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Currently I keep my Catalina 27 at a dock in a large, full service marina. However, I'm very close to pulling the trigger on a new boat about 34ft. Since I sail on the relatively deep LI Sound and also since I'm getting to be religious about trimming for speed, I'd much prefer a deep keel.
Unfortunately, it seems that even the deepest slips in the marina won't be sufficient for a keel over 6 feet when the tides are the most extreme.
There is a yacht club that's next door which is all moorings. It's not fancy, but most of the members are "sailor's" sailors...many of the boats race, including a J105 that I crew on. It would also be a 2-3 grand cheaper.
I have to admit, I really enjoy the convenience of being docked (especially when the marina has a bar/restaurant right up the gangway
). My truck is nearby and since I winter my boat on the hard there, I don't have to be present when myboat is towed to the lift to haul it out for the winter or put it in the water in the spring. On the downside, docking can be downright scary when the wind's screaming in the "wrong" direction, especially since I single hand most of the time. Sometimes, that "docking anxiety" as I call it, can spoil the end of a great sail.
Of course a mooring doesn't have that problem, though one is dependent on the launch. There's no electric to keep a fridge cool and repairs that would have me going back and forth to the hardware store would be a real pain. I still haven't figured out how I would winterize my boat on a mooring and then get it to the marina for haul out! And of course, I'd have to do all the things that being a member of a "yacht club" entails, you know like socializing with people who like sailing.
uke....ok just kidding, there could be a worse group of people than sailors.
Unfortunately, it seems that even the deepest slips in the marina won't be sufficient for a keel over 6 feet when the tides are the most extreme.
There is a yacht club that's next door which is all moorings. It's not fancy, but most of the members are "sailor's" sailors...many of the boats race, including a J105 that I crew on. It would also be a 2-3 grand cheaper.
I have to admit, I really enjoy the convenience of being docked (especially when the marina has a bar/restaurant right up the gangway
Of course a mooring doesn't have that problem, though one is dependent on the launch. There's no electric to keep a fridge cool and repairs that would have me going back and forth to the hardware store would be a real pain. I still haven't figured out how I would winterize my boat on a mooring and then get it to the marina for haul out! And of course, I'd have to do all the things that being a member of a "yacht club" entails, you know like socializing with people who like sailing.