Poole vs. Solent for a first time boater

[gjgm]

The Solent does off more choice for pontoon stops, but isn't hugely varied and doesn't offer much scope for getting further in a day
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Really cannot agree.. you have beaches,harbours,towns,rivers,anchorages,marinas...there is alot of variety. I m not sure France is really so much closer from Poole than the Needles, is it?
I agree that if you want to go West, Poole makes it all an hour closer, perhaps, but if you are going for a few days trip, not many choose to blast at full throttle to get to the final destination. I could, possibly, make Falmouth in a knackering day,but I'd rather take 2-3 days at stop off on route. That being the case, the West isnt noticeably closer from Poole than Solent, surely?
Or maybe you meant a day trip...well, from the Solent, Poole is obviously an option , but how far and back do you really want to go in just a day?

 

[nicho]

Well there you go - ask a simple question and I'll bet you are now totally confused.

As Harry Hill would say, Poole or Solent? There's only one way to find out:


F.I.G.H.T!!

PS Solent every time by the way

 

[quintonwatts]

We do all of our boating in Poole Harbour. It's great for over nights as there are loads of quiet areas to anchor, but limited on days out - I would have thought the Solent is better for variety. Don't worry about things getting busy - you'll soon enough get the hang of etiquette and handling the boat.

 

[andyc]

You wont have problems with a 27ft boat in the solent.
You will find close quarter handling in a marina harder.

I live near camberley and moor in christchurch.Poole was just that little bit too far for us.Christchurch is about 1h 15m,hamble is about 50m.Cobbs quay in Poole is 1.45m ish on a good day.
Poole is is a nightmare to get back from in the summer on a sunday after 4pm or on a bank holiday trafficwise.there again so is the solent using the M3, just less distance to endure the traffic
I use the back roads from Christchurch sometimes and miss much of that traffic.

Lymington,Beaulieu river and Christchurch are good places to have a boat in my mind.They are that much nearer to poole for a nice day out and the rest of the solent in the other direction and fishing is great off Hengistbury head outside christchurch,if you like mackerel.I know the boatyard im in ,some people keep their boats ashore on site there and simply launch it when they arrive.

 

[Clive-D]

I’m in a similar position except I’ve been using the Thames for years and recently the Wey Navigation. I now have a Shetland 4+2 with a Honda 35 and fancy some inshore coastal trips. We trailer the boat. Two questions. First is the engine man enough (not planning to go to France or far offshore). It was full of crustaceans and sand when I flushed it to clear the tell tale so it’s been in the sea.
Second, reading about equipment required has left me daunted! The radio and depth finder need replacing, there’s no anchor or safety equipment other than life jackets. What navigation should I be looking at (minefield!!) Any pointers appreciated. I’ve read the safety signalling guides and will carry one onboard. Cheers.

 

[Sianna]

this is an interesting post, last year was our first boating year, our Leader 805 started the year on a swinging mooring at Hythe and ended up on a pontoon at Bucklers Hard. The Solent has never been a problem for us, plenty of places to visit and moor up Yes Newtown Creek, Yarmouth, Bembridge etc can get busy but we have always found a spot and had a lot of incredible days on the water, we had the choice of mooring at Poole, my brothers Moody 45 is at Parkstone and it's lovely location too but I'm really happy we chose the solent

 

[Martxer]

I started boating on the Solent in April found it all pretty daunting at 1st, did my pb2 on my own boat which helped. I have learned loads this season and still know bugger all. We have enjoyed it so far on the Solent, looking forward to exploring more of it this year. I was also looking at cobbs but the journey was longer , I would pick the shorter journey time .

 

[oldgit]

Simples.
Find somewhere ,anywhere , you are happy boating and then move your entire life ,lock stock and barrel , within a 10 mins drive of boat, 20 mins at a push ?

 

[Sianna]

Simples.
Find somewhere ,anywhere , you are happy boating and then move your entire life ,lock stock and barrel , within a 10 mins drive of boat, 20 mins at a push ?

Very true, we pay a fortune to have the boat 15 mins from the house, but we do use it a lot more because its close, I did ask SWMBO if we should just move nearer the boat, apparently, I can if I want too ?

 

[charlumax]

Very true, we pay a fortune to have the boat 15 mins from the house, but we do use it a lot more because its close, I did ask SWMBO if we should just move nearer the boat, apparently, I can if I want too ?

Isn’t the point here, and the beauty of boating vs holiday home, is you can do a season or two in one location/marina, then move to another area if you fancy a change…

 

[Moonstruck]

I'd disagree with the guys who have said that Poole is a pain with regard to traffic. I've been at Cobb's Quay for the last two seasons and never had a problem getting to the boat. You see far worse jams heading into Lymington or Beaulieu in the summer than into Poole. The trick is to travel at the right time - when everyone else is not! I have a worse trip than you in coming from Bromley to Poole - about 130 miles - but I leave early and travel back late, and the journey time usually just over two hours. Not too bad at all.

Cobb's have great staff and facilities (but NOT the Boat House - its terrible) and there is a plethora of places to go to the west - loads of beautiful coves and anchorages all the way to Weymouth as has been said, and if you want a different aspect to boating like the Solent has to offer its still only an hour away to Yarmouth or 90 mins to Cowes, with more fantastic scenery on the way. In a smaller boat like a 25' there is also loads to do in the harbour itself if its too rough out of the harbour, with all the islands to explore as well as the Wareham channel and lots more.

The Solent has a lot to offer too, but its a slightly different type of boating to what you will do out of Poole - I'd make my choice based on what you want to do on your boat once you get out on the water.

After nearly 20 years at Cobbs Quay we left last March due to constant frustrations with just about everything! Traffic was terrible, bridges drove us mad, staff were polite but mostly hopeless and god forbid if you wanted your boat lifted out!!! Moved to Bucklers Hard and it’s the best thing we have ever done boating wise. It won two awards last year and justifiably so. Much more expensive however but in this case you get what you pay for. As has been said it depends what you want from your boating. In our case nothing would drag us back to Poole. Too busy both in and off the water , bridges, anchoring restrictions in Studland, the list goes on but of course that’s just our opinion and everyone has their own!

 

[ST840]

Isn’t the point here, and the beauty of boating vs holiday home, is you can do a season or two in one location/marina, then move to another area if you fancy a change…

Or, find the perfect marina first time. Stay there and when the sea state doesn't allow a journey, stay on the boat and use it like a static holiday home. The trouble with moving marinas is that you may get put into a crap berth with people you don't really like around you. We were fortunate and found the perfect berth for us first time. We will never leave (except for when we do)!!

 

[nicho]

The Thames is a very valid suggestion although I have to admit my wife has more boating experience than me and the speed of sea cruising combined with fishing and visiting different destinations is what makes the coast appealing to us. We would like to have a go at river boating some time but that is more likely to be a weeks holiday on the broads or similar rather then a fulltime exploit, at least until we're a good few years older and want a more sedate pace of cruising anyway!

I'm really appreciating the comments from everyone on this thread, it's all very useful and I am already realising we are likely to be changing our base of operation every year or two so we get different experiences.

(By the way, the boat is hopefully going to be a Monterey 265, surveyed last week and undergoing a few 'fixes' this week so with a bit of luck a final sea trial this weekend will clinch it! (weather was too rough for the surveyor to take her out last week)

We spent three years on the Thames some years ago, and for the most part it was enjoyable. BUT the regular queues for the locks were a real pain, sometimes up to an hour or more on busy weekends, and the regular shouting matches with rowers who think they own the river became a bore. Also found we had to be moored somewhere by 2pm to secure a spot. The Thames is beautiful, especially in the upper reaches. However, we relocated to the Solent having a seagoing boat, and frankly have never looked back and now would never go back. It can be busy, and you need to book ahead to be sure an overnight in a marina (which would be preferable with a young child), but the sheer choice of places to go from Lymington to Chichester is brilliant. Don’t be put off by the usual Solent bashers, you will love it!

 

[Sianna]

Isn’t the point here, and the beauty of boating vs holiday home, is you can do a season or two in one location/marina, then move to another area if you fancy a change…

Yes it could be exactly that, but for us, if we had to travel an hour to get to our boat, without the ability to walk on, we would use it considerably less than we do.
We are lucky to have a beautiful marina, Bucklers Hard, close to home, little traffic to contend with, getting to the boat, except the odd "donkey jam" in the New Forest and a mix of river and sea to potter or blat on depending upon what we fancy doing.

With Lymington, Yarmouth, Chi, Bembridge and Poole all within easy reach, we haven't felt the need to change locations at all.

 

[Sianna]

After nearly 20 years at Cobbs Quay we left last March due to constant frustrations with just about everything! Traffic was terrible, bridges drove us mad, staff were polite but mostly hopeless and god forbid if you wanted your boat lifted out!!! Moved to Bucklers Hard and it’s the best thing we have ever done boating wise. It won two awards last year and justifiably so. Much more expensive however but in this case you get what you pay for. As has been said it depends what you want from your boating. In our case nothing would drag us back to Poole. Too busy both in and off the water , bridges, anchoring restrictions in Studland, the list goes on but of course that’s just our opinion and everyone has their own!

We have been at Bucklers for 2 years now and absolutely love it too.

 

[nicho]

Or, find the perfect marina first time. Stay there and when the sea state doesn't allow a journey, stay on the boat and use it like a static holiday home. The trouble with moving marinas is that you may get put into a crap berth with people you don't really like around you. We were fortunate and found the perfect berth for us first time. We will never leave (except for when we do)!!

Over the past twenty years we have berthed in Hythe Marina, Chichester Marina, Swanwick Marina and currently Port Solent. “Puerto Solente” is one of the cheaper options, and it does require locking out (though there are periods of free flow), but the process is quick and easy except perhaps on Bank Holiday weekends. However, there are a dozen or so restaurants there, a cinema and (heaven forbid) a David Lloyd Fitness there. Our old age no longer enthuse the days of cross channel and West Country trips, but lunch in Cowes, visits to Hamble Lymington, Yarmouth and of course Beaulieu more than make up for it. If the weather is rubbish, then we stay on board and shut out the world (we do not have a TV on board to avoid the ever depressing news) . We have some great neighbours, and the marina staff are great. The Solent has so much going for it, and it’s difficult to know where we would rather be. By the way we live in the Midlands some 130 miles from home, so day trips are not feasible.

 

[colhel]

To get the most out of Poole you need to understand the tide, (notably difficult in Poole) whereas in the Solent close quarters handling is more important