OK, so the slips in Queensland and Tassie are a lot less costly than Sydney region.

Question is, how far does one need to go to get to a slip that makes sitting on the hard for a week or two a reasonably affordable proposition?

Ramona- what about the costs on the South Coast?

Port Stephens area?

Scenario would be a retiree with an older boat, sailing on a budget, but with plenty of time to DIY. Sail to the low cost slip, stay on board, and do all those jobs that need to be done on the hard, at a leisurely pace.

Three days on my local slip cost me about $800. It's one of the dearer ones about but the cost is offset by the fact I live close by so anything can be done from my workshop. For an extended stay on the hard for a week or more means Batemans Bay or a crane lift out and a stay at Currumbene Creek Huskisson in a yard that seems like all boats go to die.

Everything has to die, even boats. Otherwise there would be millions of old boats cluttering everything, with no room to move.

Death .... Nature's way of telling you to slow down.

Here's some pricing at Cove Marine in Port Stephens.

I have not slipped here so can't comment on facilities.

I have slipped here . 2 years ago , there was an onsite chandlery , mechanic, boat builders etc. the channel in can only be taken at high tide ( you see why at low tide ) . They drag you out , wash you down and then put you in the work area . Very ohs orientated , reflective vest and enclosed shoes , site safety induction. DONT UPSET THEM .
No sanding without a vacume attached , no sanding anti foul at all . lets just say all the rules regarding the environment and pollution are strictly enforced which to me is not a big price to pay to keep slipways operational . You can work 7 days a week on your boat . It seems like it's in the middle of nowhere , but some shops just down the road. I had mine up for a month . Would go back again if I needed a long time on the hard .



The haul out cradle







Work area , you can't see it but your area is chained off to keep others out , car only allowed for drop offs and pick ups .
You need your own ladder .

Thats the same price as pittwater. Why does wash down double the cost?

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oldboyracer said..
Very ohs orientated , reflective vest and enclosed shoes , site safety induction. DONT UPSET THEM .

I only wanted to look at a boat that was in the long term area & it took 1/2 hour in the office being given the third degree & being inducted!!!!!

If I wanted long term storage I would probably use them - not for a regular slip for antifoul etc though.

I use the Small Boat Owners Association Slip at Ulladulla.
$60 up
$40 down
$40 pressure clean
$120 per day on slip
Shipwright service is available from Breakwater Marine for things like Propspeed and repairs.

Wow thats great. I might try get up there on my way to batemans @xmas

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Sectorsteve said..
Wow thats great. I might try get up there on my way to batemans @xmas

The Ulladulla slip is good value. Run by the Shoalhaven council as is my local, but much cheaper!

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TKNick said..





i use the Small Boat Owners Association Slip at Ulladulla.
$60 up
$40 down
$40 pressure clean
$120 per day on slip
Shipwright service is available from Breakwater Marine for things like Propspeed and repairs.

Hi TKNick

From your photo it looks like it would be difficult to work on the boat while it is on the slip with the rails being elevated above the ground and all the gaps to fall through

Is there a reason for them to be above ground level ?

The only one i can think of is when you wash or sand the bottom of you rboat off off all of the debris can be trapped in the bottom of the pit but even if this is the case they could have had a mesh floor at rail level

Regards Don

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LooseChange said..
Everything has to die, even boats. Otherwise there would be millions of old boats cluttering everything, with no room to move.

Death .... Nature's way of telling you to slow down.

thats the problem with bad plastic boats they don't have the decency to die when unloved

''Hi TKNick From your photo it looks like it would be difficult to work on the boat while it is on the slip with the rails being elevated above the ground and all the gaps to fall through Is there a reason for them to be above ground level ? The only one i can think of is when you wash or sand the bottom of you rboat off off all of the debris can be trapped in the bottom of the pit but even if this is the case they could have had a mesh floor at rail level Regards Don''

Hi Don,

The height of the rails above ground works well for me as it allows me to stand up between my keels. Warlock draws 1.4m and I have no problem applying antifoul. There are plenty of planks available to lay down; though care needs to be taken when moving about. Warlock is 36' and I do need to use a ladder at the stern. 2 years ago I repainted the topsides and lay planks between the ladders on the slip uprights; this worked really well for me.
To get out of the water you need the tide height to be at least that of your boats draft. The slip is well maintained and has an excellent water blaster. The Ulladulla Boat Owners Association welcome boats from elsewhere.

Hi TKNick

I can see how it would be a advantage when working on a bilge keel boat and it would probably be a good on shallow draft power boats as well but to me it looks a bit dangerous if you are standing on planks at rail level and step backwards, miss the plank and fall into the bottom of the pit

Perhaps it it safer in the flesh than it looks in the photo

Regards Don

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Donk107 said..
Hi TKNick

I can see how it would be a advantage when working on a bilge keel boat and it would probably be a good on shallow draft power boats as well but to me it looks a bit dangerous if you are standing on planks at rail level and step backwards, miss the plank and fall into the bottom of the pit

Perhaps it it safer in the flesh than it looks in the photo

Regards Don

Yes it is a good 800mm to the ground so I do take great care when moving about as you could potentially hurt yourself if you fell. Fitting Mesh as you suggested would make things a lot safer though come at a slight, but worthwhile, cost of making slipway maintenance and clean up more difficult.

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TKNick said..

Yes it is a good 800mm to the ground so I do take great care when moving about as you could potentially hurt yourself if you fell. Fitting Mesh as you suggested would make things a lot safer though come at a slight, but worthwhile, cost of making slipway maintenance and clean up more difficult.

Whatever you do, don't let the OH&S police find out about this, they will want to shut it down. It's actually amazing that this is allowed in this modern day OH&S PC correct world.

Off topic but sort of related. If you ever go to climb Pigeon House Mountain behind Milton, there are three sets of ladders that need to be scaled and not one of those has a safety cage around them. Managed by Parks and Wildlife.


The ladders


The infamous bus stop sign on top of Pigeon House .... Yes, the sign will puncture a Wessex fuel tank if you try to land on top of it and spill hundreds of litres of kero all over the mountain top.

Bushwalkers out of Katoomba NSW will know of similar climbs at the end of Narrowneck Plateau called Taro's Ladders…no ladders as such, just short metal spikes set into the cliff face, definitely no 'cage surround'. If you want the rewards of going off the end of Narrowneck which lead to the headwaters of Warragamba Dam…plenty of trout... (even caught them by hand!)…and lots more...brave the absence of cages!. Would not recommend this down around Port Lincoln though.
Greg

Nearer the Katoomba side of Narrow Neck are Dixons/Waterboard Ladders, about 3-400 ft straight down. Back in seventies only a few sections had cages (not the top!). they have removed the top and bottom sections now.

Don't know if you can get under the Hawkesbury River bridges at Brooklyn @ 11.8 metres, I can.
My last two haul-outs were done at Fenwicks. Good prices, can do your own work, can stay on board the boat, nice clean showers/ tea room, most supples are available. If you can get under the bridge it's a pretty good place
BUT BEWARE.... no grinder or sanders after lunch on saturday of sundays.
Neighbour problems.....I found out the sat/sun controls the hard way.

Tea Gardens community slip is worth checking out. Located near Port Stephens.
$100 once off membership
$100 yearly fee
$50 a day slipping
No day fee for bad weather days

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RockyMoorings said..
Tea Gardens community slip is worth checking out. Located near Port Stephens.
$100 once off membership
$100 yearly fee
$50 a day slipping
No day fee for bad weather days

Dear Stephen Thank you for your enquiry. I am sorry to advise that you are not eligible to become a member of the Tea Gardens Slipway Association. Slipway membership is only open to the owners of boats that are permanently moored within the Great Lakes Shire, or who are ratepayers of the Shire. Best regardsWendy HammondSecretaryTea Gardens Slipway Assoc Incwww.teagardensslipway.com.au

above is a message i got regarding becoming a member.

Make the trip down to sunny Launceston!!

Undercover slip way, suit up to 13m
Haul out $150, daily $30
Chandlery, rigger, shipwright and s/s welder onsite. Walk to town, shops etc.

Launceston looks like the business!

not on the way to QLD though!

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Sectorsteve said..
not on the way to QLD though!

It is if you take the scenic route.

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UncleBob said..

Sectorsteve said..
not on the way to QLD though!

It is if you take the scenic route.

i know!! really wanna go to tassie. Could be on the cards if i run out of time this season to get to new cal and nz.

An old thread , but does anyone have any updates on this ?

Horizon shores qld. Nice Peoples 38 per day 238 in and out. And im not going to new cal or nz this trip. Currently in laurieton about to walk up the hill!

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LooseChange said..

TKNick said..

Yes it is a good 800mm to the ground so I do take great care when moving about as you could potentially hurt yourself if you fell. Fitting Mesh as you suggested would make things a lot safer though come at a slight, but worthwhile, cost of making slipway maintenance and clean up more difficult.

Whatever you do, don't let the OH&S police find out about this, they will want to shut it down. It's actually amazing that this is allowed in this modern day OH&S PC correct world.

Off topic but sort of related. If you ever go to climb Pigeon House Mountain behind Milton, there are three sets of ladders that need to be scaled and not one of those has a safety cage around them. Managed by Parks and Wildlife.


The ladders


The infamous bus stop sign on top of Pigeon House .... Yes, the sign will puncture a Wessex fuel tank if you try to land on top of it and spill hundreds of litres of kero all over the mountain top.

Yep, the pilot was LCDR Mike Lehan (ex Royal Navy) as I recall (although Dick Snell rings a bell as well). I was on another squadron at the time (possibly with Ramona) so we had a laugh at their expense.

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MorningBird said..

The infamous bus stop sign on top of Pigeon House .... Yes, the sign will puncture a Wessex fuel tank if you try to land on top of it and spill hundreds of litres of kero all over the mountain top.

Yep, the pilot was LCDR Mike Lehan (ex Royal Navy) as I recall (although Dick Snell rings a bell as well). I was on another squadron at the time (possibly with Ramona) so we had a laugh at their expense.

Yes, it was Mike Lehan that managed to break it. The blades were taken off and flown to RANAS and then a Chinook from Amberley picked up the Wessex and took it back home to mother.

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LooseChange said..

MorningBird said..

The infamous bus stop sign on top of Pigeon House .... Yes, the sign will puncture a Wessex fuel tank if you try to land on top of it and spill hundreds of litres of kero all over the mountain top.

Yep, the pilot was LCDR Mike Lehan (ex Royal Navy) as I recall (although Dick Snell rings a bell as well). I was on another squadron at the time (possibly with Ramona) so we had a laugh at their expense.

Yes, it was Mike Lehan that managed to break it. The blades were taken off and flown to RANAS and then a Chinook from Amberley picked up the Wessex and took it back home to mother.

I take it you were on the Wally squadron at the time?