Are Australian Marinas Ripping Boat Owners Off?

[BillAU]

G'day mates,

I have been offered two vessels at pretty reasonable prices, one is in Sydney, NSW (Woolwich Marina) and one is in Darwin, NT (Tipperary Waters Marina) The seller in Darwin tells me he pays $720AU Per Month for marina fees just to park the boat, if he wants to stay aboard, that's an extra charge. I like the boat in Darwin best, even though it needs more work to make her seaworthy, so I checked on-line for the charges charged by the marina in Sydney, for the vessel in Darwin, the cost of using the Sydney marina start at $100AU Per Day A mooring in the Sydney marina would cost $40 per day or, $495 per month. I think those charges are as bad as those charged for parking your car at Melbourne Airport, which is a bloody rip-off IMHO, so what do you think, is owning a sea going vessel or living aboard, in Australia, just for the well-heeled with their gin-palaces or weekend luxury sailors
What do you pay at your marina or mooring in your neck of the woods
Bill
Australia

[surfingminniwinni]

Originally Posted by BillAU

G'day mates,

I have been offered two vessels at pretty reasonable prices, one is in Sydney, NSW (Woolwich Marina) and one is in Darwin, NT (Tipperary Waters Marina) The seller in Darwin tells me he pays $720AU Per Month for marina fees just to park the boat, if he wants to stay aboard, that's an extra charge. I like the boat in Darwin best, even though it needs more work to make her seaworthy, so I checked on-line for the charges charged by the marina in Sydney, for the vessel in Darwin, the cost of using the Sydney marina start at $100AU Per Day A mooring in the Sydney marina would cost $40 per day or, $495 per month. I think those charges are as bad as those charged for parking your car at Melbourne Airport, which is a bloody rip-off IMHO, so what do you think, is owning a sea going vessel or living aboard, in Australia, just for the well-heeled with their gin-palaces or weekend luxury sailors
What do you pay at your marina or mooring in your neck of the woods
Bill
Australia

I can have a look at boat in Woolwich for you, which one is it?

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by BillAU

What do you pay at your marina or mooring in your neck of the woods
Bill
Australia

Mooring went up last year to just over £100 .

a year

It's not a Marina - IMO better .

[Bricky]

When we bought our boat in Sydney nearly three years ago, swing mooring at The Spit $400 a month. Sailed home to Coffin Bay, built a mooring, picked a spot and dropped it in. No charge. Boat currently at Wirinna Cove Marina south if Adelaide, double 12 mt berth about $390 a month.

[AiniA]

We stayed for a season at Scarborough Marina in the northern part of Brisbane. For comparsion sake, the cost there, with the live aboard charge, was slightly more than we paid at Liberty Landing Marina in the New York City area, directly across the river (there was a water taxi) from lower Manhattan - we were right in the middle of one of the world' great cities. With found almost everything in Oz to be dreadfully expensive.

[Factor]

Well - I know my marina isnt ripping me off - its a not for profit company, and I was the treasurer for the last three years.

[Boatguy30]

Most marinas in the us are now run or owned by corporations. Assume the same is happening everywhere. Shareholder demand increasing returns, therefore prices keep going up. At some point well realize this giant pyramid scheme isn't working and have to start over.

[Wanderlust]

The problem from the boater's perspective is that there aren't enough marinas. From what I have seen, most marinas in the higher population areas have very little free space. So they charge what they can. If you owned the business wouldn't you?

[SV.Louna]

Hi,

To give you some prices from the Wild West, you'll want to be sitting down. In Fremantle, WA, when my cat arrive from the US, they offered me a 16m berth, non live aboard for $98k upfront for only 5 years! Don't know about you but this figure was staggering. I'm in a marina 80km south of Freo for $637 p/m with electricity, water, washers/dryers and full shower blocks and toilets included. Think you just have to look in the less trendy locations and in my case you just have to travel to and from work. But happy to do that if I can save $100k I don't have.
L&N

[captain58sailin]

The prices do seem high, slip rates for us on a 53' tie up is $2600 USD per year, no shore power or water or Wi Fi, you can walk up to the toilets at the top of the ramp. The facility is run by the municipality.

[David M]

If the marina is full, then they are charging what the market will bear. If the marina is not full then they are overcharging. If there is a waiting list then they are undercharging. Marinas, like all entities that need to make money are obligated to charge what will get them the marginal rate of return.

I know a lot of boat owners will disagree with me thinking they should undercharge where they end up with a huge waiting list.

It's all about the laws of supply and demand.

[SVNeko]

Its the law of supply and demand, plus the added costs of government regulation gone amuck.

[David_Old_Jersey]

and land prices.

[Snowpetrel]

Originally Posted by David_Old_Jersey

and land prices.

+1 And land prices gone amok... My mooring in tas is about $80per month

[BillAU]

Originally Posted by Wanderlust

The problem from the boater's perspective is that there aren't enough marinas. From what I have seen, most marinas in the higher population areas have very little free space. So they charge what they can. If you owned the business wouldn't you?

No mate, I would not! You may think me stupid but I believe in a fair days wage for a fair days work. Before I retired in 1995, one of the last jobs I did was to build the truck parking area in front of the Corio Bay Roadhouse, Vic' (space to park eight loaded prime-movers) That was back in 1994 or their about. I built that area over-strength as I knew a number of trucks would be overweight and I wanted the owner, (name withheld but initials are JB) to have no problems down the track from pavement cracking from overloaded trucks ...Today that truck park is still as sound as the day I built it. My nearest competitor in bidding for that job was well over 225% higher than my costing and believe me, after paying for all the contractors, machinery and materials, I had a decent profit in my bank!
I also lost some work, two small construction jobs, because the owners said my charges were way lower than other quotes they had received...They did not believe I could do the job at the price I quoted. I double checked my costings, found I was happy with my mark-up and would not change my price...As I said, I lost those two jobs...As they say in Yorkshire, there's nowt so quear as folk I had and have no regrets over my business dealings...Like I say, I believe in a fair days work for a fair days wage.
Price gauging and greed is a blight on everyone, and that includes boat owners.