PBO's Marina Price Guide, now improved with boating charts

Your comprehensive annual berthing guide to 272 coastal marinas around the British Isles. Listings compiled by Laura Hodgetts and Roz Jones

Last year, our marina guide was among the top-performing sections of the PBO website, with 35,830 page views.

Now, we’ve improved the look of the online guide with Navionics detailed marine charts. You will also find descriptions and photographs of each marina, plus extra useful information at www.pbo.co.uk/marina-guide

Click on the picture to find the interactive Navionics chart

In our inaugural guide, published in the February 2009 issue of PBO, we described finding the perfect home for your boat – cheap, friendly, convenient, with loads of facilities and services – as being like finding the perfect holiday destination. You’d prefer it if no one else knew about it and it remained your little secret forever.

Fortunately for sailors yet to find their perfect location, the PBO Marina Price Guide shines the spotlight on 272 coastal marinas around the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Shetland Islands and the Republic of Ireland.

Our regional listings of annual berths enable you to compare and contrast marina charges, as well as the facilities and services offered by each marina.

We only list walk-ashore berths with mast-up access from the coast.

James Watt Dock Marina

In order to compare the prices provided by the hundreds of marinas, with varying pricing structures, we requested the annual berthing costs for yachts of 7m, 10m and 13m LOA, and worked out an average per-metre price.

The sums we quote, which include VAT, may not be exact for your yacht but are intended to be representative overall – the marinas’ contact details are listed so you can make specific enquiries.

National rankings start at 1 for the most expensive. To help you plan your access, we give the depth of water at the pontoon and in the approaches at Mean Low Water Springs, allowing us to include drying marinas.

Scottish temptation

Rhu Marina

The PBO Marina Guide has long flagged up the stunning cruising ground of Scotland as being among the cheapest places for annual berthing (behind the Shetland Isles and Northern Ireland), but now it seems that an increasing number of Sassenachs are choosing to keep their yachts north of the border.

The ‘Sailing Tourism in Scotland’ report, unveiled at the London Boat Show, highlighted the increase of non-Scottish boat owners choosing to moor and berth their vessels in Scotland.

The report said sailing tourism is worth £130million to Scotland’s economy and identified a potential increase of £36.9million over the next seven years.

In 2016, non-Scottish sailors contributed almost £39million of the £130million sailing brought into Scotland, an increase of 24% since 2009.

Across Scotland there are currently 15,700 berths available for sailors, up from 12,600 in 2009. With berth occupancy at 95%, a further 3,000 berths could be added over the next seven years.

And while the focus remains on the west coast where the majority of the sector’s activities take place, key developments on the east coast in the Forth and the Tay will be vital to attract a European market.

Stuart McMillan MSP, convenor of the Scottish Parliament’s cross-party group on recreational boating and marine tourism, said: ‘We launched our strategy ‘Awakening the Giant’ in 2015, and said we would make Scotland the marine destination of first choice by 2020. This research indicates that this is achievable, with significant potential for growth and benefits for coastal and island communities.’

What else is new?

Island Harbour Marina

Island Harbour Marina, on the Isle of Wight, has invested in new showers and a laundry room, car parking and free Wi-Fi.

A spokesman said: ‘We have big plans for ongoing improvements. Over 2016, we have already enlarged and refurbished the Breeze restaurant. We also have new apartments available for rent. The next stage will be the installation of a health spa, swimming pool and tapas bar. Watch this space!’

Greystones Harbour Marina in Ireland has added 50 more berths, bringing its visitors’ berths to 25 available. Peter Leonard Marine, on the South East Coast, has purchased a nearby boatyard.

Scotland’s Whitehills Marina had dredging planned from 17 April, to provide a depth of 2m. A new 40-ton boat hoist has given Fambridge Yacht Haven the largest lifting capacity on the East Coast, Plymouth Yacht Haven has new, luxury washrooms, and Lymington Yacht Haven has improved site security with new bridgehead access systems and lighting.

Hamble Point Marina

For a second year, Hamble Point Marina on the South Coast is top of the price guide. The MDL marina is located at the mouth of the River Hamble with easy access to the world-famous waters of the Solent.

The Shetland Islands are again the cheapest region, due to a berthing system where locals pay a refundable deposit, then annual maintenance costs. Annual berths at St Peter Port, Guernsey are also just for island residents.

We welcome Littlehampton Marina to our guide for the first time. If your marina meets our criteria but is not listed, please get in touch. Details submitted by each marina were accurate at the time of going to press.

Browse the online version of the guide at www.pbo.co.uk/marina-guide or find the full print version in the April 2017 issue of PBO, available from our Copy Service by emailing copyreport@timeinc.com or calling 01202 440832.