Residentail mooring or boat first?

[itsmeagain]

Hi all, new here.

Im looking to buy a live aboard. From what I have read on the net, residential moorings can be hard to find.

 

So is it advisable to obtain a mooring, reserve it somehow, then get the boat?

[Alan de Enfield]

Yes - the urgency depends on where you intend to keep it.

For example - Cambridge is a 25+ year waiting list 

Rural areas in the North not so bad.

[manxmike]

If you need to move onto the boat quickly and have no desire (or ability) to continuous cruise whilst searching for a permanent mooring which allows you to live aboard (not all do) then find the mooring first. You could always search for both at the same time.

Reserving the mooring will depend on the vendor - they may be happy to accept a down payment or deposit, that would depend on the person in question.

As Alan has said, have a look around the area you want to moor, you might strike lucky (?)

[IanD]

Just now, manxmike said:

If you need to move onto the boat quickly and have no desire (or ability) to continuous cruise whilst searching for a permanent mooring which allows you to live aboard (not all do) then find the mooring first. You could always search for both at the same time.

Reserving the mooring will depend on the vendor - they may be happy to accept a down payment or deposit, that would depend on the person in question.

As Alan has said, have a look around the area you want to moor, you might strike lucky (?)

 

Residential moorings in the places most people seem to want them (e.g. that there Lunnon) are either very expensive, or as rare as hen's teeth, or both -- so "where?" is absolutely critical...

[Tony Brooks]

That depends upon if you mean a genuine residential mooring with the rights such mooring confer on you, or an "intensive use", Nelsons eye type leisure mooring that many live upon. In the first case I would suggest that if you need it is a certain area "hard to find" may be an understatement. In the second case, it is easier. However, the smaller your acceptable location area and the more popular, even a leisure mooring can be not easy to find, so mooring first ad accept you have t pay while it is unoccupied is probably the safest way.

 

In a few areas you may locate a boat on a transferable residential mooring and buy both together, except the mooring will still attract annual fees, and you will probably pay well over the odds for the boat.

[tree monkey]

Speak to some people on moorings local to where you want to be, it's highly likely that a fair number will be living on their boats just keeping their heads down, it's not uncommon and the vast majority just get on with it.

 

Then you either have the luxury of time to find a proper "hens teeth" residential mooring or you may find you are happy on your new none residential mooring.

[ditchcrawler]

These are the residential ones that CRT have available at the moment, they have many more leisure moorings 

[IanD]

14 minutes ago, ditchcrawler said:

These are the residential ones that CRT have available at the moment, they have many more leisure moorings 

And to give an idea of costs, the outer London ones (Northolt and Limehouse) are £7800/year, the inner one (Alperton) is £11500/year -- Aylesbury is a mere £4700/year...

[MtB]

6 hours ago, itsmeagain said:

Hi all, new here.

Im looking to buy a live aboard. From what I have read on the net, residential moorings can be hard to find.

 

So is it advisable to obtain a mooring, reserve it somehow, then get the boat?

 

Best to get the boat first, as you may well never find a suitable residential mooring.

 

 

[enigmatic]

7 hours ago, itsmeagain said:

Hi all, new here.

Im looking to buy a live aboard. From what I have read on the net, residential moorings can be hard to find.

 

So is it advisable to obtain a mooring, reserve it somehow, then get the boat?

 

Depends a lot on what your mooring requirements are. Not just general area, but whether you have very specific requirements or whether it's much more general like "somewhere in the Midlands, don't need facilities or public transport" and whether you're happy paying a marina a nightly/monthly rate or moving occasionally before you sort the mooring

 

Alan brings up the example of Cambridge, and yes if you want a mooring in Cambridge itself, the wait might be longer than the boat lasts! On the other hand, there are marinas within a reasonable drive of Cambridge you could move into tomorrow (a few others would say no), and if they didn't suit you longer term, then finding an official or unofficial residential mooring somewhere in a farmers field in the Fens would be quite feasible.

 

Lots of marinas that aren't residential and won't let people live there long-term or use it as a home address are happy with short term people on monthly contracts spending all their time on board - especially in winter.

 

 

[Bobbybass]

London will be fine. 

Budget  £10,000 - £20,000 a year....and still wait and wait 

[blackrose]

8 hours ago, tree monkey said:

Speak to some people on moorings local to where you want to be, it's highly likely that a fair number will be living on their boats just keeping their heads down, it's not uncommon and the vast majority just get on with it.

 

Then you either have the luxury of time to find a proper "hens teeth" residential mooring or you may find you are happy on your new none residential mooring.

 

Yes and if like many of us, you do find yourself in the grey area living on a permanent (rather than residential) mooring, then understand that you have few rights, try to get on with your neighbours including those who don't live aboard, don't get stuff posted to the mooring unless they specifically allow that, and try not to refer to your boat as your home either in writing or in conversation.

[itsmeagain]

Being new to this, ive looked at a couple and Mercia in Derby ticks all my boxes.

I did call them re availability. and they do have a couple of moorings available for 58ft.

 

Im not ready to buy or reserve as yet, but seemed promising, or maybe just phoned at the right time?

 

I would be looking around the Yorkshire and neighbouring areas.

[tree monkey]

42 minutes ago, itsmeagain said:

Being new to this, ive looked at a couple and Mercia in Derby ticks all my boxes.

I did call them re availability. and they do have a couple of moorings available for 58ft.

 

Im not ready to buy or reserve as yet, but seemed promising, or maybe just phoned at the right time?

 

I would be looking around the Yorkshire and neighbouring areas.

Some marinas are fairly lax about living on site, some have a high usage mooring, which isn't residential but often used as such and some marinas absolutely refuse living on site, best visit and speak to the moorers, when speaking to the marinas unless talking about an official residential spot don't mention the R word.

 

Edited November 1, 2023 by tree monkey
Weird duplicate

[MtB]

59 minutes ago, itsmeagain said:

Being new to this, ive looked at a couple and Mercia in Derby ticks all my boxes.

I did call them re availability. and they do have a couple of moorings available for 58ft.

 

Im not ready to buy or reserve as yet, but seemed promising, or maybe just phoned at the right time?

 

I would be looking around the Yorkshire and neighbouring areas.

 

Was this genuine residential? With your own postcode, a Council Tax assessment and the marina formally agreeing to accept mail and parcel deliveries for you? 

 

If so I'd grab one as I think you just got lucky. 

 

What would be your plan if you waited until you had a boat then called them and they said "Sorry, both taken now"?

 

 

[Yank on the Cut]

Yes residential at Mercia is with full local authority planning approval.

[Higgs]

7 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Was this genuine residential? With your own postcode, a Council Tax assessment and the marina formally agreeing to accept mail and parcel deliveries for you? 

 

It will be, at Mercia marina.

 

[MrsM]

You are very lucky OP - snap it up asap! When we sold our boat and gave up our leisure mooring in Newark on Trent the marina said there was a waiting list of over 30 for leisure and over 40 for residential moorings.