What's First? Port / Marina or the Boat ?

[Nick & LA]

We want to take delivery of a boat (45' Cat) and start sailing in about 2 years. As such, we have been polishing up our sailing skills and investigating boat models (plenty of questions there!).
We have heard that we need a home port and a boat slip - which is difficult due to the beam width of cats, and have been advised that we need to make decisions get on waiting lists etc.
Even before we decide on a boat??

Any truth to this, or should I not sweat it until we figure out what boat we're gonna buy??

[slomotion]

It all depends on where you want to keep it - Denver is probably not a good choice. For places where marina space is limited and waiting lists are common, it might be a good idea to sign up now. Even marinas which cannot accomodate a 45' cat in a slip may have moorings available.

[Stillraining]

Its gotten better with the fall of the economy...but in times past 2 to 5 year waiting lists were common around here for say a normal 40' slip...Cat moorage is even tougher here...basically limited to end of pier slips which are highly prized and few...We don't have lots of marina mooring fields in these part...most of those are privet.

So yes If I were you I would definitely keep the Horse before the cart, and find a stable first before bringing home the buggy.

[Sailmonkey]

All depends on where you would like to keep it. At the moment there are a lot of empty slips in the Houston area, but I've been told that the west coast is packed especially for a cat slip.

[Abaco]

If you lived near the coast and where looking to keep the boat in a specific marina closest to your home, I could see this as an issue. If you are flexible and going to be flying to use the boat anyway, I don't see why there is any need to decide now. Fort Lauderdale offers a great deal of available dockage year round with every concievable marine service available. The many canals and New River offer excellent hurricane protection as well. There are no waiting lists.

It all depends on how you plan to use your new boat.

[rebel heart]

You might find this useful; it's a little interview I did with our marina manager: http://thekeel.com/showthread.php?t=2329