Braunston Marina

[zigspider]

Don't have our narrowboat yet, but looking for potential locations for a residential mooring, to get the Cart before the Horse so to speak.

 

Does anyone know about Braunston Marina?

[zenataomm]

Wow you're rich.

[Laurence Hogg]

Excellent well run venue, steeped in history and a "place" to be.

Edited July 24, 2015 by Laurence Hogg

[zigspider]

No not rich at all. In fact moving back from Nova Scotia to the UK, and we will need to get work, and one half of us is getting to retirement age, but can't afford to buy property back in the UK.. so since this is something we have always wanted to do.. we are trying to find a Marina that allows residential.. I know continuous crusising is an option, but my general feeling is that I have to find a permanent residential mooring while I am still working, I think working and continuous cruising can be a challenge.

 

So to clarify, living in Nova Scotia, coming on to 10 years, and winters and taxes getting brutal, so feel it is time to move back, so truly, any advise would be very welcome.

 

So if anyone knows of Marinas that are in a good location for reasonable jobs would be wonderful.

[BruceinSanity]

No not rich at all. In fact moving back from Nova Scotia to the UK, and we will need to get work, and one half of us is getting to retirement age, but can't afford to buy property back in the UK.. so since this is something we have always wanted to do.. we are trying to find a Marina that allows residential.. I know continuous crusising is an option, but my general feeling is that I have to find a permanent residential mooring while I am still working, I think working and continuous cruising can be a challenge.

So to clarify, living in Nova Scotia, coming on to 10 years, and winters and taxes getting brutal, so feel it is time to move back, so truly, any advise would be very welcome.

So if anyone knows of Marinas that are in a good location for reasonable jobs would be wonderful.

Mercia is very good, but think they may have a waiting list for resi moorings. Handy for Derby and Burton.

 

http://www.merciamarina.co.uk

[Luggy]

Hello,

I have found many Marinas seem to say (and advertise) they have liveaboards (and even CART list some marinas that provide residential moorings) but when you ask they will not provide residential agreements on paper due to Council tax issues, but what they can do is provide mooring agreements that don't limit the amount of time you spend on the boat whilst in the marina basically the same thing but with wording they can defend to the councils, I found this was enough to satisfy getting finance and they are a hell of a lot cheaper and more common than 100% compliant residential moorings (probably due to paying extras to the councils). So you could try look for a leisure mooring that doesn't limit the time on board, this will be easier if you have an land address that you can use basically so you can provide a piece of paper with a land address i.e. a bill, so the marina can say if questioned by the council that the boaters there primary residence is elsewhere. It's one big game really! Good luck I hope this helps a bit, it opened up my options when I was looking for a residential mooring.

[alan_fincher]

Don't have our narrowboat yet, but looking for potential locations for a residential mooring, to get the Cart before the Horse so to speak.

 

Does anyone know about Braunston Marina?

 

Does Braunston actually have fully residential moorings?

 

A question, because I don't know the answer, but I got the impression that most if not all are leisure moorings, with a blind eye turned to anybody living aboard full time.

 

Does anybody know, please?

[Bettie Boo]

Hello neighbor (born & raised in New Brunswick)

 

We live on board at Braunston marina for the first 6 months of having our boat. It is a lovely marina with all the facilities you would expect in a marina as well as a wealth of history - but somewhat expensive for the area. Our neighbor who was also a live aboard had been there for 4 years and there were 4 or 5 others in that main pond, there are several live aboards in bottom pond as well.

 

As Alan mentioned, I'm not completely sure if they are actually resi moorings or more of a case of turn a blind eye.

 

If I were looking to have a mooring in that area again, I'd try Wigrams Turn Marina, not sure they have all the same facilities, but IMO are more reasonably priced and overall much more friendly. You would need a car to travel to your job from either of these marinas - mind you I would expect this would be the case with most Marina's.

 

Good Luck - you must really be looking forward to a nice British winter again after the winter you folks had over there last year.

[MtB]

I had no idea Canadian taxes were are brutal as the winters...

 

What's the VAT rate there? And rates of income tax (out of idle curiosity)?

[OldGoat]

The Castle Marina group are a great bunch of guys (Wigrams is one of them). To my mind Ventnor Farm is nicer, being on a smaller scale. The advantage of them is that you can swap your mooring within the group. Look at their terms and see whether you can qualify as a leisure moorer (by going out and cruise for a short time rather than saying you want a residential mooring up front. Looky here:-

 

http://www.castlemarinas.co.uk/marinas/ventnor

 

Oh, and Ventnor Farm, Wigram's and King's Bromley are all within a short distance (car wise) of one another.

Edited July 25, 2015 by OldGoat

[Tonka]

Ventnor Farm have a load of stupid regulations which put us off from getting a mooring there. One of them is "No power tools to be used outside of the boat at a weekend" When I asked why the answer was because the other people who moor there like to sit on their boat and use it as a country cottage so they want peace

[zigspider]

Thanks everyone for your replies. I hadn't sent a message asking Braunston if they are residential, as I realize that sometimes it is better not to actually ask that question. I am sure I had read that on here. Will check out the suggestion of leisure moorings without a limit of the time aboard.

 

Hi Betty Boo, yes two harsh winters and we have said one more and thats it.

 

And MTB the Canadian Taxes are really High, and in general prices are higher as everything has to be brought in by road.. the rate is 15% for purchases in Nova Sotia.. the highest in Canada. The economy is at rock bottom, with no real jobs unless you know someone, and after almost 10 years, there is always someone that knows someone more :-) Income tax .. in the Province is 8.79% and Federal is 15%. One year I was unemployed for 8 months, and I still owed the tax man $1000, I think maybe we just don't understand the intricaces of the Canadian tax system.

 

Since we will have to work, a car will be a necessity, so somewhere out of the way would not be a real problem.

 

Again thank you, any other suggestions would be most welcome.

[zigspider]

Re Castle Marina, I had requested a quote (specifically Beckden Marina), and then followed up with the residential question. They replied with being able to offer 4 plus days tariff, and that you could liveaboard, but that your mail must not be delivered there. And assuming that it would be the same for the others in the Castle group.

 

I assume many do have an address they can use legitimately for mail, but what do others on here handle that mail issue out of interest.

 

Just so you know I am working today, so there will be no replies now until very late tonight in the UK. :-)

 

Thanks in advance.

[Ray T]

Ventnor Marina is non residental. Wigram's has people living aboard there but any doing so must have a postal address elsewhere.

 

Tonka when did you last moor in Ventnor? We have been there for 6 years now and I have at various times used a jetwash, an electric polisher and other power tools and not had any complaint.

 

If there is any one one board near me I do out of common courtesy ask if there are any objections.

[Guest]

Ventnor Farm have a load of stupid regulations which put us off from getting a mooring there. One of them is "No power tools to be used outside of the boat at a weekend" When I asked why the answer was because the other people who moor there like to sit on their boat and use it as a country cottage so they want peace

Sounds reasonable to me. Nothing much worse than having your weekend disturbed by somebody endlessly wielding a grinder or jigsaw.

 

I think it's called being considerate neighbours.

[Tonka]

Ventnor Marina is non residental. Wigram's has people living aboard there but any doing so must have a postal address elsewhere.

 

Tonka when did you last moor in Ventnor? We have been there for 6 years now and I have at various times used a jetwash, an electric polisher and other power tools and not had any complaint.

 

If there is any one one board near me I do out of common courtesy ask if there are any objections.

I was quoted that in 2009. I have not moored there but was looking to moor there and the stupid regulations put us off so we moor at Culcutt instead which is much more sensible on their regulations.

[Peter X]

In your situation I would line up the job first then the marina, but when choosing the jobs to apply for take into account what your marina options would be in that area. Having apparently been in the UK up until ten years ago, you should be aware of how house prices and rents tend to be related to job opportunities, all of them being usually greater in London and the south east, and the cost of owning and mooring a canal boat tends to follow this pattern too. So if your occupation means you can find a job well away from London, that might be the way to go.

 

It is generally agreed that it's much easier to find a way to live aboard a boat in a marina if you have a land address for your post, and surely you would have some relative or close friend who could help you with that? As long as they trust you not to take advantage of tenancy rights, which are not great anyway if you're in the same household, the only possible problems I can see for them are (1) if they only have one adult in the household, they'd lose their 25% discount on council tax, and (2) if they're a tenant or have a mortgage, they may well need permission (in theory at least) from their landlord or lender. If they move house, you just theoretically move with them. The problems for you would be (1) going to fetch your post and (2) you can get a GP in their area, but going to see the GP would be a journey.

[Peter X]

Maybe you're in the wrong bit of Canada? My daughter and her family (husband and three young children) emigrated to Saskatchewan last year, where the winters are pretty evil, but she hasn't regretted it. In England they were just able to cover their costs living in an overcrowded flat, but out there her husband has a better paid job, they're renting a better flat and still saving up money to buy somewhere in a year or two. I gather there's more work out west.

[Detling]

Ventnor Farm have a load of stupid regulations which put us off from getting a mooring there. One of them is "No power tools to be used outside of the boat at a weekend" When I asked why the answer was because the other people who moor there like to sit on their boat and use it as a country cottage so they want peace

When we took my rudder out a few weeks ago to modify it we used a b**dy great angle grinder and welders etc on a Saturday during the day. We had no problems and indeed when the angle grinder tripped the power post the office was very happy to send someone over to reset it. Had we done hours of rust grinding on the roof in the evening I expect the reaction would be different, it all about consideration for fellow moorers. Yes it is a lovely quite marina and not having many liveaboards is not covered with a pall of coal smoke in the winter.

 

Calcutt marina opposite is a popular place for liveaboards.

[Hawthorn]

Castle Marinas run both Wigrams and Ventnor. They inherited the terms and conditions at Ventnor from the previous owner, who still lives in the house between the two basins. Some of the T and C are draconian but as OPs have said, reasonableness is the key. If a boater was really unreasonable, then the Ts and Cs would probably be invoked to evict him. Ventnor does not allow live aboards, apart from own staff, but Wigrams definitely has a vibrant community. Also In a bad winter, the single track lane to Ventnor can be a bit of a challenge for us English softies, but poss. not for hardened Nova Scotians.

[MtB]

Calcutt marina opposite is a popular place for liveaboards.

 

 

Is it?

 

When I took a mooring there they stressed I wasn't to live aboard. And in the dark winter evenings I only ever noticed three boats in the whole marina with stoves alight or lights on.

[Starcoaster]

As Alan/MtB have said, Braunston marina is not officially residential, but they are accepting and welcoming of people who "spend a lot of time on their boat" as a general rule.

I moored there for my first year aboard and I am not rich! Ultimately, marina mooring is not for me, but I would recommend them if that is what you are looking for.

[MtB]

And Braunston is a nicer marina than most, having the historic buildings, docks and workshops still there and in use. all the other marinas mentioned in this thread have a rather exposed, windswept and desolate feel about them which one doesn't get in Braunston.

[Bettie Boo]

Couple more notes re Braunston marina...

 

If moored in the main basin, you are asked not to have a wirly gig on the bow or stern of your boat for drying cloths (there is a "laundry mat" on site, but it is pretty dire as located right beside the pump out facility and diesel pump - wasn't a problem for us as we would normally leave the marina for a wee cruise a couple of days each week and I would do my washing and drying then.

 

They prefer you don't have a bunch of tat "storage" on your roof - you don't see any bikes on roofs in the main basin.

 

They frown on noisy power tools being used, but it's not completely forbidden - OH had the wood and other supplies delivered to the boat while at the marina then we cruised out to our favorite spot on the tow path where he used his electric saw to cut the wood and stain it. Back to our mooring where he put the pieces together for our top deck, top box & planter holders using power drill

 

They offer a postal service for receiving mail and other large packages FOC

 

And as others have said - it is the prettiest of marina's in the area IMO and also benefits from the village of Braunston being well within walking distance with it's 3 pubs, a Great Butcher and small shop

[MtB]

(there is a "laundry mat" on site,

 

 

I think the term is "Laundromat". A self-service launderette. I've an idea it might be a trade name like "Hoover"...