Manasquan River

[Heap]

Doing my planning for the Spring and looking at the Manasquan River as a stop on the New Jersey coast. Who has been there? What did you think? How is the anchoring? Good marina?

 

[Comodave]

We stopped there one time at the marina just below the train bridge, don’t recall the name. The current was very strong and the wakes were unremitting. My wife had to have an emergency appendectomy so we spent 2 nights there. And the entire time it seemed like sportsfishers were plowing in or out halfway on plane so the wakes were huge. I asked the dock master if that was normal and he said pretty much. But the docks were pretty new so that was good.

 

[Beekeepergreg]

We Keep our boat at Traders Cove, Very North End of the Barnegat Bay. Very nice place to stay if coming up thru the Bay. From Manasquan Inlet it is about 45 minutes and you have to go thru the Point Pleasant Canal. In the back of the Manasquan River is The Manasquan River Club, very protected and no current, but isn't accessible at low tide. Crystal River has better water and is also protected.
Feel free to reach out for local knowledge. If the ocean is rough try to plan the inlet on an incoming tide. Weekends will keep you on your toes at the inlet and the RR Bridge next to the route 35 bridge.
Greg

 

[Beekeepergreg]

Shark River could be considered.
The Municipal Marina is nice with good water. The back of Shark River is very tame and relaxing.
Inlet has less traffic than the Manasquan but the bridges have to be timed.
I can't confirm the 15' height of the Drawbridge at the inlet, but it is right inside the inlet. Right from the ocean and under the bridge.
Greg

 

[psneeld]

Agree with Beekeepergreg's posts...grew up on Shark River, boated most of Jersey catholic commercially and recreational.

Both places are tough for calm water, large area boaters. The waters are confined, twisting narrow channels, bridges with strong currents, lots of weekend traffic...etc.

Not bad places for reasonably experienced boaters, but they are not relaxing for boaters spoiled by less complex boating areas.

Not much in the way of anchorages usually, its been too long to recommend places as those places fill in and scour out from year to year. Northern Barnegat bay has plenty.

Because northern Barnegat Bay is pretty nice cruising, coming in Manasquan and going out Barnegat Inlet is always an option.

 

[PMF1984]

The inlet (actually all the NJ inlets) can be tricky.

If there is a swell outside it’s a lot worse at the inlet mouth. The steep waves require some power to stay on track.

If you get up there and it’s the end of the day, where do you go?

I always look for a second day of W or NW wind and small waves coming in from the ocean. I use the SwellInfo app for sea state as the noaa marine forecast is more of an offshore thing.

 

[psneeld]

Cape May and Atlantic City are almost always benign except ebb tide and strong NE or E winds at Atlantic City and SE winds at Cape May.

On flood tides, if those inlets are scary, the ocean would be bad enough most wouldn't even try the NJ coastal run.

Read up in the Coast Pilot and call the local assistance towers if still in doubt.

My assistance tow office used to pass on dozens of cal a year from transiting yachts wanting local knowledge. Even tanking people into Townsends Inlet (central to my area) was easy despite the typical "local knowledge required" as often seen...yet hundreds of beginner boaters use these inlets all season long, year after yer.

 

[Wayfarer]

We stopped there one time at the marina just below the train bridge, don’t recall the name. The current was very strong and the wakes were unremitting. My wife had to have an emergency appendectomy so we spent 2 nights there. And the entire time it seemed like sportsfishers were plowing in or out halfway on plane so the wakes were huge. I asked the dock master if that was normal and he said pretty much. But the docks were pretty new so that was good.

Hoffman's Marina. I'm here as I type this. I was hoping to make it to Barnegat inlet today, but the 1-2 foot seas that were forecast turned out to be 3-4 footers. The crappy ride also slowed me down, which meant I wouldn't have gotten there till well after dark.

The marina is just as Dave-o says. The docks are in good shape, but are really tall fixed jobs. The current was ebbing at about 2 knots at the dock when I arrived, and it's been ripping along ever since. The wakes from the fishing fleet are constant, and substantial. The dockmaster was very helpful and very pleasant. It's not cheap. My bill for a 45 footer with a single 30 amp plug was just shy of 190 bucks for the night.

I had considered finding somewhere to anchor in here instead, but with the current and the traffic, and no recommended spots on Active Captain, I'm glad I decided against it.

 

[Comodave]

Hoffman's Marina. I'm here as I type this. I was hoping to make it to Barnegat inlet today, but the 1-2 foot seas that were forecast turned out to be 3-4 footers. The crappy ride also slowed me down, which meant I wouldn't have gotten there till well after dark.

The marina is just as Dave-o says. The docks are in good shape, but are really tall fixed jobs. The current was ebbing at about 2 knots at the dock when I arrived, and it's been ripping along ever since. The wakes from the fishing fleet are constant, and substantial. The dockmaster was very helpful and very pleasant. It's not cheap. My bill for a 45 footer with a single 30 amp plug was just shy of 190 bucks for the night.

I had considered finding somewhere to anchor in here instead, but with the current and the traffic, and no recommended spots on Active Captain, I'm glad I decided against it.

Yes the docks and marina are very nice. They were building a restaurant or something when we were there. But the current and the wakes would stop me from staying there more than I had to. We did 2 nights but only because my wife had an emergency appendectomy. I don’t remember it being that expensive but maybe they have hiked their rates since they finished building the marina.

 

[PMF1984]

The marina up the River, before the fixed bridge (Safe Harbor Crystal Point) is $3.25 a foot. It says max draft is 3 feet, but the outside finger pier was okay for me at 4 feet. The inside slips were definitely a problem depth wise. There is a 24 hour self serve fuel dock there.

You do not get the sport fishing boats steaming by. So there’s that.

 

[High Wire]

When we came south last year everything was full inside MI. The closest anchorage was 5 miles south on the ICW. But that was July.