Mooring tender

[calamity507]

Took youre advice , made the call and all B W moorings I have been assured go for tender.

[Lady Muck]

[calamity507]

didnt say i believed what i was told, just giving you the info as it was given to me.

[Lady Muck]

My comment is directed at BW, not at you.....

[calamity507]

I realised that , didnt even consider you meant me.

[FadeToScarlet]

 

[fab]

Dunno about now but moorings at Engineers wharf in Uxbridge were available for £5000 pa or so way after the start of the tender trials.

[lydiacafc]

They chose not to tender the Engineers Wharf Moorings, I think because they had all been advertised etc before the tender system was put in place.

 

It seemed to take months for them all to go.

[Lady Muck]

I'm not surprised - at five grand a pop, that's out of the reach of most of the boaters I know, plus the way things are going up, you could soon find that five grand becoming six or seven grand a year or more!

 

Plus it's a new development, cue loads of complaints from people in the flats (sorry apartments *cough*) moaning about people on the boats.

 

I'll say one thing I love about our mooring, we cannot see a single house from here. Suits us fine.

[nbtafelberg]

Want a laugh!?

 

There is only 1 mooring in the WHOLE COUNTRY for a 70 foot boat (22 metres) available right now.

 

1

[lydiacafc]

There are 2 moorings up for tender at Brentford aren't there, for 70 foot boats?

 

Went to have a look at Engineers Wharf but didn't like it, facilities are great but the estate is quite remote, it's about a 10-15 minute walk to the nearest pub & there was only 1 road in & out of the place that apparently gets very busy during peak times. Wasn't keen on paying 5k per year for somewhere I wouldn't enjoy living! Plus as you said, very overlooked by flats, worse than at Brentford...

[JohnO]

Locally there is a Basin with residential mooring and I have been told a 14 year waiting list. A couple enquired to whom I do not know, they were told "look there is a space" so they moored their boat up contacted BW and are now happily installed.

go figure that one!

 

edited to add - residential

Edited May 23, 2008 by JohnO

[GSer]

JMO of course

 

But BW's mooring lists as the were, were almost unworkable, there was no registration fee or apparant maintainance of the lists. All this mangaged to create was a list of names and addresses of which a considerable number were well out of date, some names on it had found alternative moorings & some had gone CC.

 

A rework of the system is needed, I would propose a mooring list registration fee, returnable on request and refundable on a suitable mooring being available.

 

The people on the list would need to re-register every year, with updated contact details, re registering could be a simple as a check box and extra section on the licence application form. At least then the list would be a useful workable resource for BW to refer to when planning mooring.

 

Unfortunatley the charge would need to be applied to ensure the list was kept as current as possible.

 

Just an idea

 

Paul

 

PS the tender system has worked for BW in at least one occasion, my old mooring was £2100 and the new occupant is paying £3500

[Lady Muck]

JMO of course

 

But BW's mooring lists as the were, were almost unworkable, there was no registration fee or apparant maintainance of the lists. All this mangaged to create was a list of names and addresses of which a considerable number were well out of date, some names on it had found alternative moorings & some had gone CC.

 

A rework of the system is needed, I would propose a mooring list registration fee, returnable on request and refundable on a suitable mooring being available.

 

The people on the list would need to re-register every year, with updated contact details, re registering could be a simple as a check box and extra section on the licence application form. At least then the list would be a useful workable resource for BW to refer to when planning mooring.

 

Unfortunatley the charge would need to be applied to ensure the list was kept as current as possible.

 

Just an idea

 

Paul

 

PS the tender system has worked for BW in at least one occasion, my old mooring was £2100 and the new occupant is paying £3500

 

I think your idea is quite a good one!

[Odana]

Agree, agree, a mooring where I live's JUST gone up for tender after 2 years empty...

 

Anyway one question on the contracts you get if you do offer BW a silly price for a mooring. Are you locked into a 3 year deal, or can you give them 1 month's notice and leave as (I think) I can do now? I'm moving soon and will need to get a new mooring near Sheffield, but as i don't know the place well it might not be the 'right' mooring straight off so if I could get something, then leave after 6 months or so if necessary, that'd be reassuring. Anyone know?

[DaveR]

Agree, agree, a mooring where I live's JUST gone up for tender after 2 years empty...

 

Anyway one question on the contracts you get if you do offer BW a silly price for a mooring. Are you locked into a 3 year deal, or can you give them 1 month's notice and leave as (I think) I can do now? I'm moving soon and will need to get a new mooring near Sheffield, but as i don't know the place well it might not be the 'right' mooring straight off so if I could get something, then leave after 6 months or so if necessary, that'd be reassuring. Anyone know?

 

OK, I am now one of these folk on a new mooring obtained under the BW tender system.

 

You are locked in for a minimum 6 months, after that you can cancel the contract having given two months notice. Give notice at 4 months can leave at the end of 6 months. Actually you can leave anytime, you just pay for the 6 months.

 

Have I paid a silly price for mine? No - we worked out what the mooring was worth to us based on current Marina fees (private at Blue Water). Also the fact we intend to buy a larger boat and there was not a longer berth available in Blue Water. That I spend two days at the beginning and end of the season doing the commercial canals which are not the most beautiful routes available also helped in determining the price I was willing to pay.

 

All in all I tendered £300 a year more than the next person. Am I mad? No. I deal with the tendering system in the course of my work, I know how it works. Some people can be caught up in the excitement of an auction bidding process and can end up paying more that they either intended or can afford. The tendering process means, as we did, you work out what it is worth to you. It is a one time bid. OK we missed out on other moorings as we did not tender enough but that is just the way things work, those moorings were worth more to others than to us.

 

I know there are a lot of folk out there who really don't like the tendering process. I believe it will now become a fact of life. BW believe, whether true or not, that this system will provide more income for maintenance on the system. If BW stick to their plans and put the extra money into repairs and upgrades, isn't that what we all want?

 

It is a fact of life that things are getting more expensive. The fact that BW waste so much money does not help their cause. One would hope that all this recent spate of advertising for tow path useage, fish tagging and what ever is being paid for from funds other than what boaters pay for the upkeep of the system. That would be in a real world . . . . . .

 

Must stop now or I will be hijacking the topic and ranting on too much.

 

Regards

 

Dave R

[LEO]

Hi,

A mooring at Marsworth came through on the 'invitation' to tender lists about 1 week ago, as well as one at Leightton Buzzard.

 

ALBI

[Lesd]

Hi,

A mooring at Marsworth came through on the 'invitation' to tender lists about 1 week ago, as well as one at Leightton Buzzard.

 

ALBI

 

 

Thanks Albi. Isn't that strange, probably one of the ones the guy told me about and the office denied. Guide price nearly £2K though for no services on the tow path.....I wonder what the winning bid will be ? It wont be mine as they wont allow my 10'6'' boat on that stretch !!!!! Strange that there's already a much wider boat there on the same mooring (good luck to them), and any size boat can moor on the visitor mooring along side (we were recently there for two weeks with no problem) and the cuts plenty wide enough......very very odd system we seem to have going on here eh.

 

Les