Marina Contracts?

[mjk1040]

No Viper, it's mandated it be pressure washed at haul out @ $1.75 a foot. And if they have some inexperienced person running the washer, you know it will peel everything off, and not just the growth from over the season. If you use your boat through out the season here you won't have a lot of growth on the bottom. Then in the spring most of what is left will wipe right off. Why anyone would by expensive automotive engine antifreeze to winterize a boat is beyond me, but I understand some people have no clue. I guess I just hate paying someone else @ big bucks and hour for something I can do myself. Here's another one 4 you. They have a habit of leaving I/O in the full up position in storage, stretching all the bellows all winter long? Is bottom paint an environmental issue before it dries? After all this paint is designed to abate in the water to keep growth from building up on the bottom. What am I missing here. Mike

[Viper]

I'd have a real problem too if they're forcing a pressure wash on me. What's their logic for doing that? If you're okay with a little growth or a beard on the bottom, what's it to them?!

Leaving drives all the way up during the winter is a no no. If a boater finds it that way after haul out, DEMAND that THEY go put it back down. If enough people did that, they may change their practices as it's another trip back to the boat, setting up a ladder, etc. After I winterize, I leave some drives up only slightly. When winterizing is completed, I move on to drive service. If the boater wants the anodes changed prior to launch, it's more difficult to change the forward anode and get to the ram anodes with the drive all the way down. Up just a little does the trick. If I left them all the way up, I'd have to go back on board, hook up batteries again to let the drive down for draining the gear lube, or I'd have to remove the tilt pin. Leaving it all the way up just makes no sense. If it's so they can power wash there and inspect the bellows at a later date, fine, just put them back down after.

[Viper]

So I spent a fair bit of time today talking to some buddies working in and running marinas. It seems they have just as many beefs with the boaters as the boaters have with them. No surprise though. None that I talked to force pressure washes on their boaters but a couple restricted boaters from acid washing, again it’s an environmental thing. The ones I talked to that don’t allow customers to pressure wash at all have all put the boaters on notice that they are not allowed to perform this task. For the purposes of this argument, the reason isn’t important, suffice it to say that it’s a marina rule that is expected to be followed. These marinas will try to enforce this by shutting off the water to the slips as soon as haul out starts, yet every year, boaters are caught pressure washing by using a pump in the lake. This typically happens on a Sunday when they think nobody is around to catch them. When they get slapped on the wrist, they get upset for some reason!

A huge beef is when boaters are gone for the week, there’s nobody on board, but all the air conditioners are left running. In spite of best efforts to discourage this practice, it just doesn’t seem to get through to them that an electrical bill at a marina is huge, and AC units and hot water tanks make it worse. But it’s just so unnecessary. So what does the marina do? they increase their prices to offset their expenses as any business would, what do the boaters do? they get pissed off at the marina! I just find that funny.

Up my way, there is what’s called the Clean Marine program. It scores a marina on its smart environmental practices. The marina gets a 1 to 5 star rating, 5 being the highest if I recall. This is based on guidelines that must be followed or you lose the rating. This rating is more than an environmental thing to the marinas, it’s also a marketing tool, so from a business perspective, it’s a big deal. Now we all know how hazardous oil spills are. A reported spill in the water or on land will have the ministry all over you and shut you down for a while if they so choose. At the very least, it could be a large clean-up bill and a fine. Enter the boater that does his own oil change. All marinas have an oil disposal area, and most of the ones I’ve seen are clearly marked so that the boaters know where to dispose of the oil and put their filters in the appropriate containers. I can relate to this beef because every marina I go to at this time of year has used oil left out wherever a boater decides to leave it with no regard for the environment or concern for what may happen to the business should there be a reported spill as a result. I’ve seen everything from filters left on the ground upside down so the oil is simply running out of them, to open pails of oil that have overflowed because they were left out in the rain. This is such a common theme that there is now talk amongst marina owners. Would it surprise you to get a letter in the mail one day stating that the boaters are no longer allowed to do their own oil changes? Can you blame them? After all, this is very bad for the environment and puts the business at risk. Again, I suspect though that when this does become common practice, it’ll be the marina that boaters get pissed off at rather than the idiots that precipitated the decision to begin with.

Most of the marinas I know try to maintain a happy balance between satisfying boaters and making a bottom line. That’s what a good business does. Most don’t like making unpopular decisions just for the hell of it as sometimes what may seem like a financial benefit is outweighed by negative dock talk, however some of their unpopular decisions and practices are born out of necessity as a direct result of things some boaters do but shouldn’t. As boaters, we’ll all have a marina beef in form or another but I think it’s also important to understand/know the other side of the story.

[Viper]

Source of the post ....pressure washed at ...@ $1.75 a foot.....

Not to minimize your concern with this Mike, everything is relative, but up my way, it's anywhere from $8-$10/ft!! For the trouble, I'd be getting them to do it if all I had to pay was $1.75/ft. That's less than $70 for me. My time and aggravation is worth way more than that. I'd rather be...

[mjk1040]

Viper, the AC running all the time when no one at the boat is understandable I guess, however any boat in our marina utilizing 2 shore lines, and as you know, one line is just for the AC units on board a Carver, are charged an extra seasonal fee of $225.00 for using a second shore line? So aren't we paying a premium for running our AC's? The oil changing issue along with the environmental issues are understandable, some people are just clueless or don't care. Personally I have spill pads down and make sure there is no mess or spills. Viper it appears your a marine mechanic, and I as a DIY guy, how can one be comfortable with mandated marina services when one has no faith in the mechanics in one's marina. Personally I've seen screw up after screw up by the marina employed mechanics, and the marina claiming it's not their fault and claiming no responsibility. Recently saw where an email between the marina general manager and a part owner, and a customer, cc'd the marinas Lawyer! Oh well frustrating! Mike

[Viper]

Source of the post....charged an extra seasonal fee of $225.00 for using a second shore line? So aren't we paying a premium for running our AC's?....

Yes you are but there still has to be limits or the cost to the marina will outweigh the revenue they get from the premium. When that happens, the premium will be increased. So to an extent and barring other outside influences, boaters do have some control over their fees, they just never think of it in those terms.

Source of the post.... some people are just clueless or don't care...

Unfortunately they're the ones that contribute to higher prices and unwanted decisions that affect the rest of us.

Source of the post.... how can one be comfortable with mandated marina services when one has no faith in the mechanics in one's marina. Personally I've seen screw up after screw up by the marina employed mechanics, and the marina claiming it's not their fault and claiming no responsibility....

A dilemma for sure Mike. If their qualifications aren't there, they take no responsibility, have poor customer service practices, aren't willing to listen, change and improve their business, then there's not much you can do. I don't know what the answer is short of just saying that when we're not happy with the services of one company, it's probably best that we turn to a different one.

[waybomb]

I am not in the marine business, though I did attempt to buy a marina.

Do any of you own rental property?

What is one of your tenants did what viper describes?

I see it all the time. It's not one or two out of 100, it's more like 50%.

When I docked at a marina, if I saw it happening not only did I challenge the idiot at hand, I notified the marina owner. The idiots didn't like me.
It's my money!
Anything I can do to keep my costs down. I do.

[Midnightsun]

Marina's, one must keep in mind they are a business however they do cater to the public then again not too many boaters hang around for 10+ years. Most move along to another facility or hang up the towel entirely moving on to something else.

I have learned to do things myself over my lifetime of boating due to incompetence and availability of a good marine mechanic which I may add is about easy to find as a tortoise with mud flaps.

I am presently located at a municipal marina, prior to this it was a provincial marina (read state owned for the US folks). I prefer these marinas by far as they are much more forgiving and tolerant not to mention they will never go out of business no matter what. I still store the boat at the provincially owned marina. Good thing is they offer no services and we need to use outside help or do it ourselves. They haul the boat and put it on the dry so you can wash it or not depending on what you want to do. Once done they bring it indoors under cover (unheated) for the long cold winter. In the is building we are not allowed to wash or sand our boats which makes perfect sense however we can do this outside prior to launch in spring. The building I am in can house about 60 big boats, we have access most of the winter to work on them which is huge plus IMHO as I will be dong substantial work to mine. Electrical, albeit only 15a 110v receptacle is available to all.

As for slips. Here there are 2 sizes, smaller and bigger, nothing in between. My 43' overall resides in the same slip my 32 did yet we pay by the foot as most do. This more than covers any additional AC units and larger/more fridges the larger boats may have. If one pays for electrical which is always the case if you want to plug in, then you should be able to run the AC as you wish unless it is stated in the contract and at this point you can chose to go elsewhere. I have been running my AC unit/s 24/7 for the last 20 years. That being said I do turn them up when I leave the boat for the week as the point is to keep humidity levels down and have an acceptable comfort when entering the boat for the weekend. There is nothing I hate more than coming to the boat with a full wagon, fully dressed and opening the door to 120 degree sweltering sauna, no thank you.

I was at a privately owned marina that had to do everything unless you paid them a 20% premium on the work done and this had to be approved by them before they would accept the external contractor. The services they offered were no less than horrible which the entire marina agreed with. Today they are on the verge of bankruptcy, wonder why.

It is difficult to have a conversation on marinas in general because they differ so much even within geographical locations. Just move on until you find the one that pleases you the most is my only suggestion. As I mentioned, I dock at one and winterize/store in another as this combination suits my needs perfectly and for now I have no intention of moving for quite some time though my usual stay is around 7-8 years before I fish out a hole so to say.

[bud37]

Most if not all of the problems I have encountered have come from very poor supervisory and management skills.Deal with the delinquents on a one to one basis, why does everyone else have to police it when it is the manager/owners position. When people are treated with respect it seems to be returned.....I know I have no problem to use the parts dept and the techs because of just that ( keep it local, everyone needs a job)...there has to be some payback imho......manager change to poor = marina emptying one boat after another.

[RGrew176]

The marina I am currently located at I really like. It is a bit of a drive from my home 25 miles takes about 30 minutes to get there. It is a first class facility IMO. I have thought about moving my boat closer but have yet to find a marina as nice as mine.

This coming winter season I will be moving my boat to a different marina because I need to get my transmission fixed and the only mechanic I have found is at the different marina.

Their fees for services are higher but it is a need for me to stay there this winter.

As to running my A/C all the time, I turn mine off whenever I leave the boat. I do turn on a fan to move air when not there and that seems to work out well. I do leave my refrigerator on 24/7 that and the fan when gone is all I run. I only run the A/C when staying on the boat. It does not take that long to cool the boat down when I arrive as most of the time I go there after work at night when its not so warm.

I paid $1200 for my 30' Carver this past season for my summer dockage. That is reasonable IMO. Not sure what they will charge next year. I have not heard that rates are going up but who knows. I will find out in January when I get the invoice for next season.