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Best (& Worst) Marinas in Britain!!

charlie_chorlton

By charlie_chorlton
in General Boating

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charlie_chorlton Gongoozler

charlie_chorlton

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Hi Everyone!

 

I'm a little madam on mission to find the best and worst marinas in Britain!!

 

I'm sort of trying to put my own virgin boater's 'Good Marina Guide' for clueless newbies, like me... (used to long hot showers, laundry fresh clothes and other creature comforts - like being able to 'flush'n'forget about poo once it's down the loo!!!)

 

What makes or breaks a marina? Staff... service... scenary... stuff for the kids...luxury health spa as standard... faulty facilities... funny smells?

 

What's important to you? Which marinas would you recommend & why? And which ones awould you not touch with a barge pole? Go on - Get stuck in and give'em a good slating if that's what they deserve!!!

 

Would anyone with a good tip (or even a bad tip) a funny story, or serious issue to share, be kind enough to relate their experience on this forum...

 

Rants of any kind (passionate and/or embittered) are always welcome!

 

I'd love to hear from anyone who's ever holidayed, stayed (as a resident), owned or worked at a marina...

 

Who knows.... it could spark some interesting debates!

Edited by charlie_chorlton
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tomandsophie Rising Star

tomandsophie

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Well, haven't lived at a marina (yet), but I visited Saltford marina (Keynsham - near Bristol/Bath on the river Avon) recently to have a look at a boat for sale. We were thinking of living at this marina, but have definitely changed our minds! The boats are lined up squashed together like cars in a carpark - look out of your bedroom window and you look straight into somebody else's bedroom window! Not nice. Plus the boats being so close together means that not much light comes in through your window. It was quite windy that day and the boats were bumping together very frequently. You've also got the noise of being under the flight path for Bristol aiport, plus the railway line which is only about a hundred yards away. Altogether not a very nice place to be. And there is a busy noisy pub on site. In the summer it is difficult to get in and out of the marina as it is so busy. Add to that the costs (for our 57ft widebeam) of £280 a month! No offence meant to anybody who lives there, but it's not my cup of tea! Would far rather be on a towpath mooring with no services...

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charlie_chorlton Gongoozler

charlie_chorlton

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Sounds like a plane-spotting sardine haven!

 

Are you still looking for a marina mooring? And how have you found living-aboard a widebeam?

 

Just 'cos that's what I was thinking of getting next year... (so I'm going to have to be cheeky and ask how much...?

 

I'd love to hear all the ins and outs if you have the time.

 

Hope to hear from you soon,

Charlie

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nbtafelberg Rising Star

nbtafelberg

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We live in a Marina, it's very good with services but I would agree about looking into some one elses window.

 

However we do have the benefit of being moored next to a very small boat so actually its not so bad we have a lovely view of the marina.

 

We did live on the cut originally in cowley because of the work done at Uxbridge boat centre but with kids you have to really have services I think.

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tomandsophie Rising Star

tomandsophie

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Posted
Sounds like a plane-spotting sardine haven! 

 

Are you still looking for a marina mooring?  And how have you found living-aboard a widebeam? 

 

Just 'cos that's what I was thinking of getting next year...  (so I'm going to have to be cheeky and ask how much...?

 

I'd love to hear all the ins and outs if you have the time.

 

Hope to hear from you soon,

Charlie

 

Hi Charlie,

After lots of looking at various second-hand boats and not liking a single one of them (not keen on fitted furniture), we had a look into getting one built from scratch. Turned out that it was actually cheaper to go down this route. So we are having one built (57ft x 10ft6) by Bath Narrowboats (we live next to Bath) and it is going very very well. Should be ready to live in by next summer. Basically it is being fitted out to sailaway plus plus (!) which translates as pretty much everything ready to go except for all of the furniture and kitchen, which I will build myself. All in all it is costing £50,000 including appliances. Bit of a bargain I'd say. Oh yes, and I'm saving a couple of thousand by painting it myself too. John and Rich at Bath Narrowboats have been so helpful, and I have seen a boat that they fitted out recently and it is lovely.

As far as moorings go, we have found ourselves a mooring on the river near Bath, and we'll moor on the canal during flood season (winter!). We gave up on marinas as they are all full around here, and we much prefer to be on the towpath or riverbank where you aren't all squashed together.

Anyhow, have a look into getting a boat built for you if you are willing to do some of the work yourself - it can turn out much cheaper than buying secondhand. That is of course unless you find a boat for sale that is perfect for you.

All the best with it,

Tom.

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ChrisPy Veteran

ChrisPy

Posted
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Tom

 

Coincidentally I am expecting delivery in March of a 57ft widebeam sailaway unpainted from Liverpool Boats, to a dry fitting-out berth in Bristol Docks marina.

 

I plan to leave the steel to weather, then to use Kurust or similar as a base for painting.

 

I have looked around for a long term residential mooring, and Saltford seemed OK, but they couldn't offer anything inside the secure area, only on the riverside. I work overseas, so security is important. I have read elsewhere about the youth of Keynsham, and would not want to moor riverside in that area. Proximity is not a problem and I quite like trains (pity there are no GWR Castles - I remember as a boy standing in King's Meadows in Reading on a late winter's afternoon, watching the monsters passing by in the distance - magic ! ).

 

Did you find anything else in the Bath area? Any other ideas?

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tomandsophie Rising Star

tomandsophie

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I haven't found anything else in the way of marinas apart from Saltford I'm afraid. My wife and I aren't keen on marinas (carpark syndrome!) and we'll be living afloat full-time so we definitely prefer the on-line moorings on the river and canal.

Sorry not to be of much help, but there isn't a lot around here in the way of marinas. Saltford is probably your best bet.

All the best with it, let us know how you get on...

Tom.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Andy Woods Engager

Andy Woods

Posted
Posted

Hi Chris,

Wish the dog could talk. Then maybe he could tell me what foulness he rolled in on Friday as I still can't get rid of the stink! (smells like and old Fox!)

Didn't mean to berate Barton Turns unnecessarily, It was just my observation from cruising past this summer.

Regards

Andy.

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  • 5 weeks later...
Gary Stacey Collaborator

Gary Stacey

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I nominate a certain marina situated on the stainforth and keadby canal as the worst due to its continuing and intensifying aims to extract as much money out of its customers as possible. One of the other contributors to this site was presented with a bogus bill for works to sell their boat at this location and I have heard of a number of similar incidents. People here are nwo being charged £3 a week just for the privelidge of plugging into the electric posts. A friend of mine has been told that he cannot do work on other peoples boats in the marina even though he does this work for free as a favour. A person who moors in this basin has been told that he will be charged £200 a week for having his boat there on hardstanding for fitting out, this charge is usually £20 a week but this is for people who buy their boats through the marina. The boats in the basin have recently been reshuffled to pack them in even more tightly so that they can get an extra 2 boats in making it even harder to get out. There should really be some kind of regulation on privately owned marinas as there is with rented property to control such abuses

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minerva Community Regular

minerva

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Gary,

 

It was my boat I think your on about (bogus work prior to him/them selling it last summer).

 

Let me add, there was no way he got that mixed up (the bill),as he knew us both very well indeed (we origionally bought the shell from him at his previous marina) where we were on his hard standing (right out side his office!),for about a year before she went in the water......

 

He deserves a punch up the bracket, if you ask me.......(should re name his marina and call it Ripoff & Cheatem Boats") :D

 

At the end of the day, he has is ass covered, by blamng stuff like that on his business parter, who always happens to be " away on holiday at the moment "......he is such a jolly, pleasant chappie, who you can't fail to like.......until you find out better!.

 

I hope he gets his comeuppance, but people like him always seem to get away with that, dont they?

 

Also, I know from yonks ago, he buys floating sheds, splashes a bit of paint on them and sells for another 10 or 15 K to what he has paid for the boat........I would never buy any boat second hand without getting somone in to survey and value a boat!, but his pray are first timer's, who don't know any better, and fall for his banter.

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Gary Stacey Collaborator

Gary Stacey

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Yes Minerva I was one of his first timer pray but luckily being in engineering I managed to buy a decent boat but just at much inflated price!!!. I have seen a number of the floating sheds you refer to as I make a point of looking round the boats when there visiting friends (who for some reason havnt yet moved on to better moorings). A number of the boats are ex hire with very (i mean veeeery) thin bottoms etc, the yard just slap on a coat of black and sell them on, some are in a horrific state.

 

The guy is just a complete !!*!!* and desrves his final comupence

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gorbo Explorer

gorbo

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I am moored at Whixall Marina and have been for a year, we have been nothing but pleased with the moorings, our previous moring was at Barbridge in comparison Whixall is wonderfull, it is secure, good location and has friendly staff, fully recomened

Edited by gorbo
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  • 1 month later...
tomandsophie Rising Star

tomandsophie

Posted
Posted
Tom

 

Coincidentally I am expecting delivery in March of a 57ft widebeam sailaway unpainted from Liverpool Boats, to a dry fitting-out berth in Bristol Docks marina.

 

I plan to leave the steel to weather, then to use Kurust or similar as a base for painting.

 

I have looked around for a long term residential mooring, and Saltford seemed OK, but they couldn't offer anything inside the secure area, only on the riverside.  I work overseas, so security is important.  I have read elsewhere about the youth of Keynsham, and would not want to moor riverside in that area.  Proximity is not a problem and I quite like trains (pity there are no GWR Castles - I remember as a boy standing in King's Meadows in Reading on a late winter's afternoon, watching the monsters passing by in the distance - magic ! ).

 

Did you find anything else in the Bath area?  Any other ideas?

 

 

Dear Chris,

 

Not sure why Tom told you there wasn't much around as there are several marinas around Bath and Bristol. I guess he was thinking about the fact that many of them won't take residential moorings but its always worth a try especially as you work overseas so wouldn't be there the whole time. Have you got a copy of the BW boating guide to the K&A? That lists addresses and numbers of all permanent moorings (towpath, riverside & marinas) available (excluding one that i know of). As Tom said earlier we (he) just rang up loads. Hope thats a bit more help. By the way whatever you've heard about the youth of Keynsham, the marina looks quite nice. If i remember correctly, there were lots of bow-to-stern moorings rather than port-to-starboard (don't know the official terms) so you got a nicer view.

 

Sophie

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ChrisPy Veteran

ChrisPy

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thanks, Sophie.

 

My boat will be craned off on the dockside at Bristol Marina for fitting out, and I hope to keep myself at the top of the waiting list to go into the water there as soon as there's a space. That'll do fine for the present, (close to home and all facilities, but I wouldn't fancy living there for long). In a year or two I will be seeking that idyllic serviced and secure mooring that only exists in a dream world. Thanks for your advice.

 

I'm sure we'll meet up as soon as the boat is mobile.

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