Boatshow and the Hamble

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by _monkey

I’m thinking I should do a recce before committing to take the boat down there. I’d hate to get stuck down a narrow village lane or on the slipway!

There’s a good slip at Mercury Marina just on the run in to Hamble. It’s easy access, no narrow lanes. The slip is useable 4hrs either side of HW. We launched our 545 there with the campervan last weekend. Plenty of parking & a fresh water wash down hose at the top. It’s quite shallow so you might have to shove the boat off if you’re averse to getting your trailer wet. No idea of cost, we got “favourable” terms as we were staying on the adjacent campsite which is owned by the marina. I dare say you could just rock up & use it & pay if asked. Which I doubt you would be[emoji6]

[_monkey]

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

There’s a good slip at Mercury Marina just on the run in to Hamble. It’s easy access, no narrow lanes. The slip is useable 4hrs either side of HW. We launched our 545 there with the campervan last weekend. Plenty of parking & a fresh water wash down hose at the top. It’s quite shallow so you might have to shove the boat off if you’re averse to getting your trailer wet. No idea of cost, we got “favourable” terms as we were staying on the adjacent campsite which is owned by the marina. I dare say you could just rock up & use it & pay if asked. Which I doubt you would be[emoji6]

I assume it's in the middle of this pic - the slip looks hard (concrete?) and access looks easy as well.

Was there much green stuff on the surface?

The campsite is super handy, although I'm not sure I'll get any support from the family for tenting in October.

[Wightdiver]

Originally Posted by _monkey

I’m thinking I should do a recce before committing to take the boat down there. I’d hate to get stuck down a narrow village lane or on the slipway!

No issues in getting a boat down to the slip.

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by _monkey

I assume it's in the middle of this pic - the slip looks hard (concrete?) and access looks easy as well.



Was there much green stuff on the surface?



The campsite is super handy, although I'm not sure I'll get any support from the family for tenting in October.

It was slimy towards the bottom, but we didn’t have any problems launching & recovering our 1900kg rig. It’s a very gentle incline, so no drama. We use a VW 4 motion camper.

[smallribber]

Originally Posted by _monkey

I’m thinking I should do a recce before committing to take the boat down there. I’d hate to get stuck down a narrow village lane or on the slipway!

That is a good idea

[_monkey]

Thanks for your help guys - I'll lookout for good'ish weather during October to trailer the boat down there, looks a bit windy this weekend

[_monkey]

To close out this - I had to visit Swanick on Saturday and I took the opportunity to visit Warsash slip. At the moment I am sure I won't be able to drive over the layer of river detritus at the top of the slip - it looks about a foot deep in places.

I then went over to Mercury Marina, had ice cream from the restaurant and took a look at the slip - it looks ideal for launching, reasonable width and incline and no sign of slippiness. Thanks PD!

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by _monkey

To close out this - I had to visit Swanick on Saturday and I took the opportunity to visit Warsash slip. At the moment I am sure I won't be able to drive over the layer of river detritus at the top of the slip - it looks about a foot deep in places.

I then went over to Mercury Marina, had ice cream from the restaurant and took a look at the slip - it looks ideal for launching, reasonable width and incline and no sign of slippiness. Thanks PD!

You’re welcome [emoji106]

[lakelandterrier]

Mercury slip is very shallow and tidal ...I've been caught out there trying to recover on a falling tide - I'd only use for a 5m+ boat c +/-3hrs high water.
Hamble Point is anther option.

[FoxZulu]

Hamble Point is about as good as it gets - long wide slip, usable at all states of tide, and straight out into Southampton Water. I believe the launching fee is quite expensive though but we keep our boat there so all facilities are included in our marina fees.

[_monkey]

Originally Posted by FoxZulu

Hamble Point is about as good as it gets - long wide slip, usable at all states of tide, and straight out into Southampton Water. I believe the launching fee is quite expensive though but we keep our boat there so all facilities are included in our marina fees.

We had a drive over to Hamble Point on the way home and drove through the Marina - looks, bigger and more commercial than Mercury. But, as you say the slip is more flexible.

I wondered if Mercury would be more protected from the wind. Published prices are 36 for Hamble Point and 26 for Mercury.

In reality, both viable options - I preferred the quieter Mercury