How hard to find slips/marinas for boats > 40 feet?

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Donny Bahama

My wife and I found our dream boat (Grand Banks 42 Europa - haven’t figured out yet how we’re going to pay for it) - and my wife is worried that we’ll have trouble finding marinas where we can dock it. She read somewhere that a lot of marinas don’t have slips for boats longer than 40’ and that such slips are scarce in general. Is this true? How much do we need to worry about this?

Biggest problem I see is that you'll need a lot of fuel as this one does not have sails - maybe not your best world cruiser. Around here (So Cal) most of the slips tend to run in the 35' to 50' range so 42' would not be a problem if you can just get one and afford it. I think I'd at least look at some motor sailors for those times when fuel is tight.

Ps. As I recall, Arizona pretty much is a beach - just no ocean

[tekdiver]

Donny one of the smartest things you can do is join a yacht club. Most yacht clubs do reciprocal mileage for short term stays. So you could jump from one to the next. But lots of your Yacht clubs burghess

[Donny Bahama]

Originally Posted by skipmac

I hope you are planning on a different boat for the South Pacific and the world. The Grand Banks doesn't have a fraction of the fuel needed for that kind of cruising.

She’ll be converted to solar/electric before we do any non-coastal cruising.

[Adelie]

As somebody that is very pro-electric propulsion, I can tell you you can’t put enough solar on that boat to make it practical for offshore.

If you covered the entire top of the vessel in panels, used half for propulsion and used the other half to recharge batteries so you could maintain speed at night, the best you could hope for is 2kt average. Probably less.

If you want to go electric propulsion it needs to be a sailboat where the electric is used for specific things like getting in and out of marinas or harbors and out of the way of big ships trying to run you down.

[Adelie]

To extend the range of the existing vessel as is gets some fuel bladders and secure them to side decks. https://www.texasboom.com/bladders-t...RoCIIsQAvD_BwE

I have acquaintances that took a Nordhaven 46 ROT about 12-15yr ago. The aimed for 6kt speed most of the time and spent $59k just for fuel.

Using a smaller boat and aiming for 5kt you might get the fuel cost down some but with inflation don’t expect to save very much.

[Scorpius]

If you want to cruise the west coast you might want to START with the PNW then, when you've had your fill, go south to California and Mexico. It's MUCH easier to cruise DOWN this coast than up - although a trawler would be better for it than our sailboats. Or, after California and Mexico, consider trucking it up here rather than beating yourself up and possibly damaging the boat.


ANY berth in the Vancouver (BC) area is both very scarce and very expensive. Elsewhere, on Vancouver Island and further north, they are both more available and cheaper. Are you looking for a permanent berth or just short-term (overnight) while cruising?


As others have said, 42 feet (plus overhangs) is pretty standard these days.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by dennismenace111

Where are you? I pay $250 a month for a 29 foot sailboat behind a private home in Ft. Lauderdale. Dockage at a marina would be around $800 a month.

Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, at the city marina.

[ranger58sb]

40' slips are easy to find on this coast. Prices often vary widely, often higher in the north than in the south, but also often based on what other amenities the marina offers...

-Chris

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Adelie

As somebody that is very pro-electric propulsion, I can tell you you can’t put enough solar an that boat to make it practical for offshore.

If you covered the entire top of the vessel in panels, used half for propulsion and used the other half to recharge batteries so you could maintain speed at night, the best you could hope for is 2kt average. Probably less.

If you want to go electric propulsion it needs to be a sailboat where the electric is used for specific things like getting in and out of marinas or harbors and out of the way of big ships trying to run you down.

If you find a cat that is in good shape except lost it's rig and the engines are shot, so it's dirt cheap but otherwise in good shape, you could build a pretty big bimini out of solar panels and at slow speed, you don't need a ton of power.

Of course, even 3-4,000w of solar panels is only putting out 4-5hp in midday sun...much less the rest of the day and nothing at night.

That might get you up to a 3kt average if the wind is at your back.

PS: Finding a slip is pretty much a non-issue.

[GreenWave]

Originally Posted by Group9

That answer completely depends on where you are.

On the Gulf of Mexico coast, there are plenty of slips available for over 40 foot boats. And, the prices are reasonable.

We pay $256 a month at our marina, tax and power included for our 42 foot boat (actually charged at 45 feet). We like it here.

Which Marina are you at?


Edit: Cancel that- saw an asnwer after I posted.

[Woodland Hills]

I am curious what a solar powered yacht would do during a storm on an offshore passage? Would the panels power production be affected by the rain and clouds during the daytime? How secure are solar panels: will they stay in place during 50 to 60 mph winds and what effect would a large enough array to propel a boat AND recharge batteries for night running have on seaworthiness?

As to the original topic, we are 70’ overall and don’t have any real trouble finding both transient and monthly dockage. There are always some places that are too small, but there are also always some that aren’t. This is Florida and the Eastern Seaboard.

[mako]

Originally Posted by Donny Bahama

Long term, we hope to travel the world, starting with the South Pacific.

In a Grand Banks 42???

[prajna101]

46 ft sailboat here in Portland Oregon. Plenty of slips. I bet there are 20 open in our marina right now. But not cheap. Slip fees are $430 a month for a 45 foot slip. $250 for live a board for two adults but they don't charge us for our two kids (live a board is nearly impossible to get so keep that in mind if you plan on staying more than 8 nights a month but doesn't generally count for a transient slip). $150 for access to the pool and gym and community room at the marina. $20 for a mailbox. Electricity generally runs us $20 a month. Water and trash are free. So is pump out. I don't think you will have too much issue with a 40 ft boat. And if you get some solar and are confident on anchor, none of this will matter.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by Donny Bahama

She’ll be converted to solar/electric before we do any non-coastal cruising.

First, if I may, I have a degree in electrical engineering so I do have a pretty good understanding of what's involved. And, if it was practical for the typical cruiser I would change my boat to electric power in a minute for several personal and technical reasons. But I have run the numbers many times and it doesn't work.

On any moderate sized boat it is impossible to put enough solar panels and batteries to go a long distance at a reasonable speed on electric. If you filled the boat with the most expensive batteries available and covered every single square inch of cabin, roof and even deck with solar panels then maybe, as Adelie posted, you might get the setup to work at very slow speeds but you would still have a problem recharging the batteries in a day.

I suggest you read one of the many previous discussions on this forum where several members have done the math in great detail and posted the results. Unfortunately, the numbers don't lie.

[model 10]

[QUOTE=skipmac;3165729]First, if I may, I have a degree in electrical engineering so I do have a pretty good understanding of what's involved.

What do you have to say about PV main sails for a cruising boat?