A Critic of local marinas Galveston Bay
Robert,
I have look into the month slip rental costs at different marinas in the Kemah area. But in doing so I saw this Slip owning option and since I will be there long term, owning is always better then renting or at least sounds like a possible cost savings if they don't cost more than $20K.
What I don't know is what are the better marinas and what are the ones to stay away from in this area.
Thanks for any help you can provide me.
Mike
S/V Symbiont
Okay Mike....here is a list and my critic of local marinas outside of Houston .... not in order of popularity just basically off the top of my Head.
Number#1 Bayland Marina....Located in Baytown,tx off hiwy 225 bottom of the FredHardman Bridge. About 20-25 minutes from from Houston.
Very nice concrete floating dock. No Pool!! The rates are basically about 100 or more dollars cheaper then Kemah.
Managed by the owner of the local Baytown Golf Course. They try to be very nice but are limited on being able to do the right things,
So and here's the rub..owned by the city of Baytown. The Management is forced to lie too your face though and tell you they have no mosquito problems and no crime. "Sorry Cindy" I have to tell it like is... But thats just because they are trying their best to make the marina a success but are being held back. I do not have to say by who.
The Marina has a Restaurant but no one has ever been able to make a go of it. Why the city just doesn't move in a duncan donuts and use the place for a
police sub station?????
The Marina is technically and island ... The mass public does not need to have access so I do know why they do not put security gates and post actual 24/7 security. To the local police officers credit though they do try.....
Of course if they got smart and made used of the empty building for police and city service offices that would take care of the criminal thug gang banger terrorist that are
allowed to run a muck and come and go as they please.
http://baylandmarina.com/
Number#2 Legend Point.... Slip Rates not to bad they seem to always have some sort of special deal to suck people in. Mostly unmanned Security gates.
Nice grounds.....Great Boat neighbors...Old and rickety fixed Wooden docks with slips having 12" finger piers. making for close neighbors. Plan to be aground most of the winter months.
The management can be as has been conveyed to me by many friends who have rented there ....Well rude is the nice word I will use for the management at times.
http://westplaza.com/legend_point_marina/
Number#3 Watergate Marina is nice....Good rates mostly new floating slips....Nice grounds.....Great Boat neighbors...Parking can be a problem at times...But the in the water boat show can be a real pain!! Management is okay but don't let them get to know who you are..... Learned my lesson had a office there once then I made the mistake of keeping my boat there too. I was warned by several office neighbors ... Boat only fine, Both Boat and office NO! but did I listen...
To this day I still Flinch at the sound of my phone ringing! BTW..The Marina construction contractor used my structural design details for the floating docks when the fixed marina docks were replaced with floating docks and had to be replaced after Ike.
http://www.watergatemarina.com/
Number#4 Waterford Harbor....Good Hurricane Protection...Next to Watergate...Nice......But expensive...I do not like the flippy floppy Floating Wood and plastic dock floats. Management is good...Great Boat neighbors..But becarefull there are a few snooties aka Nazi Minders.....One 1/10th coffee cup of Diesel accidentally from your bilge and the entire Obama Brown Shirt Gastoppo will be brought down on your ASS!
I have a friend who still has trouble sleeping at night wakes up with nightmares.
http://waterfordharbormarina.com/
Number#5 Bal Harbour.....Low Rates...Right Off Nasa Road one. And right on the not so clear Clear Lake....Nice grounds ...pool...Fixed Wooden Docks....Shallow say 3 feet most days....The hilton hotel next door can be a pain! It was nicer when there was nothing but a Bonaza Steak house next door.It was the very first marina I keep a boat at.
No protection at all from the east during hurricanes or large storms. Great if you have a small day sailor and just want to sail on the lake.....Most times it easy to just sail in and out to the lake and back.
http://www.balharbourassociation.com/Marina.htm
Number#6 South-shore Harbor...Rates Fair...Flippy floppy Floating Wood and plastic dock floats.....Nice pump-out Dock....Pool but to party hearty for me...Okay Boat neighbors...
But you better like Speed Boaters as your nieghbors....Good Hurricane protection. The in the water boat show can be a real pain!!
http://www.southshoreharbourmarina.com/
Number#7 Sea-brook Marina Shipyard....Some of the marina has nice new floating docks. "K'&"J" Dock is the best...Limited Covered Parking and main walk down the dock is covered..Great View of lake and sunsets...These are the Farthermost Slips away from the power lines and Hi-way 146 and Kemah bridge. But these choice slips can be expensive...
Nice Neighbors....Good management the girls that run the office have always been very nice. Large Marina....Nice but they have a lot on their plate to fix and repair...
They are always putting forth a good effort doing maintenance and improvements.
They do like it best when you use their shipyard though. No Security gates but they seem to do a good job scarring people out that do not belong.
When I first bought my hunter in 2002 I was on "A" dock for awhile till they caught my Hunter Dealer trying to do warranty work on my new boat. They wanted to do the work it seems. That's how I ended up next door at Portofino.
http://www.seabrookshipyard.com/
Number#8 Portofino.....Security Gate....Rates Reasonable...Portofino Yacht Club,That's if your into that...Good security! VERY VERY Fast response time from local Shore Acres Police...I always wave whether I am in my truck on bicycle. They always wave and say hi right back...Sometimes they patrol by Golf Cart...One morning I was out riding bicycle and saw some of the officers standing outside the police station and one of the officers walking across the street to the Community Center with a large white box. As I road by I said is that the donuts!! They all broke out in laughter..
....It turned out to be just a copy machine :cry::cry::cry:.....Okay...Marina... Wish I had bought a slip here some 30 years ago when I had money.......All New Rebuilt concrete floating docks...I have very good boat neighbors....I am surround by very nice Live-a-Boards...Most weekends on the west side of the marina where I am. Spontaneous pot lock barbecues have been know to suddenly erupt on "C" dock in the grassy area next to the Clear Lake Channel Right in front of our slips. Some of the folk's are musically inclined so you never know when a jam secession might develop...We like to sit under the Thatched Palapas and Shade trees to watch the Speed Boater Docking Maneuvers
at the gas dock on the other side of the channel at Sea-brook Shipyard. Parking is rarely a problem on our side of the marina. The east side is were the pool is. It has the parking issues,and Nazi Minder problems...Don't get me wrong there some nice folks over there but...Like they say it only takes one person spewing a cigarette in a restaurant to ruin a meal. You will also be closer to the overhead power lines, Were the Alfred Hitchcock Birds Like to sit perched and wait for you finish cleaning your boat and when you walk way dive bomb your boat...WARNING NEVER LEAVE YOUR OVERHEAD HATCHES OPEN!
http://www.portofinoharbour.com/
Number#9 Blue Dolphin....Neighbor to LYC.....Mostly spill over for the out cast LYC members
who can not find any room for their Yacht at the Yacht Club . Blue Dolphin seems to have the largest boat shed slips so they may have the last laugh in that regard.
http://bluedolphinmarina.com/
Local Clubs...If interested let me know and I will give you a separate critic of the yacht clubs....I was a member of HYC back in the J-24 racing days..served on membership committee as well as race committee while I was a member. Member almost 20 years.
I have many friends at LYC also.
http://www.houstonyachtclub.com/
http://www.lakewoodyachtclub.com/
#10....Texas Mariners Cruising Association......I highly Recommend you join TMCA....Very Reasonable yearly dues...500+ members of some really nice folk's....Not all members own a boat...They just boat bum..... Lots of activities....If you want to learn of all the best cruising destinations along the Texas Coast and beyond. Then this is the boating club to belong too....They even have a land yacht division.
http://www.tmca.nu/
Okay there you go...That's my short take own the subject, based on some nearly forty years of living and sailing in the area.
