Sports Boat launching - Southampton Area

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I am looking for some advice on the best place to launch a small sports boat (21ft) in the Southampton area and maybe to leave the trailer a few days.

We are planning to find a campsite locally to the slip to say with our friends, but some campsites will not yet you leave boat trailers on the campsite.

Anthony
 
Mercury marina on the hamble is good. it has a reasonable slip way, loads of trailer storage area and a camp site right next door (100M walk at most) which is pretty good. if camping isnt your thing they also have holiday vans as well.

there are a few people here that use the facilities there and dont seem to complain... we have out boat there and its a great little marine with fantastic staff!!
 
Are you willing to go a little further West but still be in the Solent.. I have the perfect setup for you if you are... campsite that allows the boat to be parked with your tent at no extra cost, fantastic atmosphere on the site and they allow open fires, lecky hookup should you need it.. only downside is the access road is a little tight to the site and on route to the slipway half a mile away but no big trauma's if you're used to it and the toilot blocks are very very basic porta cabin style.. Launching from Lymington public slipway leaving the trailer in the carpark adjacent to the slip, on a side road or tug it back to the campsite... we just used to use the carpark at £6 per day.. not sure what the slip charges are these days but used to be about £16. nice bike rides in that area too down to Hurst Castle through a pathway cut in to the dunes.

Campsite is called Hurst View.. they have a couple of onsite shops and swings, climbing frames etc for the kiddies if you have them.. best bot though as said, is the open fires, nothing like firing up the BBQ in front of a raging bonfire with a few cold beers:cool:
 
z1ppy said:
Mercury marina on the hamble is good. it has a reasonable slip way, loads of trailer storage area and a camp site right next door (100M walk at most) which is pretty good. if camping isnt your thing they also have holiday vans as well.

there are a few people here that use the facilities there and dont seem to complain... we have out boat there and its a great little marine with fantastic staff!!
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stayed there myself, it's an option but far more controlled than Hurst View for good reason in that it's right next to the marina... the campsite above was cheaper (£20 for the night for a big tent) and all they said was "field is that way, find a place and pub is 800yds that way" Hiurst View is a much larger site too but Mercury did find space to put our 17ft boat for no extra charge which was good... need to book well in advance though
 
mlines said:
How about Calshot?
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blimey, it'd appear I've been there too:D campsite on the spit is a no go, it has a large waiting list for Activity Centre members already but there is a campsite hidden away on the left hand side as you pass Fawley and the Blackfield turn off... looks to be a prviately owned field affair that I've not used but worth a look I'd say.
 
Crosshouse slipway just upstream of the Itchen Bridge is free to use. We used to drop a friend's RIB in there, and I saw a small sportsboat being pulled out there last night. There are some trailer parking slots at the top of the slipway; don't think there's any time limit or payment required although I'm not certain. You may or may not be happy about security there. The only car parking is pay and display, again not sure what the charges / time limits are like.

Pete
 
Thanks for the replys.

I forgot to say, we would like to leave the boat in the water somewhere for a few days, so we would need berth some where close by to the slip or campsite.

We have a motorhome and two small children, so a campsite with a play area would be nice and our friends are camping so they would need toilet/showers.

Anthony.
 
ARE said:
I am looking for some advice on the best place to launch a small sports boat (21ft) in the Southampton area and maybe to leave the trailer a few days.

We are planning to find a campsite locally to the slip to say with our friends, but some campsites will not yet you leave boat trailers on the campsite.

Anthony
Click to expand...
Might be too far way, but still the Solent.. Northney in Chichester harbour has a fine slipway, and there is a campsite 15 mins away on a creek on the east side of Hayling Island. I cant recall what it is called.
There is a public slipway at Hythe, but it is pretty tidal. I am not sure if all of Hythe marina is MDL (ie pay to park the trailer), or some of it is "public"- dont know of a campsite though.
There used to be a launchsite web page that described all launch sites.. anyone remember what it is called?
 
Lymington can get busy and be a pain to park the trailer, even on regular weekends.
Calshot is exposed to wash that can be damaging if it hits you at the wrong time.
Crosshouse is a good slip but no local long stay parking.
Our slip of choice over the years with our 21 footer if doing the Solent has become Mercury. It is tidal but other than that I dont think that there is a better option between the Hamble and Lymington, at least not on the mainland anyway.
 
gjgm said:
Might be too far way, but still the Solent.. Northney in Chichester harbour has a fine slipway, and there is a campsite 15 mins away on a creek on the east side of Hayling Island. I cant recall what it is called.
There is a public slipway at Hythe, but it is pretty tidal. I am not sure if all of Hythe marina is MDL (ie pay to park the trailer), or some of it is "public"- dont know of a campsite though.
There used to be a launchsite web page that described all launch sites.. anyone remember what it is called?
Click to expand...

Are you thinking of http://www.boatlaunch.co.uk/ perhaps? :)
 
Anthony, use the Mercury slipway under Steve's tuition and maybe, just maybe, you'll get as good as this:D:D:D

Steve (aka Captain Ron) making it look easy on Mercury slipway
[/QUOTE]
 
Well it looks like Mercury is going to be the best option, I have found a campsite next door called riverside holiday park, complete with a playground for the kids.

I am not sure if this is the same campsite zippy was talking about?

Anyone know how much I can expect to pay for the slip and three days berthing at Mercury?

Anthony.
 
ARE said:
Well it looks like Mercury is going to be the best option, I have found a campsite next door called riverside holiday park, complete with a playground for the kids.

I am not sure if this is the same campsite zippy was talking about?

Anyone know how much I can expect to pay for the slip and three days berthing at Mercury?

Anthony.
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my s24 works out about £25 per night slipway about a tenner eachway (cant remember exactly) ALL IN eg. electric, showers, parking/trailer parking etc etc ... cheeper than a night at premier inn !!!!!....... ps. no connection, just a regular customer.
 
You could always give Dyer Bros a ring, they are have moorings where i have my boat most of the year, they also have a visitors birth which is normally empty. If you google earth its just by Cobden bridge. Two lovely blokes run it and im sure they could 'put you up' for a while instead of keep trailoring :)

http://www.dyerbros.co.uk/index.php
 
Yes thats the one. Can't remember the exact numbers but about £80 for slip and 3 nights berthing. Unlike a lot of marinas they are great with trail boats and quite often dont charge me for launching as long as I spend a few nights in the marina. Keep the trailer in the marina, its cheaper than putting it back on the campsite.

The campsite is decent, but showers needed uopdating last time I was there and be careful in the bottom field (nearest the marina fence), it can flood and get very muddy in heavy rain.

But in terms of convienence for boat and tent it cant be bettered around the Solent.
 
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