Hero to zero with one phone call!

[Bay Breeze]

Purged from marina slip!

We think Safe Harbor iRockland is about the best facilty in Maine. Location, dock staff, amenities and upkeep are tip-top.

We rated them 5 stars yesterday on dockwa. This morning we got a call informing us we would not have a seasonal slip in 2023 because we would not be winter storing with them. Todays rating is zero.

After three years at this marina we feel discarded by a corporate giant. ….call Corporate in Dallas if you have a problem with our new policy.

Our choice for storage was informed somewhat by cost - about 25% more than nearby Journeys End but also by failure to deliver on promises for boat service by the SH predecessor when we transported our tiara 3100 to Maine from Florida.

Bottom line - your only guarantee for some marinas is the bottom line on their balance sheet.

[Tetepare]

Sounds like both parties made decisions based on cash flow.

[Bay Breeze]

And value for fee, based on past experience.

[leecea]

I guess that policy would eliminate anyone who goes south for the winter too.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Bay Breeze

Purged from marina slip!

We think Safe Harbor iRockland is about the best facilty in Maine. Location, dock staff, amenities and upkeep are tip-top.

We rated them 5 stars yesterday on dockwa. This morning we got a call informing us we would not have a seasonal slip in 2023 because we would not be winter storing with them. Todays rating is zero.

After three years at this marina we feel discarded by a corporate giant. ….call Corporate in Dallas if you have a problem with our new policy.

Our choice for storage was informed somewhat by cost - about 25% more than nearby Journeys End but also by failure to deliver on promises for boat service by the SH predecessor when we transported our tiara 3100 to Maine from Florida.

Bottom line - your only guarantee for some marinas is the bottom line on their balance sheet.

What I see is that boating will be less and less an activity for those less affluent as time goes on. For you this is a 25% price increase for half a year, or 12%. But wait, there's more. Marina rates are bound to go up. More wealthy people buying more expensive boats and the marina capacity is limited and not going to increase much, especially for lower cost berths.

In my marina we see new big (35-45') speed boats with 3-4 huge outboard motors each season. Those owners want berths and we can expect the prices to go up as the marina fills. We expect to be priced out. Two years ago a mooring ball at our favorite harbor was $.50 per foot per night. Wow! we thought, $24 a night for a mooring ball! Now they are $1.00 per foot per night. $43.00 a night. Ouch! And that's cheap compared to some places. The marina there charges $2.00 per foot per night, so $86 dollars. But they are full anyhow. They just added a new line of finger piers, but all the berths are for 100ft yachts. And they still fill up. Man, that's a lot of money floating around. My little program is so meager in comparison.

If you are in a low cost marina, don't get too comfortable, they are coming for you.

So we can see in an ever more affluent world that this life will be harder to sustain for folks that might have been once considered "middle class". Might as well get used to it, it's happening.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by wingssail

What I see is that boating will be less and less an activity for those less affluent as time goes on. For you this is a 25% price increase for half a year, or 12%. But wait, there's more. Marina rates are bound to go up. More wealthy people buying more expensive boats and the marina capacity is limited and not going to increase much, especially for lower cost berths.

In my marina we see new big (35-45') speed boats with 3-4 huge outboard motors each season. Those owners want berths and we can expect the prices to go up as the marina fills. We expect to be priced out. Two years ago a mooring ball at our favorite harbor was $.50 per foot per night. Wow! we thought, $24 a night for a mooring ball! Now they are $1.00 per foot per night. $43.00 a night. Ouch! And that's cheap compared to some places. The marina there charges $2.00 per foot per night, so $86 dollars. But they are full anyhow. They just added a new line of finger piers, but all the berths are for 100ft yachts. And they still fill up. Man, that's a lot of money floating around. My little program is so meager in comparison.

If you are in a low cost marina, don't get too comfortable, they are coming for you.

So we can see in an ever more affluent world that this life will be harder to sustain for folks that might have been once considered "middle class". Might as well get used to it, it's happening.

Yup, this is definitely becoming a problem in many places. Fortunately, it's not happening to an equal extent everywhere. In some areas (such as much of the Great Lakes) it's not so easy to get really large boats in and out and many harbors are just too small or shallow to support them. So the guys with tons of money aren't pushing the rest of us out so easily (as they don't necessarily have bigger boats, just more expensive ones). In quite a few places around here my 38 footer (46' LOA with davits) still gets comments about it being "huge".

[ItDepends]

Originally Posted by Tetepare

Sounds like both parties made decisions based on cash flow.

Sounds like what is considered a fair deal is a bit one sided here. Why can you reject their service because you think it is too expensive and that is "fair", but when they reject you because you are too low profit a customer that is "not fair"?

[Jammer]

I agree with the OP that it is an unfair (albeit lawful) business practice to deny slip rentals to customers simply because they do not purchase other, more profitable, products and services.


In my experience, the real reason is usually not winter storage as such but rather the slew of services that most boaters utilize along with it -- winterizing, bottom paint, repairs, etc. It is difficult to comparison shop for these services but relatively easy compare slip rates, leading to the pattern of marinas breaking even on slip rentals and making their money on fuel and service.

[Bay Breeze]

You definitely have a good point. But you may not be familiar with the usual practice of seasonal slip holders being renewed for the next year. Thats why marinas have waiting lists fir slips, some going out years. The seasonal slips are not offered at any discount for storage customers that im aware of.

Fair is a little more advance notice on a sudden change.

[Tellie]

Originally Posted by wingssail

What I see is that boating will be less and less an activity for those less affluent as time goes on. For you this is a 25% price increase for half a year, or 12%. But wait, there's more. Marina rates are bound to go up. More wealthy people buying more expensive boats and the marina capacity is limited and not going to increase much, especially for lower cost berths.

In my marina we see new big (35-45') speed boats with 3-4 huge outboard motors each season. Those owners want berths and we can expect the prices to go up as the marina fills. We expect to be priced out. Two years ago a mooring ball at our favorite harbor was $.50 per foot per night. Wow! we thought, $24 a night for a mooring ball! Now they are $1.00 per foot per night. $43.00 a night. Ouch! And that's cheap compared to some places. The marina there charges $2.00 per foot per night, so $86 dollars. But they are full anyhow. They just added a new line of finger piers, but all the berths are for 100ft yachts. And they still fill up. Man, that's a lot of money floating around. My little program is so meager in comparison.

If you are in a low cost marina, don't get too comfortable, they are coming for you.

So we can see in an ever more affluent world that this life will be harder to sustain for folks that might have been once considered "middle class". Might as well get used to it, it's happening.

I know this is about marinas, but I remember here on this board a few years ago when the discussion was getting rid of unsightly boats that seem to be just sitting there doing nothing. While I agreed to a point, I also said many times that you may see their boat as unsightly and unkept and perhaps a junker, but be careful what you ask for as a bigger more expensive boat than yours will come along and see's you as the junker and want you removed.

[hpeer]

We are hauled for hurricane season in a Safe Harbor marina in PR.

It is more of a nautical country club than marina. It appears the power boat crowd love the joint. Very, very different from any marina we have ever been to. Not our vibe, not our budget. We will not be back.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by wingssail

What I see is that boating will be less and less an activity for those less affluent as time goes on. For you this is a 25% price increase for half a year, or 12%. But wait, there's more. Marina rates are bound to go up. More wealthy people buying more expensive boats and the marina capacity is limited and not going to increase much, especially for lower cost berths.

In my marina we see new big (35-45') speed boats with 3-4 huge outboard motors each season. Those owners want berths and we can expect the prices to go up as the marina fills. We expect to be priced out. Two years ago a mooring ball at our favorite harbor was $.50 per foot per night. Wow! we thought, $24 a night for a mooring ball! Now they are $1.00 per foot per night. $43.00 a night. Ouch! And that's cheap compared to some places. The marina there charges $2.00 per foot per night, so $86 dollars. But they are full anyhow. They just added a new line of finger piers, but all the berths are for 100ft yachts. And they still fill up. Man, that's a lot of money floating around. My little program is so meager in comparison.

If you are in a low cost marina, don't get too comfortable, they are coming for you.

So we can see in an ever more affluent world that this life will be harder to sustain for folks that might have been once considered "middle class". Might as well get used to it, it's happening.

I agree entirely ,I can see one more year in my marina and then I’m doing something different , pricing is riding at ludicrous rates , as the marina chases bigger ( wealthier ) boats.

There’s no doubt it , were in the death throes of affordable boating. This is the last generation of ordinary people with boats.

[SeeMonstrEd]

This seems to be coming full circle. Used to be only the rich could afford anything bigger than a dinghy unless you built it yourself. Then production fiberglass boats came out and nearly everyone could afford one.
Now we are back to it costs to much for middle class to afford anything but really small boats because there is no where to keep it.

Rent from individuals. Many homes on the waterfront have slips that go unused. Ask around find a homeowner who has a slip they are not using. Ask to rent it. Many they will say no, but you only need one yes.

[hukilaumike]

I'm at a Safe Harbor marina too. It was an independent when we first used it, and for many, many years before that, but was bought by Brewer more than 10 years ago. It was already a nice place, but Brewer put more money in and upped the number of dock boys, etc. Safe Harbor bought the place at least 5 years ago, and they've have put even more money into amenities. Lots of gas grills, picnic tables, upgraded pavillions, upgraded pool and related facilities. Also even more dock boys and other customer-facing people. Really nice. And yes, the prices have gone up, but not by the same amount as most things. We used to be at a bare bones facility; dock, water, very campy bathroom; nothing else. I picked that place based on price; I was relatively young with little kids in tow; it was all I could afford at the time. We switched to our current marina when things got janky at the old place and I realized that I could afford better.

I like being able to come back to shore after a day on the water and bbq or go for a swim in the pool, then get a drink at the bar, maybe stay for dinner at the restaurant. The good like for sure.

[hughespat57]

I'm no lawyer but this particular excuse is a bit sketchy.

Summary of Tie-In Contract
An arrangement by which a desired product (tying product) can be purchased only upon agreement to purchase certain other products (tied products). Tie-in contracts are largely forbidden by the antitrust Clayton Act.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clayto...st_Act_of_1914
sales on the condition that (A) the buyer or lessee not deal with the competitors of the seller or lessor ("exclusive dealings") or (B) the buyer also purchase another different product ("tying") but only when these acts substantially lessen competition (Act Section 3, codified at 15 U.S.C. § 14