Should marinas provide more than a rotting piece of wood for the money you pay?

Nostrodamus

Nostrodamus

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Yesterday we were having a drink with one of those weird people who live in a house made of bricks.
They actually rent the house which has three bedrooms and all amenities are included.
The monthly rent for the house is only fractionally more than I pay for a month in a marina.
What do I get for my money... a piece of wood at the side of the boat and four cleats....
I mean come on. The front door to the pontoon is just that.. a door and nothing else.

I deserve more for my money surely.
On the pontoon I want a free power supply to provide enough umph to run Blackpool illuminations, not something that blows if I recharge my mobile phone.
I want a maid every day to come on and wake me nicely before cleaning the whole boat.
I want electronic arms on the pontoon which gently grab and hold the boat when I come in or out.. none of this running around trying to tie things on.
I want a covered pontoon I can keep dry in and a little shed at the end to keep all my bits and bobs in.

Am I asking too much?
Should marinas provide more than a rotting piece of wood for the money you pay?
 
Yes, you're asking to much. You are using a luxury amenity designed for occasional leisure use as your main residence. You should really be comparing it with holiday homes and hotels, to get a like-for-like price comparison. And to be fair to the marina, you could also be paying for sea walls, dredging and the like.

And anyway, what are you doing in a marina? Don't you know how much they cost? I thought all rufty tufty liveaboards only ever anchored in deserted creeks, coral atolls or tied up alongside greek tavernas? ;)
 
Alas poor yorick,
The anchorages are being taken away,
The greek tavernas are in liquidation,
The creeks are being taken over by the national trust,
And most importantly I am no rufty tufty...
 
Come on... someone out there must agree with me.
Are you all happy with your lot?
What happened to all the grumpy old men out there!
 
Nostrodamus said:
Yesterday we were having a drink with one of those weird people who live in a house made of bricks.
They actually rent the house which has three bedrooms and all amenities are included.
The monthly rent for the house is only fractionally more than I pay for a month in a marina.
What do I get for my money... a piece of wood at the side of the boat and four cleats....
I mean come on. The front door to the pontoon is just that.. a door and nothing else.

I deserve more for my money surely.
On the pontoon I want a free power supply to provide enough umph to run Blackpool illuminations, not something that blows if I recharge my mobile phone.
I want a maid every day to come on and wake me nicely before cleaning the whole boat.
I want electronic arms on the pontoon which gently grab and hold the boat when I come in or out.. none of this running around trying to tie things on.
I want a covered pontoon I can keep dry in and a little shed at the end to keep all my bits and bobs in.

Am I asking too much?
Should marinas provide more than a rotting piece of wood for the money you pay?
Click to expand...

You may be in the wrong marina. Admittedly, MDL have not yet introduced the automated docking system and they do charge for electricity - though at a similar rate to that which I pay at home. The maid service does not clean my boat, but they do a thorough job of the communal facilities every morning and the toilet block is always very clean and well maintained. The pontoon certainly is not rotting. How much do we pay? Less than £4k per year - you'll be very hard pressed to find anything to rent in the south east for much less than twice that!
 
I don't even get a shoe cleaning service, choice of morning papers or the obligatory trouser press.
Having said that we do get piped music to the shower facilities. I suppose that helps when you have spent 3 hours walking through the rain to get there only to find there is six people waiting and no hot water.
 
Nostrodamus said:
I don't even get a shoe cleaning service, choice of morning papers or the obligatory trouser press.
Having said that we do get piped music to the shower facilities. I suppose that helps when you have spent 3 hours walking through the rain to get there only to find there is six people waiting and no hot water.
Click to expand...

You are definitely in the wrong marina!
 
Hey Nostro

Nobody has told you yet.

In the Med, you don't even get the rotting wood!

Just a couple of knackered slimy lines encrusted with sharp barnacles.

And, as you go East, you don't even get the lines!!!

First time you Med moor, stern to, will be a revelation for you.
 
maby said:
You are definitely in the wrong marina!
Click to expand...
Totally agree.. whatever happened to turning down the bed and a chocolate on the pillow... there is just no personal service any more.
I set out yesterday at 0500 to go to the marina office to complain. By the time I reached it they had all gone home for the night.
 
Nostrodamus said:
You mean they don't send out a pilot and crew to do it for you !!!!!!!
Click to expand...

They have done once when my crew got ill and it was so windy that I doubted my ability to bring the boat in single handed - but they would object if you asked for help every time you come in!
 
Nostrodamus said:
Yesterday we were having a drink with one of those weird people who live in a house made of bricks.
They actually rent the house which has three bedrooms and all amenities are included.
The monthly rent for the house is only fractionally more than I pay for a month in a marina.
What do I get for my money... a piece of wood at the side of the boat and four cleats....
I mean come on. The front door to the pontoon is just that.. a door and nothing else.

I deserve more for my money surely.
On the pontoon I want a free power supply to provide enough umph to run Blackpool illuminations, not something that blows if I recharge my mobile phone.
I want a maid every day to come on and wake me nicely before cleaning the whole boat.
I want electronic arms on the pontoon which gently grab and hold the boat when I come in or out.. none of this running around trying to tie things on.
I want a covered pontoon I can keep dry in and a little shed at the end to keep all my bits and bobs in.

Am I asking too much?
Should marinas provide more than a rotting piece of wood for the money you pay?
Click to expand...

Compare like with like
If you want to live like a pikey you could always go & doss down on Dale Farm
They do not pay rates either
 
We paid 20 quid for 24 hours in Chichester,nice hot showers ,safe mooring in gale walk ashore to bar .Bed and brekfast was 50 quid seems quite a good deal for two people.Having never in my life dreamt of a marina berth circumstances dictated the choice and the wife was pleased with hot running water and underfloor heating.
 
Nostrodamus said:
Are you all happy with your lot?
Click to expand...

To be honest, yes. Totally. My new marina couldn't be better. Staff are dead friendly, facilities are spotless, modern, and good, and it's in stunning surroundings with 24 hour access to the river (not in my boat though, I can't go out at LWS).

Does it cost too much? Well, I'd always be happy to pay less, but it's not really too shabby. It's you south coast lot that get the worst of it. Overcrowding, impatient neighbours, marina T&C's that won't let you actually spend any time on the boat you pay to keep there. That sounds grim.
 
The question I've always wanted to ask marinas is why some of them can provide non-wobbly finger pontoons and some of them have such unstable structures that I have to crawl to the outer end to secure a line.
 
nathanlee said:
To be honest, yes. Totally. My new marina couldn't be better. Staff are dead friendly, facilities are spotless, modern, and good, and it's in stunning surroundings with 24 hour access to the river (not in my boat though, I can't go out at LWS).

Does it cost too much? Well, I'd always be happy to pay less, but it's not really too shabby. It's you south coast lot that get the worst of it. Overcrowding, impatient neighbours, marina T&C's that won't let you actually spend any time on the boat you pay to keep there. That sounds grim.
Click to expand...

Your south is my north......
 
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