Marina liveaboard advice needed, Magothy river.

[trooper dan]

I finally bought a boat and I am proud to not be in the category of wannabees! It took 5 years of planning, reading, saving and now I finally made it. I think being accused of being a "dreamer" one too many times pushed me to make the plunge.

I recently just purchased my first sailboat, a Pearson Ariel. I have worked out a winter storage deal until May 1 2013, so for 6 months it will cost me nothing. In May I plan on moving on to the boat to be a liveaboard full time. The marina where it currently is at is a nice clean marina with protected slips. I know there are cheaper marinas that are just as nice as this one for a fraction of the price.

The marina charges $11.50 per foot and $150 extra per month liveaboard fee. My little 26' Ariel doesn't even have a shore power cord so in my mind they see no difference between someones 50' and the little 26'. Im looking to pay a reasonable 7.50-8.50 per foot per month near the Magothy river Maryland.

Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated!

[skipmac]

I am not familiar with the area but if you go to activecaptain.com and center the map on the Magothy River area I see 30 marinas in a 3 mile radius.

Click on the red dots and most of them have reviews from people that visited the marina, some show dock rates but if not, most also show a web site or phone number where you can call to get latest rates.

[Dameon]

Ouch, heavy prices. Also keep in mind when you're doing your math, though, that many marinas don't even allow liveaboards, and ones in my area charge $250+ as the liveaboard fee; what you pay extra in footage you may save in liveaboard fees. Also consider whether you're being charged for electricity (I'm pretty sure most places do), and you'll want that shore power cord eventually, I bet. Not sure what average liveaboard fees are in your area; might be that they're all around $150.

[trooper dan]

Yes at current rates it would be $449 before taxes, and yes electric is metered. Thanks for the link to activecaptian, that will be useful in the future. I didn't think I was crazy, I knew those prices are high. How high I don't know how prices go in that area, 11.50 per foot has to be on the top end of prices for that area. I couldn't imagine them being any higher unless you were paying for more amenities.

I hope someone with local experience can point me in the right direction. The marina where the boat is currently at is just ok/mediocre in my book. Not worth those prices unless it was located in Florida.

[skipmac]

The high rates just might be the norm in your area. In northeast FL the lowest prices I've found were around $8/ft per month plus electric and a live aboard fee. South FL in places is double that for the cheapest place you can find. New England the same. I checked eastern CT and transient rates every marina I called were $3/ft per night.

Generally closer the closer you are to large metropolitan areas the more you have to pay. I'm guessing work ties you to the area but if not, consider going a little further south. I believe parts of the southern Chesapeake or NC can be much cheaper.

[Dameon]

$450 for taxes is just a tad cheaper than what I'd pay for in my area for the same size boat, but it's the San Francisco bay, so I would think prices should be cheaper in your area. I'd just call up all the marinas you can find in the area and ask them what their rates are.

[Cheechako]

Is it possible that you are just "cruising" and stopping for a few months? Maybe you are not a live aboard if that is the case.......

[Bash]

Originally Posted by trooper dan

My little 26' Ariel doesn't even have a shore power cord so in my mind they see no difference between someones 50' and the little 26'.

Actually, liveaboards on smaller boats tend to place more demands on a marina. The fellow on the 50-footer tends to shower on board while the 26-footer tends to use the marina showers. Same with laundry facilities, et cetera.

[jmo64]

I'd recommend changing the name of the thread to Magothy River, Maryland...marina advice...or something similar. Good luck

[RunningRabbit]

Congrats on your impending move!

First, I only looked at one spot on the Magothy, but here is the information. When I was researching slips in the area a few months ago a 30' slip at Magothy Marina was $3,100 per year. Annual contracts begin April 1 and the liveaboard fee is $125. ($100 to $150 is common, but may or may not include wifi, cable TV, and/or electric.) There are 6 separate shower/bathroom units (I think three designated for men and three designated for women), coin laundry, gated access with parking, and a swimming pool in season. About 15 liveaboards there as of then. They do not have winter water lines sunk below the docks, but I believe the liveaboards gather weekly or so to link hoses and go around and fill everyone's tanks. There is no pump out there, so you need to get your boat over to a pump out station. I don't see in my notes whether electric is included there or metered. I also don't have in my notes whether they have cable TV at the slips, but likely would not have bothered to go up and check it out unless it did. It is a very neat, orderly marina and folks seemed friendly. It just wasn't the right fit for my pets and lifestyle right now. I recall seeing someone who lives aboard there posting in CF; you may want to search for the threads on liveaboard-friendly marinas in the Chesapeake / Baltimore area for posts from him; sorry, I don't recall who it was.

As to prices in the area, $3,100 was the least I have seen ($2,300 to $3,000 less than anywhere in Annapolis). While some of the marinas would go by your LOA, most price the slip based on the size of the slip and if you're 26' in a 35' slip, you're still paying for a 35' slip. I think you could get a slip for around $3,000 plus liveaboard fee over on Kent Island if you are OK with crossing the Bay Bridge, and I have heard rates are much lower if you head south of Annapolis to Deale or Galesville, for example. Lots of marinas around, but only so many that take liveaboards at all, many cap the number they accept, and while some marinas cater to us (e.g., Annapolis Landing and Port Annapolis) other marinas only tolerate us.

Good luck. I've only recently moved aboard, (so feel free to discount my two cents), but I can say that finding the right marina makes a big difference--it's your backyard, front porch, and those are your (very, very next door) neighbors. An atmosphere that "fits" for you may make or break your liveaboard experience.

[callmecrazy]

Originally Posted by Bash

Actually, liveaboards on smaller boats tend to place more demands on a marina. The fellow on the 50-footer tends to shower on board while the 26-footer tends to use the marina showers. Same with laundry facilities, et cetera.

In my marina the water is free. Whether it comes out of the hose and into the tanks of a 50 footer or out of the shower head in the marina restroom makes no difference. Electricity is metered. Laundry is coin-op. I'm not following you're logic on this one?

[shamrock]

Originally Posted by callmecrazy

In my marina the water is free. Whether it comes out of the hose and into the tanks of a 50 footer or out of the shower head in the marina restroom makes no difference. Electricity is metered. Laundry is coin-op. I'm not following you're logic on this one?

It usually comes out of the shower hot...

[shamrock]

I had my boat on the Magothy last year. Marina slips are very expensive.

Fortunately, I had a friend of a friend with a bunch of slips on his personal dock. I paid very little to keep my boat there. If you're interested, I could check and see if he would consider a livaboard on his dock.

As fas as amenaties, joining a gym is a really cost effective way to get access to showers, etc.

Send me a PM if you want me to contact my friend on the Magothy.

[ArtM]

Originally Posted by trooper dan

The marina charges $11.50 per foot and $150 extra per month liveaboard fee. My little 26' Ariel doesn't even have a shore power cord so in my mind they see no difference between someones 50' and the little 26'. Im looking to pay a reasonable 7.50-8.50 per foot per month near the Magothy river Maryland.

Any suggestions or tips would be appreciated!

On the contrary, they are giving you a break for having a smaller boat, even though you use the same slip space as a 28, 30, or 32' boat would. Basically you're getting the "poor rate" for no other reason than you have a small boat. The would definitely make more money on a larger boat in that same space. Honestly, I've never understood foot pricing, unless you actually received that much dockage.

[Me-and-Boo]

Check all the marinas. I found visiting them in person sometimes brings a different rate than over the phone. Late summer all the marinas had open slips and were willing to make deals for 2013. One marina on the Magothy was $2100 for the last of 2012 and all of 2013, not including the liveaboard fee.. Now, I am finding higher prices again as they hope this next year will be better then the last.