Where do you keep your boat?

[rbcoomer]

A friend & I have been discussing the merits, costs and otherwise of the various seasonal boat storage options. i.e. trailer & launch (where boat size is practical to do this), trot moorings or marinas.

Although I'm not yet in this position (boat being just 14' is a no-brainer!), his is a 19' sportscruiser and thus a trailer launch becomes more hassle and moorings become more attractive in the season. Costs and insurance limitations on months available for moorings are also factors however. As I'm considering a 21', I'm curious what everyone else does!

 

[PaulGooch]

We are in a marina, but your poll will not tell you anything of use.

Most boat owners here have boats too big to trailer, so their votes will obviously all be for marina berthing.

IMO, you should have made the poll for owners of trailerable boats only.

 

[mad_boater]

Where you keep your boat

I think you have to tot up the whole cost, winter storage lifts/launch.Some of the cheaper marinas charge for winter storage even if you have paid yearly. MDL sell diesil at cost 50% off all marina services 30 free nights at any of there marinas.When its all added up you might save a few pounds but sometimes to get a decent mooring is worth it.

 

[rbcoomer]

We are in a marina, but your poll will not tell you anything of use.

Most boat owners here have boats too big to trailer, so their votes will obviously all be for marina berthing.

IMO, you should have made the poll for owners of trailerable boats only.

Thanks Paul - fair point, although I read some posts here where people trailer stuff much bigger than I'd chose to! I'll let it run now and see what comments pop up! I perhaps should have added marina - too big to trailer and mooring - too big to trailer as options, but not sure I can amend now...

 

[rbcoomer]

I think you have to tot up the whole cost, winter storage lifts/launch.Some of the cheaper marinas charge for winter storage even if you have paid yearly. MDL sell diesil at cost 50% off all marina services 30 free nights at any of there marinas.When its all added up you might save a few pounds but sometimes to get a decent mooring is worth it.

Yes, agreed. There's also the argument that you'd probably use the boat more if on a marina or mooring as there's a bit less time needed for launch etc.

The downside is that insurance is often more and the obvious additional costs of the moorings etc. Plus the weather risks and more maintenance like antifouling, checking bilge pumps/batteries are good on regular basis, removing seagull deposits etc!

It's been interesting to read other posts from those who have moved from trailering to moorings/marinas and wouldn't go back! I live in the south west however and it would be very easy to launch further afield and explore new waters. Again I think this depends on size of boat however even if it's an option.

 

[Searush]

My pal had a 21' yacht on a trailer. He would tow to a location for his holidays & pay to have it craned in & hire a mooring. At the end of the holiday he would get it craned out. He might do this 2/3 times a year, sometimes with a holiday cottage.

He reckoned it was cheaper than a permanent marina berth (but not by much, I suspect) and it gave him access to lots of different cruising grounds. In addition his family didn't spend all their time in the cabin of a tiny boat if the weather was bad, they could tour by car or stay in the cottage if tehy wanted.

Try not to limit yourself too much, think outside the box a bit. Even launch at begginning of week/ fortnight & recover at the end significantly reduces the hassle if you can get a temporary berth somewhere, or carry a decent sized spare anchor & chain to set up a temporary mooring of your own.

 

[Ripster]

I voted but as has been said fall into the "too big to trail" category.

 

[jhr]

22 foot mobo, kept on a swinging mooring. It's in a very sheltered location, so our insurers are happy for her to be kept in over the winter. Antifouling etc does add to the cost, but it's still a lot less than the cost of keeping her in the marina a mile from our mooring.

It's certainly possible to trailer our boat - and lots of other owners do - but I don't think I'd ever get out on the water if we did.

 

[epervier]

Not wishing to piss on anybody's chips here, I do both, trailer and a swing mooring,I find it's the best of both worlds, kept on a trailer it saves on maintenance costs, and left on the mooring when I want to use it for more than a quick blast. and yes launching and recovery of 5.5 tonnes isn't the easiest, but I manage singled handed, and once practised it isn't that difficult.

 

[rbcoomer]

Not wishing to piss on anybody's chips here, I do both, trailer and a swing mooring,I find it's the best of both worlds, kept on a trailer it saves on maintenance costs, and left on the mooring when I want to use it for more than a quick blast. and yes launching and recovery of 5.5 tonnes isn't the easiest, but I manage singled handed, and once practised it isn't that difficult.

Wow! I have to admit to being impressed at the thought of launching that one single handed. Nice boat.

I'm more for the launch/recovery route myself as when not in use it doesn't cost and maintenance can be done anytime at home. However I can see the merits of moorings and in particular marinas and I can see the boat getting more use, but at a fairly significant cost it seems. I can also see the merits of short-term visitor berths for a few days at a time when boat is in use and that seems a good compromise.

 

[tinkicker0]

I have a trailerable boat, but the cost of running a 4x4 vehicle big enough to tow it would cost more than the marina fees - daily 70 mile commute.

So I make do with 55mpg diesel fiesta, the trailer sleeps in the drive and the boat sleeps at the marina.

She comes out onto chocks every November and goes back in every March.

 

[enterprise]

I voted marina,
Having previously owned a trailboat we know the score.

Trailing is fine for weekending and watersports but can become a reason to be choosy about the days you launch, picking the best days just limits the amount of time you get afloat.
Marina berthed however can be spur of the moment, ie when the day turns glorious just after you wrote it off as poor conditions, or when a quick blast after work is possible, not to mention the whole experience of marina berthing.

We've spent many days and nights onboard since August Bank holiday, probably around 20 including New Year and a weekends, not too many trailboaters out and about throughout that time so can only assume many have gone home for the winter, hence limit their enjoyment to just the summer months, which even if your optimistic is roughly only six months use.

The marina sure is more expensive but then you do get full 12 months use, walk on facilities, car parking and security.
I wouldn't be too sure if the insurance premiums are dearer, I would think being trailable would be more of a risk.

So for 365 day access, even on the days when the weather means your going nowhere it has to be marina, just sitting and relaxing onboard tied alongside the pontoon with a mug of tea and some friendly boardtalk with the neighbours makes it worth every penny.

 

[maverickofpoole]

I keep my 27' boat in a marina but on dry stack. We just phone up to book a time and by the time we arrive she is in the water ready to go usually. On busy days we turn up load the boat on the hard then she gets launched and off we go

The beauty of this way is no anti foul to apply, less anode maintenance with less wear and tear generally, less fuel used due to bottom always clean, no haul out or lift costs . It is expensive but not as costly as on a walk on pontoon

The only down side I can think of is should you want an evening trip you have to plan and pre-book prior to the yard closing and you might miss out a little on the social side of pontoon talk

Martin

 

[Divemaster1]

Trailerale....

......Most boat owners here have boats too big to trailer,.....

...most boats people have in here are trailerable .... however, the size of the tow vehicle required differ a lot ...some even use a motorised trailer ...

With 45 foot and 21 T displacement, we're in a marina.. I just cannot afford to;

a) buy a suitable tow vehicle
b) house with enough land where I can park the boat on a suitable trailer

 

[oGaryo]

Wow! I have to admit to being impressed at the thought of launching that one single handed. Nice boat.

I'm more for the launch/recovery route myself as when not in use it doesn't cost and maintenance can be done anytime at home. However I can see the merits of moorings and in particular marinas and I can see the boat getting more use, but at a fairly significant cost it seems. I can also see the merits of short-term visitor berths for a few days at a time when boat is in use and that seems a good compromise.

there's a key point here, launch from the right location makes a perceived nigh on impossible task relatively easy.. Where David has his boat in the picture is an easy launch (walk off the trailer job), 200 yds aways is another slip that's a completely different ball game altogether.

 

[Jim@sea]

I have a 21ft Boat kept on a trailer. I originally bought a boat to tow as I was living in Brittany where the waiting list for a marina berth can be 5 years or more. I towed the boat back to the N.West I am going to take it for a week at a time to a marina on a visitors mooring, that way I can hopefully have an extended cruising area.
I find that you have to keep on top of your trailer maintenance and found that when I pulled the brake drums off for the first time, a grease relief valve had stuck closed so that the hub had filled with grease covering the brake linings.
Regretfully I think that more and more people will be downsizing to smaller tow-able boats due to the cost of fuel. I remember in 1975 when petrol was 3 gallons to a £1, I went from Holyhead to Ireland and used 60 gallons of petrol whereas now my 21ft boat with its inboard diesel uses so little I havent even worked out what it uses.

 

[enterprise]

Trail boating is a great way to explore different cruising grounds and enjoys realetively cheap maintainance because the boats always accesible but what you get in return and which most folks forget is the cost involved with upkeep and maintainance for the tow vehicle and trailer, running a big 4X4 as a daily runabout because you need a hefty tow vehicle every now and then is not a cheap solution, considering higher road tax, servicing and mighty depreciation and the biggest cost fuel.

After several years of towing, storage and trailer storage while the boats afloat, slipway fee's, visitors mooring/berthing costs and general hassle with costly 4X4's and trailer maintenance, you sit down and work out the overall costs involved per days usage, marina berthing suddenly makes quite a lot of sense and although the initial cost is daunting it suddenly hits home how much trailing costs and limmits the actual time spent using your pride and joy.


I will agree that annual berthing feels like throwing money away (you gat a parking space for 12 months) but if you break down the cost per use (thats if you dare too) it works out better value as long as you use it regularly enough & the more times you use it the better value it is.

If ever we needed to downsize then I would consider trailboating again but not for the saving over marina berthing, only if we needed to stop boating for a while due to financial reasons and only had a limited amount of time in which to use a boat at a point where the marina fee's made the cost per usage uneconomical.

 

[Cymrogwyllt]

My boats have ranged from a 13 ft slalom kayak to a 18 ft expedition sea kayak. All kept at home and transported on top of a car. With hindsight the 18 ft boat on top of a Metro Turbo was probably illegal I graduated to a trailer to hold my fleet and hauled the lot to the point of launch, selected the boat to suit the conditions, unlocked it and went paddling.

ok not motor boats but a damn sight more fun

 

[rbcoomer]

Thanks for all the replies, there have been some interesting extremes D), but the comments/experiences very useful, interesting and welcomed.

I expected a bias towards marina berths because I think those that use their boats the most will find this method both cost-effective and convenient. It's probably fair to assume too that the more frequent users are also more active on these forums.

The trailer and home storage suits me and more importantly my budget and available time for now, but I think when I increase to 21' then I will look towards visitor berthing for a few days/week at a time. I already have a Land Rover, so towing not really an issue for me. SWMBO very keen on the marina route, but I think the cost is too prohibitive for us at the moment so an objective for the future I think. Not yet sure of my friends decision on the 19' sportscruiser - could go either way, but he would have to change car to trail so I suspect he'll opt for a mooring for the summer and review at the end of the season...

Anyway, great feedback as always - so thanks everyone.

 

[rbcoomer]

My boats have ranged from a 13 ft slalom kayak to a 18 ft expedition sea kayak. All kept at home and transported on top of a car. With hindsight the 18 ft boat on top of a Metro Turbo was probably illegal I graduated to a trailer to hold my fleet and hauled the lot to the point of launch, selected the boat to suit the conditions, unlocked it and went paddling.

ok not motor boats but a damn sight more fun

Ah, understand the name now A friend of mine does sea kayaking, not sure of Kayak size, but he goes a good few miles along the coast and back in some quite bumpy water! He's athletic however and I'm not - plus he can swim well and I can't - the probability of ending up in the drink in a Kayak is I'm sure much greater too! I think I'll stick with the MoBo...