PacMar marina - Portland OR?

Does anyone have any thoughts/experiences with PacMar marina in Portland Oregon? I'm still searching for a place to keep my boat in our move to Portland (assuming I can find a viable way to get it there from the east coast...), and would greatly appreciate any comments on PacMar. I've visited a few marinas in the area, and would prefer a covered slip in the rainy climate of the area.

Thanks!

Endurance said:

I'm still searching for a place to keep my boat in our move to Portland ...I've visited a few marinas in the area, and would prefer a covered slip in the rainy climate of the area.

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I'm not familiar with that marina but years ago a very good friend of mine kept his 40' Bodega in a marina, under the I-5 bridge that crosses the Columbia River. Talk about being out of the rain!

I've been to Pac Mar. Nice, high covered slips. Right out on the Columbia, so there is quite a bit of influence from large boats, tugs and barges. Can roll around a lot. Tomahawk Bay is very nice as you're protected by Hayden Island.

Were you able to investigate Channel Island Marina?

Mark

St Helens

St Helens is a local secret, small town, lower rent and much quieter. A covered berth may be a little harder to get. It does rain, and there is current, however the Columbia is gorgeous and there are great free state and county parks on islands with good docks and hiking, kayaking, and beach's.

Endurance said:

Does anyone have any thoughts/experiences with PacMar marina in Portland Oregon? I'm still searching for a place to keep my boat in our move to Portland (assuming I can find a viable way to get it there from the east coast...), and would greatly appreciate any comments on PacMar. I've visited a few marinas in the area, and would prefer a covered slip in the rainy climate of the area.

Thanks!

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We kept our Sea Ray in two different spots in Portland for almost 3 years, spent a year under cover at Hayden Island marina.. moved out of cover as the Admiral HATED never getting any sun. It was also really cold as the cover held in the river temp and that river gets really cold. Also getting in and out in the spring was a bitch as the current can run over 6kts through the slough.
We moved outside to Tomahawk and it was a nice place. Good price, easy access, pretty quiet.
Also look at Salpar Marina.. brand new, next to tomahawk great access.
West Marine just opened up a new "Flagship" store at the middle of the island so one doesn't have far to go to spend lots of money on the boat.

Pm me if you need any additional info,
Good Luck,
HOLLYWOOD

We've had 2 different covered slips at Hayden Bay on Tomahawk Island - the marina operator is Columbia Crossings. We also had a covered slip at the Port of Kalama at river mile 75, not bad and half the price of Hayden Bay.

Hayden Bay has nice amenities including a large grocery store and fast food right across the street from the parking area, a fuel dock, and the showers are good.

Like Hollywood says, the current in the slough beside the marina is strong and the slough is a long no-wake zone, 30 minutes against the current to the main river channel. Lots of houseboats along the way with the sheriff's department on speed-dial in case someone gets impatient.

There is some airport noise and some highway noise, but they usually have covered slips available.

There are a couple of marinas on the Multnomah Channel (separates Sauvie Island from the mainland) that have covered moorage. 20-30 minutes from downtown Portland. Don't recall the exact names even though I lived in one 10 years ago. Maybe Scappoose Marina, or something like that... Oh, and Rocky Point, though they have very few covered slips IIRC. Anyway, it's a very peaceful slough, fairly placid in terms of current except during spring runoff. Then it can get up to 3 kts or so. However, there is often a waiting list for covered moorage in that area. Good luck!

Portland Marinas

Hi Nick,

I just acquired Nekas, a 2007 AT34 in August and moved her from Port Ludlow to Tacoma and then to Portland (by truck) in September. Took a covered slip at Jantzen Bay and it's working OK. I wanted the protection of being off the main Columbia channel; this is our first cruiser and we are learning the ropes. Calm currents, good facility, some protection from the east winds that howl down the gorge. A no wake exit to the main river takes about 20-30 minutes east or west.

We looked at the marinas on Multnomah Channel; there is one next to Rocky Point that is a very nice newer covered marina owned by McCuddy's. It would have been closer to home (Beaverton) but a long slow cruise to the Columbia or Willamette, plus I work in Vancouver so drive by Jantzen Bay every day and this way I can check on Nekas often.

We intend to take Nekas back up north to Puget Sound in a year or two once we get to know her. Would be happy to assist if needed with info on the Portland area. Glad to know another AT owner down here.

Rob

Thank you Rob, I appreciate your comments and suggestions. It's nice to know there's another AT owner in Portland. I sent you a PM, maybe we can do some joint cruises.

Salpare Bay Marina in Portland

We keep our Nordhavn 50, Duet, at Salpare Bay. It is not covered, but it is brand new, well run and relatively sheltered. We've been there for 6 months and are happy with the management and the neighbors. There are a number of live aboards, so the docks are active. It is easy to enter and exit. There is no current in the marina.

On the minus side, there can be wakes from the river in the slips near the entrance where we are, but so far it hasn't been a problem. The condos up top are being worked on, so there is a lot of dirt. The airport flight path overhead doesn't help matters. Of course, the constant rain helps keep Duet rinsed

Pac Mar seems to be a very nice marina but you need to know that it is on the main stem of the Columbia and is not immune to wakes from river traffic. Also most of the marinas in that area need to do maintenance dredging annually due to silting from river current. Any where near Hayden island is in boating central for the Portland area. You would be minutes from three chandlerys and would have options for groceries and eateries including several seasonal floating restaurants. You have many options from relatively cheap to expensive, covered and uncovered and several yacht clubs have boathouses you can purchase...Mike

AT34 Nekas said:

Hi Nick,

I just acquired Nekas, a 2007 AT34 in August and moved her from Port Ludlow to Tacoma and then to Portland (by truck) in September. Took a covered slip at Jantzen Bay and it's working OK. I wanted the protection of being off the main Columbia channel; this is our first cruiser and we are learning the ropes. Calm currents, good facility, some protection from the east winds that howl down the gorge. A no wake exit to the main river takes about 20-30 minutes east or west.

We looked at the marinas on Multnomah Channel; there is one next to Rocky Point that is a very nice newer covered marina owned by McCuddy's. It would have been closer to home (Beaverton) but a long slow cruise to the Columbia or Willamette, plus I work in Vancouver so drive by Jantzen Bay every day and this way I can check on Nekas often.

We intend to take Nekas back up north to Puget Sound in a year or two once we get to know her. Would be happy to assist if needed with info on the Portland area. Glad to know another AT owner down here.

Rob

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Hopefully you are on the down current side of the walkway, when we had our sea ray under cover there the current in the spring was a force to be reckoned with. I was so glad to have twins with 700hp available to be able to get back into the slip! .

So do you frequent Norma's Kitchen?.. they do the most authentic Southern BBQ I have had this side of Texas. It sure was nice not to worry about bottom painting and marine critters for my years on the river.

HOLLYWOOD

mvduet said:

We keep our Nordhavn 50, Duet, at Salpare Bay. It is not covered, but it is brand new, well run and relatively sheltered. We've been there for 6 months and are happy with the management and the neighbors. There are a number of live aboards, so the docks are active. It is easy to enter and exit. There is no current in the marina.

On the minus side, there can be wakes from the river in the slips near the entrance where we are, but so far it hasn't been a problem. The condos up top are being worked on, so there is a lot of dirt. The airport flight path overhead doesn't help matters. Of course, the constant rain helps keep Duet rinsed

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I've read your blog about bringing Duet down the coast with great interest. We look forward to making that run in a couple of years. Salpare Bay is a very nice marina. The developer ran into real problems with the condos and stopped construction for several years while he fought with his lenders; just recently re-started construction and I think they will be apartments now.

We opted for a covered slip in Jantzen Bay as I wanted a to minimize further oxidation on Nekas until I deal with it. I had also heard being on the PDX flight path can leave a sooty film on boats in the open; turns out it lands on the roof of my slip and the rain washes it off and the wind blows it on my boat anyway. Can't win.

Best,
Rob

hollywood8118 said:

Hopefully you are on the down current side of the walkway, when we had our sea ray under cover there the current in the spring was a force to be reckoned with. I was so glad to have twins with 700hp available to be able to get back into the slip! .

So do you frequent Norma's Kitchen?.. they do the most authentic Southern BBQ I have had this side of Texas. It sure was nice not to worry about bottom painting and marine critters for my years on the river.

HOLLYWOOD

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Hi Hollywood,

I am on the downstream (west) side of the first dock, tucked up close to shore and protected somewhat from the current and the easterly winds. We are in a single slip and the bow and stern thrusters really help when reversing into the slip, but so far currents haven't been an issue. Spring runoff will probably be a different story.

Norma's is closed for the month of January. Probably on a warm beach somewhere. We love BBQ, so I think we'll be regulars there.

Rob

Rob,

We have Duet washed every three weeks, which helps a lot. Let me know if you need a contact, we have a great detailer, she does a lot of boats at Salpare. She also did an excellent wax job for us. We have a good diver too, if you need one.

We had Duet polished in Anacortes when we first got her, her glass looks almost new, to us anyway. Our 46 had a lot of oxidation from the sun, as she spent much of her life in Florida and the islands with us.

Please feel free to get in touch privately via the web site if you wish, it's always nice to know another trawler owner in the area. We will be at Salpare for another year doing refit work, and plan to leave for Alaska in early '15.

Also, thanks for reading the web site, we enjoy writing it, but are always amazed when anyone reads it

Best
Nancy

mvduet said:

Rob,

We have Duet washed every three weeks, which helps a lot. Let me know if you need a contact, we have a great detailer, she does a lot of boats at Salpare. She also did an excellent wax job for us. We have a good diver too, if you need one.

We had Duet polished in Anacortes when we first got her, her glass looks almost new, to us anyway. Our 46 had a lot of oxidation from the sun, as she spent much of her life in Florida and the islands with us.

Please feel free to get in touch privately via the web site if you wish, it's always nice to know another trawler owner in the area. We will be at Salpare for another year doing refit work, and plan to leave for Alaska in early '15.

Also, thanks for reading the web site, we enjoy writing it, but are always amazed when anyone reads it

Best
Nancy

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Hi Nancy,

We'll look forward to meeting you one day. I drove by Salpare yesterday to see if I could see Duet. Now that the parking lot has been moved for construction the view isn't so great. We had a squall blowing through so I just drove through.

I'll get in touch via your website.

Rob