Swanage Ferry - the chances of getting my P&J on?
Discussion
I am heading down to the Swanage area in my Tamora. Anyone had any experience of the Poole/Swanage chain ferry and its ability to get a low fronted TVR on board without any issues?
I know I can go round, but I thought it might be a bit different, and I can gaze at some of the £1m pads on Sandbanks.
I know I can go round, but I thought it might be a bit different, and I can gaze at some of the £1m pads on Sandbanks.
Edited by LaserTam on Thursday 12th August 07:39
Great place to take the Tam - went across the ferry in Feb, though not in the p&j. I hope you get on ok.. have to say I'd be a little cautious, the front of the Tamora being more prone to scraping than say a Cerb, and the queues this time of year, but then you could always take the Wareham route and enjoy a blast through Corfe :-)
Edited by Mr M on Thursday 12th August 16:32
Its fine. There used to be a hotelier across in Swanage who had a cerb and so regularly used it. My in laws have a place down there and so I often use the ferry. Although never in the TVR. The men who run the operation can be a little 'short' as you can imagine the job can be a bit hard work at times. So they may not enjoy you taking your time.
On the way back over be aware that the queues can be 1 or 2 hours if you get your timing wrong.
On the way back over be aware that the queues can be 1 or 2 hours if you get your timing wrong.
Blimey. I am probably not staying in Swanage, maybe Corfe Castle, so if thats the case, I will drive round I think, really not that botheredI used to work on a ferry (not the swanage one, but I have been on it as a passanger).
The ferry crew have a job to do, and if its busy will be under time pressure.
While we all think our own pride & joy is special (it is), we must remember that it is not unique, and ferry crews see plenty of low sports cars. While they may not all be petrol heads, they will probably know at a glance whether or not your car is going to have a problem getting onto the ramp. If you need to drive at an angle, and start going on straight, they will guide you. When we had problems, we used a couple of bits of wood (kept for the purpose) to make the ramps less steep. In fairness, they only normaly got used for things like Ultima's etc. The averige TVR / Lotus will not be a problem on most ferries unless it has been lowered or had an aftermarket spoiler / exhaust fitted.
The crew may be in a rush, but equally they know if you stop on the ramp to pick up your exhaust & have a moan you will make them late, and also if you try and claim against the company, the deck crew who were on duty, will get a hard time from management. For these two reasons alone, they will be as keen as you to get your car on & off without it getting damaged.
The ferry crew have a job to do, and if its busy will be under time pressure.
While we all think our own pride & joy is special (it is), we must remember that it is not unique, and ferry crews see plenty of low sports cars. While they may not all be petrol heads, they will probably know at a glance whether or not your car is going to have a problem getting onto the ramp. If you need to drive at an angle, and start going on straight, they will guide you. When we had problems, we used a couple of bits of wood (kept for the purpose) to make the ramps less steep. In fairness, they only normaly got used for things like Ultima's etc. The averige TVR / Lotus will not be a problem on most ferries unless it has been lowered or had an aftermarket spoiler / exhaust fitted.
The crew may be in a rush, but equally they know if you stop on the ramp to pick up your exhaust & have a moan you will make them late, and also if you try and claim against the company, the deck crew who were on duty, will get a hard time from management. For these two reasons alone, they will be as keen as you to get your car on & off without it getting damaged.
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