Gonna buy a boat...Park it on the dock or anchor in the marina?

[futureboatownerindc]

I am putting a kitty together to buy a boat in the $5,000 to $10,000 range. In my area I see a choice between spending $210 a month on marina fees or $120 a month on anchoring fees. Both are inside protected harbors. While I can afford both, there is the obvious advantage of using that unspent $90 on maintenance fees. Also, this would not be a liveaboard. I realize that I would need to not only purchase a small canoe or dinghy to get the boat out to the moorage, but also the inconvenience of rowing just to use the boat. I believe that there would be security issues with an anchored boat vs. a "parked" boat (ie isolation, occasional use, etc). What are your thoughts on the anchoring vs. parking issue? Is security that big a deal? Is parking on a dock worth the added expense? Is it that big of an inconvenience to row for 10 or 15 minutes just to use the boat?

Thanks to any and all who reply!
Darren

 

[dvideohd]

have you considered....

a Tailorable Sailboat?

Seriously... there are a lot of expenses... A good number of boats + trailers can be had for your budget... That would give you some additional $$ to "mod" the boat to fit your needs...

Marinas also require you to insure... and there is the diver costs... it adds up....

--jerry

 

[futureboatownerindc]

Re: have you considered....

Good points. However, I'm in an area where house lots are all 3400 sq ft. Ergo, no room for a boat. In terms of insurance, I was thinking about liability only on a $7500 boat. Guess I should have included those two facts earlier! Mea culpa!

 

[dvideohd]

If in a marina...

then they will "dicatate" the insurance you need... As others have suggested, you might check with Boat US, Progressive, Geico, and others for insurance costs - coverage... Sometimes... the Insurance Company will define what they do or do not accept...

On the West Coast.. I found that Slip Space varied WILDLY... At Dana Point, a 28' slip had a 3-4 month wait.. a 40' (or larger slip...) had a pratical wait time of 12-14 years... some marinas just LAUGH when asked about wait length.. some marinas make you BUY the slip...

If you have picked your maina... then what are the slip times? insurance requirments? etc....??

Usually... folks a the office or a the "handy nearby" yacht club - or pehaps a friend - can clue you in on all the costs...

Starting with Slip costs/waits and insurance lets you work backwards to the boat you want... you might want that late '60's 30 footer... but if it hits you for years on the wait list... you might rethink....

Perhaps there is someone at your target marina has the boat you are "looking for now"... ie, walk around and call the phone numbers on similiar or likely looking boats...

since you asked...

--jerry

 

[BobM]

Re: Gonna buy a boat...Park it on the dock (safer, easier to access) or anchor in the marina (cheape

Think about how you plan to use it. I tend to sail a lot after work. The "fifteen minutes" of dealing with launching a dinghy from my pick-up, mounting the outboard and getting out to the boat really are fifteen minutes to put the boat in my pickup in the morning, fifteen minutes at the ramp to launch and get the the boat, fifteen minutes to return and fifteen minutes to unload in the dark or the next morning. The point is, that hopping on the launch to get to my mooring increased my usage and enjoyment significantly. I get to have a beer in the bar instead of fifteen minutes of playing with the dinghy at the end of the night and wet feet. Many say having a slip does that as well. If you can keep your dinghy at the marina, that helps a lot, or if they have loaners, but I think rowing will get old in a hurry. Invest in a very small 2 stroke outboard.

Another thought about a mooring, you typically pay by the foot for a slip (typically through the nose) but, at least in my anchorage, you buy your mooring. After that initial expense, you might just have to pay for maintenance, which isn't typically a per foot charge.

 

[BobM]

One more thought

Wherever you end up, safety is a concern. I had a 110 lb outboard stolen off the stern of my old boat 100 yards from shore. Never underestimate the lengths another person will go through to gain a few hundred bucks. :naughty:

 

[LANCE ON CLOUD NINE]

refocusing on the question of to anchor or to dock?-

To me, when at a dock in a marina, it is similar to a neighborhood where most people are friendly and like to talk boats/trips. They are quick to offer help or a cold brew-it is a somewhat social/communal situation. Whether you like it or not, people will always know your comings and goings. The upside is they will also notice if someone who doesn't belong is messing with your boat. Being at anchor feels more like living in a cabin in the aquatic country side. Your neighbors are not usually stopping by unless invited. It is a great way to relax, read or just hang with the wife. I have found that I like my boat at a dock when it is not being sailed but usually would prefer to anchor out as much as possible if I am on the boat. Either way is what you make of it and probably neither will mean as much as really learning to sail your boat like a pro. There are others here you can absorb that from. Keep tuning in and have fun!

 

[novelman17130]

Buy a trailerable sailboat and keep it at a mast-up storage facility. No big fees, no bottom cleaning, reduced time to put the boat into the water at the adjacent ramp. And most of all cheaper and more secure.
I have my 22' on a trailer at Marina del Ray in Southern Cakliforbnia for $76.50 a month including parking for my SUV and trailer when the boat is in the water. Every thing secured and safe.
Duane "Novelman"

 

[higgs]

Done both

I kept my boat on a mooring for many years, but now keep it at a dock. I like the dock much, much better. Access to the boat is so much easier and the social life of the dock can be a lot of fun as well.

I don't think either option is inherently safer, except that at a dock other boaters will usually keep an eye on each others boats and that can be a factor.

 

[Bill C320 Papillon]

In my case, the ease of simply stepping onto the boat, slipping the lines and hitting the lake (takes about 5 min.) as well as having water and electricity at the boat is the only way to go. I don't think that any of the 3 marinas on our lake even have moorings any longer.

As others have mentioned, there is also a social aspect to being in a slip. On weekends, many folks sail during the day and get together on the party dock in the evenings for cocktails and pot luck dinners. I enjoy the weekend activities but I also sail a couple of days a week, on week days and it's great to have the place just to myself too.

 

[jimmcgee]

It depends on how you want to use the boat - and you really won't know that until you have a year under your belt.

I prefer being at a dock. Boaters tend to be friendly. You'll make new friends, there will be an extra pair of helping hands around when you need them, and people watch our for each other's boats (at least in the two marinas I'm in).

The "downside" as Lance said is all that friendliness. People know you and know your business. Sometimes it's hard to just sit and read on a Saturday with all the comings and goings and hellos. But if you want a quiet glass of wine with your wife and a sunset it's easy to motor out a hundred yards and find total privacy.

[FONT=&quot]Insurance on a boat this size isn’t too terrible in most marinas. The insurance on my 22 is only a couple of hundred per year, I think my 30 is about $800 per year on the East Coast through BoatUS. I can’t imagine it’s that much more in California.

Jim
[/FONT]

 

[tommays]

I have done the dock and mooring and prefer the quiet and privacy the mooring offers


And are docks REALLY have a LOT of rules about even using a rail mounted barbecue

 

[shemandr]

Re: refocusing on the question of to anchor or to dock?-

Dock pros: You can plug in and keep your batteries charged, use power tools and run your AC when its hot. There is generally water to wash your boat with. You can get on and off the boat easily. There is the social thing. There's less worry in a storm at a dock
Dock Cons: It can be much more hot. The social thing - if you're not into it. You still need a place for your dingy. Expense. Expense. Espense. You need to set fenders and sometimes fender boards.
Mooring Pros: Cooler quieter place to hang out. Cheap. Boat doesn't have to be protected from dock. At least in our waters you can swim at the boat. You can get along without a motor.
Mooring cons: Mooring equipment will damage the front of the boat. Cormorants will crap all over boat and so will other birds. You'll sweat out storms - even if your boat is well prepped. Its just more difficult to maintain the boat. You need to get to it - not always in nice weather. You need to maintain the mooring. There's usually a mess involved with the mooring pendant. If your boat isn't self bailing you'll need to bail after rains and you'll need to pump if you have any leaks (Who doesn't). Your bilge pump can run the battery down.
For me its been a dock. If it meant boat or no boat I could do OK at a mooring but I would put an older boat I could afford to lose there.

 

[MoonSailer]

Go with the Marina. You will meet more people and have a place to work onyour boat . Just simple things get more complicated if you have to row to shore every time you need something. The boat is safer IMHO. I was on a mooring and the boat took much more of a beating than in a slip. Also battery charging. If you get to th eboat late and want to sleep aborad for a sail the next day. A small heater helps a lot.

 

[Bob Poff]

I've done all three

We started off drysailing the Mac 22. Get to the marina. Load stuff. Get the attention of the guy running the tractor. Launch. Coming back, circle until the ramp was clear and the guy in the yard had figured out who we were. Wait until he gets the trailer. Get the boat on the trailer. Oh, by the way, ignore that mismatched spot in the gelcoat near the bow.... ooops.

Next year. Out on a yacht club mooring. Put the dink in the water. Row out to the boat. (on the far corner of the mooring field) Clamber aboard. Motor to the dock. Pick up fiance and stuff. Coming back. Drop her and stuff off at the dock. Motor to the mooring. Pick it up. Down to the dink. Fall into the water. Row, row, row. Haul the dink.

Third year. Back to the state park where the boat was when I bought it.
A nice slip on a floating dock. Step aboard. Open up. Start the outboard. And away. Coming back. Catch my dock lines. Shut down. Close up. Talk to the neighbors a bit.

Today. Different boat, and marina. But in a slip. Love it. Easy to get in and out. Great neighbors. Secure area. Relatively well storm protected.

Others have enumberated their viewpoints This is only my own.
You need to examine what will work for you. And as you see above. The descision you make today isn't permanent.

 

[bffatcat]

Mooring vs Dock my 2c

Ive never been on a dock there are no slips in my harbor. There are over 1000 boats on moorings. An obvious advantage to a mooring is during bad
weather the boat is always bow to the breeze as opposed to bouncing around
between docks. Docks have their conveniences. Namely being able to get aboard without transport. Moorings cost a lot less. Ive been on a mooring for
over 40 years and it suits me. But than again if I wanted a slip I would have
to move to another harbor which I dont want to do. At the present time there is a 10 year wait for a mooring in Marblehead Harbor.

 

[hopemichaud]

I love the dock life. We go down there just to hang out and have dinner. I had a day off last week and we were supposed to sail for the weekend with our "dock" neighbors but my hubby had to work, so I went to the boat around noon, had lunch and read a great book until it was beerthirty and went over and had a beer with some friends at the bait house, got dinner, my brother met me there and we just enjoyed being on the boat. If the boat was in a mooring field we wouldn't use it nearly as much as we do now. The next night my husband and i went out to the bay and anchored out and had my brother and friend come out, bring us dinner, it was great. Hubby and i went out last night and went to the bay to see the sunset and were sailing within 10 minutes of us arriving to the dock, not something we could have done if we had to row out to it or launch it, by the time the work is done who wants to sail?
So i guess the answer is how often do you intend to use it, if you want to use it more than a weekend deal, go for the dock. Also it depends on how socialable you are. Our dock rocks, we have fun with our neighbors and we know that our stuff is being watched when we aren't there.

Good luck with whatever you choose.

 

[futureboatownerindc]

Your advice is...

greatly appreciated! As a future boat owner, I am glad to have found this community where so many people are wiling to give advice and share their experience! Thank you! BTW - I haven't made a decision, and am not pressed to make one anyway because I am looking at a one- to two-year window before purchase. Thanks again!