# Where to find more info on boat dockage.



## TheSailingNovice (Jan 29, 2021)

Hello everyone, I’m new to sailnet and the world of sailing in general. I’ve had a long term dream of becoming a sailor and for the past few years have been saving up to someday have my own sailboat. I’ve taken ASA 101 sailing lessons and have been studying all the information about sailing I can find online or at the library. 

One thing I have trouble finding however is information on where to dock a boat long term and what options are available. I know the bare basics about keeping a boat at a marina slip (that they usually charge per foot per month + electric), but I don’t know much else. I find scarce info about keeping sailboats at mooring fields, at private docks, or just leaving it anchored unattended. 

I know keeping a small trailer sailer in your driveway is an easy option, but long term I’m looking for something bigger and regardless my HOA wouldn’t allow it. Therefore I have a few questions I hope more experienced sailors can answer. 

1). Is there a good place to find out about marinas online, such as what ones are near me, what they charge, reviews for the marinas, etc? Do you just have to call them or walk in to find out, or do you recommend a more efficient way to search this up? 

2). How do you get a mooring? Do people own their own mooring balls or do they rent them out at marinas? 

3). Do people rent out small or private docks? If so are they generally cheaper or more expensive than marinas? 

4). Can you anchor a boat anywhere or is that illegal? Do anchored boats often get stolen, lost, or sunk? 

5). Can you keep a boat stored on a trailer in a marina? If so does this actually save you anything? 

Hopefully these questions aren’t too long or obvious, but I appreciate any information you can provide.


----------



## midwesterner (Dec 14, 2015)

1. You can just do an internet search for "marinas near me" and call them. There is a website / app called Active Captain that shows a map with information related to boating. There is an icon for marinas that gives information.

2. Some people own their own mooring ball near there shoreside house. Some marinas and yacht clubs have moorings they lease.

3. Sometimes you hear of private home owners who have a dock, but not a boat, who may lease it out. But most people don't want strangers hanging out in their backyard.

4. Anchor laws, and local ordinances vary from area to area. Long-term anchoring is a risk to your boat in a number of ways.

5. You can keep a boat on a trailer at a marina and it is a little cheaper, because you can launch your boat yourself, and not have to pay for the boat lift to launch your boat. For boats on trailers, there are storage yards that store your boat behind a fence and maybe cheaper than storing in a marina yard.

First, you will probably want to decide where you want to keep a boat for sailing. Then you can search marinas in that area. 

When I did my search for a marina for my boat, I found that marinas that are further up the river, further Inland, are often cheaper. People pay more money to have their boat right near the big part of the bay or with access to the ocean. 

Fees at marinas vary greatly depending on the other services they have.


----------



## skipmac (Oct 31, 2007)

Hi TSN and welcome to the forum. 

There are lots of options but vary depending on location. This forum is global with members from all over the world so would help a lot to get you a better answer to know what country you are in, I'm assuming US so which coast and maybe even what state.

As you might guess, the costs for dockage can vary a lot depending on where you are. A new marina with all amenities close to a major city could be triple the cost of a bare bones dock in a more rural area.


----------



## TheSailingNovice (Jan 29, 2021)

skipmac said:


> Hi TSN and welcome to the forum.
> 
> There are lots of options but vary depending on location. This forum is global with members from all over the world so would help a lot to get you a better answer to know what country you are in, I'm assuming US so which coast and maybe even what state.
> 
> As you might guess, the costs for dockage can vary a lot depending on where you are. A new marina with all amenities close to a major city could be triple the cost of a bare bones dock in a more rural area.


Hi thanks. I am in the US. I'm moving to Bradenton, Florida so I would be looking at something in the vicinity of Tampa Bay or Sarasota. I'm not looking for a lot of marina amenities, just a safe secure place to put a boat when it's not in use. My goal is to eventually get a shallow draft cruising sailboat in the range of 30-35ft. I think that eliminates most trailer sailboats so I would probably need a dock or mooring ball of some kind.


----------



## denverd0n (Jun 20, 2008)

There are a LOT of marinas in the Tampa Bay area. Google is your friend.

There are also a lot of houses on the water, with docks out back that are available for rent. Check craigslist.

There are places where you can anchor a boat and leave it, but then security is whatever YOU provide. If you are not living on the boat, it is essentially unsecured anytime you are not there. Not a choice I would opt for.

Good luck.


----------



## Jeff_H (Feb 26, 2000)

My father and mother lived in Sarasota and Bradenton and had boats almost through the end of their lives, so I was there on a pretty regular basis up until a year and a half ago. When I lived in Sarasota, (nearly 50 years ago now) if you have a trailer/sailer, it was quite affordable to keep your boat at the Sarasota Sailing Squadron. You were able to store the boat with the mast up ready to go. The sailing squadron also had moorings and slips, but I don't know what the deal was with those and they were pretty exposed in storms. 

If you don't care about elaborate amenties, there is a very affordable funky little marina on Bowles Creek. (It is not easy to find but driving south on rt 41, just south of 69th Ave W, you make a right onto the ironically named Main Street between the Banana Factory and the Exxon station. If you keep bearing left, that will take you into the marina. My recollection is that there is a small office that is almost never open but which has the phone number to call for a slip. 

Closer to Tampa Bay and the Manatee is Galati's, which is out on Anna Marina and which used to be pretty affordable. A shorter drive is Safe Harbor in Palmetto, which used to be an affordable low key marina, but years ago it was upgraded a lot so that I could not recognize the place last time I was there and I suspect it is a lot more expensive. Snead Island boat works was a very cool boat yard. It was owned by the same family for something like 50 years but I understand it was sold some time back. They were not cheap, but they were a full service yard that could do anything on a boat. 

A lot of racers kept their boats at Apollo Beach which had deeper water and direct access to Tampa Bay.


----------



## skipmac (Oct 31, 2007)

Denverd0n and Jeff got it spot on. Nothing more I could add.


----------



## justified (Jun 14, 2007)

Check out the waterway guide Waterway Guide | Cruising Guide, Fuel Pricing, Navigation Alerts and News for Boaters and Yacht Enthusiasts 
you can check all the marinas in your area and the services they have.


----------



## Killick (Feb 27, 2014)

You and I are in approximately the exact same place. It's easy to dream about boats but it's harder to find a place to put them. Boat storage is a whole 'nother world, as they say. 

Look on Snag-A-Slip, Waterways Guide, Marinas.com, and similar places for starters. Also use Google Map. Be sure and look on Craigslist too - lots of slips for rent and sale there. And don't discount buying a slip - once you add up annual fees for a few years, the money seems about equal, and owning the slip can insulate you from a lot of the "pain" of boat ownership, namely the monthly fee for storage. A lot of people sell their boat for less than they should just to get out of slip fees.

What you will probably be happiest with is a "wet slip" which is a dockside slip, usually with water and power available there beside your boat. Sometimes these amenities come free with the slip, sometimes they're a flat extra fee, sometimes you pay for just exactly what you use. Most marinas have at least the basics of dockside power, restrooms/showers, and usually a small store to buy picnic type stuff. Bigger marinas don't necessarily charge more, and it can be possible to find a really nice place for the same price as a mom-and-pop out in the sticks. I found a wet slip at a friendly little full service marina on a lake in Tennessee for $218 a month for my deep draft 31' sailboat. I'll have it there for a couple of years, then move to the coast. I can point to several places on the east coast, south GA to the Chesapeake Bay, from $200 to $400 a month. Some are big, some are small. Some are literally on the ocean, (Folly Beach) some are several hours inland on a big river (New Bern, NC.) That seems to be the ballpark for a "working man's" wet slip. Believe me you can pay more. 

With a wet slip the boat is ready when you are. It's nice to park it and walk away knowing it's safe. It will cost you a whole lot less to get your slip on an annual contract rather than weekly or monthly - this depends on if you can afford to cough up the dough all in one chunk or need to do it monthly, but the savings can be tremendous. 

Dry storage, up on blocks, is cheaper, but you pay every time the boat comes out and goes back in the water. "Dry stack" is like a warehouse filled with boats up on shelves, but that's just for power boats and jet skis, etc. 

Consider what services you may need - it's nice to be at a marina that has a full service yard with a travel lift and people that can fix your boat if somebody bashes into it or you get a bunch of water in your engine. If you're at a marina without that, then your boat may need to be towed a good distance if it needs serious work.

Moorings are harder to find, and I don't know why. If you look at maps, you see mooring fields all over the place but good luck finding any info about them. Some marinas have mooring fields, but not many at all that I've found. Some seem hostile about the whole deal - I asked one marina if they had any open moorings and got a two word reply, all caps: "ABSOLUTELY NOT." A mooring is cheaper but you have to get to and from the boat on a dingy (yours or the marina's) and if you have a group, or lots of groceries, or it's pouring down rain, then this isn't nearly as much fun as a sharp stick in the eye. 

Anchoring is legal, "where it's legal." Certainly there are many, many legal places for travelling boaters to anchor as they move through an area, or in case they're hiding from a storm. And you can hang out for a few days, usually with no hassle. But anchoring is a big political hot button issue in lots of places and laws change. Waterways has good maps that include anchorages often with reviews about current, depth, local crime, bottom holding quality, etc. I mention local crime because if you anchor your boat in a creek and drive off, (and how will you get to your car - and what will you do with your dingy?) then who knows what can happen to it. If a storm blows in and your anchor drags, well...farewell and adieu. Many communities are hostile to anchoring because derelict people buy derelict boats and drop a hook, crank up the stereo, then throw their chicken bones and wine bottles overboard. 

As for private docks, it's not what you know it's who you know, and I'm sure there are people who used to have a boat at their dock but no longer do, and that's between you and them. How you go about finding them I would have no clue. I expect it's rarely done for liability and insurance reasons.

Sorry for going on and on but I just went through the same mental process myself and it's all in the front of my mind. Good luck!


----------



## markmonteverdi (Jan 31, 2015)

TheSailingNovice said:


> Hello everyone, I'm new to sailnet and the world of sailing in general. I've had a long term dream of becoming a sailor and for the past few years have been saving up to someday have my own sailboat. I've taken ASA 101 sailing lessons and have been studying all the information about sailing I can find online or at the library.
> 
> One thing I have trouble finding however is information on where to dock a boat long term and what options are available. I know the bare basics about keeping a boat at a marina slip (that they usually charge per foot per month + electric), but I don't know much else. I find scarce info about keeping sailboats at mooring fields, at private docks, or just leaving it anchored unattended.
> 
> ...


You should have no trouble finding a place to put your boat . The gulf coast of Florida in that area have plenty. I was just looking my self in that area . I would be living aboard the fees are reasonable and your in the Gulf of Mexico


----------



## Capt Sharky (Jan 30, 2021)

TheSailingNovice said:


> Hello everyone, I'm new to sailnet and the world of sailing in general. I've had a long term dream of becoming a sailor and for the past few years have been saving up to someday have my own sailboat. I've taken ASA 101 sailing lessons and have been studying all the information about sailing I can find online or at the library.
> 
> One thing I have trouble finding however is information on where to dock a boat long term and what options are available. I know the bare basics about keeping a boat at a marina slip (that they usually charge per foot per month + electric), but I don't know much else. I find scarce info about keeping sailboats at mooring fields, at private docks, or just leaving it anchored unattended.
> 
> ...


----------



## Capt Sharky (Jan 30, 2021)

I would try Dockwa | Marina dock, slip, and mooring reservations made simple.


----------



## Topspin (Jan 4, 2019)

If it is on a trailer, some marinas offer dry storage in the boatyard. If a bigger boat, you may get cheaper mooring on piles occasionally (then you need to have a dinghy). Moorings may be a bit differently handled, depending where you are located on this planet. Usually you get have your own mooring and a permission to use or drop it from the local authorities which is pretty cheap. In some countries, you can buy an existing mooring, in some countries, this is not possible and you have to drop your own one for some 1000$$. 
Or you bite the bullet and go into a marina slip.

Regards, 

-Richard (VK4WRS)


----------

