Oban North Pier Pontoons

[skua164]

As they seem now to be called via their new website

https://www.northpierpontoons.com/

£ 3 /metre overnight

£ 12 shopping/crew change visit between 11 am & 4 pm

Showers etc next Season

 

[NormanS]

Tobermory don't charge anything for a day visit. They take the grown-up attitude that people using their moorings or pontoons are almost certainly using some of the town's businesses, and therefore contributing to the town's economy. I say "Good on them!"

 

[Aja]

I suspect the high charge is to give the other amenities in the area a fighting chance I.e. Kerrera and Oban Bay Moorings who charge significantly less. Or am I just being naive?
Donald

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I suspect the high charge is to give the other amenities in the area a fighting chance I.e. Kerrera and Oban Bay Moorings who charge significantly less. Or am I just being naive?
Donald

It is. The Heather Island moorings are only a tenner.

 

[webcraft]

.
Crappy website.

We were there the other day and the bridge between the two sections of pontoon had malfunctioned, forming a 4ft high vertical obstacle instead of sliding in its runners.

- W

 

[wully1]

Tobermory don't charge anything for a day visit. They take the grown-up attitude that people using their moorings or pontoons are almost certainly using some of the town's businesses, and therefore contributing to the town's economy. I say "Good on them!"

Tobermory is community run, they were ( I stand to be corrected) the first to embrace the benefits to the local economy and have made a success of it.
Other places on the west coast are recognising and imitating this in their own way with I hope similar positive and lasting impact on the local economy.

If the improvement to the moorings encourages increased yacht traffic- which to my un scientific eye- is already happening , then that's a double plus as far as I'm concerned.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

..... https://www.northpierpontoons.com/ ....

I saw the anchors on the quay side and they were large but there is a lot of windage on the pontoons from the large yachts and small sailing ships along side in the pictures. Is there a wind limit? I have sheltered over at the lifeboat, tucked right in with a in a summer gale blowing off the shore with 50 kts of wind, although rare, I imagine that sort off pressure would require the HM to order boats to leave.

Having said that, what a great facility. Looking at the pictures, compared to the previous North Pier hassle, it is now a cinch to get ashore and victual / crew change. Glad it is in place, hope it works out well and turns out to be a strong, robust structure.

 

[coaster63]

£ 3 /metre overnight

£ 12 shopping/crew change visit between 11 am & 4 pm

Showers etc next Season[/QUOTE].

I'm think it's thanks but no thanks
called in at Oban on returning from mull but on enquiring prices anchored as usual but now between new pontoon & moorings (designated anchoring area in settled conditions) & landed on beach ,
had a chat with the chap on duty in portacabin about pricing policy as its not attractive to me on a 23 footer. after £20 of shopping . So would continue to anchor with trip but he suggested that anchoring would likely be banned in the area north of pier but if I did its a pound to park tender.
I suggested that the statement that they had no wish to attract boats away from Oban Marina wasn't working as most boat that day were large foreign flagged cruisers with large crews that are the icing on the cake for local marinas

 

[NormanS]

Shopping costs:
Oban £12 + stores.
Tobermory £0 + stores.
It's a no-brainer. Vote with your boats.

 

[Sandyman]

I thought someone on here said these pontoons were full of dirty filth liveaboards ?
May be he was bias....................................or just jealous

 

[awol]

Shopping costs:
Oban £12 + stores.
Tobermory £0 + stores.
It's a no-brainer. Vote with your boats.

Ah, but the choice of tartan tat in Oban is so much greater than Balamory. And then there is Lidl, Aldi, Tesco, etc.. You should be able to save your £12 on just a couple of bottles of "stores" cf the Co-op.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

Shopping costs:
Oban £12 + stores.
Tobermory £0 + stores.
It's a no-brainer. Vote with your boats.

For that scenario, but for the transit case, dropping off and picking up crew, there is convenience and for me £12 is an easy price to pay for convenience. While waiting for crew, I may as well go shopping. It's a no brainer.

 

[Deleted member 36384]

[/QUOTE]. .... So would continue to anchor with trip but he suggested that anchoring would likely be banned in the area north of pier but if I did its a pound to park tender. .... [/QUOTE]

Sounds like a load of baloney. Why would they want to, or could they even be allowed to, ban anchoring? Charging for landing a dinghy at the pontoons, fair enough, but that could a skimming ruse to me. There will always be those who want to anchor and some who may need to anchor, also many will want to use the pontoons such that anchoring numbers will never be a threat to their commercial model.

 

[wully1]

I saw the anchors on the quay side and they were large but there is a lot of windage on the pontoons from the large yachts and small sailing ships along side in the pictures. Is there a wind limit? I have sheltered over at the lifeboat, tucked right in with a in a summer gale blowing off the shore with 50 kts of wind, although rare, I imagine that sort off pressure would require the HM to order boats to leave.

Having said that, what a great facility. Looking at the pictures, compared to the previous North Pier hassle, it is now a cinch to get ashore and victual / crew change. Glad it is in place, hope it works out well and turns out to be a strong, robust structure.

One good summer gale and it'll be on the road...

it it will be useful to some and irrelevant to others, doubt I'd want to stop there. Kerrera is a far more attractive option to me.