Port Solent Contractor charges

gjbentley

gjbentley

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Is it normal for marinas to charge contractors who are undertaking work on behalf of a yacht owner ?

From 1st Nov 2006 Port Solent Marina seem to be using this reason to justify charging a licence fee of £ 1500 + VAT per year for contractors not based on-site.

Our contractor, a registered Yanmar dealer on the Hamble, is now passing this pro-rata cost onto our final bill.

Has anyone else had a similar expeince - or is it Port Solent learning a trick or two from our Chancellor of the Exchequer of backdoor stealth making ideas to raise more income ?
 
I wouldn\'t want to claim that they ALL do it.....

...but I havn't come across one which doesn't as yet, although a percentage of the contractor's invoice total charged to the owner is more usual.

Observance of the Eleventh Commandment is best policy!

Steve Cronin
 
I used to keep our SO 452 in Ocean Vilage.

Our sail-repair-man was charged to enter, we now run all our vessel's from Haslar.

(Oops, hope Dean & Redyhoff (sp?) don't read this)

Al /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
It's their marina and hinterland, and they can let on / in whoever thet choose. They can charge the on-site people as much rent as the market can stand, and help justify it by telling them they will charge outside contractors for access, thus helping assure them of a good level of captive business.

It will be in the T's & C's, and is the norm for the industry. Same with Brokerage. If you sell your vessel using an outside broker, either your broker or you will have to pay a percentage to the on-site people. If you don't use a broker you will also be bound to pay a percentage.

Great init!
 
I read somewhere (might have been our berth-holders assoc newsletter) that Premier were considering a charge per visit by a contractor and then realised they own Port Solent. However, at my marina there are no local contractors based on-site. Don't recall their T&C's mentioning this either but then it wouldn't as its not a direct charge made on me ..

can't see how they can justify this. contractors hereabouts scrupulously clean up after them and are insured (i thought that was the only requirement to get into the marina)
 
Its the amount being charged that worries me, along with the likelihood of this amount being replicated in other marinas who only make a minimal charge.

Port Solent may feel this is normal marina practice, but this new policy from the 1st November has not been included in any newsletter I have read or on their web-site.

Everybody knows the high overheads charged to marine service suppliers based on-site at Port Solent have a knock on effect in raising their prices. Hence the attraction of berth holders using off site people.

Not sure I understand the reference made to the 11th Commandment (Didn't Ronald Regan say something like that ?), but when it comes to moral ethics it's plainly unfair to external contractors, working guys just trying to earn a living antifouling other peoples boats in the freezing cold boatyard, do they really need another £1500 tax ?

How do they manage to police this policy in other marinas if berth holders decide to personally give access to their yacht without telling the marina ?

Is this one of those policies that contractors and berth holders ignore given the chance. A "catch us if you can" attitude is often the test of the law in reality.
 
Yes, it is quite normal. Look at it this way: a marina lets units or workshops to tenants, eg engineers, sailmakers etc, who will provide services that boatowners need. These tenants pay rent to be there, and to use services such as skips, car parking etc. So if the site is flooded with contractors who work perhaps from vans, and hence have smaller overheads, the tenants may view this as unfair competition. It is in the marina's interest, as a landlord, for the tenant to thrive and therefore pay some rent occasionally...

On the other hand though, you might say that if you charge an exorbitant fee to outside contractors who want to work on site, they will either pass this on to the customer, or the tenants on the site are able to charge what they will, as they have little threat of competition.

Not biased here, just looking at both sides of the coin.
 
Whilst it is reasonably well known that charging externals coming on site is the norm I find it hard to swallow when on-site services cannot provide what is needed so you have no choice but to go outside - and the external is still charged. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
If it is fair, then NCP should also charge the AA or RAC for repairing cars that brake down in their car parks. For that matter the councils could raise a bit of cash too by selling licences to repair vehicles parked in resident bays etc...

Why restrict it to contractors? Why don't marinas charge delivery / charter skippers for a license when taking a boat in and out of their marina?

I think it is outrageous and yet another marina rip-off designed to encourage you to use their cronies (on-site contractors) who can then charge over the odds for a mediocre level of service.
 
No it's not normal outside the Solent. But marina berth charges are dirt cheap in the Solent and so you shouldn't really expect the normal level of service presented elsewhere, should you?

Next thing you know they would be presenting decent wash and toilet facilities, then where will it stop?
 
So if I want to work on my own boat that is OK I presume.

If my mate Roger the rigger wants to give me a helping hand on my boat without money changing hands I take it that too is OK.

If I then meet him down the pub and give him some wedge as a present whats the problem.

More than one way to skin a cat.
 
Dunno about other yards, but the T&C for mine says that owner and crew may work on a boat without requiring permission.

So, if your friendly independent Ovlov mechanic fancies a day on the water........... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
I believe Chichester marina (premier) some years ago did not allow off site contractors to work on boats in the marina, but this stopped a few years back. Hope they don't intend to revert to the darker days. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
If you read many Marina Rules / Contracts with Berth-Owners ... you find that they reserve right to charge for "Off-Site" contractors to enter and work. This is supposed to make you work with on-site company's that often pay the marina for the privilege to be there and fleece you.

Many Marina's - eg as mine - expect you to declare to them your wish / intent to bring off-site contractors in ... they then have right to refuse or surcharge. You are only "safe" ... Ha Ha .... when Marina has no on-site service / contractor that can do the work you want .. but some even get round that by claiming they have access to contracted services outside etc.

It is a minefield and best you check your Contract carefully .... berth or dry-storage ... etc.
 
It is extremely dissapointing, since premier marinas have always been keen to support off-site contractors. It has to be said that some MDL establishments have a small contractor fee, yet no where near as much as the new charge in Port Solent. Perhaps pressure from the berth holders may affect this plan from going in to full action?
 
Dover charge a percentage of the invoice - hence we sail to Ipswich to have expensive work done - when will "authorities" learn that boats move - if they had another brain cell it would be lonely.
 
Expert Contractors are at hand to assist your diy

And of course you can always trust the marina recommended chap to be an expert. Went into the Volvo dealer the other day to source a shaft anode. Middle aged guy in a tie (so he looks right, eh?) says 'Is this for a Volvo engine?'.
'It's for a shaft,' says I.
'Only we only do parts for Volvos, sir.'
'It's for a shaft,' says I. I show him the nut from the end of the shaft.
'This is the old anode, sir?' says he.
'No it's a nut. It helps get an idea of the size.' says I.
'I'll go and ask the boys in the machine shop,' he says.
He disappears for five minutes, comes back and says, 'They say this is off a stern drive vessel'
'As opposed to what?' Says I, imagining boats with engines slung on the side.
He disappears again then comes back with the answer, which is apparently 'sail drive.' I begin to wonder if 'sail drive' is the answer, what could be the question?
While he's been gone I have had lots of time to browse the shelves.
'Your anodes are MGDuff,' says I. 'I expect you have a catalogue.'
'No, sir. No catalogues.' He says.
'I don't believe you.' Says I.
'What sort of engine is it, sir?'
'Yanmar.' Says I.
He directs me to a Yanmar dealer 20 miles away.
'It's a Yanmar engine, not a Yanmar shaft. Shafts are just shafts.'
'I don't believe you, sir' says he, with crushing politeness, implying what sort of a cretin customer comes in herer and thinks shafts are just shafts anad stern drive means driven from the stern.
'I don't believe YOU.' says I
'Good luck with the project.' Says he.
I leave, thinking I won't waste my time talking to the Volvo dealer again. Even if I bought a Volvo (which I definitely never would now).
 
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