Marinas
Not all marinas allow liveaboards, and those that allow them year-round are few and far between. In fact, in the greater Portland area, we can only think of two. Do you know of any others? Some marinas include water, wireless internet and cable TV as part of your slip fee. Others charge a small amount for these services, or charge a general liveaboard fee for increased use of the marina facilities. Some marinas have a small shop or chandlery, others do not. Most will have bathrooms, shower and laundry facilities, but these vary in number, cost, comfort and cleanliness. Check out the whole facility before moving in, if you get the chance! When choosing your marina, you are choosing what place you will be calling “home” for at least the next year or so, so it’s important to choose a good one! Below we have included some important things to take into account when making your decision.
Quick Tip:
Here in Portland, the water around your boat will not freeze! It gets cold up here, but not that cold. The heat in your boat and the motion of it in the water will be enough to keep water flowing. Bubblers are necessary in the lakes and further north, but around here they are not needed.
Other things to consider:
Parking situation — Depending on your location, your marina may have a lot, street parking, or in some places you may be on your own. Do you have more than one vehicle? If you’re like many liveaboards your vehicle will become a storage unit for those things you need, but can’t fit onto your boat. If parking is a long walk away from your boat, it will become very inconvenient. On the other hand, buying an extra parking pass for your second vehicle can get expensive!
Mail system — Almost every marina offers mail services. But you have to be there when the doors are unlocked in order to get it. A lot of people just go with PO boxes instead.
Dinghy dock rules — Where we live, there is a place for everyone to tie up a 10′ or less dinghy, free of charge. This is not the case everywhere. We actually don’t use it because we have a large bowsprit and we can tuck our dinghy in, out of the way of other boats. If you can’t store your dinghy next to your boat, it may cost you.
Rowdiness of your neighbors — “summertime people” are generally here to party and can bring a crowd, on a weekend day especially. In general, the “liveaboard” crowd is respectful of others and don’t have a lot of loud parties. If you are concerned about how hectic life at your marina may be you should pick a marina away from the hub bub of the city, though we feel that it is just as peaceful and quiet at our downtown marina as it was across the river, out of town.
Pump Out — Casco Bay is a no discharge zone, so it is important that you have a way to empty your holding tank nearby, or have a different toilet system (ours is a composting head which we love).
Full-service yard – If you have a lot of work you need done, it will be important to have a work-yard where you live. Some marinas have the means to haul out, to service your engine, to do minor repairs or paint jobs, or even to rebuild your boat from the bottom up. If this is important to you, there are limited options, and you would be wise to become friendly with the service yard to make sure you are getting a fair price.
Security — Do you generally lock your boat? Do you care if there are security guards present or patrolling the dock? Most marinas have some sort of gate code to get down to the docks but some are clearly better secured than others. Check out the gates and docks before you move in to be sure you are comfortable with them.
Other Boats – If you have a smaller boat, where will you put it? You will often have to pay for this storage, even if it is just a kayak that you do not want to keep on deck.
Storage — Are dock boxes allowed? We don’t have one but have seen how useful they are for storing extra tools, paint buckets, and spare parts you don’t want to take sailing with you each weekend.
Price — Clearly, the price will be a factor in your choice of marina. Most are similarly priced but with different amenities, so be sure to consider all of these when comparing prices. Also some marinas, ours included, has a minimum length charge, so a smaller vessel would be more expensive here. Check out our post The Cost Question for more detailed info!
Protection in Rough Weather – Most storms come from the NE up this way. Is there adequate protection? Try to get a slip that is tucked in as well as possible.
Quality of the Docks — If you have the chance, walk the docks before you move in to your marina. See what if anything is broken and make a note of how the power/water posts look. All docks are not the same! Some power receptacles are not reliable and some docks are in poor repair.
Pets — If you have a dog, check to see if your marina has doggie bags. It is a small factor, but will make your life a lot simpler and will make for a cleaner environment if you are sure all dog-owners have access to poop bags.
Dimillo’s Marina
1 Long Wharf
Portland, ME 04101
South Port Marina
14 Ocean Street
South Portland, ME 04106
I am not too sure about a slip remaining ice free throughout the winter in Maine. I lived aboard a 28′ sailboat in the Delaware River in the 1980′s and there were times that I had ice 18″ thick around the boat. The marina had promised bubbler systems for every slip, but there was no mention that they were going to provide “working” bubblers. My bubbler never worked, but it didn’t seem to cause any problem to the hull. The biggest problem was when a tugboat would go past and shove a big wake into the slips – the grinding noise would wake the dead. My wife and I are now living summers on a 40′ trawler in the mid-coast. I am not sure that we would want to do winters again – the Bahamas seem like a better option.
I think that one needs to assume that ice will come and be prepared for it, then whatever happens you will be set. Here in Mid-Coast Maine we get three or four feet of sea ice in the rivers every year. The main consideration is that once the ice sets in, you have no option but to stay. I never found the ice to be a problem.
We will try to make it to the Dec 2 meet n’ greet – is that on for sure?
We enjoy your site!
The meet n greet is on, we’d love to have you! I guess I should have been more specific– down here in Portland there is not enough ice to worry about. In brackish water there can be slushy ice on top, but even when it got super cold we never saw solid ice all winter. I haven’t yet met anyone who has stayed on board all winter down east, but maybe there is more concern up there. Hope to meet you soon!
With regard to the Meet-n-Greet, we have been on the road for the last 2 weeks and we will not be able to make this one. Will there be other get-togethers this winter? We would love to attend if there are. Thanks
Oh, bummer! Yes, we hope there will be others. We are going to ask the folks who do make it tonight what they think. Should we do monthly gatherings? Seasonal? Switch up the location a bit? Meet on someone’s boat? If you have a preference let me know and I’ll share it with the group. Safe travels!
Sophi
Rick, the other factor we have here in Portland is a lot of commercial traffic in and around the marina that go in and out every day. That keeps the ice from forming. Sometimes we get a skim coat but it does not last.
Nice write up Sophi! As this is our first winter aboard and we just shelled out a ton of cash, Meghan and I went looking for cheaper dockage in town Portland and found a slip at Chandler’s Wharf right next to Dimillo’s. Each slip at Chandler’s is privately owned, but many are leased out, especially in the Winter. The slip we’re on is much more exposed than any of the Dimillo’s slips, but the view is exceptional, the docks and facilities are in great shape, there is a full time maintance guy, 24 hour security, 2 full bathrooms that are cleaned everyday, and very nice power/water posts. The only downsides: no parking, no mail, and we’re pretty much the furthest boat out into the bay. For way less than half the cost of Dimillo’s though, its a fantastic slip!