$$/Foot

[sailorboy1]

It just seems to me that the marina practice of charging "by the foot" mostly makes little sense.

- if you are in a slip, you take up the slip, doesn't matter the boat length unless it's a long face dock that has X amount of room

- if you are getting hauled out, it is really less labor to lift a smaller boat, why wouldn't that be by weight if anything

- now I'm coming across moorings that are by the foot, what difference does that matter other than some moorings are designed for a larger boat for swing

- surveys, isn't most of the time really spent in travel to/from the boat and in writing the report?

[valhalla360]

Assuming you are being put in slips that are reasonably close in size to your boat...which is typical...it's six to one, half dozen the other. Especially when you have marinas that allow boats a few feet longer than the slip, it tends to average out.

Probably the bigger issue is on rare occasions we've been put in drastically larger slips (ie: 70' slip for a 34' boat). If we had been charged double, we would have walked away as we don't need a 70' slip and they would have made nothing on that slip for the night as it would have sat empty.

As far as haul out, there is a bit more labor but more importantly, it means they need to buy bigger equipment, they need a bigger haul out slip, they need more blocks and stands, etc... That need for larger is driven by larger boats, so the larger boats pay more. Seems fairly reasonable.

Moorings are less sensitive to size but even there. A mooring acceptable for a little 24' monohull will be far smaller and more closely spaced than a mooring for a 50' 20 ton catamaran. It makes sense that the big boats pay proportionately more since they are driving the need for more expensive equipment and spacing that allows fewer boats into the same area.

Survey, depends. Usually if you are bringing them in from several hours away, they charge for travel time (hence the desire to find a local guy unless you have good reason to bring someone from far away). The report is pretty much a canned thing where they fill in data. If they are half way organized, no reason that should be more than 1/3 of the time they spent actually on the boat.

[Shrew]

If my 39 foot boat were placed in a 55ft slip because it was the only slip available, I'd be annoyed to be charged the additional cost.

If I had a 28 ft boat and paid the same as my 36 foot neighbor, I'd also be a little annoyed.

[valhalla360]

Then there is also simple marketing statistics:
- The guy with the 24' boat isn't going to stay in boating for long if he has to pay $2000 for a haul out when he only paid $5k for the boat.
- The guy with a 50' cat is going to shrug and ask or the date if you tell him $2000 for a haul out.

I'm exaggerating a bit and there will be exceptions but there is a definite correlation between the prices the market will bear and the size of the boat.

[a64pilot]

Marina I stayed in Panama City Fl, charged by the size of the slip, they didn’t care what you put in it as long as it didn’t stick out.
To me that was logical, price of slips was published as was all fees, no environmental or other hidden fees. I have yet to be measured, but when asked what my LOA is, I give them the published number, although I’m sure most of us with Davits are actually longer.
I can see where a Marina owner would like to toss out a 30’ Boat and put a 50’ Boat in the same slip if they charged by the foot can’t you?

[SVTatia]

It is understood that the bigger the boat the richer the skipper, so they charge the millionaires more.

[sailorboy1]

I haven really been in too many slips. But the places I they have all been the same length. So I’m not taking anymore space than a 30’ boat so why am I getting charged 30% more?

[thethomas]

Slip cost: It’s a global charging scheme for marinas , so there isn’t much chance it’ll stop soon. But if it rankles, you can always haggle.

Haulout: Weight and length are heavily correlated. And how would anyone know their weight, except by the factory weight the boat once fit into?

Mooring: By the foot mooring makes no sense.

Surveys: longer boats definitely have more that needs attention, as a general rule. If you had a simple job, you could and should haggle it down compared to a complex one.

[JDeachman]

Perhaps it's a crude calculation for wear and tear. The bigger the boat the more stress on a mooring or dock? Obviously, the weight of the boat would be too difficult to determine (hauling aside). So just using the length might be an easy way to accomplish this.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

I haven really been in too many slips. But the places I they have all been the same length. So I’m not taking anymore space than a 30’ boat so why am I getting charged 30% more?

Basic capitalism … they’re charging what the market will bear.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by thethomas

Haulout: Weight and length are heavily correlated.

Not really, but so what? not matter what all they did was position slings and lift it out.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

Basic capitalism … they’re charging what the market will bear.

But $/ft isn't what the market will bear (and nothing to do with capitalism). If they did that all slips that would hold up a 45' boat would be $90/day or whatever they find results in the most money regardless of hold many slips get filled.

[Shrew]

I'm curious about the scope of the discussion. Are we talking about seasonal rentals or transient?

I seem to find that seasonal rentals tend to charge by the slip size, while transient by the foot. That isn't hard and fast. I'm in a slip for the season now which is charging by the foot. However, this is the first time in 10 years. The last 3 marinas were charged by the slip size for seasonal rentals.

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

But $/ft isn't what the market will bear (and nothing to do with capitalism). If they did that all slips that would hold up a 45' boat would be $90/day or whatever they find results in the most money regardless of hold many slips get filled.

You think these business are not doing their best to maximize revenue? That would be very odd for any business in a market economy. It’s not like they’re their to do you a favour.

They charge more per foot b/c, in part it is necessary (equipment costs, etc.), but mostly b/c they know bigger boats tend to mean deeper pockets. If this stops being true, then prices will change.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

You think these business are not doing their best to maximize revenue? That would be very odd for any business in a market economy. It’s not like they’re their to do you a favour.

Hell no they aren't trying!!! I spent 2 weeks going up and down the Potomac recently. There were a bunch of marinas next to the anchorages I was using that we 80% empty (probably no transients there), but they still were asking $2/ft to use their falling apart wooden docks. If they had asked maybe $20 I might have gotten a slip plus spent money in their little marina store. But I sure wasn't paying $82. It's the same thing in the out of way areas of the Chesapeake.