Finding the Right Marina - a 27 Point Checklist
Which marina will you sail into?
After you’ve decided on whether you want a monohull, catamaran, or trimaran, and you’ve committed to the expenses, now its time to find a home for your new toy, or serious world-cruising boat.
My best advice to anyone contemplating the acquisition of a sailing vessel or a power boat is to find a place to park the boat BEFORE YOU BUY IT!
The Most Important Criteria for Finding a Marina
I can be floating in Cook's Bay... with the right music, some imagination, and some rum.
Find the closest marina. If it looks at least acceptable and is affordable, that will most likely trump any other options you will find at marinas further away.
If the closest marina, or the most affordable one is far from your front door you will find it a challenge to get away often to enjoy “time on the water”. An hours drive to and from is just about max for me. I like to be aboard as often as I can, even if it is just to sand and paint something. Or on a warm summer or spring day, play hooky from the world and take a nap on my boat.
With the stereo on and the cell phone off, add the strains of my favorite music softly filling the boat and a shot of Caribbean rum, I AM CRUISING. I am in Polynesia, The Greek Islands, Moorea, Pago Pago or Cane Garden Bay. WITHOUT LEAVING THE DOCK!
A List of What to Look For at a Marina
When shopping for a slip, you will want to walk the docks and check for the following. Please note, this is a list of optional components that you may find in marinas. It is difficult to find one with all of these features, and sometimes, unnecessary. For instance, if you’re shopping in a secluded area with no crime, gate security is probably not necessary, whereas it is invaluable in a place like Los Angeles Harbor. You may not care whether there are laundry facilities because you have a washer and dryer at home. Here’s what to look for:
- Is there adequate parking?
- Is it a security Marina? Do they have a security guard at night?
- Are Gangways locked or can anybody walk the docks day and night?
- Are there night lights in the parking lot and on the docks?
- How clean are the Men’s and Women’s rest rooms?
- Are there showers available in the rest rooms?
- How far will you have to walk from your car to your boat?
- Are there enough dock carts? What kind of shape are they in?
- Are there adjacent restaurants/cafes/convenience stores/fuel docks?
- Is there a sanitation pump out station in the marina to dump your porta potti and your holding tank?
- Are the dock boxes big enough?
- Can you leave your hose coiled up around your own hose bib?
- Is there adequate power at your slip for your boat. 30amp, 50amp? Is electricity usage charged extra?
- Can you get satellite TV?
- Is there a dinghy rack for each finger/are they full?
- Is there a garbage can on each dock?
- Is there a Dumpster for your use?
- Does the marina have storage lockers for your extra gear?
- Is there a lot of bird droppings on the docks/dinghys/boats/cars in parking lot?
- Is there doggy doo in the planter areas or parking lot?
- Are there a lot of noisy kids running around on the weekends?
- Are there many derelict boats in the same size slips you will be leasing?
- Are there live aboard slips available?
- Is there a laundry facility in the marina?
- Will the office occasionally accept and sign for packages or deliveries sent to you?
- Is there a yacht club nearby that you could join?
- Do the other boaters in the marina seem friendly?
Of course you should complete the same investigation at the marina where you signed up to wait for a slip.
How Much is the Right Price for a Slip?
Slips are almost always priced on a per foot basis. In heavily congested areas where slips are tough to come by, the price can range from $9/ft to $20/ft. A common cheap target price to shoot for in Southern California is around $10/ft. But this is why I suggest below to ask at every marina about price… its the only way to gauge how much the going rate in your area is.
How to Get a Slip at a Full Marina
Check out all possible local marinas. Inquire about availability and price. If there is a waiting list at the marina which is your first choice (for the size slip you will need), get on the list. This happens quite frequently in year-round boating locations. I’m located in Southern California and it is almost impossible to find a vacant slip in a marina that is affordable and has decent amenities. Even if the list is long and the wait seems too long for you to endure (sometimes years), time has a habit of passing more quickly than you think it will. Get a copy of your sign up date and you will then need to park your boat someplace while you wait. You have to update your request every so often to make sure you haven’t fallen off the list. When you get on the list, ask how often you need to do that.
It also helps for you to personally make an appearance every so often with the marina staff at their office. If they know you are serious, they might be inclined to let you know about planned upcoming vacancies. Think about it: if they don’t have to go through the lengthy process of tracking down another boater on “the list” that may or may not be ready to take advantage of the vacancy, and instead they can just slot you in… hey, its happened before.
In the Mean Time, Enjoy What You’ve Got
More often than not, you will have “settled in” so to speak to the second choice marina you are waiting in. You may have made friends with other boat owners in your marina. You may have discovered easily reached destinations that are convenient to your present slip. You may discover tide and wind patterns in the immediate cruising area that may be favorable to your craft (whether it is a powerboat or a sailing vessel.) Most of your getaways will be for an afternoon or all day cruise within 25 miles of your home base.
Do not be resistant to enjoying your second choice marina. Make the best of it. Soon enough you may need to make the choice about “movin’ on up”, or sticking with what you’ve got!
GREAT article. I don’t have a boat at the moment but after the last ‘27 footer I know I want a ‘30 Cal or Catalina. After reading this I think I’ll see where I can dock her first, its been two years since I last had a boat in the water!
Glad I subscribed on this website. Never subscribed before but caught this just as I was getting up to check my email. I too really like the article. I think I’m going to print it out and use it. I’ve never really thought about where I have my Islander ‘38 as being a “bad” marina, but now that I know there’s more out there, I’ll check out some others this weekend closer to Long Beach.
Another thing that will recommend a marina is to have a Captain Fred in residence there. I know that from first hand experience.
[...] • January 13, 2009 O.K., so you have looked at your 100 prospective boats. You have already found the slip where the boat is going right? You have picked 10 boats that are candidates, and [...]