Docking on PierShare: In this series of posts, we discuss the details of how a PierShare docking works. This particular article dives into the PierShare Dockage Agreement and how PierShare is the most flexible docking solution on the planet.

The PierShare 30 Day Flexible Docking Guarantee

At our core, PierShare is a flexible, customer-centric company. We believe that a flexible docking world is a better docking world. As such, we have established the most Boater-friendly docking agreement in the industry and have created docking terms that allow for increased transparency and flexibility. We believe that docking a boat should be as fluid and flexible as being out on the water.

The cornerstone of our flexible dockage arrangement is the PierShare 30 Day Flexible Docking Guarantee. Put simply, all Boaters docking through PierShare are entitled to pro-rate their dockage for 30 days at any point during their rental. We understand that you want this flexibility as you may be selling your boat, want to take an extended trip in the middle of your rental, or simply want to take your boat out of the water for a while for repairs or maintenance. You may also want to try out a dock by the day to see if you like it and then pay by the month later, or you may be finishing a docking and leaving in the middle of the next month’s cycle. In any of these cases, we’ve got you covered, and you never have to pay for space you are not using!

Rental Terms - Duration

Docking through our platform is incredibly simple, and there are no leases or extensive paperwork. All you need to do is choose how long you’d like to stay, pick an estimated arrival date, and be ready to dock your boat in the next 30-45 days. If you would like to stop using your dock at any point during the rental, you can simply update your departure date through our platform. Once you leave the dock, you will no longer be charged. It’s as simple as that!

Unlike marinas who often have limited packages, PierShare allows you to dock your boat for any period of time, all through one platform complete with a consistent set of policies and transparent, easy to understand pricing. When setting up your rental, you have two main options for the duration of your stay. 

Transient (30 days or less)

Transient stays are meant for Boaters who are traveling through an area and only need to dock for a couple of days. As such, these stays are charged by the day.

Month-to-Month

Month-to-month rentals are meant for Boaters looking for more long-term accommodations and come in a variety of options:

1. Short-Term (1-3 months
2. Seasonal (3-6 months)
3. Long-Term (6-12 months)
4. Annual (12 months or longer)
   
   

As mentioned beforehand, all rentals 1 month and longer are processed on a month-to-month basis. If you select a 12-month rental and need to leave during month 7, there are no termination fees. The only impact early termination may have is on the discount you may have been receiving on the docking.

Rental Terms - Payment

If you have been browsing a few listings on our website, you may have noticed that some dock owners have elected to offer discounts on stays for a long-term duration. For example, if you select a long-term (6-12 months) stay, you may receive a 10% discount. In order to encourage Boaters to select the most accurate length of stay, discounts are applied and/or revoked based on the actual length of time the dock is occupied.

To illustrate this, let’s take the following as an example. You select a long-term rental (6-12 months) but then only stay for 3 months. The dock you selected is $1,000 per month. For long-term stays, there is a 10% discount ($100 per month). For the first 3 months you are at the dock, you pay $900 per month because you are expected to be at the dock long-term. Since you terminated your rental before you reach the required time to receive a discount, you will be charged back any applicable discount. In this case, you would be charged the $300 in discounts you received for the first 3 months. 

It is important to note that this also works the opposite way. If you rent a dock on a short-term basis but then decide to stay longer, the system will automatically give you the best rate based on how long you’re at the dock. This helps to keep our pricing transparent and fair and ensure you’re never paying for something you don’t use.

How Charges Work

When inquiring about a dock, during our verification process you will be prompted to link a valid payment method to our platform. Even though the card is linked to your account, you are never charged until either you or the Dock Owner verify that the boat is physically at the dock, and there is no charge to inquire about or visit a dock no matter how many times you would like to do so. This allows you to find the perfect dock in a completely risk free manner! Once you have found the dock you like you may secure it through our platform with your card on file so that no other boaters can take it, or you may just feel free to bring your boat to the space and once your arrival is confirmed your card on file will be charged for the first day (for transient rentals) or first month (for month-to-month rentals).

Once you secure a space, we expect you to dock your boat within the next 30 days. If you do not arrive within the next 30 days, we give you the option to keep paying for the dock to hold the space. If you secure a space and need to back out of docking for reasons other than forces out of your control such as weather or the vessel malfunctioning, you will be charged a cancellation fee. The cancellation fee on a docking longer than one month is one undiscounted month’s dockage fee. The cancellation fee on a transient docking is a half month's fee. This allows us to ensure that there are ample docks available to all boaters and also gives dock owners the confidence in the security and structure of our platform.

How Adjusting Dates Works

Whenever you initially arrive at a dock, this date the docking starts establishes your monthly cycle date for a month to month docking (for transient dockings 30 days or less this date is when day-by-day prorated charges would start). To make our platform as simple as possible to use, this date becomes the day in which you are automatically charged each month for your docking. 

If at any point you need to depart your dock, you can simply prepare your departure and choose your anticipated departure date through our platform. This is especially important if you are planning on leaving in the middle of the month. In order to ensure your bill is prorated to your departure date if necessary, you must select your departure date before the beginning of the next month’s billing cycle. For example, if you are going to be billed on July 5th for the month of July but plan to leave on July 18th, you simply need to update your departure date in the system to be July 18th before you are billed on July 5th for the month ahead. That way, our system automatically knows to charge you only for July 5th-July 17th. 

If you fail to leave on your specified departure date, you will continue to be charged by the day until you or the Dock Owner confirm in the system that the boat has left the dock, for up to 30 days. If you use up 30 days of your prorated dockage allowance you will continue to be charged on a month to month basis for the duration and will not be able to prorate your docking a second time. 

Experience the Flexibility for Yourself!

PierShare’s 30 Day Flexible Docking Guarantee combined with our advanced platform technology provides the most efficient docking solution available in the marina industry today. Joining our platform allows you to transition from one dock to the next and enjoy this standardized set of flexible policies at every dock you visit. We strongly believe that these flexible terms will help create a better boating world. If you’re ready to dock your boat and enjoy the PierShare 30 Day Flexible Docking Guarantee, check out our available docks for rent and inquire about one today!