Boat Measurements for a Slip

LittleCreek · Apr 11, 2015

I have been in two marina's so far, and all they asked, was the boats length.

capta · Apr 11, 2015

Boat length on my document is the boat length they get, nothing more. If they want to charge me for my anchor then I'll find another marina, because I'd bet dollars to donuts that they will nickle and dime m to death on every little thing the can.
I have heard of this cr*p before, but fortunately, I've not run into it.

Don S/V ILLusion · Apr 11, 2015

Boaters always have two answers when asked "what size boat do you have?"

The size goes down whenever a marina asks.

Phil Herring · Apr 11, 2015

Elliott Bay Marina here in Seattle measures the boat and bases your slip on the total length, not the stated LOA. They've done that for many years.

Chief RA · Apr 11, 2015

For example: a Catalina 250's hull proper is 26'11" and my 250 from pulpit to stern solar panels is over 28'. Spud Point Marina, Bodega Bay does not care what length your boat is but must be shorter than the slip. You pay by slip length.
Good news is 40' slip is under $200 a month including some AC power use.
Chief

kloudie1 · Apr 11, 2015

For the first 36 years I was at Prieto in Mandeville, the stated boat length was what was taken for the slip fees.. THEN.. some folks started whining that some boats were longer than theirs and yet were paying less.. so once the marina was refurbished, they started measuring overall including bow rails etc.. Just another way to get a few more dollars.. There was an article in a marina trade magazine that explained how to get a good bit more dollars by doing that .. I suspect that the local whining and the magazine article is what changed the picture. I think that overall measurement will soon be the norm.

shemandr · Apr 11, 2015

Every marina I've dealt with around here has in the contract the length will be determined by the yard and swim platforms, anchors and pulpits and I guess the Ensign fully extended, if it were left on, are included. Having said that no one has ever actually measured my boat to my knowledge.

Kings Gambit · Apr 11, 2015

Coyote said:
As a companion post, to me earlier query about St Petersburg area sailing and marinas, ---

I was SURPRISED when I went to the St Petersburg Municipal Marina last week to inquire as to cost and availability of a slip for my 28' Oday,,,
costs fine, slips available,

but what size???? THEY MEASURE YOUR BOAT --- bow sprit, anchor, swim platform etc, INCLUDED in your overall length,
and then THEY determine the size of slip you are assigned,,,

this is fine with me, however, I have been in MANY marinas in my life, and have never heard of this procedure, prior to signing a slip lease agreement.

cheers,
Coyote

In Long Beach Municipal Marina the situation once was, for example, a boat between 35' and 39'11" could go into a "35' slip", but the rate charged was on per-foot basis--i.e., they'd measure the total, overall, length of the boat including swim platforms, bowsprits, bow pulpits, boomkins, steering vanes, anchors---everything--you name it. Now it's different. If you're in a 35' slip you pay for the slip based on its area in sq ft. So, a person with a boat that's 38' overall in a "35' slip" would pay the same as a 39'11" boat in the same slip.

The per-foot charge is typical of MUNICIPAL marinas out here. Long Beach just deviated a few years ago due to excess whining from the customers [opposite situation than the one above but the same basic complaint--somebody's getting it a few bucks cheaper than I am--UNFAIR!!-boo hoo hoo]. Private marinas do not seem to care that much. My slip at a private marina in Ventura is based on what I told them the length of the boat is; they've never measured it.

shemandr · Apr 11, 2015

Oh, and I forgot to mention there are minimum lengths that apply. If you put a 26' boat in a slip that can accommodate a 30' boat you're probably going to pay the 30' rate. Sometimes you can negotiate because if they have a beamy powerboat in a slip, they usually are looking for a narrow sailboat for next to it since another powerboat probably won't fit.

Richard19068 · Apr 11, 2015

In my marina its the per foot price based on the longer of the slip or actual measured length of boat including bow sprit to swim platform.

RECESS · Apr 11, 2015

The further south you get in Florida, it is pretty common.

Benny17441 · Apr 11, 2015

When you have a waiting list, people will gladly pay a couple of extra bucks to move up the line. Disney does it with what the call a "fast pass".

Joe · Apr 11, 2015

I really don't have a problem with them adding an extra foot because of the OB and the pulpit.... The problem is when that extra foot disqualifies you from a smaller, narrower slip... and the marina wants you to go to a larger one. We all know that the rates are based on boat length or slip size.... whichever is larger.... So if they made me move my 27 footer to 30foot slip... it would cost me about 50 bucks more per month. Longer/wider slip means more money per foot.

I think it comes down to demand. 'Round here there are millions of 25 foot slips that you can put up to a 28 foot boat in... my Catalina 27, with outboard and pulpit on either end will exceed the 28 foot allowance but the marina needs to keep the smaller slips filled (they charge by boat length or slip size... whichever is larger) so they're maximizing the rent for the undersize slip while keeping the larger, wider slips available a much greater price per foot.

Jackdaw · Apr 11, 2015

It does not matter HOW they measure your boat. Some marinas in the UK factor in BEAM as well.

The marina will simply figure out how much money they need to take in to do business, and then divide that number by whatever they measure. $22/foot for hull length, $20 for LOA, over time it ends up the same.

Chief RA · Apr 11, 2015

Joe: Is your Catalina really only 27'? My 250 is actually longer than that. Chief

Charlie Jones s/v Tehani · Apr 11, 2015

Here, they charge by the length of the slip you are in 30 foot boat in a 35 foot slip- 35 feet.. Makes sense- the aren't renting boats- they are renting slips.

Joe · Apr 11, 2015

Chief RA said:
Joe: Is your Catalina really only 27'? My 250 is actually longer than that. Chief

Well... it's a Catalina 27... and it's approx. 27 feet. Different boat, different generation I guess.

Brian D · Apr 11, 2015

In the Oceanside Marina where I used to keep my boat, it was measured three times over the course of the 7 years I was there. I got three different lengths. Imagine that.

Boat Measurements for a Slip

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