Where have all the boats gone?

[PhilipF]

Cobbs Quay occupancy rate is clearly well over 60%. Mind you the impending Twin Sails Bridge has already led to some boats leaving CQ and no doubt more will follow once the Bridge is operational.

Many empty berths in CQ though, and I've heard some of the traders remark they are finding the pinch. Not good in my view, better all round if there is plenty of activity, it would not be of benefit to us all should there be too much pressure on marina income.

Regarding new bridge; should be of great benefit in my view, seems to me we will find less restrictions in reaching the open sea, it being open for longer periods. One great benefit of CQ rarely mentioned, is just how sheltered it is, specially so from the prevailing westerly's, unlike other marinas scattered round Poole Harbour.

 

[ian38_39]

Fuel costs and running costs mean that where previously the average man could afford to run a mid sized 20 year old boat that has now changed completely.

If you can afford to run one now you can afford a newer one so older boats previously immune from further devaluation have seen prices in free fall. how else do you explain the number of 40' 20 year old boats on the market at less than 100k and still not selling?

If they don't sell here they get snapped up abroad at knock down prices enhanced by the week pound.

What does amaze me is all the major inland waterways authority's are claiming that boat numbers are up so where are they keeping them all.

Brokers are still trying to talk the market up with tales of huge numbers of boats sold. one brokerage on the broads listed 15 boats as going under offer in one weekend, 12 of these have subsequently slid back onto the market at the same brokerage.

 

[alan006]

Another factor at the modest end of the market is for trailer boats to be taken away from marinas and stored in driveways and other sites. Ok this is a small percentage of the total market, but I think this option happens when people on modest incomes are finding it harder to make ends meet.

 

[ctva]

Not seen much difference up here on my bit of the west coast in the numbers of boats however it is very noticable in the increase of 'southerners' keeping their boats up here now and putting up with the 5-8 hour drives.

 

[Elessar]

Yup many have gone overseas but the last figures I saw was that 12% of brokerage sales were going overseas which IMHO is not a big enough number to cause the empty spaces in many Solent marinas. I still think that most of these empty spaces are down to boatowners voting with their feet and simply going somewhere cheaper to moor. For example, I know a couple of boatowners who've moved from pricey marinas to cheaper buoy moorings recently. How about dry stacks? How are they doing?
Anybody in the cheaper spots seen more boats in their marina or moorings recently?

Ocean Quay is filling up. Only a few yard downstream from Shamrock Quay and my cashflow improved by over £500 pm when I moved in April. I had an extra discount for a tricky berth.

The new MDL deal is clever though, as per their previous strategy they are adding value rather than reducing prices. I still like MDL and would not have moved if I still had a regular corporate income.

 

[Seahope]

Well, I know why mine is not in its normal berth and out of the water, but then she wouldn't be afloat for very long now with the skin fitting still missing.

 

[Seahope]

Fuel costs and running costs mean that where previously the average man could afford to run a mid sized 20 year old boat that has now changed completely.

If you can afford to run one now you can afford a newer one so older boats previously immune from further devaluation have seen prices in free fall. how else do you explain the number of 40' 20 year old boats on the market at less than 100k and still not selling?

If they don't sell here they get snapped up abroad at knock down prices enhanced by the week pound.

What does amaze me is all the major inland waterways authority's are claiming that boat numbers are up so where are they keeping them all.

Brokers are still trying to talk the market up with tales of huge numbers of boats sold. one brokerage on the broads listed 15 boats as going under offer in one weekend, 12 of these have subsequently slid back onto the market at the same brokerage.

Is this because our European cousins have been used to high diesel prices?

 

[ian38_39]

Think the 30% change in Euro to pound has something to do with it, plus much cheaper moorings on average. Possibly also the number of accessible stops within very short distances of each other. A 40' boat is still cheap to run if you use it mostly as a floating caravan in a low cost marina and occasionally take it 5 miles down the coast.

If you could buy a £100k boat for £70k, pay £1500 to moor it in a nice marina and have access to maybe a dozen lovely anchorages and half a dozen Marinas within a few miles, coupled with warm sunshine and blue seas, would you?

If I was able to get the time flexibility to use the boat in a foreign port it would certainly attract me so that would be another UK marina space.

 

[Seahope]

Think the 30% change in Euro to pound has something to do with it, plus much cheaper moorings on average. Possibly also the number of accessible stops within very short distances of each other. A 40' boat is still cheap to run if you use it mostly as a floating caravan in a low cost marina and occasionally take it 5 miles down the coast.

If you could buy a £100k boat for £70k, pay £1500 to moor it in a nice marina and have access to maybe a dozen lovely anchorages and half a dozen Marinas within a few miles, coupled with warm sunshine and blue seas, would you?

If I was able to get the time flexibility to use the boat in a foreign port it would certainly attract me so that would be another UK marina space.

Yep!

Anyone who can afford a £70k plus boat and run it is probably working and therefore time poor. The airlines price the Friday night out and Sunday return flights at such a premium that it deters me from sneaky weekend trips away. Due to 4 years of weekly commuting via FlyBe I do have quite a few points for free flights, however, FlyBe only offer a few seats on each flight for 'points' sale and typically not during peak times when I could use them

 

[bumpy_the_dog]

The UK economy during the boom years was a fiction driven by Mortgage Equity Withdrawal. As house prices spiralled upwards people kidded themselves that they were getting richer, so they remortgaged, pulling out money for boats, kitchens, swimming pools, long haul holidays, new BMW's etc along the way.

Today we've got 50% tax rates, £9k a year university fees, the virtual end of company final salary pensions, and the Halifax saying house prices fell by 4% last year and most people believing they've a lot further to fall before this is all over.

No wonder boating in general, and motor boating in particular, are feeling the pinch. We've got 21st century sailing aspirations, but a 20th century economy to fund it.

 

[ian38_39]

If they are right about increases in fuel prices taking it to £2 a litre and maybe more I can see it not just being houses with a lot further to fall.

 

[stelican]

Ocean Quay is filling up. Only a few yard downstream from Shamrock Quay and my cashflow improved by over £500 pm when I moved in April. I had an extra discount for a tricky berth.

The new MDL deal is clever though, as per their previous strategy they are adding value rather than reducing prices. I still like MDL and would not have moved if I still had a regular corporate income.

Cash flow improved by £500 pm thats £6k per annum for a smallish boat must be a mistake are you getting cashback

 

[Elessar]

Cash flow improved by £500 pm thats £6k per annum for a smallish boat must be a mistake are you getting cashback

no mistake.

MDL need paying over (i think) 8 months, ocean quay over 12 which helps make the cashflow figure bigger but even so it is a useful number of £000's cheaper overall. As of april 1st I'd have been paying c £730 to MDL it is pnly c £230 just 3 cables or so downstream. Ocean Quay has a lot of ex Shamrock Quay boats.