Another Moorage Rant

[druid]

Well, I was just down to the boat yesterday. The pulpit is destroyed.

My spot, such as it is, has a piling in it, and although I tried to tie the boat so it wouldn't hit the piling (there's only 3 rings in the finger for tying, and they're not in good positions), I guess it hit it. Hard. And it looks like it hooked under the cross-tie, since the pulpit is bend DOWN as well as sideways. The boat must have been bouncing pretty good to do that kind of damage.

This is the second time my boat has incurred damage in the 9 months it's been at Burrard Civic. The first time was from it rubbing (hard!) on the adjacent boat - there's less than 1 foot total free space between the two boats and the fingers. I'm glad the neighbour boat is gone now, otherwise we both would have been damaged some more.

I know it's my responsibility to ensure my boat doesn't get damaged, but... GEEZ!

And it's almost impossible to get into the tight slip when there's wind and a tide running (tide is >2 knots at my slip)

I've tried to convince them to move me to a 27ft slip, but they say no, it's a 28ft boat, won't fit. Well, it's narrower than a Catalina 27, and if the Cat has an outboard, overall length is shorter. They call where I'm at a 30ft slip (so of course I'm paying for 30ft

) but there's NO WAY you could get 2 30-footers in those two spots.

Oh, and in addition to the 7% HST hike, they're raising the fees by 4% ("We upped our rates - up yours!"). That means I'm paying $4600/yr for a 28ft boat.

I'd love to say "I'll take my business elsewhere, thank you very much!", but it's a pretty empty threat: They have a waiting list for my slip and I doubt other marinas are much better (although I've NEVER had my boat damaged at any of the other marinas I've been in). Guess I just have to suck it up and appreciate I have a small waterfront condo in Kits.

druid

 

[kenn]

Ouch.

(I'm gonna go hug my lil' trailer-sailor now. )

 

[Rich (P303)]

Our rates have stayed the same at our marina here in Maine. However I have noticed waiting lists are a thing of the past. Sign of the times?

 

[gettinthere]

yikes!

I'm paying about $4200 for my summer slip including fall haulout, winter outside storage and spring launch...for a 50' slip. Guess there is some benefit for living in a ghetto state! (Mi)

 

[Bad Obsession]

Wow....I pay $1300 a year for a slip. I couldn't imagine $4200 a year.

 

[timvg]

$10K a year for a liveaboard slip. 7K a year for a regular slip.

 

[Ross]

There are vacant slips in Owen Marina. Of course they are full of ice now but for my 30 I come in under 2000 summer slip haul out pressure wash blocking and spring launch. We have an Amtrak bridge that keeps out the riff raff with masts taller than 50 feet.

 

[CalebD]

Druid,
Sorry to hear of this. Stories like this make me glad we keep our boat on a mooring. Thinks can still go bump in the night as trees, logs and the occasional other boat floats up or down our river (Hudson).
The club we keep our boat at is a sailing club where members do all the work (no pool - just sailing). The costs for a year are extremely reasonable compared to what you pay (about 1/4 of the cost, or less). Is there a club like this near you?
A new bow pulpit can cost just < $1K.
Best of luck to you.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Ross...

curb your tongue about tall masted riff-raff or I'll direct some of our winged pooping winter dock residents on how to find new digs in a Perryville marina!:naughty:

 

[catsailor]

I have a catamaran, so tight slips are the norm.

Do you have spring lines, to limit fore-aft motion? Both sides? They help.

The other suggestion is to stay on the boat during a tide swing, to see what happens. Can be educational.

Of course, I don't know the spot, so take this with a grain of salt, if need be. It sounds like a bad spot.

 

[Ray Bowles]

Druid, If they won't put more cleats on the dock then do it yourself. That's a hell of a lot cheaper than a pulpit a year. Marinas that are in high demand areas know they have you by the neck. There is always someone that will live with 3 line cleats.
There are also ways to secure boat in the slip even if some of it sticks out the hind end. Now that I've been the bearer of the bad news the good news is that there is time to fix it before it warms up.
Ray

 

[shemandr]

Wow....I pay $1300 a year for a slip. I couldn't imagine $4200 a year.

Where is Colonial Beach? Do you have winter?

 

[Tim R.]

Our rates have stayed the same at our marina here in Maine. However I have noticed waiting lists are a thing of the past. Sign of the times?

A few years ago, Dimillos stopped adding people to the waiting list because it was so long. I had no problem getting in last August. No rate increases here either.

 

[CalebD]

Where is Colonial Beach? Do you have winter?

I'm pretty sure that Colonial Beach is in Virginia on the Potomac. It is pretty far from any major urban areas so the cost should be more reasonable. It is also a pretty good hike to the Chessy and DC.

 

[rpwillia]

Colonial Beach is on the Potomac River

I'm pretty sure that Colonial Beach is in Virginia on the Potomac. It is pretty far from any major urban areas so the cost should be more reasonable. It is also a pretty good hike to the Chessy and DC.

Colonial Beach is about mid-way up the Potomac from the Chesapeake Bay about 25 miles south of Quantico. Slip rates are pretty good down there, and it is a nice place to visit as well as over in Maryland on Cobb Island and a few other places. Good sailing to boot, but not near as nice as up in Quantico.

 

[druid]

Where is Colonial Beach? Do you have winter?

I asked my Lady if we could move to Virginia and she said NOPE. The price of living in Lotus-Land (Highest cost of living in Canada).

druid

 

[Ed H]

You may want to look around. We were able to secure a slip in a "sailboat only" marina that before this year always had a waiting list. For what it is worth, we pay $2,200 a year. Ed H

 

[rpwillia]

Ed, Nice point, but ...

You may want to look around. We were able to secure a slip in a "sailboat only" marina that before this year always had a waiting list. For what it is worth, we pay $2,200 a year. Ed H

While I like Deltaville as it is a great place to visit, Quantico is 35 minutes from my house and I don't have to travel any major roads (e.g. no traffic) like if I would to go to Deltaville or somewhere else on the Bay. Sailing is good there, it is a bit less that $2,200, and as I like to say "I love my boat so much I keep it in a gated community with armed guards."

 

[adirondackbob]

Re: Ed, Nice point, but ...

I'm paying about $3600 per year for a slip, haulout, and winter storage. Of course, it can be a short season on Lake Champlain.

To CalebB's point about moorings: last season two moorings at our marina (which we have now left) gave way and both boats ended up hard aground. One required extensive fiberglass repair to her hull. (Don't know whether the marina chipped in.) I agree that sailboats seem to take less of a beating on a mooring, but these incidents last summer reminded me that there's risk no matter which you choose.

As for waiting lists, when we bought our boat in late 2009 in Avondale, Rhode Island, the boatyard owner there told me that 2009 was the first year in more than a decade that he did not have a long waiting list and actually expected to start the 2010 season with one or two open slips. We had no trouble getting a slip on Lake Champlain in 2010. On Lake George, where we sailed our O'Day 23 and which is notorious for high slip fees and long waiting lists, we noticed a lot of signs indicating "dock space available" last season.

Bob

 

[Snotter]

Colonial Beach is about mid-way up the Potomac from the Chesapeake Bay about 25 miles south of Quantico. Slip rates are pretty good down there, and it is a nice place to visit as well as over in Maryland on Cobb Island and a few other places. Good sailing to boot, but not near as nice as up in Quantico.

I've stayed in Colonial Beach for bussiness and have walked the docks there. I've been trying (unsuccessfully) to get transfered to Dahlgran so that I can live at the marina in Colonial Beach. Colonial Beach is a very quaint town with sidewalks. Many people use golf carts to get around there. It would beat living so friggen far inland.