what is the average cost of a night's stay at a marina? I'd like to spend most of our time out on the hook, but now and then we'll probably want to rent a transient slip.

They usually have a fee based on length of the boat and it can vary quite a bit. I think most are around $3.00 but some are much more than that.

Get a chart out for the area you want to stay and google the marinas there. They should have a link to their transient moorage on their web page.

thanks prober. I've looked around online at the pages I could find but didn't really find any prices. I guess i'll just be surprised next spring. LOL

When I was @ Korths they charged $9.00 up to 16' & $.60 a ft. after that.

At oroville I pay $25 on a 223 foot boat. Bigger could be more.

Thanks for the comparisons Snup and SB...

SB--I do hope you meant 23 foot, because I can't even imagine a boat bigger than 223 feet

Around this area of Lake Erie (the islands) rates average around $1.50 to $1.60 per foot for over night, depending on services offered and location. For short term (usually 4 hours) it varies from $1.00 / ft. to flat rates of $15.00 - $25.00. Our marina charges $1.00 / ft. for overnight, but there's not much close by. There are showers, elec. and water, but no restaurant, laundry or pool. But you might get a free beer and good conversation from a friendly native.

LOL thanks for that Softsides. All we're looking for on the occasional dock is water, electric, and some good company. I do know that on the river here by Joliet they have daytime transient docking by the hour (parking meters, lol) so you can go to show and stuff. That's cool, but I was thinking more in terms of hooking up for the night.

Here's what I've paid in the past at different places:

$1.50/foot/night
$2.50/foot/night
$15/day flat rate
$30/day flat rate
FREE!


The free one let me keep my boat overnight at the restaurant's courtesy docks Mon-Fri if I promised to come in for dinner once or twice.

Wow and how cool with that last one. I would have been happy to oblige too. LOL Thanks for the price lists. All the comparisons give me some idea of what to expect overall. So I suppose anything from the rare 'free' to $3.00 a foot probably in more urban areas to some flat rate fees are about the norm. It just helps to know so I can get an idea of what expenses outside of the boat itself there will be.

FWL et al, if you do a lot of transient dock stays it might be worth your while to join a yacht club. Most yacht clubs offer reciprocal moorage to visiting members from other clubs.

For our upcoming Great Lakes Excursion I'm already researching where the yacht clubs are and what their reciprocal moorage policies are.

sign me.......Cheap GFC

GFC, This may be of some help.


Inter-Lake Yachting Assoc

That's interesting. I'll have to look into that. My only problem with yacht clubs is the one I've found so far that's sort of close (nothing is closer than an hour and a half away for us, sucks) had membership application rules that had me simply rolling with laughter and saying, boy, you guys think a helluva lot of yourselves. First of all, they require you to fill out the form (ok) and send them 150 dollars just so they will consider your application... just consider you, mind you, and then IF they accept your application you are put into the 'B' application file and have to wait until a spot opens up in the 'A' application file (are you following this?) which can take a year or so... in that time you must attend meetings, and functions and be active (would be okay except all of their meetings are on days when my captain works. I could go but I don't do stuff like that without him)... so we'd likely never even be accepted as far as the 'a' applicants because that hinges on your participation... and once an 'a' applicant you have to wait for a spot to open up in the actual club and THEN be voted in, of course then paying an equally exhorbinant membership fee for both members (me and spouse)... !!! whaaaaaaaaaaaaa???????????? You are shittin' me right? No that's for real... are they all like that?

for the record hubby and I have been active club members in many national and regional clubs for activities we do. I have even served as secretary for a couple. So we do enjoy club memberships AND activities, and I do attend meetings and functions without my captain but not ALL of them, just when it can't be helped. For him and I it makes no sense to do things seperately when it is what we want to do to enjoy it together. So it's not like I, or either of us, do not want to be active, their scheduling just wouldn't permit it with his current work schedule. However, to be honest, even if we could attend and be active I don't think I'd WANT to considering the rest of that craziness.


Oh yeah, I forgot, before all of that you have to have three current members sponsor your application... I don't know three members. lol

Come on over to the Mighty Mississippi. Countless sandbars and shoreline to beach or tie up. It's all free!

Actually, our marina in Savanna charges $20 or so to slip overnight. Maybe a few bucks more if you use electric.

Rocnat we plan on it now and then but that's a 3-4 hour drive for us just to get there. It won't be a lot unfortunately. I wish it were closer.

FWL, it sounds like those clubs have a pretty high falutin' picture of who they are and what they're supposed to be. Our club isn't like that at all. If someone wants to join and goes through the 1 hour orientation and pays the initiation fee, they're in.

There are two big bene's to being a member of our club. Gas is less expensive than other places on the river, and you get to meet some great people to boat with. The moorage is pretty reasonable but it's not covered so I don't keep my boat there.

Another plus if you cruise in areas away from the home turf is you get reciprocal moorage. That's usually free though you may have to pay a couple of bucks for power. We used it two nights at the San Juan Island YC when we cruised the San Juans two years ago. Saved us about $30/nite.

See that's fantastic. I really don't know if what I described is like that in the urban Chicago area clubs. I was afraid to find out. I mean the one I described is in a little rural town of about 10k people far, far, FAR south of Chicago. I really don't know why they think their little lake and membership thing is so grand-but they can have it. LOL

I'll look into some other clubs up closer to Chicago now that I've heard that they aren't all like the one I described.

FWL, Chicago has several municipal marinas. I think most of those, if not all, has a yacht club at the marina. It might be worth checking into them.

Just spent some time doing that. A couple have easy membership application rules, but WOW... isn't boating expensive enough? (Of course we are talking Lake Michigan/Chicago coast. I'll be looking a little more though. lol The worst part is most of those would be closest to me. I'm not sure I'm ready to part with 2 grand a year. I may as well pay for dockage. If it cost 50 dollars a night (Some would be twice as much, but some would be half as much so it would say even out..) considering there's only about 6 months if lucky of real cruising weather... say we got out EVERY weekend (not really likely, but hey, we'll try, right) x 2 nights each that's 2400.00 a year.

Now we're not likely to get out every weekend, and we'd likely anchor out more than half the time... so I can't see paying more than 1000 a year (ONE was about that, it's way up north though).

2Suns sent me some Peoria info and it's a really REALLY reasonable, doable club, but dang 3 hours away... I can't win!!! LOL

As GFC said, they're not all like you experienced. We have an I-LYA chapter near where we dock, it doesn't even have any docks. But it does have a transient dockage agreement with the marina next door and therefore can offer reciprical agreement with other I-LYA clubs. It's primarily a social chapter. We don't currently belong but are considering it some year down the road. I know they have events going on all summer, and have heard that most are fun. As with most clubs, along with dues they do expect members to do a certain number of work functions but that's just part of maintaining a place. Unfortunately, unless you "require" everyone to at least do a little, most will do nothing and all the work falls a few very dedicated. What they are great for is being an organized gathering of people with a common interest, that being boating. As with any organization, though, for better or worse, you'll find a lot of nice friendly people but you'll also find the group of jerks.

FWL, I don't know which YCs on Lake Michigan that you've looked at. You need to look at Associate, or Non-Resident Memberships. These are less expensive.

Look at Yacht Clubs of America. Most clubs will have a link to their website.

http://www.yachtclubsofamerica.com

Lake Michigan Yachting Assn.
http://www.lmya.net

It has been my experience that the rates will vary anywhere from 50 cents per foot per night to $5 per foot. The bigger the population base the more it cost. NYC area was more expensive than anywhere along the Mississippi river. Sometimes there are added charges for electric, cable, phone, and waste hookups as well. I have found many Marinas in terrible condition just as expensive as those in good shape. Some may have decent shore side facilities and others may have none! Join a Yacht club on your local lake that is land locked and they rarely have anything to trade when it comes time to start your travels. Reciprical agreements between them will not exsist. If you want to travel through Florida, joining a club in Florida may have value. Belonging to one in Michigan may get you nothing in Florida!