Slips & storage year to year (in the Northeast)

[CaptainLongBeard]

The idea of boating in retirement came up recently, and started thinking about how it all works. Before I get to my questions, I will describe what boating MIGHT look like for me and my wife. No "real" boating experience, but understand the ocean intimately (advanced sea kayakers). I like the idea of a trawler (journey is more important than destination), 40' +/- 2' or so because I like the volume to spread out comfortably, but don't need more than a single berth, maybe a storage room, and don't plan to entertain much. Would probably start with short trips, just a weekend up to maybe two week at a time. We don't mind cold weather if the boat is heated, but probably difficult to cruise New England in January, so might just store it for the winters. With more experience, trips might get longer, but don't really know. We will most likely keep our house since my wife tend to get homesick, and we also have a small RV for land-base traveling, so not looking to full-time on the boat. If we ever end up doing extended sailings (Caribbean, Great Loop, etc), we will be re-evaluating everything at that point. With all of that said, I imagine the boat in a slip during the season, waiting for us to hop on for a trip here and there, and then go into storage (and maintenance) for the winter.

My first question about marinas and/or storage facilities is prices - are they monthly or whole season? I feel like there is an industry standard but I don't know what it is. I just see numbers per foot for slips or storage, usually one number for summer and another for winter (obviously with various options), but don't really understand if they are per month or for the whole season. That kind of makes a difference!! If it varies by marina, I don't understand why it wouldn't be clarified.

Secondly, how to keep a "home" for the boat year after year. Generally speaking, do most marinas operate on a lottery where you might loose a spot that you have already had, or is it that once you are in, you keep it as long as you keep paying? I realize that operations differ from marina to marina, but generally speaking, as long as you keep paying for a slip (and winter storage in our case), do you get it again (or another) the following year? I get the impression that slips are hard to come by up in New England, so how would I manage having a place to take a boat after purchase, and how do I make sure I continue to have a place to keep it year after year?

 

[Bacchus]

Welcome aboard TF.
I'll speak from my experience but worth checking locally or where you intend to dock & store.
Most marinas in our area (NE) are seasonal leases and honor a renewal for following season if committed & deposit by a cut off date. Even state & municipal park marinas have come around to this model but some only for a fixed term say 5 years before they require entering a lottery again. Best to inquire where you are considering a seasonal slip to know for sure. Not all marinas do winterization & storage but most do. Some offer a pkg deal / price for season dickage / off season storage. Again, best to ask around when considering options.
Our home port marina is a state park with marina privately operated as a long-term concession and allow renewals if / when desired. At times if the optimum/ desired slip is not available, taking a less desirable one earns a priority to request a more desirable slip when it opens up and is better than an " outsider" trying to secure the most desirable slip.

If possible it's frequently a goid idea to get to know a current slip holder to get goid inside info on slips that may open up before it is advertised publicly. It's not unheard of for the mgmt to lease an open slip to someone inquiring " on the spot" vs offering publicly or via a waiting list. Good info / connections can help... cultivate those of highest interest.

I've seen boaters commit to a slip before buying the boat where the desired marina is popular and difficult to get in.

 

[Mischief Managed]

We keep our boat in Hampton Beach, NH. We pay for the whole year, Oct to Oct. and store the boat on the hard for the cold half of the boating year. We keep the same slip year after year. Boating here is fantastic in May to Oct, not so much Oct to May. Where do you plan to keep the boat?

If I had to buy again for New England boating, I would get a boat with a lower helm and a hard top over the flybridge, with no flybridge enclosure. My boat has no lower helm and a terrific enclosure around the flybridge, but the enclosure has a short life span and an eye-watering price tag to replace. With a lower helm station, there's no need for an enclosure up top and one less big recurring expense.

 

[jleonard]

My experience is similar to what Bacchus posted. We spent 30 plus seasons in Mystic , CT at a privately owned marina. Summer season was May 1st to October 31st. You could launch early and stay in late depending on temperature. Most years we spent Easter to Halloween in the slip.
We usually goy hauled out at a different marina/ location to be closer from home to do projects while on the hard and covered.
If you know someone who is a customer in good standing you may get the inside track on securing s slip initially.
Once you are a customer you can get the inside track on renewals and change slip assignments more easily if you want/ need to.
Good luck!

 

[TJM]

We are in Essex, CT and are year round liveaboards WITH awesome heat in a Diesel fireplace. Been boating for 30 yrs and love the life style. Walking the docks, talking to boaters is best. We love to talk, not so much type, lol. You will get many more questions answered. Dockage is changing and not for the best. Amenities are being taken away while costs are rising. Being handy is of prime importance, even the simple stuff done by a Marina will cost you big bucks $$$$.
Where are you located now ?

 

[CaptainLongBeard]

Sorry for the delayed response, and thanks for the replies so far. We are in Exeter, NH and not getting on the water any time soon, but just boating curious and looking into what the lifestyle is all about. We are currently just getting into RVing when vacation time allows, and only looking ahead to what retirement might look like. It is a challenge getting a sense of what costs might be for us and our travel style when we don't yet know what our travel style might even look like, so just looking at baseline costs to just own a 40ish foot before even taking it anywhere.

 

[Mischief Managed]

Sorry for the delayed response, and thanks for the replies so far. We are in Exeter, NH and not getting on the water any time soon, but just boating curious and looking into what the lifestyle is all about. We are currently just getting into RVing when vacation time allows, and only looking ahead to what retirement might look like. It is a challenge getting a sense of what costs might be for us and our travel style when we don't yet know what our travel style might even look like, so just looking at baseline costs to just own a 40ish foot before even taking it anywhere.

We pay around 10 grand a year for the slip, launch and haulout, 50 amp electric, and Winter storage, here in Hampton Beach on our 44 footer. It's very expensive, but it's the going rate in the area and there's no use tax (sales tax) to pay, like you would have to pay in MA if you kept the boat there (despite living in NH).

We do lots of 1-3 night trips to Isles of Shoals (1 HR), Newburyport (1HR), Rockport (2 HRs), Kittery/Portsmouth (1.5 HRs), Great Bay (2.5 HRs), Gloucester (2.5 HRs) Salem (4 HRs), Saco (5 HRs) Boston Harbor area (7 HRs) Casco Bay (8 HRs), Provincetown (8 HRs), Plymouth (8 HRs). Any further, like Block Island, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Boothbay, Penobscot Bay, and we usually stay out for 1-2+ weeks at a time. All travel times are at trawler speed. We've actually taken our dinghy to downtown Exeter (18 mile round trip) from Great Bay and it's a great side trip from the anchored mothership, if you time the tidal current and depths correctly.

We tend to operate at trawler speed 95% of the time and use about half a gallon of diesel per nautical mile of travel, which includes genset fuel while anchored. We typically buy fuel from a truck and paid less than $3 a gallon last year when buying that way. We also buy fuel at the fisherman's co-op in Seabrook and it's about $.70 more per gallon than the truck delivery, but about $.50 less than typical consumer fuel docks. The co-op does not advertise fuel sales, but they are happy to sell to non-member pleasure boaters. The experiencve isn't what you'd call fancy though...

We cruise on our own most of the time, but we've discovered that cruising with friends in a flotilla of 1-4 other boats is an ablsolute blast. We also discovered that marina life and the friendships we've made there have deeply enriched our lives. We have a guest stateroom with it's own shower and head that allows for effortlessly hosting guests aboard a couple of times a year and that's great fun too. The guest stateroom is our pantry/storage room, otherwise.

Whatever you buy for a boat, make sure you have the ability to bring a "fast", comfortable dinghy with you. We have a 10' 6" aluminum/Hypalon RIB with a Euro helm and an electric start 25HP engine. It cruises easily at 18 knots. It's equipped with a 5" Garmin chartplotter/fish finder which makes exploring new areas pretty stress-free. It also has running lights. A dinghy that can cover a lot of distance quickly in comfort is a total game changer when cruising and will likely pay for itself by allowing you to anchor out for free instead of paying for transient slips, while still easily enjoying shore attractions. Fast dighies are also an absolute riot and we regularly go for rips aboard ours on the endless estuaries that surround Hampton/Seabrook Harbor. We'll often go on group dinghy rides with other marina folks that usually include picnic lunches, bonfires on sand bars, and stops for ice cream. Taking the dinghies out in front of Hampton Beach on Wednesday nights for the weekly fireworks in a group is also great fun.

Ping me if you ever want to discuss any of this stuff further or want to know more about the lifestyle. Have fun RVing too, many of our boating friends do that as well.

 

[CharlieO.]

We pay $55 a foot for our slip and $225 for electric for boating season. Generally Mid May launch and haul out toward mid to late October.

$20 a foot for winter haul out and storage and relaunch, we have to supply our own stands. We pay the yard to winterize the engine when they haul out, around $250. I winterize the heads, a/c and freshwater systems myself prior to haul out.

$25 a foot for shrink wrap.

You keep your slip every year as long as you pay your bills and don’t get kicked out for being a jerk or by being a liability.

Our marina is small with not much for amenities but is very friendly with great dock neighbors.

 

[CaptainLongBeard]

We pay around 10 grand a year for the slip, launch and haulout, 50 amp electric, and Winter storage, here in Hampton Beach on our 44 footer.

Wow Mischief, thank you so much for all of that info! The annual dockage/storage cost is about what I have been seeing in the area, which means the listed per-foot costs are per season, not month (that would be REALLY expensive!!). Some of your trip location ideas are very interesting, hadn't thought about day- and weekend- trips like that, and are somewhat similar to some sea-kayaking trips I have done, so will give that concept some more thought. The dingy excursions are also very interesting, and sound really fun.

We pay $55 a foot for our slip and $225 for electric for boating season. Generally Mid May launch and haul out toward mid to late October.

$20 a foot for winter haul out and storage and relaunch, we have to supply our own stands. We pay the yard to winterize the engine when they haul out, around $250. I winterize the heads, a/c and freshwater systems myself prior to haul out.

$25 a foot for shrink wrap.

You keep your slip every year as long as you pay your bills and don’t get kicked out for being a jerk or by being a liability.

Our marina is small with not much for amenities but is very friendly with great dock neighbors.

I guess it is all about location, isn't it!?!

 

[CharlieO.]

Wow Mischief, thank you so much for all of that info! The annual dockage/storage cost is about what I have been seeing in the area, which means the listed per-foot costs are per season, not month (that would be REALLY expensive!!). Some of your trip location ideas are very interesting, hadn't thought about day- and weekend- trips like that, and are somewhat similar to some sea-kayaking trips I have done, so will give that concept some more thought. The dingy excursions are also very interesting, and sound really fun.


I guess it is all about location, isn't it!?!

Absolutely, we are on Lake Champlain and it is the cheapest spot we were able to get, and they were one of the only ones that could get us a slip for the season when we bought the boat. We have to benefit of being in fresh water but still have access to the Champlain canal, Hudson river, Erie canal and could even go north to Canada and the St. Lawerence Seaway. So even though we are on a lake we are by no means land locked.

Don't get me wrong, we would love to be on the ocean somewhere but that would be at least double the cost, but we are still working toward that plan. I would have loved to be able to afford to keep the boat where we bought it from, Liberty Landing Marina- but at $340 a foot was out of our price range and an additional 2 hr. drive time to get to and from the boat.

The other option is to look at boat clubs and yacht clubs for inexpensive slip space after joining.

 

[Martin610]

Lots of good responses here. We ourselves have been boating for decades, we have been retired for many years now.

We have been in both private and governmental marinas. Pluses and minuses to both. Maintenance and service of the marina are often better with private. Private marinas have trouble getting dredging done due to paperwork and engineering costs. Government marinas sometimes struggle with difficult slip holders who possibly drink too much, start trouble etc. Private marinas just kick them out.

Definitely try to befriend current slip holders where ever you go to get the inside scoop.

One other consideration, a 40 trawler is a large vessel to get started with. You need to maneuver it, etc. Maintenance is an issue. You can't always get a mechanic, you will probably need to be prepared to do some of the work yourself.

-martin610

 

[CaptainLongBeard]

Definitely try to befriend current slip holders where ever you go to get the inside scoop.

One of the better suggestions I have picked up on is to get the slip before buying a boat.

One other consideration, a 40 trawler is a large vessel to get started with. You need to maneuver it, etc. Maintenance is an issue. You can't always get a mechanic, you will probably need to be prepared to do some of the work yourself.

I have seen mixed opinions about whether to start small and work up to a larger boat vs jump into the bigger boat right away. I am of the mind to embrace the learning curve and go for the boat that we will want to use, and not the one we need to force ourselves to attempt to enjoy. Also if we do this, we will be getting plenty of instruction, and doing short local trips to acclimate.

As for maintenance and repairs, we are firm believers in preventative maintenance is better than reactive repairs, and know that there is a time and financial cost to that. But, I am well prepared to do a lot of the work, having been an electrical contractor for several decades, and also do all my own automotive repairs, unless it requires specialized equipment.

 

[Mischief Managed]

As for maintenance and repairs, we are firm believers in preventative maintenance is better than reactive repairs, and know that there is a time and financial cost to that. But, I am well prepared to do a lot of the work, having been an electrical contractor for several decades, and also do all my own automotive repairs, unless it requires specialized equipment.

I recommend that you buy a copy of Nigel Calder's Boat Owner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual now, to see what you'll be getting into for repairs and maintenance. None of it is particularly difficult, but there's A LOT to know and Calder teaches it really well.

If you don't have Chapman's Piloting, Seamanship and Small Boat Handling already, that would be another great book you can read study before you buy a boat.

I keep both of them onboard for reference. If you read those and retain 5%; and memorize how to tie a cleat hitch, a half hitch and bowline; you will be WAY ahead of 99% of new power boaters and 50% of all power boaters.

 

[Martin610]

A good point on the ABYC standards. Electrical standards on boats are different than in a building, residential or commercial. Even some of the insulating colors are different. Nigel Calder is a great reference. Insurance companies seem to be getting a bit fussy about boats meeting the ABYC standards.

Something else I forgot. There are some marinas that don't allow you to work on your boat. They require you to use their people. There are variations on that. Being in a municipal marina I can do anything I want, or hire help if I need it. That works for me.

Across the way in the private marina, you have to use their people for anything below the water line. You can do anything above the water line yourself.

 

[CaptainLongBeard]

The ABYC standards are starting to come my direction as I work on re-powering our RV battery bank with a 51v system. While not required to be ABYC compliant, a lot of the equipment meet the standards, or at least will with appropriate installation methods. I will chase that rabbit down it's hole if and/or when we decide we might do this.

As for the marinas allowing owners to work on their boats or not, I am seeing this around our area, and it definitely reduces the options. It appears that the nicer marinas that cater to those with more refined tastes tend to be the most restrictive, where the basic working-yard marina tend to me more lenient. Although a gross generalization, this is fine by me as we don't need a yacht club with all of the finer things, just a safe place to park it and keep repair costs manageable.