Visitors’s shore power - adding complications

[lustyd]

True, but it doesn't make it incorrect.

They aren't in business because they love us.

It absolutely is incorrect. The reason this is expensive isn’t because it costs a lot to run a marina. Neither is is because of a lack of income.
The issue is that there’s now a service company providing electric who needs profit. There’s a service company providing pontoons that are rented, they need profit. There’s a service company cleaning the toilets, they need profit. There’s a company who run the marina gate as a service (not joking).
Layer upon layer of shitty service providers renting stuff that used to be owned. All because people don’t actually understand business or customers. Yes, companies need to be profitable. No, that’s absolutely not the be all and end all of a good business. It’s the opposite, in fact.

 

[johnalison]

In the UK they are only allowed to charge per unit what they are charged by the electricity company BUT it seems they can charge what they like as a 'standing charge', 'administrative costs' etc.

This is why we much preferred the Continental systems where electricity was paid for by unit. Even if the rate was over the odds, it meant that our modest recharging and hot water needs were not subsidising those of some gin palace with everything from a jacuzzi to air-conditioning.

 

[ylop]

True, but by progressing the enshitification of everything, they'll just make solar panels and lithium batteries even more attractive. Then the money they've put in to installing leccy points will no longer have any return on it. Keep pricing your punters out of an already expensive pastime, and you eventually run out of customers.

They will have vast quantities of data to play either across multiple marinas which gives them a pretty good idea where they are on the price elasticity curve. I used to work for someone who said if the customers aren’t complaining about the price, we’ve undervalued our offering! If anyone fancy running a marina and extracting every cent from your gullible customers then I believe there’s 3 for sale in Scotland at the moment.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Or Bembridge also on the market for the Solenteers.

 

[lustyd]

Or Bembridge also on the market for the Solenteers.

To be fair, that one will never work. Without permanent bertholders for consistent income they’re stuffed. They don’t even have consistently good shore side businesses like restaurants to bring in boats and then add in the tidal problems and it’s just not going to stay afloat.
Even if they fixed a few of those with a lock gate and a bigger marina the dredging costs would be insane.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

To be fair, that one will never work. Without permanent bertholders for consistent income they’re stuffed. They don’t even have consistently good shore side businesses like restaurants to bring in boats and then add in the tidal problems and it’s just not going to stay afloat.
Even if they fixed a few of those with a lock gate and a bigger marina the dredging costs would be insane.

Yes, I wasn’t expressing a recommendation to buy it! Lovely place to visit though.

 

[Lucky Duck]

Is Island Harbour still in administration?

Bembridge is probably one of the few places around here that hasn’t largely given over visitors spots to permanent berth holders. This may be due to a lack of demand and I suspect their overall capacity is less than when people used to raft up ad infinatum

 

[Aardee]

Is Island Harbour still in administration?

Bembridge is probably one of the few places around here that hasn’t largely given over visitors spots to permanent berth holders. This may be due to a lack of demand and I suspect their overall capacity is less than when people used to raft up ad infanatum

I believe Island Harbour has been bought by a bright, shiny new company owned by most of the previous owners.

 

[MoodySabre]

In some places in Holland there have been coin in the slot. You select how many kWh you want and pay accordingly.

I don't usually pay for electricity unless staying at least a couple of nights. The batteries can cope with the fridges for a couple of days.

 

[johnalison]

In some places in Holland there have been coin in the slot. You select how many kWh you want and pay accordingly.

I don't usually pay for electricity unless staying at least a couple of nights. The batteries can cope with the fridges for a couple of days.

We tended to plug in abroad. It was more pleasant to have endless hot water on board, and these places usually charged for showers, so that using our nice clean shower on board was often preferable to struggling with the marina showers sited in the loos and with the floor swimming in someone else’s shower water.

 

[lustyd]

I believe Island Harbour has been bought by a bright, shiny new company owned by most of the previous owners.

A very good point, some businesses don’t need to make money to make the owners rich. Southerly also has a long on again off again history of money being extracted expertly to abuse the system

 

[Babylon]

I was in Yarmouth Harbour for a couple of nights recently. Electricity was an extra £5.25 per day which I declined. When I was settling up I said to the lady behind the counter that this was a ridiculous amount for someone who'd only boil a couple of kettles and maybe recharge their laptop once. She replied that they were planning on installing a metered system next year.

 

[lustyd]

And then it’ll be £10 to connect plus your usage. They have to cover the installation cost…

 

[ylop]

I was in Yarmouth Harbour for a couple of nights recently. Electricity was an extra £5.25 per day which I declined. When I was settling up I said to the lady behind the counter that this was a ridiculous amount for someone who'd only boil a couple of kettles and maybe recharge their laptop once. She replied that they were planning on installing a metered system next year.

But there will be people who run the immersion heater the entire time, plus aircon or electric heating depending on the weather, charge a load of batteries and probably add a microwave, induction stove and air fryer to kettle. Bigger boats often have freezers, tvs etc. Could be using 3kW which at domestic rates of 27p/unit only takes 5.5h of heavy use to run up a £5.25 bill. Marina is potentially not on the 27p tariff as they are commercial so don’t benefit from the price cap in some cases double what domestic users pay PLUS 20% rather than 5% vat. I suspect most yachts make a marina profit at £5.25 but some will be making them a loss - perhaps the charge should be based on size <30ft £2, <40ft £3.50, <50ft £5.25, >50ft £10… but I’m sure people would still grumble.

 

[lustyd]

But there will be people who run the immersion heater the entire time, plus aircon or electric heating depending on the weather, charge a load of batteries and probably add a microwave, induction stove and air fryer to kettle. Bigger boats often have freezers, tvs etc. Could be using 3kW which at domestic rates of 27p/unit only takes 5.5h of heavy use to run up a £5.25 bill. Marina is potentially not on the 27p tariff as they are commercial so don’t benefit from the price cap in some cases double what domestic users pay PLUS 20% rather than 5% vat. I suspect most yachts make a marina profit at £5.25 but some will be making them a loss - perhaps the charge should be based on size <30ft £2, <40ft £3.50, <50ft £5.25, >50ft £10… but I’m sure people would still grumble.

You’re suggesting that boats going to Yarmouth will use more power than the average house. Your numbers are made up and unrealistic.

 

[ylop]

You’re suggesting that boats going to Yarmouth will use more power than the average house. Your numbers are made up and unrealistic.

Average houses have gas heating and insulation. Average houses aren’t charging a bank of lead acid batteries. But I don’t think average boats are a thing either - I certainly don’t use that much juice on shore power but theres mobos who come into marinas with all sorts of electrical stuff.

My numbers aren’t “made up” - the supply is capable of proving >3kW which if used to its max is 72 kWh for a 24 hr stay, (about £20 if they are able to buy that at the domestic rate, probably more like £40 at the price many marinas will actually pay). I’m not saying that many boats would use anything close to that, but some will be using their £5 worth.

Boats are getting bigger. Electricity is more important on board - increasingly people switching away from gas and adding luxuries like TV. When plugged in to shore power people seem to be less conscious of waste than when bobbing at anchor. I’d suggest the sort of boat that regularly uses marinas may be more likely to have a high demand.

Metered supplies are an option - but they have extra cost to install and maintain and in my experience at least some designs aren’t particularly reliable. Often supplied with some sort of prepaid card which is only suitable for that marina etc.

Would I rather have an optional £5.25 electricity fee, a card that needs topped up only during office hours, or have “free electric” but pay an extra £0.40 per m on the mooring cost, one way or another you are going to pay it!

 

[Plum]

You’re suggesting that boats going to Yarmouth will use more power than the average house. Your numbers are made up and unrealistic.

Our average house is all electric (no solar) and the daily cost, averaged over a year, is £4.40.

 

[Stemar]

Hardway fitted a metered system a year or two back. The electricity bill dropped something like £4000 over the following winter. (Actually it went up because of a big price increase, but was that much less than it would have been.)

It's a pain in the bum, but I can't blame them.

 

[langstonelayabout]

I was in Yarmouth Harbour for a couple of nights recently. Electricity was an extra £5.25 per day which I declined. When I was settling up I said to the lady behind the counter that this was a ridiculous amount for someone who'd only boil a couple of kettles and maybe recharge their laptop once. She replied that they were planning on installing a metered system next year.

That explains the nearly £38 charge for my 29’ Konsort the other weekend. Looks like it will be cheaper to run the engine more than charge the electrics when away. I hate these extra charges.
Amusingly on a Facebook group someone was saying he thought it fine to now pay an extra £5 to top up his water tanks at The Folly. Madness…

 

[johnalison]

That explains the nearly £38 charge for my 29’ Konsort the other weekend. Looks like it will be cheaper to run the engine more than charge the electrics when away. I hate these extra charges.
Amusingly on a Facebook group someone was saying he thought it fine to now pay an extra £5 to top up his water tanks at The Folly. Madness…

Paying for water is not uncommon abroad, usually €1 for 100l.