Making me rent a boat lift???

[Muskieguy]

I am bringing my family to an Alexandria resort this summer. Just got my confirmation letter which states if I am bringing a boat, I am not allowed to tie it up to the dock. I need to rent a boat lift at $25 per night, or trailer my boat every night. (nearest ramp is across the lake).

I have been to many resorts and this is the first one that doesn't allow boats to be tied up to their docks, and the kicker is that no where on their webiste does it state this. It was a total surprise and now I am looking at $175 extra to keep my boat in the water...

Anybody else find this odd???

Muskieguy.....

[Schloogs]

I also am staying at a Alexandria resort this summer that is charging for a boat lift. Same type of thing, either boat lift or trailer it everynight. Mine was $70 for our entire stay though (5 days 4 nights).

[Northlander]

If it wasnt told to you when you made the reservation and they are just now popping it on you its probably not a place I would stay at.

Docking fees are my pet peave. I will not go to a resort that wants to charge me to put my boat at their dock. I will pay for power but not to dock my boat.

Did you ask why this is? Some places get high winds and big waves and boats at docks get tossed onto the dock. A lift is the only option besides putting back on the trailer. $25 a night seems way too high to me. I would at very least talk them down on that price. If they refuse cancel and go elsewhere.

[Wayne Ek]

First, it should have been in any brochures or letters or the net. But that being said, if the resort is on one of the larger area lakes then I understand the policy. Alex during the summer can have some fairly strong winds enough to damage most rigs tied up at a dock or pulled up on to the shore. If a rig is tied to a dock then there is a certainly a chance that the docks or other lifts will also be damaged as the rig pounds against the dock. Trailering a boat isn't that bad. One you can easily check out other lakes. Two- Gas is cheaper off the lake than lake side. But it still should have been listed. Every place I've stayed in Canada and northern Minn. has charged me for dockage.

[sparcebag]

Could this have something to do with the DNR enforcing the dock size rules?On Green Lake In Kandiyohi,their making a resort reduce its dock size just for that reason,It impedes others in the water way having a dock that holds SOOO many boats.They have an old arial photo of dock size 10-15 years ago its 1/4 the size and thats all the DNR will OK for them.10 cabins and room for 60 boats at a charge on public waters,a resturant is right there and the resort charged dock fees to dock and go to eat.

[IFallsRon]

You're lucky they don't have a ramp and charge you to offload your boat. Extra charges aren't unusual although they should be stated upfront.

[BoxMN]

We had some boat damage to our boat in that area a couple years ago, as we had it tied and wind came up. I would not do that anymore. We always pull boats now and leave on trailer, but they do have a ramp right there, and they don't charge us for each use.

$15 a night would sound more like a lift charge to me. Good luck.

[Daze Off]

It does stink but I'd say about half of the resorts we have stayed at over the years have an additional fee for docking your boat - especially if it is a lift/covered/electric, etc.

Not sure I have ever paid that high for it though.

[Down Deep]

Charges should always be listed, but that being said it is getting more and more expensive to operate a resort. Docks cost money to install, insure and maintain. A boat lift can cost about $3,500 itself. In the business I own, I try to peel every cent I can from my costs and sometimes I have to pass it along. We also do the same at my day job. I'm pretty sure the owner is not trying to put the screws to you. Call them up and express your concerns to them directly. They may not realize that it is such a big deal not only to you, but other customers as well. I would be interested in their reply.

[GotOne]

If it's not listed on any literature, web site, etc. and they never mentioned it, I would talk to them or walk-like Northlander said. It is also one of my pet peeves, along with paying for pets. Build it into the price and if you don't have a boat, drop a few $$$$ off the rate. It would make the customer feel like they are getting a deal-rather than tick them off.

[metrojoe]

If it's not clearly stated on they're web site or brochure, then I would take issue, but all the resorts I have stayed at usually have some sort of fee for a boat lift.

$25 a night seems out of line though, I seem to recall the fee was around $75 for the entire week.

[Coach1310]

I've never run into this. It sounds to me like they are trying to fill in the void where years ago most people rented a boat from the resort, now that most people have their own you have to pay for a spot in the water. I would definitely not just go along with it. Do some dealing if possible.

[spudhauler]

The resort I stay at charges $10 per day or $50 per week. It seems reasonable to me.

[Muskieguy]

I never requested a brochure so I am not sure if it states anything there, but what I do know is that it says nothing on the HSOforum. For my size boat it is $25 a night, $20/night for smaller boats. I have been to a few places that charge docking fee's but they are like $5-$10 a night or $25 for the weekend, or like one guy said, built into the price of the cabin. Not $25/night x 7 nights. It is not a deal breaker for me, I am not going to walk away. I was just curious if others have seen this same thing.

One last thought, if I were to rent a boat/motor($200/week according to their HSOforum), would I be on the hook for $140 in boat lift fee's also?

Muskieguy......

[ozzie]

no way...it is their boat and investment so that should come with the weekly rental...otherwise I would drop it off at the dock everynight and have them drive their boat to the landing and trailer it back to the resort!!