Marinas, their benefits and what to look out for in a good one

by Nick Colman, Towergate Insurance 11 Feb 2013 09:33 GMT 11 February 2013

With the cost of owning a boat already high, a swinging mooring may offer a great way of keeping these costs down. However, marinas offer a huge number of benefits and it's money well spent to keep your boat in one of the many marina berths nationwide.

If you own a yacht or a motorboat you will undoubtedly be aware of the trade off between having a cheaper swinging mooring or a more expensive marina mooring. The savings achieved by keeping your boat on a swinging mooring will make this option very attractive indeed.

Marina Prices

It is difficult to put a precise price on a marina berth as many marinas will price a berth based upon the size of the craft and the location of the marina. There are also other aspects of marina mooring which will incur extra costs. Lifting the boat out of the water, boat washing, electricity and dry stack storage will generally cost extra.

A 10 metre boat (with 1m draft) moored for 12 months on a berth will cost in the region of £3,300. Other costs such as lifting the boat and cleaning it cost in the region of £290 (again based on a 10m craft).

Whilst these may seem like daunting costs, proper winter storage and out of water maintenance are essential to the longevity of any craft. Yachts and motor boats are considerable investments so it is worth paying to keep them in good shape. These services are available to those on swinging moorings however, marina membership will often come with perks such as discounts for these sorts of services.

Facilities

Most modern boats are a wealth of gadgets and solutions for convenient living. As such, marinas should be equipped to help maintain these items.

From facilities that you'd expect such as refuelling stations and electricity and water hook ups to other more modern facilities such as wifi, you'd expect your chosen marina to be able to cater for your needs. Some facilities to look out for are:

• Refuelling station
• Water and electricity points
• Showers and toilets
• Wifi
• CCTV surveillance
• Environmentally friendly pump-out facilities
• Onsite chandlery services
• Disabled access
• Security

It's likely that your yacht is your prize possession. It's also likely that your yacht will be equipped with a lot of expensive equipment and some other personal possessions which hold value to opportunist thieves. It's therefore important that your chosen marina has adequate security in place to protect your yacht and its contents.

Aside from the security provided by a marina, you could also invest in some security devices to help secure your craft. Theft of outboard motors is rife across the country. In this instance even something as simple as a chain could deter thieves and avoid losing a valuable bit of kit. Other security items such as hatch locks are simple solutions to keeping your craft secure.

It is encouraging to know that there are police constabularies throughout the UK which have initiatives to crack down on marine related crime. Check with your local police constabulary to see what they're doing. Here are just two examples of what's being done

• Northants Police
• Kent police

Security arrangements to look out for at a good marina include:

• Gates onto pontoons
• CCTV surveillance
• 24 hour security patrols
• Flood lighting

Insurance benefits

The security and safety benefits of keeping your craft in a marina will have an impact on your boat insurance premium. So where you will be spending money to keep your boat in a marina you will also be saving money on your insurance.

Here at Towergate Insurance we offer a 20% discount on our boat insurance products for boats stored in the following marinas:

• Premier marinas
• Quay marinas
• Dover marina
• Cobb Quay Marina
• Fardon Marina
• Fettlers Wharf Marina

Golden anchor classification

The golden anchor classification grades marinas based on their facilities and quality. A marina can sign up to be graded and will achieve a rating based on a points system from one to five golden anchors. The assessment process is rigorous therefore each golden anchor achieved is certainly earned! You can find out more by downloading the Golden anchor award scheme PDF here.

Find out more about our Towergate yacht insurance here