Sailor Wannabe

[BronzeAccord]

Hey there all!!

My buddy and I have been talking about buying and sharing a sailboat for a couple years now, and now we want to finally do it. But im getting a little disgruntled now, as i am from Southern California......it seems the internet is painting quite a grim picture when it comes to boat storage. It seems to claim that small boats are being edged out of the marina, and space is super-limited, and even the boatyards for drydocking stacks are running out of room. So what im wondering is the situation that desperate here, or can i still get a slip with a little bit of persistance?

We are looking to get a 25-29 footer....we have been taking classes and we are both hooked. Let me know please.

[delmarrey]

I was having trouble finding slips 20+ years ago in Sandy Eggo. I can only imagine what it's like now.

As far as I know, no one is building any more marinas. They are building one here in Everett but that's the only one I've heard of in the past 10 years. And they are taking their sweet time about it.

Canada's west coast seems to be the only place that has invested in the idea.

[S/V Elusive]

Well Bronze .. So Cal is kind of a large area. Can you narrow it down a bit?

In the mean time:
Santa Barbara - 20 year plus wait (if you know someone)

Ventura - still cycles okay - boat that size maybe a 3 or 4 month wait

Oxnard (Channel Islands Harbor) Small boat slips going bye bye - but there ARE some - catch it right, and no problem .. on a wait list - forget it.

Marina del Rey - If you have anything below forty feet, no one will talk with you - if you have to ask the cost - go elsewhere

King's Harbor - jammed full at that size

San Pedro - 6 month wait ... they are shifting to larger boats

Los Angeles Harbor - there is some availability and prices aren't too outrageous ... but it IS LA Harbor ..

Long Beach - Now that they've redocked everything, it's possible with about 6 month wait, but more expensive than LA, less that MdR

Alamitos Bay - only if you get lucky ... longer wait, same rate as LB (city of)

And it gets worse the further South you go.

www.thelog.com <--- they have an online magazine called "Where the Slips Are" - it will, at least, give you places to phone. Those places won't talk to you with any reliability if you don't own a boat NOW and are looking for a slip NOW. Then you have to get lucky.

http://www.thelog.com/special/sectionview.asp?s=3729

good luck

[senormechanico]

My advice is move out of California. Seriously.
Steve B.

[S/V Elusive]

Steve -you'll get NO arguement from me - Go SOUTH young man! I'd be there in a heart beat could I find the right mate Problem is, I keep finding women who say they like sailing and then we find out they don't

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Bronze,
Welcome aboard! Good luck in your search. I haven't lived in San Diego since the early 80s so can't help you with info. Slips and moorings are continually harder to find. A person would think that there could be a developer that had a marina in mind for smaller cheaper boats (niche marketing) but don't know where or who that could be.
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[senormechanico]

I spent 4 years in Mexico (west coast) on a 35' Lord Nelson. Wish I was still there.

We spent only about a day a month in marinas on average, and then mostly just for provisioning and boat cleanup.

Steve B.

[Mary]

I have a slip for a 31 foot boat in Shoreline Marina. 2 years ago +- I got on the waiting list, and a slip was available within approx 3 months. I went on "passover" for a year because I wasn't quite ready.

A year later (the max for "passover") I came back onto the active list, and within 2 weeks a slip was available.

Currently, after rate readjustment, I'm paying $320 a month for the slip. I don't think there is as much demand for smaller (yes, 31' is now smaller) slips and these slips will become available faster. The marina rebuilding seems to have eliminated some of the smaller slips, but not as many as I expected.

It's hard to get any good data on availability, but a $75.00 deposit (I think) will get you onto the waiting list. After you're on, I think you get better info about where you stand and what's likely to come up.

Good luck.

Mary