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captainwireman · 28-09-2013, 11:46

I am looking for a safe place to dry dock my cat in maybe Texas or other options you may suggest. My needs are the availability to refit plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems so I have to have access to quality materials at a non-gringo price. For sure it will also be necessary to do this work myself, partly because I enjoy this stuff but mostly it is very important to know how my boat works in the event of break downs on the waters (which we all know never happens LoLlLLoL!)Is there any place that could be considered safe from hurricane damage? What do you think something like this would cost?

**GordMay** · 29-09-2013, 09:30

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, captainwireman.

captainwireman · 29-09-2013, 10:36

Thank you. I am currently moored in the Rio Dulche. Just a heads up for everyone, the Rio is not a good place to refit. It is difficult to get to and very pricey if you are not the chandeliers cousin.

Ocean Girl · 29-09-2013, 10:49

For a Texas refit you will want to be in the Kemah area. Tons of marine services, good hardware store, used boat supplies, boatyards, and by far the largest concentration of boats in Texas.

Teknav · 29-09-2013, 11:21

...and while in Kemah, drive up to Seabrook; about 1.5 miles away. Have a Texas Angus steak at Salt Grass steakhouse! Been there a few times; outstanding service and steaks.

Mauritz
Knows all and sees all...next revelation is set for tomorrow!

captainwireman · 29-09-2013, 15:40

Thanks to all. So far, no luck. Waterford does not, South Texas Yacht Service does not have a recommendation, but the Kemah Marina advised me to call tomorrow and speak with Mark, the harbor master there.

All my years of sailing have been in the SF bay or crewing on west coast deliveries mostly bringing boats up after the Bahaha, Hawaii, and so on, and storage on the hard is absolutely no problem. I am all kinds of new to the Caribbean and so far I am not too happy but I have not given it much of a chance yet. Once I get my cat back in shape, I want to do it all before I make a decision to bring it through the canal.

spraygun · 29-09-2013, 22:24

Try Hooking Bull in Rockport. If you are looking for DIY.Great people in S. Texas.If you want safe place.not sure how to answer that, since you are on the Gulf of Mexico.Price ? Who knows what you need?

Tx J · 29-09-2013, 23:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by spraygun

Try Hooking Bull in Rockport. If you are looking for DIY.Great people in S. Texas.If you want safe place.not sure how to answer that, since you are on the Gulf of Mexico.Price ? Who knows what you need?

I was just about to mention the same harbor.
Cove Harbor, Rockport, TX has both Hooking Bull and House of Boats, which each have haulout facilities and DIY arrangements, or their own services (and there may be one or two others, more commercial?).
Hooking Bull is just a few yards from Gatewood Marine, which mostly does engine work and sells engine parts (primarily outboards, but they are a Yanmar, et al. dealer). There are also other shops (repair, FRP/glass, etc.) around too.

Rockport Harbor itself (a mile or two to the north of CoveH) just has the marina, Fulton Harbor also has haulout and a chandler at least (CH, RH, FH are owned/run well by the Aransas County Nav District).
Then there is the Aransas Pass area a few miles away, with numerous facilities; Port Aransas also, and Corpus Christi has a few places too...Lots of good food, etc., too.

Lots of other small port locations up and down the Texas coast, but Houston/Galveston (like Ocean Girl said, it is the biggest concentration), and the Corpus area (the Coastal Bend as detailed above) are the ones with the most facilities, chandleries, marine repair shops, and marinas.

Marina fees are comparatively very reasonable in the Coastal Bend (so far, after reading what sailors in other places are paying I'm just going to keep real quiet...

).

The Coastal Bend is spread out though, you'll need transportation to get around; and the quality of life is certainly better here. I spent years on TDY's in all the Houston/Galveston area , never much liked it; and a tour in SoCal 35 years ago (boat at Dana) ratraced me out on big cities (except for when living in Galv/WE/Sea Isle).

All of the Texas Coast is, of course, vulnerable to getting slammed by hurricanes or tropical storms from time to time, and we are getting overdue in the Coastal Bend and southward

.

darrellsmith · 30-09-2013, 05:55

Check out Freeport, Texas. There are substantial hurricane measures in place and at least one reasonable marina up a little river.

captainwireman · 30-09-2013, 12:12

Now, this helps. Thank you for great info. The haul-out and storage on the hard prices are very agreeable. Hopefully, Mother Nature will be reasonable until after this refit. The cat is in good general condition but I have delivered high dollar vessels and watched them get torn apart from weather so I am certainly leaning to simple and bulletproof. I did not have luck making general google searches.

The next step is to plot out a route and take the time off my regular job required to make the passage. Coastal single-handling is probably the option here, finding nightly anchorages if possible, all that good stuff but this all goes to a different thread.

Double-Wide · 01-10-2013, 19:22

Check with the TOMA Texas Offshore Multihull Association. They have a yahoo group and would be the best source for a Texas refit, these guys have been there -done that.

Steel sails · 01-10-2013, 19:43

There are no DIY on the hard marinas in the Kemah clear lake area except hilmans on Dickerson bayou. This is mainly a shrimp boat type of place. Need to pass under the Dickerson bayou bridge 45 ft charted clearance. If you can make it work in the water lots of places and also private slips see craigslist for Houston.
Regards
Paul

smackdaddy · 01-10-2013, 20:04

Our boat is in Kemah...but I'd second the recommendations of Rockport. I've toured the House of Boats yard and was impressed. Rockport definitely doesn't have the amenities of Kemah (as OceanGirl pointed out) - but Kemah doesn't seem to have the DIY yards like Rockport.