Mooring Advice
Discussion
Need your help - looking to buy a 43' racing boat and I am trying to ascertain what is the most cost effective way to keep it. I have looked at marinas on the South Coast and to say that the prices are steep is an understatement. I am London based and a friend has suggested swing mooring it somewhere on the South Coast or in Essex as a viable alternative to a berth in a marina. Could someone give me an idea where is a good place to start looking for a mooring? The likely costs involved? Around £1500 was suggested, but where?
P.S. There are other marinas further afield, which charge less, but I am keen to use the boat every possible weekend, thus 60 to 70 miles distance from London seems the most sensible option.
Thanks in advance.
Alex
P.S. There are other marinas further afield, which charge less, but I am keen to use the boat every possible weekend, thus 60 to 70 miles distance from London seems the most sensible option.
Thanks in advance.
Alex
A swinging mooring will be miles cheaper than a marina, but then it is not nearly so convenient, as you have to have some method of getting out to the boat. In some places there are water taxis, but in others you will need to keep a tender ashore.
On the east coast there are loads of places that have swinging moorings. The Blackwater has moorings in several places, but not all of them will take a boat that size. There are also moorings on the Crouch and the Medway, both of which have pretty active racing I think. All of them are about an hour from London.
On the east coast there are loads of places that have swinging moorings. The Blackwater has moorings in several places, but not all of them will take a boat that size. There are also moorings on the Crouch and the Medway, both of which have pretty active racing I think. All of them are about an hour from London.
Edited by tank slapper on Friday 16th November 14:33
A marina mooring on the Solent for a 43 footer is going to set you back somewhere in the region of £10k p.a if you look at the prime places like Hamble or Lymington. If you want to be in the thick of the best racing on the Solent, you will only really be looking at Hamble. Cowes is just that bit too far with the Red Jet factored in & the racing at Lymington, whilst good, is not as well attended as that run by the Hamble / Cowes clubs.
However, If you want to keep it on the Solent for a bit less money & don't mind a bit of a motor before the start (up to 1 hr max), you could look at Hythe Marina Village, Shamrock Quay, Mercury on the Hamble, or even look down towards Portsmouth (I used to race a RORC boat that was dry-sailed out of Langstone marine). You could always base the boat somewhere cheaper for the offshore season & then take a temporary berth in Hamble or Lymington for the duration of the Spring / Winter series'.
A swinging mooring is going to be a lot, lot cheaper than a marina berth, but don't rule out the possibility of dry sailing. Price wise, it is somewhere in the middle of marina & swinging, but has the added benefit of being able to keep the hull clean & is a little more secure than a swinging mooring. Also, you just let them know a day or so before you want to use the boat & they'll drop it in for you - you will never really be able to tell the difference between dry sailing & keeping on a marina berth in terms of access (although some marinas do limit the # lifts / season.
However, If you want to keep it on the Solent for a bit less money & don't mind a bit of a motor before the start (up to 1 hr max), you could look at Hythe Marina Village, Shamrock Quay, Mercury on the Hamble, or even look down towards Portsmouth (I used to race a RORC boat that was dry-sailed out of Langstone marine). You could always base the boat somewhere cheaper for the offshore season & then take a temporary berth in Hamble or Lymington for the duration of the Spring / Winter series'.
A swinging mooring is going to be a lot, lot cheaper than a marina berth, but don't rule out the possibility of dry sailing. Price wise, it is somewhere in the middle of marina & swinging, but has the added benefit of being able to keep the hull clean & is a little more secure than a swinging mooring. Also, you just let them know a day or so before you want to use the boat & they'll drop it in for you - you will never really be able to tell the difference between dry sailing & keeping on a marina berth in terms of access (although some marinas do limit the # lifts / season.
Schmalex said:
However, If you want to keep it on the Solent for a bit less money & don't mind a bit of a motor before the start (up to 1 hr max), you could look at Hythe Marina Village, Shamrock Quay, Mercury on the Hamble,
in my youff i lived on boats on all three of those marina's. Advantages of the likes of Shamrock Quay and Mercury is that they are somewhat "working" marina's so can often find a handy man to do any running repairs for much less cost. Also as schmalx says, only 1 hour motoring to the action ... keeps the battery and the engine healthy too.
wonder if Bert, the old harbour master at mercury is still alive .....
Shame it wasnt a touch smaller, I have a heavily discounted 37ft mooring to either let or sell at Hamble point marina, some say its the best marina on the Hamble.
Dont mean to throw a spanner in the works but security on a swinging mooring can be a problem. My dad lives in Poole and races his boat in the harbour. Lots of stories of thefts from swinging moorings.
Berth the boat where you will use and race it the most, cost per use wont look so bad then.
Mike
Dont mean to throw a spanner in the works but security on a swinging mooring can be a problem. My dad lives in Poole and races his boat in the harbour. Lots of stories of thefts from swinging moorings.
Berth the boat where you will use and race it the most, cost per use wont look so bad then.
Mike
Schmalex said:
A marina mooring on the Solent for a 43 footer is going to set you back somewhere in the region of £10k p.a if you look at the prime places like Hamble or Lymington. If you want to be in the thick of the best racing on the Solent, you will only really be looking at Hamble. Cowes is just that bit too far with the Red Jet factored in & the racing at Lymington, whilst good, is not as well attended as that run by the Hamble / Cowes clubs.
However, If you want to keep it on the Solent for a bit less money & don't mind a bit of a motor before the start (up to 1 hr max), you could look at Hythe Marina Village, Shamrock Quay, Mercury on the Hamble, or even look down towards Portsmouth (I used to race a RORC boat that was dry-sailed out of Langstone marine). You could always base the boat somewhere cheaper for the offshore season & then take a temporary berth in Hamble or Lymington for the duration of the Spring / Winter series'.
A swinging mooring is going to be a lot, lot cheaper than a marina berth, but don't rule out the possibility of dry sailing. Price wise, it is somewhere in the middle of marina & swinging, but has the added benefit of being able to keep the hull clean & is a little more secure than a swinging mooring. Also, you just let them know a day or so before you want to use the boat & they'll drop it in for you - you will never really be able to tell the difference between dry sailing & keeping on a marina berth in terms of access (although some marinas do limit the # lifts / season.
Very useful advice. Currently we are not that bothered about being in the thick of the best racing around - want to buy the boat, learn about it, train the crew (we are all amateur enthusiasts who feel that cruising is just not exciting enough) and then start racing it from next season. However, If you want to keep it on the Solent for a bit less money & don't mind a bit of a motor before the start (up to 1 hr max), you could look at Hythe Marina Village, Shamrock Quay, Mercury on the Hamble, or even look down towards Portsmouth (I used to race a RORC boat that was dry-sailed out of Langstone marine). You could always base the boat somewhere cheaper for the offshore season & then take a temporary berth in Hamble or Lymington for the duration of the Spring / Winter series'.
A swinging mooring is going to be a lot, lot cheaper than a marina berth, but don't rule out the possibility of dry sailing. Price wise, it is somewhere in the middle of marina & swinging, but has the added benefit of being able to keep the hull clean & is a little more secure than a swinging mooring. Also, you just let them know a day or so before you want to use the boat & they'll drop it in for you - you will never really be able to tell the difference between dry sailing & keeping on a marina berth in terms of access (although some marinas do limit the # lifts / season.
Edited by Cheburator mk2 on Tuesday 20th November 11:49
River crouch (Petticrows have moorings, rice and cole have moorings and a launch). Don't bother with fambridge, it's bloody miles from the sea! West Mersea, Blackwater, Brightlingsea all have moorings.
West mersea is prob the most sheltered with good access to the open sea. They also have a launch service and places to stow your tender (although it's typically quite a long way to the mooring, and the pontoon isn't deep enough to come alongside from about 3+LW-3 if I remember correctly.
The pontoons in the crouch are accesible at all states of tide.
West mersea is prob the most sheltered with good access to the open sea. They also have a launch service and places to stow your tender (although it's typically quite a long way to the mooring, and the pontoon isn't deep enough to come alongside from about 3+LW-3 if I remember correctly.
The pontoons in the crouch are accesible at all states of tide.
Cheburator mk2 said:
Schmalex said:
A marina mooring on the Solent for a 43 footer is going to set you back somewhere in the region of £10k p.a if you look at the prime places like Hamble or Lymington. If you want to be in the thick of the best racing on the Solent, you will only really be looking at Hamble. Cowes is just that bit too far with the Red Jet factored in & the racing at Lymington, whilst good, is not as well attended as that run by the Hamble / Cowes clubs.
However, If you want to keep it on the Solent for a bit less money & don't mind a bit of a motor before the start (up to 1 hr max), you could look at Hythe Marina Village, Shamrock Quay, Mercury on the Hamble, or even look down towards Portsmouth (I used to race a RORC boat that was dry-sailed out of Langstone marine). You could always base the boat somewhere cheaper for the offshore season & then take a temporary berth in Hamble or Lymington for the duration of the Spring / Winter series'.
A swinging mooring is going to be a lot, lot cheaper than a marina berth, but don't rule out the possibility of dry sailing. Price wise, it is somewhere in the middle of marina & swinging, but has the added benefit of being able to keep the hull clean & is a little more secure than a swinging mooring. Also, you just let them know a day or so before you want to use the boat & they'll drop it in for you - you will never really be able to tell the difference between dry sailing & keeping on a marina berth in terms of access (although some marinas do limit the # lifts / season.
Very useful advice. Currently we are not that bothered about being in the thick of the best racing around - want to buy the boat, learn about it, train the crew (we are all amateur enthusiast who feel that crusing is just not exciting enough) and then start racing it from next season. However, If you want to keep it on the Solent for a bit less money & don't mind a bit of a motor before the start (up to 1 hr max), you could look at Hythe Marina Village, Shamrock Quay, Mercury on the Hamble, or even look down towards Portsmouth (I used to race a RORC boat that was dry-sailed out of Langstone marine). You could always base the boat somewhere cheaper for the offshore season & then take a temporary berth in Hamble or Lymington for the duration of the Spring / Winter series'.
A swinging mooring is going to be a lot, lot cheaper than a marina berth, but don't rule out the possibility of dry sailing. Price wise, it is somewhere in the middle of marina & swinging, but has the added benefit of being able to keep the hull clean & is a little more secure than a swinging mooring. Also, you just let them know a day or so before you want to use the boat & they'll drop it in for you - you will never really be able to tell the difference between dry sailing & keeping on a marina berth in terms of access (although some marinas do limit the # lifts / season.
village idiot said:
racing out of lymington is great... that is where i keep my boat...
my company also owns one of the two marinas in lymington... it aint cheap, but there are few better places to keep a yacht.
Sorry to plough off topic, but what sort of training do you do to become a yacht broker?my company also owns one of the two marinas in lymington... it aint cheap, but there are few better places to keep a yacht.
I was considering starting a yacht brokerage last year (purely because we were selling our boat, and friends were selling theirs too. However, things came up and I didn't get any further. It's still something i've always thought of pursuing at a later date though, and i've always been around boats, and for some weird reason buy motor boats monthly (monthly) without any intention whatsoever of buying a boat!?!?!
village idiot said:
racing out of lymington is great... that is where i keep my boat...
my company also owns one of the two marinas in lymington... it aint cheap, but there are few better places to keep a yacht.
Racing out of Lymington is OK, but a long way from being great.my company also owns one of the two marinas in lymington... it aint cheap, but there are few better places to keep a yacht.
Examples:
- First race of the winter series. Could lay the top mark from the leeward end of the line (no excuse for setting such a poor first beat)
- 2 weeks ago. Only 1 Gybe mark (& that was because there was a big left shift on the 2nd round).
- A couple of years ago (2005 I think), we went through a whole winter series without having either a gybe mark, or having to gybe to lay a can - not too clever!!
I have raced out of both Lymington & Hamble for the past 20 years at various levels from complete beginner to fully paid professional racing crew & I really do enjoy and apprectiate each of them equally for what they are.
maybe see you in the Royal on Sunday.....
Edited by Schmalex on Friday 23 November 22:09
Essential said:
Shame it wasnt a touch smaller, I have a heavily discounted 37ft mooring to either let or sell at Hamble point marina, some say its the best marina on the Hamble.
Dont mean to throw a spanner in the works but security on a swinging mooring can be a problem. My dad lives in Poole and races his boat in the harbour. Lots of stories of thefts from swinging moorings.
Berth the boat where you will use and race it the most, cost per use wont look so bad then.
Mike
Mike Dont mean to throw a spanner in the works but security on a swinging mooring can be a problem. My dad lives in Poole and races his boat in the harbour. Lots of stories of thefts from swinging moorings.
Berth the boat where you will use and race it the most, cost per use wont look so bad then.
Mike
How much you looking to let you berth at HP? We are at OVM at the moment and MDL will be looking for next years confirmation soon. Boat is 38ft, we used to be at HP before when westerly paid the berth vat.
You can PM me if you want.
Alex
Hi there
i am in the marine trade and one of the cheapest moorings around southampton are at a place called ichen marine towage look em up.there 2mins down stream from ocean village so if you got friends coming down get a short stay and pick em up there.no point paying for flash marina if your not there 90% of the time.
i am in the marine trade and one of the cheapest moorings around southampton are at a place called ichen marine towage look em up.there 2mins down stream from ocean village so if you got friends coming down get a short stay and pick em up there.no point paying for flash marina if your not there 90% of the time.
ALawson said:
Essential said:
Shame it wasnt a touch smaller, I have a heavily discounted 37ft mooring to either let or sell at Hamble point marina, some say its the best marina on the Hamble.
Dont mean to throw a spanner in the works but security on a swinging mooring can be a problem. My dad lives in Poole and races his boat in the harbour. Lots of stories of thefts from swinging moorings.
Berth the boat where you will use and race it the most, cost per use wont look so bad then.
Mike
Mike Dont mean to throw a spanner in the works but security on a swinging mooring can be a problem. My dad lives in Poole and races his boat in the harbour. Lots of stories of thefts from swinging moorings.
Berth the boat where you will use and race it the most, cost per use wont look so bad then.
Mike
How much you looking to let you berth at HP? We are at OVM at the moment and MDL will be looking for next years confirmation soon. Boat is 38ft, we used to be at HP before when westerly paid the berth vat.
You can PM me if you want.
Alex
Personally I like OVM but for a sailing boat its a long trip up Southampton water to get inot the Solent. As a guide i would offer the Hamble Point berth at around 30% discount to MDL rates.
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