tomframe
Well-Known Member
just doing a little research here - what do we all want from marinas, top 5 things we look for or wish they did for us?
marinas
- Thread starter tomframe
- Start date
Channel Ribs
Well-Known Member
Crikey, this is tricky. One of my favourite marinas is Eastbourne but it is hopeless from a sailing point of view, far too many distractions around the water's edge!
From a proper boating point of view...
Home/Away:
1. Shelter/Location
2. Access*/Facilities
3. Cost/Access
4. Facilities/Shelter
5. Location (both road and water)/Cost
* Access would be number one, but an exposed marina (Sparkes for example) is too much of a worry. The trade off between shelter and access is the real trick to building a really good marina.
Edit: These are all from the point of view of home marina, when visiting they shift around a bit. Cost goes down and facilities go up.
Double edit: I added in visiting marina criteria after the slash.
And again: As Snooks says, facilities means a nice shower (for the women and children to play with of course, like all real sailers I use a bucket for both
)
Last edited:
snooks
Well-Known Member
For us, based in London with limited time to get to the boat and get on the water I think our 5 would be (in order)
- 24hr access
- Cost - Lower the better
- Service - I.e. how good the staff are whether you feel your boat is in safe hands
- Access by land, road, rail
- Facilities - Toilets/showers not boatyard facilities, I can go somewhere I want to for those
bendyone
Well-Known Member
First must be a safe place to leave the boat. Second cost, third shore facilities- clean showers etc., the other 2 I'm not too bothered by.
anni
Member
Marinas
Clean loos
Hot water showers
accessible rubbish bins
Clean loos
Hot water showers
accessible rubbish bins
Quandary
Well-Known Member
Marinas
What most people want from a marina is for it to be somewhere else.
How many coastal towns and villages have been seduced by lazy planning consultants who come up with a 'marina' as a panacea to their economic problems only to find they could no longer see or approach the sea.
What most people want from a marina is for it to be somewhere else.
How many coastal towns and villages have been seduced by lazy planning consultants who come up with a 'marina' as a panacea to their economic problems only to find they could no longer see or approach the sea.
Koeketiene
Well-Known Member
1. shelter
2. 24hr access (no lock)
3. cheap
Don't care about facilities - view a marina as a car park for my boat.
A place where the boat's safe when I'm not aboard.
When I'm aboard, I'll be out sailing
2. 24hr access (no lock)
3. cheap
Don't care about facilities - view a marina as a car park for my boat.
A place where the boat's safe when I'm not aboard.
When I'm aboard, I'll be out sailing
Cerddinen
Well-Known Member
1. No jet skis.
2. No motor boats.
3. No slipway for jet skis.
4. No slipway for motor boats.
5. No charter boats.
I used to berth in Torquay but sadly it has now been over-run with motorboats and jet skis.
2. No motor boats.
3. No slipway for jet skis.
4. No slipway for motor boats.
5. No charter boats.
I used to berth in Torquay but sadly it has now been over-run with motorboats and jet skis.
Sadlermike
Well-Known Member
1 shelter
2 ease of access
3 room to manoeuvre
4 well maintained (eg no cleats missing from pontoons)
5 cost
Malthouse ranks Eastbourne as one of his favourite marinas. To me it is hell on earth and I would rather scuttle my yacht than spend another night there. Just shows what a wide range of tastes forumites have!
2 ease of access
3 room to manoeuvre
4 well maintained (eg no cleats missing from pontoons)
5 cost
Malthouse ranks Eastbourne as one of his favourite marinas. To me it is hell on earth and I would rather scuttle my yacht than spend another night there. Just shows what a wide range of tastes forumites have!
EdWingfield
Well-Known Member
Security
rivonia
Well-Known Member
Well I think it depends on which part of the world you are in?
Here's my 2 bobs worth
1..Sanctury
2..Security
3..Friendly/helpful staff
4..clean reliable facilities
5..Easy safe access
Peter.
Here's my 2 bobs worth
1..Sanctury
2..Security
3..Friendly/helpful staff
4..clean reliable facilities
5..Easy safe access
Peter.
BlueSkyNick
Well-Known Member
Channel Ribs
Well-Known Member
Ooo that's shocking plagiarism that is, and within a month too.
Anyway, back OT...
I am amazed at how many people have included security. One of the two reasons National Harbourwatch did not work was that people said "My boat is secure, I pay the marina to keep it that way." Unbelievable.
Searush
Well-Known Member
I'm with Quandry. What do I want from Marinas?
I want them to go away! Blinking 'orrible boat car parks. Mind you, I suppose it's one way of keeping loads of boats off the sea & out of the way.
An estuary or bay full of moorings is a lovely sight, the boats are all moving independantly, but all in step. You can sail through them peacefully without disturbing anyone. Each is far enough from the others to minimise nuisance, yet close enogh to chat if you want.
Shove 'em all in a marina, all on top of each other, it's like a housing estate very little privacy and it costs an arm & a leg. Definitely not for me thanks.
I want them to go away! Blinking 'orrible boat car parks. Mind you, I suppose it's one way of keeping loads of boats off the sea & out of the way.
An estuary or bay full of moorings is a lovely sight, the boats are all moving independantly, but all in step. You can sail through them peacefully without disturbing anyone. Each is far enough from the others to minimise nuisance, yet close enogh to chat if you want.
Shove 'em all in a marina, all on top of each other, it's like a housing estate very little privacy and it costs an arm & a leg. Definitely not for me thanks.
Last edited:
Phideaux
Well-Known Member
Can you elaborate, as I'm interested in finding a good marina within reasonable travelling distance from Uckfield.
snooks
Well-Known Member
Beautiful river and estuaries?
Ruined by lots of man made boats in different colours, all attached to bright pink buoys, floating about being shat on!
With the exception of windfarms, can anything else be such an eyesore or blot on our beautiful British waterside?
At least you don't find marinas in the middle of nowhere, they are usually in a town or city that has already intruded on a landscape. I talk to everyone I see in our marina, and we're all a pretty friendly bunch.
At least we're not selfishly ruining quiet river views for everyone else!
Channel Ribs
Well-Known Member
Sovereign Harbour (Eastbourne Marina) is bloomin lovely.
There is an active berth holders assoc., the actual berthing areas are divided up into smaller sections with lifting bridges. Access is via lock gates which are very well organised, but the channel outside is daunting the first time through.
The water's edge stuff is silly, too much from a sailing point of view. There are restaurants galore, multiplex cinema, supermarket (proper big one), and then - then you have Eastbourne itself beyond all of that.
It is reasonably priced too and very secure.
Searush
Well-Known Member
Beautiful river and estuaries?
Ruined by lots of man made boats in different colours, all attached to bright pink buoys, floating about being shat on!
With the exception of windfarms, can anything else be such an eyesore or blot on our beautiful British waterside?
At least you don't find marinas in the middle of nowhere, they are usually in a town or city that has already intruded on a landscape. I talk to everyone I see in our marina, and we're all a pretty friendly bunch.
At least we're not selfishly ruining quiet river views for everyone else!
Yeah, right, so why can't you buy a postcard of a marina then, but the shops sell thousands of views of moorings in bays & estuaries? Ever seen a painting of a marina? But there are paintings of boats on moorings available in copious quantities. I think you are simply being provocative there, & certainly not in line with the majority perception of marketable views.
I love windfarms, so elegant & graceful. I enjoy watching them on land & sea, but I accept that there are thousands of Nimby's that profess to dislike them. We have some of the largest windfarms in the UK off the N Welsh & Wirral coasts, they actually improve the view, unlike marinas which destroy habitat & spoil the view. But why should my opinion be the same as yours?
Ubergeekian
Well-Known Member
D
DogWatch
Guest
1. I wish they would fix the trunion problem
2. Calling it an ital does not make it continental
3. The hydro-elastic suspension is pants, it is nowhere near as good as Citroen's suspension, stop doing it.
4. It is time to dump the A series engine which is a good little lump but out of date, I think it is a good mod to drop the triumph sprint engine in, but why would anyone want to lose the dolomite sprint in favour of a marina
5. The interior is horrible, the seats are designed for a doctors waiting room, and I dread to think what the ncap rating on a marina would be.
