MDL renewal.

[On the horizon]

Newbie to the forum but an old..er hand on deck. We sold our boat several years ago , work commitments meant we just did not have time, we have missed being on the water ever since and now find we have sufficient time with our work life balance to get back afloat.
We used to be with MDL at Shamrock Quay and loved the place , From memory I think we had 28 days free berthing at other mdl marinas back then, is this still the same? Going to see them this weekend if the boat survey is satisfactory of course.

 

[Blue Sunray]

Sean and the team at Mercury’s are second best in the “Southampton” MDL chain of marinas ! Bettered only by Barry and all at Shamrock quay.
Two working marinas that are probably not as suitable for the high end of boating but, still two of the most friendly and helpful marinas around !

Not my experience. (YMMV as they say)

 

[ST840]

OMYPHO. ?

 

[Cathy*]

From memory I think we had 28 days free berthing at other mdl marinas back then, is this still the same? Going to see them this weekend if the boat survey is satisfactory of course.

We have pretty much unlimited free berthing at other MDL marinas now.

 

[ST840]

MDL are really hotting up on this now , due to people taking the p1ss with the freedom berthing. Its now very strict that you get no more than 30 days away from your home berth and must move away after the 30 to prevent being charged a monthly mooring fee on top of your home berth charge !

 

[Cathy*]

MDL are really hotting up on this now , due to people taking the p1ss with the freedom berthing. Its now very strict that you get no more than 30 days away from your home berth and must move away after the 30 to prevent being charged a monthly mooring fee on top of your home berth charge !

30 days at a time in other marinas unless the manager agrees to extend. I don't know what you mean by no more than 30 days away from your home berth. It's all explained clearly in the contract.

 

[ST840]

Unless you have a pre arranged berth swap with another MDL berth holder, your supposed to return to your own home berth after the 30 day period! You can then of course go off for another 30 days !

 

[Cathy*]

Unless you have a pre arranged berth swap with another MDL berth holder, your supposed to return to your own home berth after the 30 day period! You can then of course go off for another 30 days !

Again, I don't know where you've got that from and it isn't my experience. I've discussed my plans for next year with several of the managers and all have said they will help.

 

[Elessar]

Again, I don't know where you've got that from and it isn't my experience. I've discussed my plans for next year with several of the managers and all have said they will help.

Agree with you Cathy.
NDB is this your assumption or your experience, and if the latter name and shame the marinas.

 

[ST840]

This is what I have been told verbally by a marina chief , one on the Hamble. I’m not naming .

 

[Cathy*]

This is what I have been told verbally by a marina chief , one on the Hamble. I’m not naming .

Either he/she's misunderstood the contract or just hasn't explained it properly to you. If you're in MDL now have a look at the renewal contract it's all in there.

 

[Boat2016]

If it was that easy then surely the best thing is to take a berth at one of the cheapest marinas and stay at other more expensive prime places for a lot less than taking up an annual berth there, i guess something needs to be in place to stop that happening otherwise the system wouldn’t work.

 

[On the horizon]

Just spoken to Barry the Manager at Shamrock Quay, apparently MDL berth holders now have an unlimited number of free berthing nights that can be used at any of their Marinas on something called Freedom , much better than how i remember it, i am sure in the past when we visited the west country we were limited to a certain number for the year and paid for any above that, so this is a real bonus to know we will have unlimited.
He did say that you can book upto 30 days at a time, if you wish to stay longer just talk to the Marina, let them know your plans and if they have room they will certainly try to accommodate you but some marinas are busier visitor destinations than others so may struggle for extended stays at peak periods.
He also said it was a fair play system to allow everyone the opportunity to try other marinas and not designed so you pay at one marina (Cheaper) then permanently base yourself at another more expensive marina for the summer, which seems reasonable and good to know. I assume some have tried this.

 

[Quackers]

If it was that easy then surely the best thing is to take a berth at one of the cheapest marinas and stay at other more expensive prime places for a lot less than taking up an annual berth there, i guess something needs to be in place to stop that happening otherwise the system wouldn’t work.

You guess wrongly, unless you consider a limit 183 overnight stays in the year to be significant

This is what I have been told verbally by a marina chief , one on the Hamble. I’m not naming .

It's irrelevant then, as it is the contract (paras 1.1 to 2.11) that counts, not some minion's opinion.

 

[Firefly625]

We're in QAB at the moment but I'm looking at all the other MDL's with a view to moving next year. I'm hoping that we'll be able to use freedom berthing to come over and visit. Why haven't you come out at Mercury?

a few reasons;

Hamble Point put all boats in cradles, Mercury do not have any cradles for MoBo's

I have come out at Hamble point for many years and know the team, they look after me very well.

They position me in the same spot every year, important if you are a bit OCD like myself...

Latest and newest reason... Mercury just lost their chandlery,(Hamble Point's chandlery was always bigger & better stocked as well, important if doing any work on your boat.)

 

[ST840]

You guess wrongly, unless you consider a limit 183 overnight stays in the year to be significant



It's irrelevant then, as it is the contract (paras 1.1 to 2.11) that counts, not some minion's opinion.

I’m not near my copy so, wanna chippy and paste it here ? Or take a photo and post it !

 

[[2068]]

<<duplicate>>

 

[volvopaul]

It’s landed on the mat, for the contract starting in April.

The base price assumes I will pay monthly starting in April.

They tell me I can “save” 2% by signing and paying a month in January and then paying monthly from may.
They tell me I can “save” 6% by signing and paying the full year in January.

I can also sign and pay in January for 3 years upfront but it doesn’t tell me the saving.
Guess what - if I do this it’s 7% MORE expensive than paying for a year.
Thanks for the offer MDL I think I’ll pass.

I’ve not had a boat for nearly 4 seasons now , I made an enquiry at Swanwick back in July , last week I received a reply!

 

[[2068]]

I've read my contract.

In summary:
- You can stay for up to 30 consecutive days at time in any MDL Marina as a visitor, extendable at the Marina Manager's discretion and berth availability - if this discretion runs out, then they can charge you for the month.
- Total visitor days at any one "non-home" Marina must not exceed 183 days

Seems pretty flexible to me.

 

[On the horizon]

I've read my contract.

In summary:
- You can stay for up to 30 consecutive days at time in any MDL Marina as a visitor, extendable at the Marina Manager's discretion and berth availability - if this discretion runs out, then they can charge you for the month.
- Total visitor days at any one "non-home" Marina must not exceed 183 days

Seems pretty flexible to me.

Yes that is pretty much what I was told. We are going to view berths at Shamrock Quay tomorrow so hopefully we will be back where we started all those years ago...excited