Criteria for choosing a marina/ yacht club

[chef2sail]

Many of us keep our boats or live aboard them in marinas and yacht clubs. I am interested in knowing the top three criteria you used in choosing where you keep your boat. If you prefer a private dock please stae

[Alex W]

Your list should also have proximity to home. This is my most important factor.

[4arch]

Proximity to sailing, price, and proximity to home are my top three, in that order. Being in a marina that had a working yard was important initially as we gained confidence in doing a lot of our own work but that's becoming less important. When we stay in a transient slip amenities, atmosphere, and environment definitely take precedence.

[Tempest]

Convenience/Access ( proximity to home)
Safety/Protection from the elements- Wind, wakes, etc
Facilities....on-site store and parts dept and full service yard, friendly knowledgable staff.

These are the things I have..that other Marina options would be weighed against.

[Capt.aaron]

Price, Conditon of the dock's, Dock Masters personality, Security. My sailboat is currently on a sea wall in a boat yard and it's perfect for the painting and stuff I'm doing. My dive boat is in a funky little marina with a cool dock master and owners, a nice ( by my standards) resturaunt bar. I guess it Depends on what phase of storage and work I'm doing with the boat. I don't like being around a bunch of people who think they own a Yacht.

[cruisingdream]

water depth , more & more important in the great lakes!

[Minnewaska]

Priorities:

Location, location, location. Not meaning it has to be popular, but meaning it should be a good port: protected from the elements, a reasonable approach and reasonable proximity to places I want to go.

Next, it has to be in reasonable repair. I don't want wobbly docks that one nearly falls in the water while transiting or lack proper protection or power/water fails continuously.

Shore toilet/shower facilities (guests really like a break from showering aboard, sometimes I do too)

Desirables, but not deal killers:

Onsite service staff (but they need to be good or are just an impediment to getting the right talent)

Parking

Onsite fuel/pumpout

Basic parts supplies available (oil, filters, clevis pins)

Friendly staff

Mix of power and sail, which seems to allow for better overall comradery when there is a balance of power.

Entirely optional:

Pool, restaurant. Nice to have, but don't care.

No control whatsoever:

Price. Around here, you generally get on a waiting list to get even some of the above requirements, so you pay the going rate or you don't. I know of a couple of untouchable marinas that price strictly for the uber-rich transients, but I woudn't want to be there permanently anyway.

[eherlihy]

As others have already pointed out, it has to be close to home.

• 1 hour, door to dock is my cutoff.
• there has to be space available... I tried several that did not.
• must allow me to work on my boat.

Nice to have;

• good docks - the admiral would not be happy with wobbly docks.
• pretty setting - I prefer to look at trees and homes, rather than the back of a ship yard.
• near a "packie" (it's a New England thing)
• food/dining nearby

[deltaten]

Cost, distance from home and workability are major points. Next would come distance to sail and amenities.

[Jiminri]

My priorities:

-- Near where I want to sail. Close to home is nice, but I can drive faster than I can sail.

-- Well run/kept marina. By that I mean that docks are in good repair, facilities are clean, management is responsive, and area is secure.

-- Friendly boat slip neighbors.

-- At least moderately protected from storms. I live about an hour from the boat and cannot check it as much as I would if I lived closer.

Nice to have:

-- Near a chandlery (as I always seem to need something I don't have right in the middle of a project) and near a good restaurant (to relax after I've finished fixing something...if I'm not headed out on the water).

-- Near services such as a pumpout, fuel dock, etc. but they don't have to be in the marina.

--Nice grounds and amenities. Appreciated, but I am willing to give here because for me the point of having a boat is to be OUT on the water.