Residential Marinas.

[Southern Star]

Hello all, I have a few questions about residential marinas. I'm planning to CC but while I make the transition from land to water it may make sense to live in a marina for six months or so while I get the boat sorted out, and get used to living aboard.

 

I've heard that it is difficult to get a berth in a residential marina, is this true?

 

If a marina is non-residential, is mooring only permitted, or are you allowed to spend time aboard including nights (e.g. at weekends)?

 

How much would a six-month residential mooring cost in, say, the Midlands?

 

Are there any marinas which anybody would recommend?

 

 

TIA.

[b0atman]

Some marinas are glad to turn a blind eye to live aboards being there as they need the trade and extra money that they spend .

The problem is although they have continuous live aboards most will not admit to this over the phone.

So it is a minefield.

However if you tell them that you only want a six month live aboard mooring whilst you sort things out are they going to believe that you will be leaving next winter to CC.

Willington Mercia marine is one to consider as they say that boats move moorings 6 monthly so not residential.

[amanda and dave]

Sawley marina have residential moorings as well as leisure moorings . One thing to consider about the residential moorings is that from march to October you can technically stay on your boat in the marina on a "long holiday " so you could stay there on your boat for 6 months. The also have a shower block , washing/drying machines and toilets Have a look at their moorings definitions on their website

[FadeToScarlet]

I've always fancied the possibility of going on a regular, short-distance cruise to a different spot. For example, live on the boat 4 days a week in the marina (or however many they permit), move it outside to the towpath, as far away as I feel like going, and have a long weekend there, before moving it back in. Lots of changes of scenery, but certainly not living full time on a leisure mooring, with access to power and water for washing, storage for coal, etc.

[MtB]

I've always fancied the possibility of going on a regular, short-distance cruise to a different spot. For example, live on the boat 4 days a week in the marina (or however many they permit), move it outside to the towpath, as far away as I feel like going, and have a long weekend there, before moving it back in. Lots of changes of scenery, but certainly not living full time on a leisure mooring, with access to power and water for washing, storage for coal, etc.

 

I'd get wanderlust after a few months of doing that. Always returning and covering the same old ground (or water) would get pretty tedious I reckon

 

MtB

[FadeToScarlet]

I'd get wanderlust after a few months of doing that. Always returning and covering the same old ground (or water) would get pretty tedious I reckon

 

MtB

Maybe a bit; I've moored within 300m of the same spot for 4 and a half years, near the head of navigation, and so can only go in one direction, and that to only a very limited number of moorings because it's a river, so there's quite a lot of repitition. Some times it's tedious and I want to just get through to whatever destination- seeing friends, or visiting a nice other mooring or town- but I am often struck by how much a stretch of water and landscape you know well can change. I'm ready to move on now, preferably to the cut and away from the Fens for a different style of boating and a change of scene, but if that doesn't happen for a couple of years I won't be distraught.

 

I think, with the greater availability of moorings compared to around here, you could have a great deal of places to stop, even if the journey to get there was the same- going five minutes down the cut in one direction one week, if the weather's a bit cold and it's raining, say, or an hour or so in the other if you feel like it.

 

I wouldn't want to be cooped up in a marina full time, so this might be a reasonable compromise and allow a fair bit of boating and changes of scene, whilst still allowing the convenience, facilities, status and back up of having the mooring.

 

The major flaw in the plan is that it requires a lot of winding holes within the first couple of hour's cruising - or a very short boat!

Edited May 2, 2014 by FadeToScarlet

[canals are us?]

Barton Marina do Residential. I'm sure you could just pay for 6 months.

Usual facilities. Post, gas, water, electricity, diesel, coal, elsan disposal, pump out, laundry, shower block, Boat repairs/ blacking etc.

I like it and find the fellow moorers nice. If I wasn't looking for work and had savings though I wouldn't be in a Marina. Plan to get out when I can during non work times/holidays. No problems with securing the mooring.

From the excellent advice I had is to call in to various marinas and tell them of your intentions, as if you keep a low profile they are generally very accepting if they don't officially do residential moorings.

James

Edited May 2, 2014 by canals are us?

[Grace and Favour]

Hello all, I have a few questions about residential marinas. I'm planning to CC but while I make the transition from land to water it may make sense to live in a marina for six months or so while I get the boat sorted out, and get used to living aboard.

 

I've heard that it is difficult to get a berth in a residential marina, is this true?

 

If a marina is non-residential, is mooring only permitted, or are you allowed to spend time aboard including nights (e.g. at weekends)?

 

How much would a six-month residential mooring cost in, say, the Midlands?

 

Are there any marinas which anybody would recommend?

 

 

TIA.

Have a look at Mercia Marina (near Derby)

 

We spent a very happy time there, excellent set-up, and a first-rate Manager

[magpie patrick]

In planning terms "residential" means "primary residence", and it applies to the mooring not the boat.

 

Unless the marina have conditions of their own beyond the moorings being non-residential then living on a mooring, even for six months continuously, would not establish the mooring as residential in planning terms. You'd be long gone before a planning officer could make a case that the mooring was in fact residential.

[jelunga]

Sawley marina have residential moorings as well as leisure moorings . One thing to consider about the residential moorings is that from march to October you can technically stay on your boat in the marina on a "long holiday " so you could stay there on your boat for 6 months. The also have a shower block , washing/drying machines and toilets Have a look at their moorings definitions on their website

BWML have recently changed their stance. Ti now get a leisure mooring you need to show a Council tax bill to show you are not ging "live" on your boat. They no longer have a blind eye. We have suffered from the "charge more for a residential" purge.

[magpie patrick]

BWML have recently changed their stance. Ti now get a leisure mooring you need to show a Council tax bill to show you are not ging "live" on your boat. They no longer have a blind eye. We have suffered from the "charge more for a residential" purge.

 

Avoid BWML then, they are already garnering a reputation for crass, bad, and heavy handed management.

 

I have at least two homes, (my Father's house and lodgings in Frome) neither has a council tax bill with my name on it. It is also possible to pay council tax on a home you don't actually live in.

 

I'm not often outspoken on here, but the sooner BWML go out of business the better the marina market will be

[Higgs]

Have a look at Mercia Marina (near Derby)

 

We spent a very happy time there, excellent set-up, and a first-rate Manager

 

The situation is that all the 180 allocated residential places have been filled. This month we will be signing our contracts and paying £150.00 to cover this aggreement. It is a yearly contract. As far as I know, there will be no period contracts of less than a year. Up until this time, alot of people have been living on their' boats without need to make that official. Other moorers will be restricted to 6 months a year liveaboard. Not sure if this can run as a block time or staggered throughout the year.

[Southern Star]

I still intend to be registered for Council Tax where I live now (my girlfriend's house) and I will still spend some small amount of time there, I presume this will satisfy TPTB that I am not resident on a boat?

[FadeToScarlet]

Ironically, it is the complete opposite here in Ca,bridge, people aren't living full time on proper residential moorings, which is causing a problem for those living afloat elsewhere who want to moor in the centre of town.

[jelunga]

 

Avoid BWML then, they are already garnering a reputation for crass, bad, and heavy handed management.

 

I have at least two homes, (my Father's house and lodgings in Frome) neither has a council tax bill with my name on it. It is also possible to pay council tax on a home you don't actually live in.

 

I'm not often outspoken on here, but the sooner BWML go out of business the better the marina market will be

Re council tax, my position exactly. They are just looking for reasons to charge more

[Laurie Booth]

Lady Lane moorings are worth trying on the Stratford On Avon Canal

http://www.ladylanewharf.co.uk/

[BruceinSanity]

The situation is that all the 180 allocated residential places have been filled. This month we will be signing our contracts and paying £150.00 to cover this aggreement. It is a yearly contract. As far as I know, there will be no period contracts of less than a year. Up until this time, alot of people have been living on their' boats without need to make that official. Other moorers will be restricted to 6 months a year liveaboard. Not sure if this can run as a block time or staggered throughout the year.

 

AIUI, it can be a block of six months; the marina negotiated that with the LA to ensure that the winter moorers wouldn't be affected. Well worth giving them a ring on 01283 703332.

 

Declaration of interest: we have a resi mooring and a buy-to-let lodge there, but no other interest in the operators.

[JDR]

As a rule of thumb if you have a postal address at the marina it's residential.A lot of marinas which have a high percentage of liveaboards insulate themselves by insisting on an external postal address but are quite happy to turn a blind eye. The only way to find out is to speak to moorers in your target marina. It's a surreal scenario that operates all over the country.

[amanda and dave]

BWML have recently changed their stance. Ti now get a leisure mooring you need to show a Council tax bill to show you are not ging "live" on your boat. They no longer have a blind eye. We have suffered from the "charge more for a residential" purge.

I recently renewed our grade 2 leisure mooring and I didn't have to show a council tax bill . Granted this might have been an oversight by the marina .I did have it confirmed to me though that between april and October you could stop on it as long as you wanted on a BWML grade 2 mooring

Avoid BWML then, they are already garnering a reputation for crass, bad, and heavy handed management.

 

I have at least two homes, (my Father's house and lodgings in Frome) neither has a council tax bill with my name on it. It is also possible to pay council tax on a home you don't actually live in.

 

I'm not often outspoken on here, but the sooner BWML go out of business the better the marina market will be

Personally ive never had a problem with BWML or their staff , I do however know people who have had problems with them

Edited May 4, 2014 by amanda and dave

[jelunga]

I recently renewed our grade 2 leisure mooring and I didn't have to show a council tax bill . Granted this might have been an oversight by the marina .I did have it confirmed to me though that between april and October you could stop on it as long as you wanted on a BWML grade 2 mooring

 

Personally ive never had a problem with BWML or their staff , I do however know people who have had problems with them

In fact the situation with BWML Marinas is different for some of their locations. To simplify, where they offer resi moorings then there is knly one grade of leisure. Where they do not, there are 2 grades sometines 3