Visitors' buoys - why do we pay by length???

[pvb]

Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

This summer, I’ve tied up to a number of visitors’ buoys along the South Coast, and I’ve been charged according to boat length. Why should we have to pay in this way? In what way does a longer boat incur more costs on an existing mooring buoy? Would you pay car park charges according to the length of your car? Just a thought....

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[Talbot]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

The only logical answer is that the longer the boat / the heavier, thus length equates to wear on the tackle. But by this logic, it should be cheaper for a multihull as it is not so heavy!!!

The only logical thing about boat charges, is that there is no logic other than charge the mutts the most they can get!

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[StugeronSteve]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

>This summer, I’ve tied up to a number of visitors’ buoys along the South Coast<
Wow must be some boat, no wonder they charge by the metre!
Marina and mooring charges follow little if no logic. Many mooring buoys are marked mith the max loa, so why there is'nt a standard charge for the use of the facility I've no idea. When pricing marina berths for my old 7.5m boat I was told that I would have to pay for the length of the berth available ie. 10m. Stick a 10.5m boat in a similar berth and you pay for 10.5m.

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[andyball]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

cos if everyone had short little boats the harbourmasters could've saved loads on chain/rope/heavy bit at the bottom, and crammed 'em closer together thus making more people happy that they weren't all taken on summer weekends and making more money to pay for lovely waterside facilities

But some people have big boats & wd rather like 'em not to blow away with the mooring when the wind gets up & for the chain not to break now & then.....naturally this costs more, but rather than make the poor devils who can't afford a big boat in the first place even poorer by charging everyone equally, they make the bigger boats pay more, even though they might use the same mooring. It might be fairer if they based it on windage & displacement too of course, but too complicated to work out on a busy afternoon.

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[Jools_of_Top_Cat]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

Because we let them, pure and simply.

There are many things I hate about the USA, but one thing I am really jealous of is the way the population vote with their feet. If I started ranting in the harbour masters office those behind would not think good on 'im, fighting for his rights, the British would think bloody hell what a pauper, and look he is not wearing designer labels either, he must work dan pit or something.

Believe me when places like Milford make me pay 50% extra for being a multi and then putting me miles from anywhere on the pontoon I cried like a baby, especially as my beam 14ft is not that enourmours compared to some of the modern fat cruisers.

Although I guess as I have similar room to say a 44ft boat but pay for a 26ft on a mooring I should not complain too much eh?

Why don't you use your anchor rather than pick up a bouy, right to anchor in a sheltered bay is a right, or at least it was last time I looked.

<hr width=100% size=1>Julian

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.topcatsail.co.uk/TC_IrishCruise_2003_00.html>Irish Cruise</A>

 

[AndrewJ]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

I can understand paying to tie up to a mooring buoy placed in the water, which should be a nominal fee, but not based on length.
What would be the outcome of using the hook in the same area, without actually using the buoy?
I have an idea for a floating toll booth on the channel for transiting vessels.
of course a toll could be imposed as an exit tax at all marinas, to cover possible boat transits of the channel to the continent.


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[pvb]

Anchoring...

Some places charge you regardless of whether you anchor or use a buoy. And some places are so full of buoys and their ground tackle that anchoring is a bit risky.

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[bedouin]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

As others have pointed out it is not unreasonable.

The tackle needed for the boat gets heavier and more expensive as the boat gets heavier, and that goes up as the cube of the length.

A bigger boat requires more swinging room, so the harbour master can get fewer buoys into a given area. The swinging room required goes as the square of the length.

All in all if the price only goes up in proportion to the length of the boat then you are getting a good deal

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[kindredspirit]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

Just out of interest, Visitor mooring buoys in Ireland are 8 euros per night regardless of length. (Max rating 15 tons.)

(Although no-one actually seems to pay ! )

Kevin.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://http:www.begleys.com/kevin/weather.htm>Weather and associated links for cruising in Ireland.</A>

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[brianrunyard]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

By that argument, all boats using a particular visitors mooring should pay the same, the harbour master doesn't move it to get more in or reduce the size of the tackle if a smaller boat uses it for a night.

<hr width=100% size=1>Brian
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/brunyard

 

[pvb]

That\'s cheered me up! (nm)

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[kidnapped]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

As usual guys we've got it all wrong .... visitor bouy with max 15 tonne ... equates, roughly to my 45 Nadger, so I pay 'normal' price for this mooring ... capacity equals boat size. So, by this logic, you're all enjoying a 'DISCOUNT' don't you see??? No, I don't either really!

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[qsiv]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

14ft - that's less than us......

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[Apetts]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

It's the English disease-- Greed

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[TheBoatman]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

Just to change tack here guys and girls. It's my understanding that all waters(rivers/marinas etc) are owned by the Crown Commissioners and that they lease those waters to the relevant port/harbour/marina authorities and as such those authorities pay for the water used in Sq mtrs. therefore if the port authority lay a mooring for a 10 mtr boat then that is what they have to pay for irrespective of boat size on it.
In my area (Medway) the river is "owned" by CC, leased to Mersey Docks Ltd, who own Medway Ports Authority, who charge us for the "ground area used" This also includes all shoreside facilities i.e. launching ramps etc.
I may of course be completey wrong, but who cares?
What ever way the charges are worked out we pay a lot?

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[Evadne]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

I'd say that the amount extracted is related to the ability to pay. If you've got a bigger Yot, you've got more money to start with and thus you gets charged more. Simple.

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[LadyInBed]

Re: Visitors\' buoys - why do we pay by length???

Maybe we should be charged per person onboard, that would hit the rowdy training boats and appease the single handers!

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