Securing a mooring / berth around Boston

[lonecapon]

Hi all,


I'm starting to look at a few boats in my neck of the woods, but given how popular boating is around Boston I was curious about how I should sequence finding a boat / finding a place for the boat? I guess my concern is that I'll find a boat, like it, buy it, and then be unable to find anywhere nearby (~30 minute drive?) to keep it once the weather gets nice.


Is this a silly concern? How did you all handle it?


Thanks!

[dfelsent]

30 minutes from where? North Shore? South Shore? Western Suburbs?
I’m 19 miles north of Boston Harbor and 45 minutes away.
But a 5 minute walk from a launch to my boat.
And no it’s not silly at all. It’s a big part of boat ownership. Logistics. Winter boatyard? Haul or leave in or head south? Slip or mooring? What location? Price? Waiting list?

[gstepler]

Very legitimate concerns, and second the questions/observations from dfelsent. I have a mooring at Winter Island in Salem, MA. I have parking and dinghy storage there during the season and have the boat hauled and blocked there for the winter. My first boat was a trailer sailor, so launched/hauled at the ramp but stored it on the trailer well inland. Lots of variables, so don’t hesitate to PM if you want to continue the conversation.

[SVQuestOfPaget]

I would second what Dfeltsent and Gstepler already said. It's definitely a wise idea to consider boat storage and mooring before purchasing - the boat itself can often be the inexpensive part. Where are you considering in the Boston area? How large of a boat are you considering? 30 minutes won't get you far in Boston area traffic !

I grew up sailing out of Nahant on the North Shore, where my folks live and kept their boat. Great spot, horrible harbor in anything but a NW blow. My boat is still there while I rebuild her deck and complete a much-needed facelift, though I live in metro west area, an hour away on a good day.

If you can give yourself a 45-60 minute "commute" time, your options may open up quite a bit.
-Eric

[lonecapon]

Thanks for the replies! I apologize I wasn't clear on "30 minutes," honestly being cooped up in my apartment is getting to me


I currently live in Somerville, but with my lease being up in the spring and my newfound job location flexibility, I can theoretical go where I'd like. What I *should* have said is that I'd love to find something 30-45 minutes from the Somerville area. Realizing that's probably a pipe dream, I'd expand the question to ask about the North Shore area in general -- how tough is it to find a mooring and/or slip?


Thanks again, you all are very helpful

[dfelsent]

On the North Shore where I live it’s far and away moorings over slips.
The moorings are permitted by the town or city harbormasters. There are a few marinas with slips in Salem and Beverly. Very few in Gloucester and zero in Marblehead. Geography and existing development primarily drives this.
Rockport , Essex, Ipswich are all very limited in terms of deep water or availability as far as I know. Newburyport has that Merrimack River bar to cross.
I hesitate to list specific marinas because I will forget some.

I can speak to Marblehead Harbor and the Marblehead side of Salem Harbor. Marblehead Harbor has a 12-20 year wait list. The Marblehead side of Salem Harbor is about a year wait. Launch service from the West Shore to your boat is about $700 a year. You can rent or buy mooring gear. The permit from the town is the least expensive bit.

With a little planning you can do it for sure.
Pm me if you want.

[PopeyeMike]

Winthrop seems to be accessible and available. Keeping a boat is expensive, no matter which way you slice it; figure 4-6k as a "minimum" for mooring, taxes and winter storage. You have not fixed anything yet...

I'm in the same "boat" as you - i.e. I want a boat! I am a member of the Boston Sailing Center, which is a reasonably affordable alternate.

A possible alternative for you is to live-aboard. Depends on your needs for space and creature comforts, of course. I forget the name of the marina on the north end, but for something like 10k you have a slip and access to showers. (You mentioned your lease is coming up. 10k is peanuts in the Boston rental market!)

[lonecapon]

Originally Posted by PopeyeMike

Winthrop seems to be accessible and available. Keeping a boat is expensive, no matter which way you slice it; figure 4-6k as a "minimum" for mooring, taxes and winter storage. You have not fixed anything yet...

I'm in the same "boat" as you - i.e. I want a boat! I am a member of the Boston Sailing Center, which is a reasonably affordable alternate.

A possible alternative for you is to live-aboard. Depends on your needs for space and creature comforts, of course. I forget the name of the marina on the north end, but for something like 10k you have a slip and access to showers. (You mentioned your lease is coming up. 10k is peanuts in the Boston rental market!)

All great suggestions. I belong to Boston Harbor Sailing Club which has been great for the last ~5 years, but my dilemma is that I'm getting bored just cruising around the harbor.

I'm looking for a wednesday night boat to join so I can race, but I also want to start taking longer trips (like weekends) and start to learn more about maintaining a boat, etc. I also really want to try some solo trips which BHSC definitely won't let me do.