Marinas seem like such a simple concept. They’re just some pilings in the water connected by wood planks where one ties up a boat. How is it that we’re paying thousands of dollars a year for that? The piling where you toss your best bowline is just the beginning. Marinas can be a second home, a neighborhood, a party place, a vacation getaway, a repair stop, and so much more. Each marina has a personality, and finding the right one can be like going on dates to find a longtime companion. It’s important to know your type.
BOAT YARD
A marina that has a Travel Lift and storage for boats is in a class all its own. These are places where boats come in with a plan. Be it bottom paint, blister repair, rudder work, hull waxing, or the full Monty, boat yards are buzzing with activity. They are often not as expensive as their resort-style cousins, but the discount comes with a touch less ambiance as the chemical soup of marine paints, oils, and solvents becomes part of the backdrop. Boat yards can be a good scene for the avid DIY’er who likes to talk shop, with plenty of chances to shoot the breeze about epoxy and polish with whoever is out working on their boats.
Boat yard marinas often have the best dumpster diving, protected slips, and a good offering of marine tradespeople to get most jobs done.
TIKI BAR
Jimmy Buffett tunes are floating in the air, the rum is flowing, and people are coming and going whether they own boats or not. The Tiki Bar-style marina centers around a food and drink establishment that draws people in all on its own. If you’re into drinks with umbrellas and music drifting into your hatches until 1 a.m., then this style marina is a winner. The upside is that Tiki Bar style marinas are usually well kept, clean, and landscaped. They often have a lot of staff on hand keeping up grounds and keeping customers happy.
CITY MARINA
You’ll find no frills here. Like most things run by the government, city marinas are often basic but functional. Depending on the town, these tie-ups can range from just a handful of slips on a town dock with public restrooms nearby, to sprawling docks fringing a bustling city skyline. Either way you’re pretty much guaranteed to have the town right outside your cockpit. Being able to walk to museums, restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and sometimes even marine chandleries makes city marinas appealing to those wanting to be in the thick of it or who have shopping to do. You’ll be lacking the green spaces and quiet, but the prices are usually reasonable and convenience can’t be beat.
RESORT ATMOSPHERE
It’s time to break out the blazer and shiny boat shoes. There are marinas at actual yacht clubs, and then there are ones that have that resort and club atmosphere, but anyone can get a slip there. These marinas seem to have it all: swimming pools, workout rooms, cute cafes, lounges, full showers and laundry, open green spaces, and a premium slip fee to match it all. These places have upscale boats that are well kept and waxed to a shine usually by anyone but the owner. They may be a little more persnickety about those rules you gloss over in the contract, such as “no hanging towels and wet bathing suits on the lifelines” and “no music playing after [a certain hour].”
The grounds will be green and flowering, the well-dressed kids will be romping along with boat-sized dogs, and scheduled gatherings are often put on by marina management.
MOM ‘N’ POP
This is the country cousin that the resort-style marina looks down its mast at. Small coves around the Chesapeake have little mom ‘n’ pop marinas where you can pull in to get a break from gunkholing. Here you’ll find an array of salty dogs and characters who might hand you a beer and share a good story. Or sometimes you’ll find nobody at all. Sometimes a singlehander just starting out will tuck away here to begin a journey, and sometimes that family who just crossed an ocean pulls in for some much needed rest before pressing onward. People wise, you can find just about anything here, but what you won’t find are lots of amenities. Bathrooms, if there are any, will be sparse and often locked off hours. Laundry is pretty much out of the question, and you can probably count out fuel, food, or repairs.
The sweet surprises about mom ‘n’ pop marinas are the hospitality and the cost. Fees are low, and if you’re lucky, there can be some friendly surprises such as an invitation by the owner to a happy hour, a ride to the store that’s many miles away, or the phone number of a local guy who can fix anything.
SMALL AND CASUAL
These mid-sized hodgepodge marinas are sort of a mix of any of the above. There can be the boat yard that also has a great pool and cafe, or the Tiki bar that happens to have a fabulous yacht yard on site where anything can be fixed while you enjoy music and drinks, or the smaller mom ’n’ pop place that’s more high end and manicured with a nice pool. Not too big, not too small: these are places where you might find kids and dogs and salty couples and folks starting out on their first season as sailors all berthed together.
COMMON GROUND
The important thing is to know what questions to ask. Know what’s important to you and your boat. Not all marinas allow dogs, so asking about that first will narrow your search. Not all marinas allow liveaboards, so asking about that will give you a short list. Not all marinas have slips for multihulls, so jotting down names of places that can handle your beam is a must. Many marinas have shallow slips or approaches, so telling the dock master your depth is key to making sure you can even get into the place at all. You may think you’re a yacht club kind of person, but after calling around and finding the places that can handle your six-foot draft boat, your 60-pound dog, and your three kids might change where you end up parking for the season.
If at all possible, before jumping into a commitment, try getting some face to face time with the marina you’re considering. Like an online dating site, what you see in the ad might be very different when you hang out in person. Spend an afternoon walking the docks, checking out the bathrooms, and talking with the dock master or other slip holders. The nice thing is, if it’s not a match made in heaven, you can always untie and sail off to find another option over the horizon or just across the river.
