Marinas?

[Mablew]

Hello-

I am a new member to this form and I am looking for feedback about marinas and my current project. I am an industrial design student attending Savannah College of Art and Design in the US. I am developing a mooring dock for protected marinas that use clean energy and supplies all the boats and boaters with all the usual utilities and functions of dock that is connected to shore. I would appreciate it if anyone could give me some feed back on the question below, it would really help my design process and understanding the boaters life style and what boaters want in their marina.

What aspects do you look for when choosing a marina?
What aspects or your marina do you like the most? Why
What aspects of your marina do you dislike? Why
How is your time spent at a marina?
What materials would you like to see docks made of?
How much of your week is spent at your marina relaxing, socializing?
What activates do you like to do at your marina?
Do you use a mooring field, would you ever consider using a mooring field, why or why not?
What would you like added to your dock?

[Little Otter]

I dont know where to start, but I'm not trying to be mean or sound rude but I did a thread along the same lines as what your idea and if you do a search then you should be able to find it, hope this helps.

[forsailbyowner]

We cruise full time. We look for Cost #1 priority followed by availablility of land based services. We marina about every two weeks average so our needs are groceries water laundry and places of interest to ride our bikes to. We spend much mounre time in mooring fields than marinas. There we look for dinghy docks that have showers available and mostly just a friendly community that welcomes transient boaters. We recently had a wonderful stay in Beaufort SC They had a free dock to pull up to during daylight hours with quality free dingy dock, $1 unlimited hot water showers and the people at the city marina were just downright friendly. For building a marina Ive had dreams of a marina that uses some of the tidal solar and wind energy to supply boaters. In your area the tide roars past sometimes at 4-5 knots. A paddle wheel could supply some pretty substantial power for peak tide times. Good luck on project.
Steve

[Ex-Calif]

I think you can distunguish between marina and yacht club.

A marina should have services and a secure place for the boat - kind of like a gas station. A yacht club will have more of a social agenda as a club would be expected to have.

[forsailbyowner]

kinda funny you would mention that. Weve found out the lowest cost liveaboards usually have the most social interaction. mostly just people sitting around getting drunk but at least everybody knows everyone else. We stayed near bohicket creek marina that was high end and people who had lived there for months had no idea who many of their neighbors were. We also stayed at dolphin cove near charleston and it was a community with a range of intertwined characters.

[Ex-Calif]

Yes - Even in Singapore there is One Degree Fifteen Marina - Very hoi faloi.

Republic of Singapore Yacht Club - The oldest but maybe not the most popular.

Raffles Marina - Very nice facility and boatyard

All of the above have somewhat less socializing. Unlike Changi Sailing Club which is very casual. Some members go so far to describe us as "a drinking club with a sailing problem."

With a mooring field (cheap) and no real berths we attract the budget conscious cruisers as well.

[Mablew]

great insight
Thank you all
After reading your responses it got me thinking about creating a mooring dock that is exclusively for people who are exploring the cost living on their boats. These mooring docks that have sustainable power and water could be in protected areas and become more like way points or hot spots for live boards to stop for a while and explore.

[Sam Plan B]

What aspects do you look for when choosing a marina?
First is the cost, slip fees are a good chunck of change when you own a 40+ foot boat.
What aspects or your marina do you like the most? Why
The marina management allows me to work on my boat without interference. That is, they to not make an issue of Green Marina stuff. All boats require more or less continuous maintenance. Some marinas do not allow you to sand or paint on the premisses.
What aspects of your marina do you dislike? Why
The marina is 15 minutes from my home. That means I have more time to work on the boat and less time fighting traffic.
How is your time spent at a marina?
Again, most of my time is spent working on the boat. The rest of the time is spent socializing with fellow sailors.
What materials would you like to see docks made of?
Where I am there is a 3 foot tide. Floating docks are best to deal with this. As for the materials the dock is built from, I have no opinion.
How much of your week is spent at your marina relaxing, socializing?
Almost every weekend is spent at the marina. Not so much during the week.
What activates do you like to do at your marina?
As before, I socialize with my fellow sailors and work on my boat.
Do you use a mooring field, would you ever consider using a mooring field, why or why not?
My boat is on the Potomac River 85 miles upstream from the Chesapeake Bay. A mooring might work but the river sometimes freezes over in winter.
What would you like added to your dock?
The slips have only 15 amps of shore power. 30 amps would be welcome.

[Sandero]

I never stay at marinas. They are like a ghetto where you are forced to "live:" 5 feet away from your neighbor. No privacy whatsoever. Hate em.

I use marinas to take on water and fuel. Rarely I use their dinghy dock if I need to get something ashore and they have the a convenient access point to the street.

I prefer a mooring field to leave my boat (securing when I am away for a stretch) and to anchor out when I cruise. Marinas are not secure since anyone can walk on your boat and walk off with something. Gates and guards would be very creepy.

Floats should be constructed of Ipe or some other none splintering hard wood which give traction when wet. Recycled material meeting that spec would be fine.

[Tempest245]

My permanent marina was chosen for proximity to my home, it's great protecttion from bad weather and it's complete chandlery. It's a full service yard.
I'd like them to have a picnic area and cable TV, but I can live without them.

I wouldn't like mooring fields as my home port. Despite rules too many owners in my area, don't maintain their moorings or gear. When they let loose they drift through the field like a pin ball.

I want to be tied to a floating dock. with water and power.

When cruising, If I stay in a marina, I want nice clean showers, an on premise laundry, Ice, pump out, wifi, fuel, Pools are nice. etc.

If I hang on a mooring, a launch service is nice... if not, a good dinghy dock and a welcoming town.

I suspect that when I retire and go cruising, I'll be anchoring and hanging on a ball, more often than I stay in a marina. $$ a night in a marina around here is as much as a nice hotel room...and they don't change the sheets or clean.

Clean energy in marinas is a nice thought, but probably a distant reality. The marina owners would have to get some kind of monetary credits from the power companies, the town or the state, to make the investment pay off for them..