Hello, seeking advice on boat mooring in PNW....

M

MilesandMiles

New member
...or this thread might be called "We All Gotta Start Somewhere" :)

Well it looks like I've caught the c-dory bug hook, line and sinker. I now have a 22-cruiser as well as the 16 angler I bought recently (it might be for sale in the near future)

Which brings me to my inquiry.

I would like to either dry-store ("land storage"? I'm new to the lingo of boating) or put it in a marina "slip" PT live-aboard style this winter in the PNW. Many won't think the PNW is exactly "warm" but coming from Northern Minnesota, temps are all relative :)

The areas I'm thinking are Seattle and surrounding burbs (I lived in Lynnwood for 3 years) or Portland (Columbia a good place to learn some boating skills?) or as far north as Bellingham I suppose.

Much of this might be "duh!" due to my newbie status (be nice please) but I'd like a secure place (since I'll be gone for up to two weeks at a time, then on the boat a few weeks at a time through-out the winter) keeping it as inexpensive as possible (what that means I can't say since I currently only have a general idea of moorage costs in the Oak Harbor and Portland area) I'm basically wanting to fly/drive out from Mn as often as possible (winter is my slow season) and use the boat for what it's made for...exploring and fishing (and possibly a bit of crabbing) I would also like to leave my tow-vehicle and trailer at the site and use my more economical car to go back and forth from Mn and around the city (or bike or public trans for that matter) The time frame is roughly now (I'm in Nor-Cal with the boat, planning to head North later this week) to approx. April when winter begins it's withdrawl from my Mn neck of the woods.

I guess what I'm asking for is: does anyone have a favorite marina or strorage area/situation that you can direct a newbie towards. If in the Seattle area, I plan to do a lot of San Juan exploring, if in the Portland area, the river (of course)

Thanks eh!
Brenton
 
My suggestion for you would be


Twin Bridges Marina
11071 Josh Green Lane
Mount Vernon, WA 98273
United States (US)
360 466-1443

http://www.twinbridgesmarina.com/

These folks have a forklift to store your boat on a rack. You can do maintenance on your boat in their yard and they will keep the boat inside for you. They will give you a daily in and out for their very reasonable prices. They are located at the North end of the Swinomish Channel or Slough, near Anacortes with great access to the San Juan Islands.

No financial interest in this company, but was impressed with their operation.
 
I agree with Herb. We have had our boat there since it was new.

My only complaint is that they have ethanol in their fuel but I get my fuel at Cap Sante so its really not a problem.

Gene
 
You might also consider the Port of Everett Marina. It's about half-way between Seattle and Anacortes. Lots of liveaboards, nice facilities, fuel, friendly helpful staff,and if memory serves, the rates relatively lower. There is provision for dry storage right there, but it is run by a private firm whose name I have forgotten. Give the Marina a call (800-729-7678)
and they can answer your questions. Hope this helps.
 
For a 22 cruiser, I would use Twin Bridges for dry storage. We kept our 22 there and it was always safe up on the rack inside a heated building. They launch upon request and lift and store your boat when you come back. They have trailer storage.

If you want a marina, La Conner has covered docks and allows staying aboard up to one half of each month. La Conner has a sling launch and can store trailers. They also have a dry storage yard.
http://www.portofskagit.com/la-conner-marina/

We currently keep our trawler in the coverage docks at La Conner. Management and security are both good, in a nice small town setting.
 
I would agree about Twin Bridges. I think (emphasis Think!) it would be about $250/mo to store it there. You can call ahead and they will have it in the water for you. Alternatively Bellingham would be worth thinking about. It has a moderate sized airport so you could probably fly in from MN and not have to worry about driving a hundred miles north from SeaTac every time you come out. Ruth and Joe on R-Matey are the resident Bellingham experts.
 
well here's a different idea for you. if you are going to spend time crabbing and fishing and boating why not start in Friday harbor. I hear that their winter rates are really low. you might be able to fly in and out of bellingham. then take the walk on ferry to Friday harbor. The more I can avoid Seattle the better I fell.

My second choice would be in the water at La Connor. My folks keep their boat there near larry's and could not be happier with the staff and the marina.
 
A few practical thoughts:
If you are going to keep the boat in the water, you will need bottom paint. If only a couple of weeks at a time in the winter; probably not.

You will want some heat, battery charging capacity and some place to empty the portipotty (unless you like long trecks to a rest room at odd hours).

Some marinas will charge extra for "live aboard"--and many have limits as to how long, or if you can live aboard. We often found that just a few days at a time was not a problem--or even a week or so--as long as there was not a "dock snitch".

We hear that some folks really enjoy cruising in the winter (with some heat on the boat)--and anchoring you will certainly not have the crowds. However, the weather can turn nasty--real nasty suddenly, so have a plan for refuge.

Enjoy! One of my good friends lived aboard a boat about a C Dory 22 size all of his graduate school days in Seattle.
 
In Bellingham there are at least two options. Hilton Harbor has dry storage only with a sling. A CD-22 would cost around $185/month. Squalicum Harbor has slips with the smallest being 26' that would cost around $205/month. Given the weather here today, I wouldn't want to be doing a live aboard...but then, the weather can change.
 
This is very helpful. Considering everything here.

Q: For example, when the La Conner marina lists "dry storage" and rates, does this mean I'm able to keep my 22 on the trailer there at the marina, then show up, and launch from one of their docks?

Also, would someone explain to me about the need to paint the bottom if kept in a slip?

Just this group site alone is worth the price of a C-Dory :)

More questions coming...

Thanks,
Brenton
 
Brenton,

In the open dry storage yard, you are renting a parking place inside a fenced yard. The gates are open during the day.

The launch is a sling launch and costs $30.00? per round trip. There is no launch ramp at the marina.

The folks in the marina office are nice and friendly, and probably are the best ones to answer questions.

Bottom paint is to keep marine growth from attaching itself to the hull. A search on this site should get you lots of info.
 
There are several types dry storage in this area. there is dry storage where you park your trailer on a lot out side. There are several inside dry storage where you park your trailer inside. Then there is dry stack storage where your boat is stored on a rack with out the trailer. these can be inside or out side. some dry stacks will also store your trailer else where on the lot without the boat in it.

Then there is in the water storage. some are covered some are not covered. some are maintained and some are not. some are in good locations some are not. So take in all these different choices while you are looking around.

Question?? are you planing on staying on the boat at your storage location? if so then twin bridges is out. no over night moorage there and no bathrooms after hours I believe. So for me it would come to location. what are you going to do while here. If you are just coming to the boat to hang out at the dock then La Conner, Everett, Friday harbor, bellingham, would all be good choices. if on the other hand you are just going to pick up the boat and travel to other locations then twin bridges or the dry stack in Everett or even Dagmar's in everett would be fine too.

And as i said before don't rule out Friday harbor as a marine to keep your boat in the winter. Nice location, easy to get to and you are already in the islands to start with.
 
I have kept my boat at Twin Bridges for the last 6 years. Your boat is put on a rack with a very large fork lift in a large heated enclosed space. Tom is wrong on two points. If you keep your boat their you get access to the bathrooms and the docks 24/7. You can also spend the night at the dock. I have done that many times, they just don't want you to become a live aboard.
It place is immaculate and the folks that work there are very nice and accommodating. They also have marine mechanics (Granite Boat Works) that share the facility with a parts store.
I believe they charge $20.00 extra to store your trailer and you can park your vehicle there for as long as you want. It is also patrolled after hours and have never heard of any theft problems.
All and all I believe it is a good value for the service. You also get two bags of ice a day.


Fred
 
Glad to hear that i was wrong about the bathrooms. When I said no over night stays I ment for living there for a few weeks visit. If i was looking for a dry stack inside storage twin bridges would be it.

I just learned that La connor is offering three month free moorage with a year contract, which lowers the cost a lot.
 
You might look into the Port Orchard marina. They have very good rates and great facilities, lots of covered moorage and the liveaboard fee is very small ($60 I think). We know two couples that have "cabins" in the water there including the owners of the Karma Ranger 29 tug. They fly in from Nevada and use their boat enough to be ringleaders of the tugnuts group. They fly into seatac, ride light rail to seattle and take the ferry to bremerton. A passenger ferry takes to directly across the water to the Port Orchard marina from Bremerton. Works for them and negates the need for a car. The other couple drives up from CA for a few weeks at a time and stays in their 26ft Tolly just two slips from us. Base rate for a 28ft covered slip is $176 and its a nice little town to be stuck in. If we ever make the move to a liveaboard (which is quite possible), it will be on our list for sure.
 
Larry H":18zpus94 said:
The launch is a sling launch and costs $30.00? per round trip. There is no launch ramp at the marina.
Click to expand...

Larry, wow! At Skyline it is $75+ for a round trip but that is with the TraveLift because the Tom Cat is too heavy for the self-launch.

Brenton, I like Twin Bridges also, but just to give you another data point, check out the indoor storage at Skyline Marina. They have a huge building that was once a lumber drying shed and you can park your boat in there on its trailer. Come time to launch, you can truck the trailer over to the self-launch and sling it in yourself, or drive over to Washington Park to launch via ramp.

Warren
 
I agree with Warren - check out Skyline marina. It's probably closer to where you'll actually want to boat and they have several options for storage.

I've used their "Trailer Valet" service with an Arima and an Osprey, and it was great. I kept my boats in the covered area (actually the old seaplane hanger) and called ahead so they could drop it in the water before I got there. You can do just montly storage, but the valet service includes essentially unlimited in/outs - or you can sling it yourself, or you can have them do it for $30 per trip. They also will do a pressure wash and flush for $20 each haulout. And you can have 120 power to the boat for a heater in winter ($10/mo as I recall). And you can get into the boat to do projects (subject to their 9-5 hours).

My issue with Twin Bridges - other than the cost and location - is that you still have to deal with the trailer.
 
I was curious about the reference to the seaplane hangar so did a bit of research and am wondering if we are talking about two different places. In this history, in the section about fishing and lumber, it mentions the drying shed.

Warren
 
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