bjames1955
Active Member
Looking for views on the river hamble. harbour dues, services, good bad experiences?
river hamble
- Thread starter bjames1955
- Start date
jaustenstock
New Member
Hi , Can recommend the Hamble no better location/place on the South coast for parking the boat but there are a few issues.
Marinas are very expensive. HM moorings are good value but you may have to wait for one, a good option is to approach the HM and ask for a tempoary mooring there are usually several available.
Getting to your HM river mooring can be a problem as there are only a few places to leave a car. You can get dropped off at the Hamble river taxi, join a club like the RAF which has parking and launch service or you can use the free hard/parking(24hrs) at Bursledon and take a dinghy. The marinas charge up to an eye watering £800 a year just for dinghy storage.
Finally it is very busy at weekends so motoring in and out is the sensible option a few do sail but it really is too busy to do that without creating a hazard for other users, during the week it is not normally busy.
Very interesting and friendly place to sail from, I am a big fan.
Hope that helps, please ask if any questions spring to mind.
Jim
Marinas are very expensive. HM moorings are good value but you may have to wait for one, a good option is to approach the HM and ask for a tempoary mooring there are usually several available.
Getting to your HM river mooring can be a problem as there are only a few places to leave a car. You can get dropped off at the Hamble river taxi, join a club like the RAF which has parking and launch service or you can use the free hard/parking(24hrs) at Bursledon and take a dinghy. The marinas charge up to an eye watering £800 a year just for dinghy storage.
Finally it is very busy at weekends so motoring in and out is the sensible option a few do sail but it really is too busy to do that without creating a hazard for other users, during the week it is not normally busy.
Very interesting and friendly place to sail from, I am a big fan.
Hope that helps, please ask if any questions spring to mind.
Jim
Pasarell
Well-Known Member
Negative view I'm afraid.
If you can afford the marinas you'll be OK but moorings not so good. I had bad experiences with HM service and a pile mooring. Car access can be bad at busy times and my mooring was a long way from the dinghy park. Many piles have a pontoon now but mine didn't and there was a lot of damage from working againt the adjacent boat caused by slop from passing boats. I had no problem but spoke to several people who had break ins.
Moved out after a year and now very happy on a trot further up Southampton water. 150m from dinghy mooring, no-one alongside, and excellent security.
If you can afford the marinas you'll be OK but moorings not so good. I had bad experiences with HM service and a pile mooring. Car access can be bad at busy times and my mooring was a long way from the dinghy park. Many piles have a pontoon now but mine didn't and there was a lot of damage from working againt the adjacent boat caused by slop from passing boats. I had no problem but spoke to several people who had break ins.
Moved out after a year and now very happy on a trot further up Southampton water. 150m from dinghy mooring, no-one alongside, and excellent security.
RichardTaylor
Well-Known Member
Car Parking is the biggest problem, Warsash and Hamble are nightmares.
Security is always a problem but so far not had anything to worry about after 5 years.
However pairing up on piles always was a nightmare. Last year I had to call the Harbour Master out twice due to my mooring partner not being secured to the upstream pile, and me wanting to leave my mooring! This year I have had to report our upstream partner for not being moored in a satisfactory way, and was about to break loose!
On the plus side I finally got a pontoon this year and I am sharing it with a friend, so all costs are shared equally and we look after each other.
I hear stories (from my MD) about his pontoon. His mooring partners (2 in 4 years) have not contributed a penny to the insurance and maintenance of the pontoon.
The other problem is the river flow especially on the spring ebb. Using a tender is IMO dangerous in these conditions, especially the overloaded ones.
Finally being right in the middle of the Solent can be a pain as there is a long way to open water (for channel crossings etc). Portsmouth or Lymington is a better bet for this.
Security is always a problem but so far not had anything to worry about after 5 years.
However pairing up on piles always was a nightmare. Last year I had to call the Harbour Master out twice due to my mooring partner not being secured to the upstream pile, and me wanting to leave my mooring! This year I have had to report our upstream partner for not being moored in a satisfactory way, and was about to break loose!
On the plus side I finally got a pontoon this year and I am sharing it with a friend, so all costs are shared equally and we look after each other.
I hear stories (from my MD) about his pontoon. His mooring partners (2 in 4 years) have not contributed a penny to the insurance and maintenance of the pontoon.
The other problem is the river flow especially on the spring ebb. Using a tender is IMO dangerous in these conditions, especially the overloaded ones.
Finally being right in the middle of the Solent can be a pain as there is a long way to open water (for channel crossings etc). Portsmouth or Lymington is a better bet for this.
flaming
Well-Known Member
It's a great place for racing, with umpteen clubs. But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't bother keeping a cruising boat in the Hamble unless I was of the opinion that £50 notes are actually the best kindling. There are quieter and cheaper places with better access to open water! Lymington would be my preference as I think Boris Johnson's comments about Portsmouth to be quite accurate!
RichardTaylor
Well-Known Member
[ QUOTE ]
But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't bother keeping a cruising boat in the Hamble unless I was of the opinion that £50 notes are actually the best kindling.
[/ QUOTE ]
There is a common mis-conception the Hamble if prohibitively expensive....
I keep a 26ft cruising boat there and only burn one "piece of kindling" per month.
But I'm pretty sure I wouldn't bother keeping a cruising boat in the Hamble unless I was of the opinion that £50 notes are actually the best kindling.
[/ QUOTE ]
There is a common mis-conception the Hamble if prohibitively expensive....
I keep a 26ft cruising boat there and only burn one "piece of kindling" per month.
Noddy
Well-Known Member
Got ripped at Swanwick
£103 for 3 nights /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
W*nkers !
£103 for 3 nights /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
W*nkers !