring? Speed of access is a little better, but there's only a few minutes in it.

From what I read here it sounds as if the real danger in marinas is being bashed by other boats, it certainly sounds as if you are more likely to be hit than on a swinging mooring.

I think you missed security; which will be better.

Each to his own though. As you may have gathered I don't like marinas, horrible soulless places!

 

[ShipsWoofy]

I hate them too, and for me the access is more difficult than my mooring, hard to believe?

We get to slipway, pick up tender on launching trolley (zero maintenance, you ain't seen my hard dinghy!). Wham o/b on back, throw bags in launch, about 20ft from park to water. Get in dinghy, whizz to boat and climb aboard.

On a marina I would have to walk near half a mile with bags and gear, this to me, back and joint problems would make trips to the boat much more difficult. Weird that uh!

No worries about the dog either, no one complaining because he got caught short or decided to mark one of the posts on the pontoons, (he is a dog, get over it!).

No worries about making any noise at midnight if we arrive late. I hate the silence of the marina, the being oh so quiet when everyone seems to turn in at 2200.

My boat does not push fenders up onto the pontoon in windy weather and then scrape hell out of her hull while we are away.

My boat is unlikely to catch fire when another boat does!

I do not sit on a sunny afternoon having to listen to the constant tramp tramp tramp of people walking up and down the pontoons. I have privacy too.

Marinas are ugly, they destroy pretty rivers and bays, they encourage far too many boats into a tiny space. They are not pretty, no one ever photographs the marina for the local postcards!

They are a complete rip off, for what, a pontoon, how can squashing 400 boats into an area that might take 100 moorings push the prices through the roof? It does not make any sense. Less piles, less chains, yet more cost.

And people pay it?

 

[BrendanS]

on the other hand, you'd never get that many pile or swinging pontoons into the areas they've dredged. So many people would on 30 year waiting lists.

As to 20:00 turn ins, that must be where you are. Unlikely in any marina I've been to, where parties often go on in late hours, and certainly even if by myself I'm rarely turning in early.

 

[tringa]

Another advantage

[ QUOTE ]
One of the advantages I hear about Marinas is that you can just walk onto your boat and go.



[/ QUOTE ]

They keep boats off the water. Vast tracts of moorings visually pollute beautiful places and prevent people from anchoring. I know many good anchorages that have been destroyed by moorings. There is much to be said for corralling all the boats (many of which are not exactly pretty) in one place when they are not in use.

 

[AuntyRinum]

<over half the occupants clearly venture out rarely - if at all. >

Long may it continue. I suspect that this is the reason that boat insurance is relatively cheap compared with car insurance.

 

[Joe_Cole]

[ QUOTE ]
I hate them too, and for me the access is more difficult than my mooring, hard to believe?

Marinas are ugly, they destroy pretty rivers and bays, they encourage far too many boats into a tiny space. They are not pretty, no one ever photographs the marina for the local postcards!

They are a complete rip off, for what, a pontoon, how can squashing 400 boats into an area that might take 100 moorings push the prices through the roof? It does not make any sense. Less piles, less chains, yet more cost.

And people pay it?

[/ QUOTE ]

I couldn't agree more, and would add......

The sheer joy of arriving on a moonlit night and gently taking the dinghy across the water to the boat.
Looking out in the morning to see a seal coming upstream on the last of a flood tide.
Watching terns dive-bombing the water to catch their supper.
Watching shags swimming around looking like small periscopes poking out of the water.
Sitting in the cockpit on a quiet night and counting shooting stars.
At low water getting in the dinghy and collecting a few mussels for dinner.
Just watching the world go by!
etc.
etc.
I think I'll burst into song........These are a few of my favourite things......



But you can step on board and have shore power at a marina! Each to his own I suppose.

 

[clyst]

Yep that just about sums it up shipswoofy ! /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Give a swinging mooring anytime .

 

[billmacfarlane]

It's not so much walk on to your boat and go, it's more of simply walk on to your boat. It's far easier to work on your boat if it's tied to the shore for various reasons, and also you might not want to go sailing but just want to chill for a day and despite what the old salts say I can't see anything wrong with that. Besides certain marinas have similar resricted access e.g a small lock in a large marina, such as Birdham Pool.

 

[Joe_Cole]

Nothing wrong with sitting on the boat and chilling out.

The advantage of doing it on a swinging mooring is that you can just sit there and every few hours the tide turns the boat for you so that you have a different view. Completely effortless. In a marina you have to stand up, move across to the other side of the cockpit, then sit down again. Far too much effort for me!

Kidding apart, I much prefer the view I have on my mooring to any I've had in a marina. However, it's lucky we don't all think the same about these things otherwise we would all be after the same places to park our boats and there certainly wouldn't be enough to go around.