Pandemic-related boat buying linked to Seaview Marina expansion as demand for berths soars

Sunday, 9 May 2021

Seaview Marina in Lower Hutt is aiming to increase its number of berths to over 400 because of an upswing in demand from boaties.

Cashed-up boat buyers unable to travel are thought to be behind a spike in demand for berths that has resulted in a million-dollar expansion at a Lower Hutt marina.

Seaview Marina is putting the finishing touches on a $1.2 million 46-berth extension and has plans to install an additional 31 which will allow the docks to hold more than 400 vessels.

Chief executive Alan McLellan says the marina is at capacity and a waiting list for spots has grown over the last couple of years.

“Anecdotally we’re hearing Covid has something to do with it. Travel has stopped, so people have more money to spend on recreation – it looks like some of them are buying boats.”

**READ MORE:

Seaview Marina in Lower Hutt is close to opening 46 new berths with plans for 31 more because of high demand for moorings. Covid-19-related boat buying could be behind the spike in demand.

* Man clinging to pool noodle rescued from Wellington Harbour after homemade dinghy sinks

Seaview Marina in Lower Hutt is planning to add up to 77 new berths to keep up with demand.

* Boat found drifting towards Cook Strait power cables raised from sea, sits in Lower Hutt marina

* Couple escape Wellington's escalating rent prices by setting up home on a boat

Chief executive Alan McLellan says anecdotal evidence points to more people spending their disposable income on boats, rather than international travel.

Last week, police rescued a man clinging to a pool noodle from Wellington Harbour after a homemade dinghy sank. Senior Constable Philip Elder of the Wellington Police Maritime said at the time police had been encountering more inexperienced boaties, many of whom had redirected their attention to new pursuits as they were unable to travel overseas.

McLellan said the marina’s policy had always been to build spaces proactively, but they were now having to react to demand.

The marina was also getting more requests to host larger vessels, so was installing more berths able to hold boats up to 24 metres in length. And it had invested in a new haul-out trailer which would allow bigger catamarans to be removed from the water. McLellan believed it was the only one south of Tauranga.

McLellan said Seaview was the biggest marina in the region and the only one with the ability to expand. Once the new berths were built, there would be no room for more.

The extra berths would provide income to allow the facility to fund other areas such as dry-storage or retail spaces.

Other Marinas inside the harbour are also noticing increased interest in berths. Andrew Welsh, general manager of Chaffers Marina, said there was always high demand becuase of the marina’s proximity to the city, but he had noted a reduction in the number of rental berths, which indicated more boaties were looking for long-term moorings.

Wellington City Council spokeswoman Victoria Barton-Chapple said there had been an increase in inquiries for the council’s Evans Bay Marina and Clyde Quay Wharf since October last year, particularly for larger berths. The waiting time for a spot was estimated at over six months, she said.