Looking for Affordable Good Marina in North Carolina

[ljones]

I have lived near Oriental for 20m

[ljones]

I have lived near Oriental for 20 years and have visited all of the marinas and boatyards Within a 50 mile radius. I sailed a 35’ catamaran and still own a slip at the Whittaker Creek Marina (WCYOA) in Oriental. The slip is 16.5’ x 50 ‘ withe 6’ depth. WCYOA has excellent amenities including a nice clubhouse, swimming pool, Internet, utilities, etc. Hurricane protection is excellent, with a Dockmaster on site. Liveaboards permitted and welcomed. I intend to sell my slip soon. PM me if you might be interested.

There are 5 other marinas in the Oriental area.

Currently, , I am renting the slip for $180 per month (a bargain rate). Deatons and Sailcraft boatyards are literally within a stone’s throw of my slip. Both are excellent. West Marine, a supermarket, and several excellent restaurants in Oriental are within walking distance. The Pamlico Sound , ICW, the Outer Banks, and countless great anchorages are nearby, with the. Outer Banks /Ocracoke and Beaufort within a day’s sail. Check out a chart of the area.
Oriental is called The Sailing Capitol of NC, for lots of good reasons.

The New Bern area marinas are fine, but several hours sail to reach the Pamlico Sound , ICW, and the Atlantic.

BTW during the current Covid19 pandemic, Pamlico County has had only 8 cases, all recovered. The population density here is very low, and the large proportion of cruising sailors living here have good common sense and regard for others 😄.

I would be happy to answer whatever detailed questions you might have. Feel free to PM me.

Larry J.

[Achernome]

Bennett Brothers in Wilmington used to allow owner work and independent contractors when we stayed with them. Much has changed but the location is perfect. Also they have hurricane haulout plans and great floating docks with 20 foot pilings. Can haul massive boats (Mine weighs 55000 # dry). They have had a major sea change in personnel since we were there but they used to be really pretty good at everything except electronics.
We had Fiberglass, Wood work, , Diesel Heater, Standing Rigging, Engine work ( my brother had a new Yanmar 70 installed in a tricky location) as well as many haulouts for bottom paint. Great hurricane protection if you haul out!

[izzyforreal]

Originally Posted by DDabs

Sailcraft Service in Oriental, NC - Alan is a great guy and has an awesome crew. I was also there about 7 years ago so...

New Bern Grand Marina - again, lived there about 7 years ago but it was a cheap, great marina that was walking/biking distance to all of New Bern. Wonderful amenities as you share with the hotel on site.

Unfortunately, Alan sold Sailcraft a couple years ago. The new owners have NOT been receiving the same stellar reviews as Alan's team did.

[izzyforreal]

Originally Posted by DDabs

Damn! Sorry to hear that about Sailcraft. There is another yard right across the creek called Deaton. Perhaps they are still around.

There are no haulout marinas in New Bern.

There is a badass mexican restaurant in New Bern called "El Cerro Grande"

Deaton's are still there, providing excellent service.

[izzyforreal]

Originally Posted by FindingFreedom

All,

I currently have my boat in Boston, MA and would like to move it farther south for several reasons, but the main reason being cost savings.

I am thinking that North Carolina might be a good landing spot due to fact that within a couple of years I plan on becoming a full time live-aboard and cruiser.

Does anyone out there have good insight on Marinas in the NC area that are affordable, have capability to support haul out of a 45 FT 30,000+ LBS boat and allows for onsite Storage & DIY work.

If you do, please respond with Marina Name and Area and I will check them out.

Thanks in advance for your insight and help.

Finding Freedom

FF: I would HIGHLY consider Wayfarer's Cove Marina in Minnesott Beach,NC, just a few minutes from Oriental. They have a highly regarded team of contractors on site. The only work they ask to complete is bottom painting. Other than that you can do pretty much whatever work you wish. I have cruising friends that I have sent there and they've returned in subsequent years as they were very impressed with the quality of work and the reasonable cost. You're right near the ferry to Beaufort and Morehead City, where you'll find a large West Marine store and lots of restaurants and shopping destinations.

Mark DeDionisio
S/V Sister Moon

[Happ]

Originally Posted by Jack C

We came from RI to New Bern in 2011 and were there until 2018 when we left for the Med. We were at New Bern Grand and then at Bridgepointe which unfortunately got destroyed in last Hurricane. In New Bern, the great live aboard marinas do not have boatyards. If you want a low cost but Hurricane safe boatyard where you can work on your boat then look at Hurricanes in Pamlico. You will need a car, its 40 minutes or so from New Bern. For a marina/boatyard look at Duck Creek. problem here is depth. Wind tides can have you stranded. Excellent protection. I would avoid Oriental, prices and more vulnerable Hurricane wise. Bridgeton Marina is across the river from New Bern. Pretty exposed. New Bern Grand is located right downtown. They are pushing selling slips and residents take second place. There is a small marine downtown on the Neuse attached to a BP gas station. Never met anyone who could recommend it. Up the Trent river past the highway bridge is another marina for motor boats and short masts. New Bern is great, marinas affordable but brutally hot and humid in summer with spectacular thunderstorms. Great people. Winters and shoulder seasons are great. Draught greater than 5' 6" means some mud groundings. Air height limited to 65'. Lots of places to explore. Checkout Active Captain. If Bridgepointe marina gets rebuilt, I would highly recommend it. One of the best Marinas around.

Hurricane is a great idea.a friend of mine puts his on the hard there and all work is done by owners and/or someone they bring in. They also have a Quonset hut type building that you can rent for major projects. Another friend did complete restoration project which took about a year. If you want to rent the building you need to make arrangements in advance. It isn’t a great place to keep the boat in the water though. Best to haul and get the work done then put it back in the water.

By the way Bridgeport Marina has no plans to rebuild.

[Donnamarie17]

It depends on where you want to be. There are several nice ones in oriental. Pecan grove is really nice. We are at northwest creek marina which is very affordable and safe during hurricane season but up the Neuse river. Luckily it means you can sail even if the wind is too high for ocean sailing. New berm is a great town especially if you like the feel of Boston. Beaufort and Morehead city are really nice but hard to get a slip. Plus the only type of sailing you can do there is ocean sailing. Hope that helps

The marinas that butt up to the town of new Bern are not protected. If you are looking to live aboard I would suggest Northwest Creek Marina (about a 15 minute drive from downtown) If you want to get some work done I used sailcraft in oriental and they were great! There is also Deatons and duck creek but duck creek channel is a little shallow.

[Donnamarie17]

Bridgepoint just disassembled the floating docks. Been through 6-7 hurricanes in new Bern. Nwc is the only place I would consider staying when hurricanes hit the area. Dock masters are brilliant

[Happ]

Originally Posted by izzyforreal

FF: I would HIGHLY consider Wayfarer's Cove Marina in Minnesott Beach,NC, just a few minutes from Oriental. They have a highly regarded team of contractors on site. The only work they ask to complete is bottom painting. Other than that you can do pretty much whatever work you wish. I have cruising friends that I have sent there and they've returned in subsequent years as they were very impressed with the quality of work and the reasonable cost. You're right near the ferry to Beaufort and Morehead City, where you'll find a large West Marine store and lots of restaurants and shopping destinations.

Mark DeDionisio
S/V Sister Moon

Mark you are spot on. Wayfarer’s cove is a great option for working in the boat. The Ferry / Car ferry to Beaufort / Morehead is free. You do need a car as once once you are on the other side of the Neuse River you are 23 miles from Beaufort or about 10 minutes to the West Marine.

I lived in Oriental about 4 years ago and now in Beaufort. New Bern has great opportunities for slips. Beaufort seems to be filled up for now. Time will tell if slips will free up do to Covid-19.

[izzyforreal]

FF: Another thought, as I'm not sure what you are looking for, is Pecan Grove Marina right here in Oriental. I keep my Tartan 40 there. There is NO BETTER hurricane hole in the southeast. The channel was recently dredged to eight feet. The only thing I'd mention is that it is not a transient marina. You'll need to lease for a year, or portion if you're coming in in the fall. Pecan grove is in between Deaton's and Wayfarer's Cove, but much closer to Deaton's. The great thing about Oriental is that if you want to daysail and do overnights there are vast, protected cruising grounds at your doorstep. Beaufort inlet and the sea is 18 miles down the ICW.

Mark DeDionisio
S/V Sister Moon

[lspringer]

My wife and I left our boat at Whitaker Creek Yacht Harbor in Oriental NC for several months a few years ago. It was inexpensive and suitable. Not luxurious. We would do it again. Oriental is quaint and has all the necessities.

[Donnamarie17]

Originally Posted by FindingFreedom

All,

I currently have my boat in Boston, MA and would like to move it farther south for several reasons, but the main reason being cost savings.

I am thinking that North Carolina might be a good landing spot due to fact that within a couple of years I plan on becoming a full time live-aboard and cruiser.

Does anyone out there have good insight on Marinas in the NC area that are affordable, have capability to support haul out of a 45 FT 30,000+ LBS boat and allows for onsite Storage & DIY work.

If you do, please respond with Marina Name and Area and I will check them out.

Thanks in advance for your insight and help.

Finding Freedom

It depends on where you want to be. There are several nice ones in oriental. Pecan grove is really nice. We are at northwest creek marina which is very affordable and safe during hurricane season but up the Neuse river. Luckily it means you can sail even if the wind is too high for ocean sailing. New berm is a great town especially if you like the feel of Boston. Beaufort and Morehead city are really nice but hard to get a slip. Plus the only type of sailing you can do there is ocean sailing. Hope that helps

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by FindingFreedom

I currently have my boat in Boston, MA and would like to move it farther south for several reasons, but the main reason being cost savings.

Lots of good marinas mentioned. If you're going to be commuting to the boat for a while think hard about airports. New Bern is expensive to fly in and out of and there are limited flights. You may end up becoming very familiar with driving from CLT. Note that Oriental, Beaufort, and Morehead City (add Portside Marina to your candidate list) are served by New Bern.

Getting to and from Wilmington NC is easier. Charleston SC is simple. Hampton Roads is well served by Norfolk International Airport - add Cobb's Marina in Little Creek to your candidate list. Deltaville is good for boats but not for commuting.

Story: I had a customer with a boat in Charleston. He proposed moving the boat himself to Wilmington over a weekend to save money on my fee. Sure. I ran the numbers. With airfares more expensive into Wilmington than Charleston and his backhaul to get home it was cheaper for him that I start in Charleston. Running the numbers is important.

BTW, I agree that St Johns Yacht Harbor in Charleston is a good choice.

If you're going to commute, think hard about airports or get used to a lot of long drives.

[Paparuski]

Originally Posted by DDabs

Damn! Sorry to hear that about Sailcraft. There is another yard right across the creek called Deaton. Perhaps they are still around.

There are no haulout marinas in New Bern.

Deaton is a good large yard.

I do not know about ability to do DIY in Oriental (great place) and New Bern (great place). Because these are great venues, the prices may be higher.


I can recommend McCotters Marina in Washington, NC who bought Captain Sam’s beside him and they have big haul out cranes and do allow DIY.