the marina price thread keeps coming back to the supply and demand situation. there are simply too many boaters and too few berths so the prices keep going up.
we are constantly being asked to take part in encouraging more people to take up boating and on the surface it seems like a worthy cause to introduce more people to our sport. notice though that those who urge us to do this are always those with a vested interest in increasing the level of demand for services.
so - should we continue to encourage newbies or should we put them off with tales of storms, colregs and meat pies??
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One hull good, two hulls better.
What we should encourage is a more active participation in boating.
How many boats are left idle month after month ? This goes for dinghies right up to large yachts and gin palaces.
If we had some sort of clearout it would free up some space for the more active amongst us.
But how do we achieve this ? I suppose one solution is to put up prices so the ones who don't use their boats will be put off and will either a) move boat or b) sell.
Unfortunately we don't want prices to go up do we so we are in a stalemate until the marina charges bite too hard and that's not what we really want is it?
I think the supply and demand thing will eventually take hold mainly to the detriment of the casual user.
It would be a great help if we could remove from the marinas all the boats which never go anywhere. A kind of 'TowAway' scheme where they are removed to a compound and can't be released without commitment to be used in the future.
Then all of us who use our boats regularly, and the active newcomers too, would have loads more capacity available, ie increased supply and reduced demand. The property developers, ie marina barons, would need to drop their price and we would all be better off.
Simple, innit?!
<hr width=100% size=1>Tide and time wait for no man.
Couldn't agree more. It's a version of the 'oh dear Wrexham is losing its football team' arguement. Who gives a stuff whether one town or another has a football team? Who gives a stuff whether new people take up sailing? None of it matters. Get out of it, newcomers, I say. Ban sail training. Stop all those RYA instructors instructing.That's just a plot to sell plotters every September. Put red deisel up to £20 a gallon, that'll get rid of all those berks in bloody great power boats. Stop people laying moorings everywhere I want to anchor and stop every tin pot town wanting a marina. In fact, while we're at it, we should go Darwinian and ban the RNLI, or at least get them to require a view of that nice Mr Blairs ID cards before they carry anyone back to shore.
So we stop rich people spending there money the way they choose because we don't like what they do with it. Careful; we have a new Home Secretary and a desperate need to divert media attention.
Agree entirely with the end. Not so sure about the means.
I always knew that MDL economics was based on the public good and altruism. Higher prices will result in increased facilities and a less crowded and hence less stressful sailing environment. You know it makes sense.
Location: Home in Chilterns, Boat in Southampton, Another boat in Salcombe
Posts: 2,922
Re: MDL
Seem to be committed to making a quality offer & charging a market price. Sounds a bit like my business, or any other that hopes to last, to me.
Altruism is best pursued from a position of profitability.
Half empty marinas are sad places.
There's still plenty of room for newbies. Us old experienced mariners know were to go for a bit of quiet.
My feeling on this is that boats should be government subsidised- having spent time going up and down the Dart past the marinas full of lovely boats that never went out, SWMBO and I decided that the boat you have should be dependent on keeness and commitment and also proven time on the water in the last year. If you didn't use your subsidised boat enough then you'd be gradually downgraded until eventually you'd have a 20 year old puncture repaired inflatable- it wouldn't matter because you never use it. I also like the idea of impounding for non use.
It's crazy that new moorings are so difficult to arrange, given that they make money and there is a demand for them.
<hr width=100% size=1>Just enjoy it.
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It's easy to forget how great it is out on the water.
<What we should encourage is a more active participation in boating.>
Stop charging by the month or year. Instead charge for the actual time the boat is in the marina. The person who is always out sailing should see a reduction. The owners who never use their boats should see a massive increase.
Too many boaters?
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