Marinas that charging for outside contractors

[SolentPhill]

Hi all

About a year ago I asked if your Marina charges you if you bring in someone to work on your boat on site.

This is where for example you get your boat serviced, or even have someone clean it, or have a radar fitted. I have to pay £15 each visit to the marina for anyone, I gather most marinas have scrapped this charge.

But someone said they thought this charge was illegal, does anybody know where I can find out more about this.

can you tell me are you charged at your marina?
How much?
would be good to hear even if you dont get charged.

I understand that some do and some dont I want to confront the marina and take these stats.

Thank you.

 

[biffothebare]

I moor in a boat yard and apart from quarterly charges no charges are made if I get somebody in to do specialised work, canopy repairs etc.
Even slippage is free, but I have to pull it out of course.

 

[whisper]

I've always understood that many boatyards/marinas refuse to let you use any outside contractors that they don't approve of. It's quite common isn't it.
I've not heard of the charging set-up that you describe though.

 

[SnaxMuppet]

Huggins in Plymouth charge £20!

 

[johndove]

Port Solent is about £10 per visit,

Northney Marina is about a £5

Another way marinas bump up there prices!!

Port Solent 2 weekly wash another £260 on top of marina fees each year and thats just keeping it clean.

We all need work done on our boats and they know it!

 

[i_sail]

from my experience at premier marinas, contractors have to report first to the marina office and be able to demonstrate that they have insurance, then they can work on your boat, at no extra cost to them or you. premier seem fair from that respect.

 

[nonitoo]

Here are the Dover fees,

Contractor Licences
Boat owners may wish to employ contractors
to work on their boats who are not persons
or companies that rent premises from Dover
Harbour Board. Such contractors should
notify the Marina Office of their presence
at the Marina and provide evidence of Third
Party insurance in a sum of not less than
£2,000,000 in respect of each incident.
These contractors are required to pay a
licence fee to work at the Marina premises
for each person:
per day £7.00
per week £27.50
per month £68.50
per annum £400.00
Car parking for the relevant licence period
will be at an additional cost.

Tom

 

[SolentPhill]

I can see a need to report in, thats correct they need to know who is working on site and they are insured. But if a marina does not offer a certain service you have to get someone in to do it so why pay the marina. It doesnt happen in other worlds, we dont have to pay the stables when the vet comes to see the horse.

 

[JamesTT]

Conwy is £10.00

 

[nicks]

I visted port solent marina a while ago to see a friend who worked at fairline port solent, didn't think anything of it - a few days later a received a letter saying they would like me to pay over 100 pounds for coming on to their site, i couldn't think why and then realised my vehicle is sign written - they thought i was doing marine mega store out of sales - (which isn't hard to do)

 

[Trundlebug]

All these charges seem cheap to me!

Our marina charges up to 10% of the contractors fees!!

Consequently many owners rebel and either take the boat elsewhere (if they can) to have the work carried out, or do it on the sly and hope they aren't noticed. It all becomes a game of cat and mouse - exciting if you like that sort of thing I suppose but people don't like to feel ripped off.

As I understand it there isn't much anyone can do about these charges.
It's private land. Boats are kept there subject to the yard's terms and conditions, which clearly state there will be charges.
Owners are requested to sign acknowledgement of the T&C's... hence there isn't much you can do other than appeal to the yard owner's sense of fair play - if he has any!

 

[jhr]

I agree; you know the deal when you sign up.

Far be it from me to defend marina and boatyard operators, but there is some logic to what they are saying. If you ran a garage, would you allow the mechanic from the garage down the road to come and fix one of your customers' cars on your premises, just because they could do the job more cheaply?

Just a thought. I don't own a boatyard (or a garage) by the way. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Argonautical]

Thank God for MDL! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Jas.

 

[SolentPhill]

[ QUOTE ]
I agree; you know the deal when you sign up.

Far be it from me to defend marina and boatyard operators, but there is some logic to what they are saying. If you ran a garage, would you allow the mechanic from the garage down the road to come and fix one of your customers' cars on your premises, just because they could do the job more cheaply?

Just a thought. I don't own a boatyard (or a garage) by the way. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, if the marina offer a service and you dont take it fair enough you pay the charge, but if the marina do not offer any services apart from a lift out any work you do has to have an outside contractor.

as I said before if you keep a horse at a farm you are paying the farmer to use his land and stable, you dont pay when the blacksmith or vet visit do you.


Do Premier or MDL not charge then

 

[No Regrets]

As a garage owner, I consider 'Mobiles' as parasites.

No rates, frequently no tax etc.

I know you can't drive boats to the high street however, so perhaps an allowance should be made for this.

I have found the service at T&K of good quality so far, that said!

 

[blueglass]

a thames boatyard at wargrave that i kept my boat in about 3 years ago charged £50.00 per day or part of day!
When billed I refused to pay as it wasn't specified in the mooring contract. check your small print.

 

[Dave99]

[ QUOTE ]
Thank God for MDL! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Jas.

[/ QUOTE ]

MDL have contractor fees in place as do the majority of marinas - usually these are billed to the contractor rather than the boat owner.

I understand the reason for making the charges and as a service provider would much rather pay a small fee to enable us to offer our clients a superior service rather than not being allowed to work in the marina at all.

These charges aren't illegal as they are usually built into the annual berthing contract.

 

[Argonautical]

Well to my knowledge I have never been charged..............and believe me ive had some work done!

I think it disgusting that they should seek to charge the owner, or indeed the good deal toting contractor, simply because he seeks to work on a boat in a marina. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Flippin heck, they take enough already!

Some of you guys complained about the rising cost of South Coast berthing, and yet many of you feel its acceptable to be charged for the priviledge of having someone work on yer boat???? Blimey! /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif
Jas.

N.B. maybe when a client of mine comes to our showroom during an installation I should charge him tfor car parking, and when my fitter arrives at his house I should charge him for parking on the clients drive! If he actually gets any tools out, I could double the rate. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Lawsy]

Firstly, despite what one or two correspondents have said, marinas aren't garages (in the car mechanics sense), they are somewhere to berth a boat. So it's not a case of an outside contractor coming into another mechanics garage. Secondly, if one is forced to use the on-site contractor aren't competion regulations being broken? Indeed (& I'm not a lawyer, so some help here please) I would have thought that a marina contract drawn up in such a way that one may only use the contractor they name, is actually illegal.