Valid points you made! I keep my pontoon boat in a slip at Lake Wallenpaupack, in PA. The thing I love about it is I can take my boat out multiple times a day, whenever I want. I can also sit on my boat and enjoy the lake and watch the sunset without even taking it out. Especially on the 4th of July during the fireworks when the lake is a mad house, we just sit in the boat at the slip and have a perfect view. My slip is the very last boat on my pier so I only have one boat next to me on one side, and the whole lake on the other. I pay $1100 a year and well worth it for me. Keep up the good videos, I enjoy them!
We have the same situation with ours on Lake Raystown for fireworks - we took it out the fits year and determined the view from the slip was just as good or better.
@@BenjaminHeyser I’d like to check out Raystown sometime. I love it here though. Unfortunately since the pandemic, it brought out a lot of people who don’t know much about boating courtesy. Gets pretty crowded here with the “front platers” (New York and New Jersey)
@@DaSweenit's not too bad on crowding at Raystown, but a developer wanted to build another resort and forced the Army Corps of Engineers to update the master plan. They found its running above capacity for boats already. You comment about the pandemic gave me a good laugh - the marina manager at Raystown said he figured anyone who had a boat in a barn or a shed for years pulled it out in 2020, did no maintenance and took it to the lake. Seatow at the lake did more tows in one month in 2020 then they did in a year before it.
I trailer a boat over 5,000 miles a year (Midwest to Ontario, Canada and Florida Keys). Also have a slip and Shore Station to keep my 21’ Triton out of fresh water. So many Pros and Cons of a wet slip. But, if you can afford it, a Wet Slip wins for me, especially if you can get the boat out of the water. Trailering and dealing with boaters at boat launches has become a nightmare. Be well.
A lot of that depends on your boat and the marina. I am in Maine. Our boat is too big for a boat rack and as a sail boat wouldn't fit any way. Second, tides, etc are not really a problem if the marina has floating docks. You do need to make sure your boat is adequately tied off when bad weather hits or possibly even move the boat when really bad weather hits. If you have a small enough boat to trailer and have a place to keep the boat at home between uses, then keeping the boat on a trailer is a definite money saver, although it will involve more work. My boat (36') is trailer launched and hauled out, but I hire a professional to do that (about $1K each way) because the trailer and semi tractor required for my boat run about 3/4 million and you also need a boom truck to step and unstep the masts. Consequently, the marina, even at $1K/mo makes economic sense. Locally if you don't want to pay the marina cost, you can keep your boat on a mooring, which is much cheaper. However, if you have a mooring you need a place to park and a place to store your dinghy.
Great content Wayne… After many years & all different scenarios we now indoor/rack store our 32’ on floor level with its own cradle. Not a crazy busy marina, so we can call ahead on our way to marina & fellas drop it in immediately. (I do get gift cards for the operators every year!) Techs are a hoot - we have lotsa fun. The cost is there - about the same as a seasonal slip. Big advantage to indoor/rack is the boat is always clean, canvas doesn’t age, gelcoat is mint, bottom is super clean. Resale/trade-in is excellent.
Thanks for sharing this info! So when it's on the rack at floor level, can you get in the boat to do anything - or does it have to be pulled out for you to get inside the boat?
I've watch several of your clips. I haven't learned anything yet. Which is a compliment to BOTH of us. I plan to watch more clips HOPING to learn something. Thanks.
Another great video! This is the second year that I’ve owned my Sundancer and your content has helped me a lot. I’m also in Maryland. I keep my boat in a slip at Goose Bay Marina. Some don’t like the winter/ field storage but I like it a lot because throughout the winter I had unlimited access to my boat. I was able to stay up on preventive maintenance things. This off season I will paint the bottom. Keep the videos coming.
I live rural Iowa. We have a few marinas on the bigger lakes and the Mississippi river, but 90% of us just drive to the boat ramp. Most of us look at a marina as a place to buy bait and nothing more. Great video, enjoyed the education
How expensive is boating? Let me count the ways! If the cost of boating is an issue, then forget having a boat. If you trailer a boat consider the high cost of the tow vehicle. I had a marina slip for many years and it allowed me more access to the water than trailering ever could. It wasn’t cheap, the operator isn’t your friend but it was an overall good experience. The best services are a Yacht Club. I do not like the congestion and attitude of other boaters at the boat ramps.
I think the #1 thing you missed is that you are responsible for checking your boat. In high tides, big winds, hurricanes etc. The marina personnel are not there to look after your vessel, you need to be there checking your boat and making sure that it’s secure! I have repeatedly seen people who live hours away from the marina and constantly expect others to look after their boat.
Hi Wayne. My boat stays at my town's marina during the summer. Actually we don't call them marina here but harbours, because it's not a private company that owns it. It is my town's public harbour. The prices are affordable (about €250 every month for a small 5 meter boat) but there is no such fancy stuff like restaurant or pool! But I can go on my boat whenever I want if I need to, I can use it anyday, anytime, with no other limitation than the weather conditions. Sometimes, we're going out after work with some snacks for a dinner on the water. Sometimes it's all day long during the weekend. I don't thinlk we would use our boat so often if I had to go to the boat ramp every time. For me the marina (or harbour) is worth the expense. And this is almost our only "silly expense"! Aren't boat owner a bit silly?
I keep my boat in a very small marina in a fresh water lake in upstate NY, rather than bottom paint I just make sure to take it out of the water and clean it once every two weeks or so. Costs less in dollars, but a lot more in personal labor haha
My family has a pontoon at Raystown Lake in Pennsylvania. No need to bottom paint it - just power wash it each fall and clean it with Toon-brite. It takes it back to bare aluminum. Of course that only is an option because the pontoons are bare aluminum.
We are in a marina in St. Joseph, MI. It’s our first year. We have a 40’ slip for our Chris Craft Catalina, their is a pool for the kids, a club house and Great neighbors around us. Also the kids like getting ice cream at the ship store the most I think.
I live in Annapolis near Cantler’s, and keep my 28’ express cruiser at the Bay Bridge Marina on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Full service marina, pool, restaurant (Libbey’s), boat yard, etc. We have had a great experience there, though it’s pushing $5K a year for a 30’ wet slip. I think for this coming winter we’re going to go for indoor climate controlled storage for our boat at the Kent Narrows Boatel to avoid having to winterize. That will mitigate the winter storage cost a bit. You should do another “Live” session with Captain Matt, how about it?
We were at Libbey's last night for dinner! Beautiful facilities. Regarding Captain Matt, we have chatted and I plan to do that this fall when some things settle down!
In the meantime, please stop by on a Sunday Live to hang out with us ! We have a favorite weekend daytime mooring spot up the Magothy a few miles, probably not too far from where you are at. Quiet spot for a nice afternoon in the sun.
Don’t forget most marina’s wont let you work on your boat in their yard unless you use their contractors. And if your wanting to do live aboard most don’t allow that. The marina in Corpus Christie Texas will let you live on the boat 15 days out of the month. So check rules before you sign.
Even if your anodes are serviced every year, leakage current in the water from the marina's shore power can cause electrochemical corrosion that can ruin the drivetrain and/or sink your boat. That said, I was around a boat that was kept in a slip and it was a cool environment, but it was kind of spooky when it was like 3AM on a weekday. You wouldn't think anyone would be around but there was always enough to feel like you were not safe because you were alone, but also not enough people to be safe because others are around.
The rack storage I used to keep a boat in all but destroyed my boat. They placed a boat above mine and without cleaning it and rained salt water all over my boat. They also had a pest problem that resulted in destroyed transducer cable among other things.
@@primate2744 I had a two hour drive to my boat slip and always had some kind of problem linked to bad service or Meth Heads stealing my stuff! Unless you are rich and have security at the marina forget it! So many good memories were pissed away!
Well I'm a trailer kind of guy, Wayne ,The reason for that, I like to go to different body's of water. On the trailer the boat is always home if I need to work on it for any reason. My biggest is a 19 ft. and smallest is a 14 ft. both very trailer able. Now if I'd ever get a bigger boat I would consider a boat slip or marina. And other great video. 🚢⚓
Maneuvering? The marina is not the only place, I’ve seen, that people are completely unable to control their boat. Some people are just incapable of understanding a boat doesn’t handle like a car and they shouldn’t even have a boat. A boat, on a trailer or in a marina, IS an expensive proposition. You had better know what you’re getting yourself into, marina or not.
Cost is a big deal for me. I have a 23 footer in Havre de Grace. I store it on a trailer at a marina because I live 2 hours away and can only get there a couple times a month and that's a third the price of a slip. At the end of the season I'll tow it home and store it for free. I decided my tow vehicle and how far I was willing to tow it is what limited the size of my boat. What I wish my home marina would do is give me a few free transient overnights so I can leave it in over a whole weekend so I only need to launch and recover once, but they want money for it. They knock off a few dollars but not much. My monthly trailer storage should include at least 2 nights in a slip. Does anywhere do that?
Agree. We often go to the marina just to hang out and eat on the boat, or grab food at the marina restaurant and eat on the boat. Just yesterday my wife and I cut out of work at 1 PM and hung out until 6:30 PM with our dogs on the boat at the marina!!
Had a coworker once who lived on his boat. Kept in marina off Detroit river. In winter they put bubblers in water to keep from freezing. He did paint his hull I think it was every year. He would do the port Huron to Mackinac race, and Mackinac to Chicago every year. Then sail it back!!
I pay 50 bucks more than my friends at dry storage. I require no bottom paint because I have a dockydock, so also no problems with zincs. As long as I go out more than once a month the Marina wins.
I'm an older guy and I remember painting the bottom of the boat with lead paint back in the day
One of the best marina coverage videos I have seen.
Things I need to know before my day dreams become reality
Thank you for posting.
Valid points you made!
I keep my pontoon boat in a slip at Lake Wallenpaupack, in PA. The thing I love about it is I can take my boat out multiple times a day, whenever I want. I can also sit on my boat and enjoy the lake and watch the sunset without even taking it out. Especially on the 4th of July during the fireworks when the lake is a mad house, we just sit in the boat at the slip and have a perfect view. My slip is the very last boat on my pier so I only have one boat next to me on one side, and the whole lake on the other. I pay $1100 a year and well worth it for me. Keep up the good videos, I enjoy them!
Thanks! Being able to come and go often and easily is nice!
We have the same situation with ours on Lake Raystown for fireworks - we took it out the fits year and determined the view from the slip was just as good or better.
@@BenjaminHeyser I’d like to check out Raystown sometime. I love it here though. Unfortunately since the pandemic, it brought out a lot of people who don’t know much about boating courtesy. Gets pretty crowded here with the “front platers” (New York and New Jersey)
@@DaSweenit's not too bad on crowding at Raystown, but a developer wanted to build another resort and forced the Army Corps of Engineers to update the master plan. They found its running above capacity for boats already. You comment about the pandemic gave me a good laugh - the marina manager at Raystown said he figured anyone who had a boat in a barn or a shed for years pulled it out in 2020, did no maintenance and took it to the lake. Seatow at the lake did more tows in one month in 2020 then they did in a year before it.
I trailer a boat over 5,000 miles a year (Midwest to Ontario, Canada and Florida Keys). Also have a slip and Shore Station to keep my 21’ Triton out of fresh water.
So many Pros and Cons of a wet slip. But, if you can afford it, a Wet Slip wins for me, especially if you can get the boat out of the water.
Trailering and dealing with boaters at boat launches has become a nightmare.
Be well.
A lot of that depends on your boat and the marina. I am in Maine. Our boat is too big for a boat rack and as a sail boat wouldn't fit any way. Second, tides, etc are not really a problem if the marina has floating docks. You do need to make sure your boat is adequately tied off when bad weather hits or possibly even move the boat when really bad weather hits. If you have a small enough boat to trailer and have a place to keep the boat at home between uses, then keeping the boat on a trailer is a definite money saver, although it will involve more work. My boat (36') is trailer launched and hauled out, but I hire a professional to do that (about $1K each way) because the trailer and semi tractor required for my boat run about 3/4 million and you also need a boom truck to step and unstep the masts. Consequently, the marina, even at $1K/mo makes economic sense. Locally if you don't want to pay the marina cost, you can keep your boat on a mooring, which is much cheaper. However, if you have a mooring you need a place to park and a place to store your dinghy.
Great content Wayne…
After many years & all different scenarios we now indoor/rack store our 32’ on floor level with its own cradle.
Not a crazy busy marina, so we can call ahead on our way to marina & fellas drop it in immediately.
(I do get gift cards for the operators every year!) Techs are a hoot - we have lotsa fun.
The cost is there - about the same as a seasonal slip. Big advantage to indoor/rack is the boat is always clean, canvas doesn’t age, gelcoat is mint, bottom is super clean. Resale/trade-in is excellent.
Thanks for sharing this info! So when it's on the rack at floor level, can you get in the boat to do anything - or does it have to be pulled out for you to get inside the boat?
Drop the stern ladder & climb on. Nice set up. Can clean/detail anytime or for maintenance. Often go back the day after & wipe it down.
@@mattie3595 That sounds very convenient!
This is a really good rundown on the plusses and minuses of marina storage. A+!
I've watch several of your clips. I haven't learned anything yet. Which is a compliment to BOTH of us. I plan to watch more clips HOPING to learn something.
Thanks.
Eventually I'll land on something for you!
1:38 yup, i just got a boat last week Wayne, and holy Mackerel it was thick on the bottom, but it was on a morring steady for over two years
Another great video! This is the second year that I’ve owned my Sundancer and your content has helped me a lot. I’m also in Maryland. I keep my boat in a slip at Goose Bay Marina. Some don’t like the winter/ field storage but I like it a lot because throughout the winter I had unlimited access to my boat. I was able to stay up on preventive maintenance things. This off season I will paint the bottom. Keep the videos coming.
I live rural Iowa. We have a few marinas on the bigger lakes and the Mississippi river, but 90% of us just drive to the boat ramp. Most of us look at a marina as a place to buy bait and nothing more. Great video, enjoyed the education
How expensive is boating? Let me count the ways! If the cost of boating is an issue, then forget having a boat. If you trailer a boat consider the high cost of the tow vehicle. I had a marina slip for many years and it allowed me more access to the water than trailering ever could. It wasn’t cheap, the operator isn’t your friend but it was an overall good experience. The best services are a Yacht Club. I do not like the congestion and attitude of other boaters at the boat ramps.
I think the #1 thing you missed is that you are responsible for checking your boat. In high tides, big winds, hurricanes etc. The marina personnel are not there to look after your vessel, you need to be there checking your boat and making sure that it’s secure! I have repeatedly seen people who live hours away from the marina and constantly expect others to look after their boat.
Hi Wayne.
My boat stays at my town's marina during the summer. Actually we don't call them marina here but harbours, because it's not a private company that owns it. It is my town's public harbour. The prices are affordable (about €250 every month for a small 5 meter boat) but there is no such fancy stuff like restaurant or pool! But I can go on my boat whenever I want if I need to, I can use it anyday, anytime, with no other limitation than the weather conditions. Sometimes, we're going out after work with some snacks for a dinner on the water. Sometimes it's all day long during the weekend. I don't thinlk we would use our boat so often if I had to go to the boat ramp every time. For me the marina (or harbour) is worth the expense. And this is almost our only "silly expense"! Aren't boat owner a bit silly?
I keep my boat in a very small marina in a fresh water lake in upstate NY, rather than bottom paint I just make sure to take it out of the water and clean it once every two weeks or so. Costs less in dollars, but a lot more in personal labor haha
My family has a pontoon at Raystown Lake in Pennsylvania. No need to bottom paint it - just power wash it each fall and clean it with Toon-brite. It takes it back to bare aluminum. Of course that only is an option because the pontoons are bare aluminum.
We are in a marina in St. Joseph, MI. It’s our first year. We have a 40’ slip for our Chris Craft Catalina, their is a pool for the kids, a club house and Great neighbors around us. Also the kids like getting ice cream at the ship store the most I think.
That's cool!
@@WayneTheBoatGuy great video too! Love what ya do.
I live in Annapolis near Cantler’s, and keep my 28’ express cruiser at the Bay Bridge Marina on the other side of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. Full service marina, pool, restaurant (Libbey’s), boat yard, etc. We have had a great experience there, though it’s pushing $5K a year for a 30’ wet slip. I think for this coming winter we’re going to go for indoor climate controlled storage for our boat at the Kent Narrows Boatel to avoid having to winterize. That will mitigate the winter storage cost a bit.
You should do another “Live” session with Captain Matt, how about it?
We were at Libbey's last night for dinner! Beautiful facilities. Regarding Captain Matt, we have chatted and I plan to do that this fall when some things settle down!
In the meantime, please stop by on a Sunday Live to hang out with us !
We have a favorite weekend daytime mooring spot up the Magothy a few miles, probably not too far from where you are at. Quiet spot for a nice afternoon in the sun.
Don’t forget most marina’s wont let you work on your boat in their yard unless you use their contractors. And if your wanting to do live aboard most don’t allow that. The marina in Corpus Christie Texas will let you live on the boat 15 days out of the month. So check rules before you sign.
Our boat is in a yacht club marina where we are members, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
Even if your anodes are serviced every year, leakage current in the water from the marina's shore power can cause electrochemical corrosion that can ruin the drivetrain and/or sink your boat. That said, I was around a boat that was kept in a slip and it was a cool environment, but it was kind of spooky when it was like 3AM on a weekday. You wouldn't think anyone would be around but there was always enough to feel like you were not safe because you were alone, but also not enough people to be safe because others are around.
Have you considered taking a class in self defence?
Leaving your boat on roller trailer for a long time is also bad
Down South the problems have also included theft, pest infestation, and a genuine early aging of your craft!
The rack storage I used to keep a boat in all but destroyed my boat. They placed a boat above mine and without cleaning it and rained salt water all over my boat. They also had a pest problem that resulted in destroyed transducer cable among other things.
@@primate2744 I had a two hour drive to my boat slip and always had some kind of problem linked to bad service or Meth Heads stealing my stuff! Unless you are rich and have security at the marina forget it! So many good memories were pissed away!
Wow - that's awful!
My old marinas wouldn't pull boats until after 7am, so you could forget about getting a nice, early start.
That could certainly be a deal breaker for some.
Well I'm a trailer kind of guy, Wayne ,The reason for that, I like to go to different body's of water. On the trailer the boat is always home if I need to work on it for any reason. My biggest is a 19 ft. and smallest is a 14 ft. both very trailer able. Now if I'd ever get a bigger boat I would consider a boat slip or marina. And other great video. 🚢⚓
Thanks! My 14 foot (that I used for this video) always gets trailered.
Maneuvering? The marina is not the only place, I’ve seen, that people are completely unable to control their boat. Some people are just incapable of understanding a boat doesn’t handle like a car and they shouldn’t even have a boat. A boat, on a trailer or in a marina, IS an expensive proposition. You had better know what you’re getting yourself into, marina or not.
Cost is a big deal for me. I have a 23 footer in Havre de Grace. I store it on a trailer at a marina because I live 2 hours away and can only get there a couple times a month and that's a third the price of a slip. At the end of the season I'll tow it home and store it for free. I decided my tow vehicle and how far I was willing to tow it is what limited the size of my boat.
What I wish my home marina would do is give me a few free transient overnights so I can leave it in over a whole weekend so I only need to launch and recover once, but they want money for it. They knock off a few dollars but not much. My monthly trailer storage should include at least 2 nights in a slip. Does anywhere do that?
We have a 41 foot Sea Ray and marina is the only option - for as much time as we spend there a decent one is a priority & 💯worth the $$ 🙌
Yeah that's a lotta boat. Hope you're enjoying it some this weekend!
Agree. We often go to the marina just to hang out and eat on the boat, or grab food at the marina restaurant and eat on the boat. Just yesterday my wife and I cut out of work at 1 PM and hung out until 6:30 PM with our dogs on the boat at the marina!!
@@gerryvanzandt7894 yes! There’s a different experience being on the docks at the marina for sure. For us it’s our weekend house on the water 😊
Had a coworker once who lived on his boat. Kept in marina off Detroit river. In winter they put bubblers in water to keep from freezing. He did paint his hull I think it was every year. He would do the port Huron to Mackinac race, and Mackinac to Chicago every year. Then sail it back!!
Wayne.. their called driveway boats.... they never go out...
I pay 50 bucks more than my friends at dry storage. I require no bottom paint because I have a dockydock, so also no problems with zincs. As long as I go out more than once a month the Marina wins.
Being up out of the water for the win!
I had seen the efoil before you mentioned it!, i thought it was a swan at first. electric is taking over muahaha
It seems pretty wild!
If you are concerned about the dollars and cents of marina cost, then you are probably not in a financial position to own a boat in the first place.
In my area there are marinas for nearly every budget.
Not worth it! Just get a trailerable boat or be rich enough to own waterfront property with a boat lift.
This video though not applicable to me, like Wayne the Boat guys style, & found it interesting one the less
Thanks!