Marinas are expensive. Oftentimes marinas cost hundreds of dollars a month and are a significant portion of the overall cost of boat ownership. So, how can you find the best marina for all the money you’re paying?
First, you have to know what kind of boat you have (or will have) and the way you plan to use it. This will help determine where to keep your boat. If you want to waterski or wakeboard you may choose to keep your boat on an inland lake. If you have a larger boat like a cruiser or yacht and plan to travel further you may want to be on a much larger lake, river, or the ocean. The best way to eliminate some marinas as possible choices is by geography, which depends on what you’ll be doing as a boater.
After deciding where you will be boating, the decision gets a lot more difficult. Marina price is a big factor, but that also depends on location, services, amenities, quality, and a lot of other factors that are important, which is why you should focus on VALUE. However, value varies by individual, so you have to determine which criteria are most important to you, then decide if the marina price is right for its given qualities. A great resource to get other user reviews and opinions of marinas is MarinaRatings.com. The user reviews on the site include ratings on parking, noise, slip quality, storage quality, safety, pricing, staff, grounds, people, and more. This will help you determine how different marinas rank according to what YOU care about. We highly advise you to also read the detailed Marina Reviews on the site as well, since they often give you more detail that you otherwise wouldn’t be able to get just visiting a marina. If you have stayed at a marina before, we encourage you to contribute to the site by rating the marinas you’ve stayed at to benefit other boaters, or pay it forward.
You should also be familiar with the lingo and general prices for marinas. They often charge for slips by the size (length / width) and categorize them. Storage is almost always by square foot. Transient dockage is either charged per foot per day or is a flat charge per day. Marina Ratings also has a section that shows the average marina price users have paid at a marina for each service as well as an average for the city, another great feature. Keep one thing in mind as you search – cheap marinas are usually cheap for a reason.
Once you’ve determined the value based on the marina pricing and what criteria you value as a boater, contact the best marina for you and ask if they are running any promotions or offer package pricing if you’re buying more than one service.
