Swinging vs Marina Moorings

Fantasie 19 said:
1/. Worrying about the boat when we have bad weather - the mooring is comparatively sheltered, but I've been out to her before in a recorded F9 and she was bucking like a bronco...
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Port Bannatyne can be very bouncy indeed in north-easterlies, but I'd rather have my boat unattended on her mooring there than unattended in the marina. As long as the strop doesn't break she'll survive anything on the mooring, whereas in the marina I'd be much more worried about fenders popping out, mooring lines chafing or parting and so on.

If I was on board then it would be the marina every time.
 
My choice was dictated by SWMBO, "Pontoon, walk to the boat" otherwise life would be very difficult.
I'd personally prefer not to have the expense, but sometimes there's reasons other than cost to take into the equation.

I also negotiated with my yard to have a wider berth, mainly so the solo departures would be less fraught, I was very honest and said that my main concern was other boats, given that my little tug is practically worthless compared to others.

Maybe in a few seasons we will have cracked the fear for the wife and a swinging mooring could be achieved, in the meantime I think the increased cost is worth the decreased hassle for a beginner.
 
I am back on swinging chosen mainly because it is cheaper. However, for my single handing I find the pick up and drop off from the mooring sooo easy in almost any conditions. Previously when in a marina I had a lock and often a queue to get in and out, plus the fendering and mooring lines was a right hassle on my own. The wildlife and tranquility on the swinger is wonderful. But my swinger is not that cheap as it is sheltered, insured for winter, all tide access, is a beautiful location, has a decent water taxi and there is an Okish car park as well. Dinghy is a blow up and I can drive down the hard to get it to the waters edge. The dinghy is also my life raft so it has to be on board, on the stern or towed anyway. The tricky part is lifting the outboard off the dinghy onto the yacht.

With more than two on board, and a sub 40 ft yacht, I think it could be a marina. Especially if the crew are not your family all arriving together.

I would you have to be of the type that can be very organised if you want to enjoy being on a swinging mooring.

Having said that, I am in the marina for 3 winter months at present mainly because,I have a fair number of little maintenance chores to do that requires tools and getting on an off a lot. Also running the dehumidifier so I can leave all the cushions and sails on board. They have good monthly rates for a winter months in a marina.
 
SiteSurfer said:
My choice was dictated by SWMBO, "Pontoon, walk to the boat" otherwise life would be very difficult.
I'd personally prefer not to have the expense, but sometimes there's reasons other than cost to take into the equation.

I also negotiated with my yard to have a wider berth, mainly so the solo departures would be less fraught, I was very honest and said that my main concern was other boats, given that my little tug is practically worthless compared to others.

Maybe in a few seasons we will have cracked the fear for the wife and a swinging mooring could be achieved, in the meantime I think the increased cost is worth the decreased hassle for a beginner.
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It's an important consideration that you have raised. I think some marinas (Gosport, Hamble and Cowes on the South Coast) are seriously effected by the tide. For me they would be completely out of the question due to the complexities of managing the boat while leaving and arriving; it just would not be worth the stress.
 
SiteSurfer said:
My choice was dictated by SWMBO, "Pontoon, walk to the boat" otherwise life would be very difficult.
I'd personally prefer not to have the expense, but sometimes there's reasons other than cost to take into the equation.

I also negotiated with my yard to have a wider berth, mainly so the solo departures would be less fraught, I was very honest and said that my main concern was other boats, given that my little tug is practically worthless compared to others.

Maybe in a few seasons we will have cracked the fear for the wife and a swinging mooring could be achieved, in the meantime I think the increased cost is worth the decreased hassle for a beginner.
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Sorry chum, whatever the seamanlike pro's and cons, unless she's one in a million once SWMBO has got used to marina life the swinging mooring - and your wallet - have had it ! :)
 
Mooring initially was cost based but, after 20+ years, much prefer it. Found we got more sailing in than those on the pontoon as it only took one wife there to refuse to go out because "it's too windy/rough/cold" and the word soon spread to the rest. Had a hard dink on the beach and used to drive down Friday evening summer and winter. Can enjoy marinas for short stay when out and about but wouldn't want to be based in one.
 
Perhaps I've been unnecessarily shy about swinger's parties for all these years ( as a matter of fact I do know two groups of swinging mooring types who sometimes raft up together for a chat, meals and drinkies but I'm quite certain that's all there is to it ! ).

If one can find a SWMBO who doesn't mind rowing out to the mooring and there's nothing else obviously wrong, grab her, she's a keeper.
 
I would guess that most people with a swinging mooring have it mainly for financial reasons. As a previous poster said if a swinger was the same price as a marina berth I would guess that most would have a marina berth.
One thing that a marina berth allows you to do is be on your boat instantly . I enjoy being on my boat, it is like a garden shed to me. I can be there finding things to do and having a cuppa with others on the pontoon. When I go out sailing I can be away in a matter of minutes.
I have sailed with friends off their moorings and it took an age. Park car, lug outboard from boot to dinghy. Find dinghy on trolley and wheel to shore, fix outboard on.Go back to car to pick up more gear, launch dinghy , take trolley back to storage area, start outboard (hopefully), motor 15 minutes to mooring, climb on board in a swell, get boat ready, and eventually off we go. I would guess this took around an hour from the time we arrived in the car park.
I can appreciate why people have moorings but it does not seem all it is cracked up to be. It also seems that some people like to infer that if you have a pontoon in a marina you are not a real sailor.
(guess who I am referring to)
I have been able to afford a marina berth all the time I have had a cruiser, but each to his own preference whether the reasons are financial or otherwise. Both options have their merits and drawbacks.
 
ditchcrawler said:
It also seems that some people like to infer that if you have a pontoon in a marina you are not a real sailor.
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I would have thought just the opposite is the case. It's easy to arrive at or leave a mooring whatever the tide or wind are doing but, being an infrequent marina user, am always a bit nervous when leaving a berth going astern. Marina boat handling requires far more skill than moorings.
 
ditchcrawler said:
I have sailed with friends off their moorings and it took an age. Park car, lug outboard from boot to dinghy. Find dinghy on trolley and wheel to shore, fix outboard on.Go back to car to pick up more gear, launch dinghy , take trolley back to storage area, start outboard (hopefully), motor 15 minutes to mooring, climb on board in a swell, get boat ready, and eventually off we go. I would guess this took around an hour from the time we arrived in the car park.
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From stepping off the bus it takes me about ten minutes to get on the boat. Wheel dinghy down to water, launch, return trolley to yard, get in, row 100yds, board boat, done. Sure, there are times when it would be nice to do it in two minutes by walking down the pontoon, but for a saving of £2,500 p.a. I can live with a short and health-giving row.
 
Another possible advantage of a swinging mooring: being able to depart and arrive under sail, although most people seem to wuss out and use the engine.
 
JumbleDuck said:
From stepping off the bus it takes me about ten minutes to get on the boat. Wheel dinghy down to water, launch, return trolley to yard, get in, row 100yds, board boat, done. Sure, there are times when it would be nice to do it in two minutes by walking down the pontoon, but for a saving of £2,500 p.a. I can live with a short and health-giving row.
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From stepping out my front door, it takes just under ten minutes to drive to the slipway where I keep the dinghy... depending on how far out the tide is, and how far I have to walk, it can take up to four minutes to launch the dinghy and row to the boat.
The nearest pontoon berth is an hour's drive away and I always seemed to end up being the inside boat in a three deep raft. In some weather conditions or when solo it was simply impossible to extricate the boat from that.
 
My mooring is about 2 miles downstream from the club. In the rib I can be on board and heading out to sea before those starting from the marina.

Regardless of your boat handling skills, getting out of a down tide berth in a boat that won't steer astern is nigh on impossible. Warping is fine, but holding a vessel on warps against the tide, as you swing her is a very scary prospect to your neighbours!
 
I think in reality there are two times. 'Actual Time' and 'Perceived Time'. PT increases when we are stressed, in a hurry, bored etc and I would guess in most situations the time it takes 'to get out there' is pretty much the same whether you're in a marina or not so I'm inclined to ignore the 'time factor'. Anyway why am I worried how long it takes to get on my boat whether in a marina or on a mooring when it subsequently takes me 12 hours to cover a distance in a boat that I could cover in only 1 hour in a car?!
 
I admit if I had cash to spare - lots of it as I have all sorts of projects going on beside the boat - I might fancy being in Emsworth Marina again, it's a wonderful spot - and anyone who hasn't read up Admiral Percy Gick

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/1381964/Rear-Admiral-Philip-Gick.html

Who initially built it should read up and be inspired !

However it's much more limited than my lovely sheltered privacy assured mooring and costs 4 times as much, so until I retire the mooring it is for me, force with me strong.
 
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I love my trot mooring, feel safe, not swinging about, not allowed to have sails up leaving or returning,deep water, can leave at any time and return approx £264 per year, distance between spaces generally 45ft.disadvantage hard to get to on a windy day. Any white tops forget it.
 
I used to love my swinging mooring. Away from all the noisy bu88ers!

Then I went to a pontoon and I guess that today, I couldn't easily manage the swinger as living far away I had to carry a fair amount of gear back and forth and Mrs S would struggle worse than me...... old age I'm afraid.

So answer, pros when your younger for swingers, pros for pontoons when you're ageing I guess.

S.
 
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