New England Moorage?

[Mischief Managed]

Very little cruising South of Portland Maine, mostly open ocean.

The Maine coast northeast of Portland is indeed spectacular, but Saco, Wells, Perkins Cove, York, Portsmouth, Isles of Shoals, Hampton, Newburyport, Rockport, Gloucester, Manchester by the Sea, Marblehead, Salem, Beverly, Boston, Hull, Scituate, Plymouth, Cape Cod, Buzzards Bay, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Cuttyhunk, and Naragansett Bay all say "huh?"



There's some fine cruising southwest of Portland too, it's just different than Downeast cruising. We love both.

 

[CharlieO.]

Mischief, Is there a waiting list at your marina and what do you know about the moorings there? Been to Hampton beach a few times, my kids would like all the activities too.
Thanks

 

[Mischief Managed]

Mischief, Is there a waiting list at your marina and what do you know about the moorings there? Been to Hampton beach a few times, my kids would like all the activities too.
Thanks

There is likely a waiting list for slips and the marina has no moorings. That said, boats come and go all the time, so you might find what you need. It's Hampton River Marina, in case you hadn't figured it out. What size slip do you need?



FWIW, the marina offers no maintenance or repair services. There are some independent guys that work on boats here, but most people are DIY. It's also not a high-end marina, by any means, but we love it.

 

[CharlieO.]

Mischief, Currently shopping for a boat probably 32-36 footer just trying to do my legwork on where we can keep it for next season. I was just curious about the mostly commercial boats that I see on moorings in the harbor there.

We are mostly DYI also so no worries there, and being in Hampton Beach not really a lot marina amenities are required.
Thanks

 

[CharlieO.]

BackinBlue, Lake Champlain is on my list of possibilities, and I wouldn't mind changing marinas possibly every couple years to get to the coast.

I'm really just trying to come up with some options for next season. Then if needed I can get on some waitlists closer to where we need or want to be. We are hoping to find our boat before the end of the year.

Thanks.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Mischief, Currently shopping for a boat probably 32-36 footer just trying to do my legwork on where we can keep it for next season. I was just curious about the mostly commercial boats that I see on moorings in the harbor there.

We are mostly DYI also so no worries there, and being in Hampton Beach not really a lot marina amenities are required.
Thanks

A 32 to 36 foot boat should be much easier to get a slip for at HRM than for a boat over 40 feet. Let me know if there's anything I can do to help you out. My Winter home is only 1500 feet from the marina and I go there all the time.



Some folks here buy boats to get the slip they are in, then sell the boat they bought and buy the boat they want. Might be worth the hassle just to get your foot in the door and start boating...


One thing I forgot to mention is that movement in and out of the marina is sometimes tide-constrained. Our typical tidal swing is 7 to 10 feet and when low tide is below MLLW, you may have to wait an hour or more to leave. The water level changes pretty rapidly, so it's not that big a deal, especially if you plan for it. There are also a bunch of slips on the H and F docks that are shallow enough for boats to rest on the silt bottom at really low tides. There's no chance of boat damage from this, but A/C-heat raw water pump inlets can end up sucking up silt on those docks. If I had a boat on one of those docks, I rig up a bypass raw water intake hose and strainer that I could toss into deeper water, but I have never seen anyone do that.

 

[CharlieO.]

Thanks for the info, all the boats we are interested in, the first thing I find out is if the moorage is transferable.

 

[backinblue]

Mischief, I don't mean to criticize because you sound very happy with your marina. However $185/ft is pretty expensive especially considering the lack of services and tidal constraints. You pay extra for winter storage I presume?

 

[kthoennes]

Every once in a while it crosses my mind to look for a marina or a slip on the Connecticut River for our retirement someday (my family lived in Chester for a while, one of my favorite areas in the world). This discussion is making me think that's never going to happen. I knew it would be higher than here, but yikes some of those prices are brutal.

 

[backinblue]

Every once in a while it crosses my mind to look for a marina or a slip on the Connecticut River for our retirement someday (my family lived in Chester for a while, one of my favorite areas in the world). This discussion is making me think that's never going to happen. I knew it would be higher than here, but yikes some of those prices are brutal.

I haven't checeked, but I beleieve that the farther up the river you go, away from the Sound, the prices get much more resonable. For instance if you are willing to go up to the Middletown area, it's probably much less that Essex for instance.

 

[kthoennes]

Well, I don't think I'd go up much further than the Pattaconk or Middlesex yacht clubs. Almost 13 miles to the Sound even from there, ducking under the Old Lyme Railroad Bridge. I see Pattaconk has a two year waiting list, not sure about Middlesex. Essex Island is beautiful and a beautiful spot but (1) it's been gobbled up by Safe Harbor and (2) Essex was always too rich for our blood.

 

[backinblue]

Personally, I like Noank Shipyard, but I'm guessing it's no bargain there either. I've only visited.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Another place you could look is the Merrimack River in MA. I believe slip availability increases and prices decrease the further up the river you go. It can make for a long ride out to sea, but it's a pretty ride. There is the issue of use tax in MA though, something NH does not charge. I don't recall all the details of use tax, but it's something you should research if MA appeals.

 

[Hippocampus]

Prior owner kept his boat in Noack Connecticut at Spicers. Seemed at nice yard and workers were quite responsive. May want to check them out.

 

[kthoennes]

I've always heard good things about Spicer's in Noank, in recent years and even when my parents lived around there up to the 90's. In fact some people would make the trek from the river to Noank for significant work. Really good store too, a real marine store, not all about shoes and Hawaiian shirts like West Marine. More like something you'd find in the Pacific Northwest. We stopped there in 2015 when we were outfitting our boat for the run from Newport to Albany.

 

[FF]

"Every once in a while it crosses my mind to look for a marina or a slip on the Connecticut River for our retirement"

In most locations keeping the boat at a mooring is the lowest cost .

Doddsons in Stonington CT has launch service and is like a yacht club , but without the membership wait.

I kept my boats at Yankee in Middletown CT , and the short row from shore in my dink was seldom a hassle

The anchor ball style living to me is far superior as its quieter than dock side.

With todays battery powered tools on board projects are easy.
One solar panel will keep the batts up when you are not aboard and good coolers will last from Friday till Sunday .

Sure its a bit more work , but the savings can be 75 or 80% compared with the dock.

Since boats will need to use the pump-out and get fresh water , at the dock, its easy to keep on going and actually use the boat!

 

[jleonard]

We kept our boat at Gwenmor marina in Mystic for 30 years. Small marina, no pool or amenities but that’s one reason we liked it there. The yard is often a mess as they are also a marine construction company.
But it’s in a small cove south of all the bridges and well protected.
And they just built new docks with plenty of power for bigger boats.
And a short walk to downtown.

 

[Cigatoo]

O night moorings at Dodson’s we’re reportedly $107.00 per night last summer. Yikes!

 

[Hippocampus]

Love Stonington but marina fees at Dodsons are shocking. Mooring field is tight but doable with a modicum of attention. No good place to anchor out and dinghy in with any protection.
Still a well run yard. Everything is within walking distance except a real chandlery. Yard did let us use their address to get stuff.

 

[backinblue]

Stonington is a very wealthy town in CT so I'd expect it to be expensive. I've heard the yacht club is nice there but never stayed. Still cheap compared to marinas in Montauck!

 

[Cigatoo]

Love Stonington but marina fees at Dodsons are shocking. Mooring field is tight but doable with a modicum of attention. No good place to anchor out and dinghy in with any protection.
Still a well run yard. Everything is within walking distance except a real chandlery. Yard did let us use their address to get stuff.

Very well run yard. They have some extremely talented workers.

 

[CharlieO.]

Now that we have an accepted offer on a boat we are looking at some small marinas on the Upper Hudson, and am still going to look at lake Champlain. Availability for next season and good on pricing. But if anyone has any other info it is still greatly appreciated. We will decide on a coastal location for a different season.

 

[backinblue]

I'm not very familiar with boating in that area but the little experience I do have is that Lake Champlain has more to offer than the Hudson. I'd look for something in the southern part of the lake. You can easily get to the Hudson if needed. This is a nice small family run business:

Champlain Bridge Marina - New & Used Rinker Boats