It has been several weeks, months, or perhaps several years that you have been searching for the boat of your dreams. You are at the point of taking the step and making the purchase… and now, several questions have come up.
How do you find a slip for your boat? Sign onto a waiting list? Purchase a new boat with a slip? Annual mooring buoy rental? Dry dock? Sublet a slip?
Jeanneau can offer you some advice….
1. Sign onto a waiting list
You have called the harbourmaster of the marina where you would like to keep your boat year-round, but they have indicated that you must sign onto a waiting list. The wait could vary in function with the size (length, width) of your boat, geographic situation of your desired home port, type of slip (mooring or dock), etc.
Signing up for a waiting list is one possible solution if you are only interested in one (or a limited number of) port(s). However, there are other solutions, such as, for example: the purchase of a new boat with a slip included, the rental of a mooring buoy, dry dock, etc.
2. Purchase a new boat with a slip
When you acquire a new boat from a professional, in the majority of cases, you will find yourself offered a slip during the sale.
Dealerships have slips available to help combat the problem of interminable waiting lists, at least for the first years following your new boat purchase.
Contact your Jeanneau dealer to learn more
This solution enables you to continue your search with peace of mind while cruising, if it is a temporary slip; or, according to the situation, you may benefit from a definitive slip. This solution being extremely practical, it is one of the best compromises available today.
3. Annual mooring buoy rental
According to the size of your boat and your cruising area, you may also opt for the annual rental of a mooring buoy in a designated zone by the harbourmasters in certain ports. If there is a waiting list, it is generally shorter, and you can hope to have a mooring solution in just a few months.
This option is more financially attractive than a slip on a dock, but you also have fewer services included than you would have in a marina: no electricity, no water, nor access to tender boats.
What’s more, if your boat does not become beached and your mooring is floating all year-round, you will have no problems regarding lock opening schedules, or harbour gates opening in function with the tides! So, you now understand how a mooring buoy could be a good compromise while waiting for a slip at the dock or become your definitive storage solution for your boat.
4. Rent space in a dry dock
If you become the owner of a powerboat, you might very well envision renting a space in a dry dock. We have seen many develop along the coast in the last few years, and this could be an excellent economic and ecological alternative (lower cost of maintenance, no antifouling, no dock lines,…) for powerboaters.
One slight inconvenience to anticipate: in the height of the season, there could be a bit of a wait for putting your boat in the water.
5. Sublet a slip
Be vigilant when reading an ad for subletting a slip, as such ads are plentiful, especially in the summer, when the season is at its height. As in real estate, subletting a slip is not allowed in certain countries, like France, and this is noted in any signed contract between the renters and the harbourmasters. Don’t let yourself be tempted by this practice, which could cause you lots of headaches.
The only legal solution for leasing a slip from an individual that might be considered is when that individual has an “amodiation,” or a contractual farm-out agreement with the port though a “contrat d’amodiation.” Depending on your location, the harbourmaster can sell a dock space to individuals for a set length of time. The buyer signs a contract with the harbourmaster of his home port, and he can then rent it, if he so desires, to another individual for all or part of that time. Pay attention to the details!
So, these are all the temporary and long-term solutions to finding a slip for a sailboat or a powerboat.
If a boat purchase is in your future, consider the purchase of a new boat along with a reserved slip as the simplest and most practical solution. That way, you can enjoy using your boat right away upon delivery, and not have to keep her on land while waiting for a slip to become available.
For further information, don’t hesitate to contact your nearest Jeanneau dealer.
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Fair winds!
