Newbie. Talk me into / out of getting into this...

If you are in Manc then Liverpool is the nearest proper marina- there's is a fair few of us mancs there!! One suggestion from me is that the further the boat is away from you, the less you will use it, mine is only an hour away and I don't use it enough so with extra travel distance etc etc Take a trip to the marina and get a feel for the situation, talk to boat owners on your patch. I will happily meet you there if its a convenient time

Ya but no but ya but who wants to boat from there! He wants the Welsh Med he does :encouragement:
 
Ya but no but ya but who wants to boat from there! He wants the Welsh Med he does :encouragement:

me for one as I like fishing too- and that's why most of the N Wales charters from Holyhead Rhyll come to Liverpool to spend winter there- so there.:encouragement:
 
That's winter, they scarper as soon as possible when the sun starts shining back to God's Own Country where the fishing is better. :D
 
That's winter, they scarper as soon as possible when the sun starts shining back to God's Own Country where the fishing is better. :D

that's true but Liverpool has many advantages for example my wife can get a 'boris bike' and go to L1 shopping while I mess about, also my sons use it as a flat when there are gigs on in say the Arena , the city has a lot to offer etc Anyway we are hoping to come to the land of fire and dragons ( Canaerfon) this summer , we set off last year and got 200 yards before we picked up a bag over the cooling inlet and created huge smoke cloud so limped back into safe marina- had to notify Kwaka who was meeting us at Puffin. We came to Conway a couple of years ago - boy was that marina shallow!
 
Next time take a River berth. Who wants to live with the squatters when on holiday! Let us know when you are down next, I'll help Kwakkers raid the funbox in return for some local fishing tips :encouragement:.
 
Mike One suggestion from me is that the further the boat is away from you said:
Hmm, I think thats a Mute Point Mike
It depends on where you are and what your boat usage is gonna be
Plus the kinda boat you have
Frinstance
Pwllheli, miles from anywhere in England but almost a 24/7 harbour marina
But where to go?
Boats on deep water moorings are great but can be a bugger to get too and load on the Victuals ( beer etc) and mither with a dinghy
Typical Marinas in the North West have a 'gate' 3 hours either side of high water
Lets go East to West
Liverpool Marina
Great Place
Mersey
Sh*t Place
Where do you go to from there?
When can you get out with 'our' weather to some nice beach and such like
Next stop The Dee estuary
No thanks!
We go onto Rhyl
Which funnily enough I took a boat in there a couple of weeks ago
Lots of work done in the Foryd Harbour some pontoons etc and fore and aft moorings
Nice cafe and you can rent a mountain bike
But a tricky place to go and come from
Then we arrive at Rhos on Sea
Well, like other spots along My local coast
Not always 'on sea' and just a breakwater for shelter and it dries out
We pass the Victorian seaside town of Llandudno next on our post side (well there's f all to starboard' cept a million windmills (think we got more than the Netherlands now!) nowhere to keep a boat there but the ice creams on the Pier are to die for
So we round the Great Orme and approach the Conwy Estuary
Choices here are two marinas one on the Conwy side and one on the East side of said estuary in Deganwy
Plus swinging moorings and some pontoons in the river
The moorings and pontoons give more flexibility as to when you exit said estuary
Whci boaters do because all want to go towards Anglesey
Not many turn to starboard for a day out
But some might want to go to Liverpool for some reason
See the 'Cavern' which aint the Cavern?
'Beetles' experience
Maritime Museum
Or just to hear the Scouse Humour?
In a way its worth it for that!!
So we plant our vessel up the Conwy
Lots do
So we venture out and turn left (thats to Port by the way), see this diatribe is a lesson two!
Gets us to Beaumaris as the first Port of Call
Swinging deep water moorings and some that dry out
A Pier which Trips run from
A boatyard with quite a good park and launch facility
So we head towards Menai Bridge
As we do on our starboard side we many boats moored
90% deep water, some that dry out
At Menai itself there is another 'Park and Launch facility'
Plus petrol and Diesel can be had 3 hours either side of HW
Fuel type is a consideration too
The only places petrol can be poured in alongside are Deganwy , Conwy, Menai and Pwllheli in North Wales I think, I am not too sure about Holyhead at the moment
There is also a Pier you can spend the night on in Menai Bridge itself or decant passengers or have them alight
I dont mean cremate them with faulty old flares by the way!
We pass through the Swellies and on to Felinheli, well 'port Dinorwic' we call it
There we have the inner dock ( 3 hours either side again) or the 'Outer Basin' which has pontoons and about 4 hours either side of HW depending on the tidal range on the day
There is no 'sill' its just bout counting bricks on the wall
It dries out to soft mud except on 'small' Neaps
So we head further westish
To arrive at Caernarfon
Where we see 'Victoria Dock'
Again a sill keeps the boats afloat
There is the River Seiont as well (use to be a great sea trout river) which has moorings that dry out and a harbour wall to 'dry' against also
The Epicenter of cruising/ motor boating around the Irish Sea , for Day Trips are the Strait and Anglesey
For Cruising the Irish Sea
IE
Going To Ireland/ Scotland and all the other places we can access from the North West
It does not matter where you keep the boat
If you are just 'day boating' it does
If it takes 3 hours to get to the boat and you can get out great
If its 1 hour away and the wind and tides and lock gates and all that stuff stop you going out thats a PITA
If I had a choice and was totally retired
I'd have my boat on the Strait
If its blowing one way you can go the other
If I was totally retired I'd have one on the Strait
The other one would be in a Place that is warm from October until April!
Any Discrepancies in my comments or remarks that anyone does not agree with
Please contact my Solicitors
'Davies Jones & Locker
Cheers
K
:D
 
I grew up in the North Wales/Cheshire borderlands. I learnt to sail out of Conwy and spent many many hours fishing from boat and shore all around the coast and up to the IoM.

I couldn't wait to get out of there and I haven't regretted it for one minute.

I now sail out of the Hamble and fish the area from Chichester to Weymouth and across to France. The fish are bigger, there are more species to target and they're all more plentiful. There are many more interesting ports and anchorages to go to and finding a part in the chandlers is no effort at all. The marina charges are also not necessarily as high as some would suggest - North Wales marinas are hardly cheap. The price of this is that other people have noticed, so it's not as quiet - but I actually like seeing other boats on the water, so it suits me.

The point about being close to your boat is a valid one - yes, you would use it more. But, it has to keep your interest - and for me, I wouldn't keep on boating after a couple of seasons in North Wales. Nice place to visit, but not to stay in my view.

Manchester to the Solent - yes, hardly a quick trip, but our club had a past commodore who drove down from near York every weekend for 30+ years, so if you're keen enough, it can be done. Plenty of others also travel down (we have a large contingent from Shropshire, for some reason - as close to N Wales as you).
 
Hmm, I think thats a Mute Point Mike
It depends on where you are and what your boat usage is gonna be
Plus the kinda boat you have
Frinstance
Pwllheli, miles from anywhere in England but almost a 24/7 harbour marina
But where to go?
Boats on deep water moorings are great but can be a bugger to get too and load on the Victuals ( beer etc) and mither with a dinghy
Typical Marinas in the North West have a 'gate' 3 hours either side of high water
Lets go East to West
Liverpool Marina
Great Place
Mersey
Sh*t Place
Where do you go to from there?
When can you get out with 'our' weather to some nice beach and such like
Next stop The Dee estuary
No thanks!
We go onto Rhyl
Which funnily enough I took a boat in there a couple of weeks ago
Lots of work done in the Foryd Harbour some pontoons etc and fore and aft moorings
Nice cafe and you can rent a mountain bike
But a tricky place to go and come from
Then we arrive at Rhos on Sea
Well, like other spots along My local coast
Not always 'on sea' and just a breakwater for shelter and it dries out
We pass the Victorian seaside town of Llandudno next on our post side (well there's f all to starboard' cept a million windmills (think we got more than the Netherlands now!) nowhere to keep a boat there but the ice creams on the Pier are to die for
So we round the Great Orme and approach the Conwy Estuary
Choices here are two marinas one on the Conwy side and one on the East side of said estuary in Deganwy
Plus swinging moorings and some pontoons in the river
The moorings and pontoons give more flexibility as to when you exit said estuary
Whci boaters do because all want to go towards Anglesey
Not many turn to starboard for a day out
But some might want to go to Liverpool for some reason
See the 'Cavern' which aint the Cavern?
'Beetles' experience
Maritime Museum
Or just to hear the Scouse Humour?
In a way its worth it for that!!
So we plant our vessel up the Conwy
Lots do
So we venture out and turn left (thats to Port by the way), see this diatribe is a lesson two!
Gets us to Beaumaris as the first Port of Call
Swinging deep water moorings and some that dry out
A Pier which Trips run from
A boatyard with quite a good park and launch facility
So we head towards Menai Bridge
As we do on our starboard side we many boats moored
90% deep water, some that dry out
At Menai itself there is another 'Park and Launch facility'
Plus petrol and Diesel can be had 3 hours either side of HW
Fuel type is a consideration too
The only places petrol can be poured in alongside are Deganwy , Conwy, Menai and Pwllheli in North Wales I think, I am not too sure about Holyhead at the moment
There is also a Pier you can spend the night on in Menai Bridge itself or decant passengers or have them alight
I dont mean cremate them with faulty old flares by the way!
We pass through the Swellies and on to Felinheli, well 'port Dinorwic' we call it
There we have the inner dock ( 3 hours either side again) or the 'Outer Basin' which has pontoons and about 4 hours either side of HW depending on the tidal range on the day
There is no 'sill' its just bout counting bricks on the wall
It dries out to soft mud except on 'small' Neaps
So we head further westish
To arrive at Caernarfon
Where we see 'Victoria Dock'
Again a sill keeps the boats afloat
There is the River Seiont as well (use to be a great sea trout river) which has moorings that dry out and a harbour wall to 'dry' against also
The Epicenter of cruising/ motor boating around the Irish Sea , for Day Trips are the Strait and Anglesey
For Cruising the Irish Sea
IE
Going To Ireland/ Scotland and all the other places we can access from the North West
It does not matter where you keep the boat
If you are just 'day boating' it does
If it takes 3 hours to get to the boat and you can get out great
If its 1 hour away and the wind and tides and lock gates and all that stuff stop you going out thats a PITA
If I had a choice and was totally retired
I'd have my boat on the Strait
If its blowing one way you can go the other
If I was totally retired I'd have one on the Strait
The other one would be in a Place that is warm from October until April!
Any Discrepancies in my comments or remarks that anyone does not agree with
Please contact my Solicitors
'Davies Jones & Locker
Cheers
K
:D

bloody ell you working for Croeso Cymru now Kwaka
 
Best advice is to do a course, either Helmsman if you are looking at around 10m or above size of boat or do a Power boat level 2 for under 10m size.
This will give you an idea of what type of boating you want to do and if you will enjoy it, its best if both you and your partner and / or all family members that would be boating do it too. You will then have a good idea of what's involved.
 
Best advice is to do a course, either Helmsman if you are looking at around 10m or above size of boat or do a Power boat level 2 for under 10m size.
This will give you an idea of what type of boating you want to do and if you will enjoy it, its best if both you and your partner and / or all family members that would be boating do it too. You will then have a good idea of what's involved.

Wise words as always power
You will have come across it and I too
PB2 gives an insight as to whats what
Helmsman tells a different story but between the both it helps people pick a vessel to suit
Having said that
It took me 10 boats to find what suited me/us
In fact No. 8 was the best but I sold it!!!
:D
 
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