Not one nice Marina from Trenton to Essington, Pa

[Ulladh]

bljones
A agree with you less amenities usually mean a better dock side atmosphere. I enjoy reading your blog on the goings on on dock 6.

I would like to have a bar or restaurant close to the marina rather than the 4 or 5 block walk I have, but we have a nice gazebo over the water and in the summer someone will always offer a beer.

We have free ice and a clean bathroom, what more would anyone want.

[Yamsailor]

Enough depth to get out of a slip and into the river at low tide.

Originally Posted by Ulladh

bljones
A agree with you less amenities usually mean a better dock side atmosphere. I enjoy reading your blog on the goings on on dock 6.

I would like to have a bar or restaurant close to the marina rather than the 4 or 5 block walk I have, but we have a nice gazebo over the water and in the summer someone will always offer a beer.

We have free ice and a clean bathroom, what more would anyone want.

[Ulladh]

My slip, 2 in from the outer tee, is 19ft water depth at low tide. Closer to the shore it shoals to 5ft, and the travel lift shoals to about 3ft at low tide.

The outer tees at Anchorage Marina, 3 marinas up river from me (1 block by land), are all in the low 20's at low tide, with shoaling close to shore about 3ft.

Water depth in the channel behind Little Tinicum is in the low 20's shoaling to the low teens at the up river airport end and the down river Darby Creek end.

So if you can tolerate the aircraft noise you will never be constricted by draft.

[deniseO30]

It's a very temping location! and West End YC rocks! I wonder about my choices lately.. but with the cost of gas for driving it's looking like staying put is best option me.

[Ulladh]

West End was dredged last year;

I think this is the only marina in Essington that ever needs dredging. The current is enough to keep the others clear.

Probably best to wait until spring to see how well it has been dredged, or if the spring floods deposit fresh material.

[hellosailor]

Dredging, pretty much anyplace on the Northeast coast, requires a long permitting process not only to approve the dredging itself, but then a second time around to approve the DUMP SITE for the spoil.

That makes it one very long, expensive, difficult process for most places.

[TakeFive]

I've never had my boat at a full-service yard, so I do not speak from experience. But I have heard complaints from some about "captive customer" clauses in contracts that prevent DIY work on bottom paint, or prevent contracting with outside firms to do other work. Such "captive customer" clauses can eliminate competition that keeps prices reasonable.

So a full service yard may fall into the "be careful what you wish for" category.

[Yamsailor]

Good point, but it is still possible to get it done.

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Dredging, pretty much anyplace on the Northeast coast, requires a long permitting process not only to approve the dredging itself, but then a second time around to approve the DUMP SITE for the spoil.

That makes it one very long, expensive, difficult process for most places.

[Ulladh]

Yam it is possible to get dredging done, but somebody has to pay. If its in navigable waters the federal tax payer pays, if it is a private canal or marina then the slip customer pays. Either way it can take years to get all the approvals and finance in place.

Sometimes repeated dredging is needed. In planning my summer sail trip which includes Chincoteague, I researched water depth and dredged channels, the Chincoteague inlet was dredged last year by the Army Corp, but silted up so much by December that the Army Corp had to divert a dredge in January this year for emergency dredging.

[Yamsailor]

Well, based on this article, marinas on the Delaware River don't have a clue.

Marina challenge: Do more with less