New To Boston Harbor Boating

TTA89

New Member
Oct 2, 2019
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Hi All,

My wife and I bought a condo in Charlestown a few months ago. We walked past the Constitution Marina and over the locks on our way to Nightshift Brewing and I haven't been able to stop thinking about a boat since!

I grew up day fishing in California with my Dad and my wife and I have a pontoon boat on a lake in NH. I've been been out a few times in Boston Harbor with a friend on his sailboat but I'd consider Boston harbor and beyond all new to us. In short, we aren't new to boating but new to Atlantic ocean boating.

1. I love to research so I've been reading about boats for a few weeks and it looks like a 5-10 year used Sundancer 310/320/340 is the ticket? I still have to narrow down the differences, options, and see them in person. It's just the two of us and I doubt we would have anyone else staying overnight on the boat but who knows?

2. We are a 5 minute walk from Constitution Marina and about a 10 minute walk from Charlestown Marina. Seems pretty expensive for a slip but... location, location, location. I see us leaving on a Friday and sleeping over on the boat two nights somewhere and coming back on Sunday.

3. The most important question! It looks like there a ton of places to go leaving out of Boston Harbor? How far can we reasonably go for a day trip and overnight? P-Town? Portsmouth? Nantucket? Harbor Islands? Where else?

4. Do we need a dingy? Do you tow them or mount them to a swim platform or what? How else do you get in from a mooring somewhere?

Thanks!
 
1 - yes your thinking good on size - favor inboards (v-drive) for low speed handeling and reduced maintenance - a friend is selling her '03 340 at marina bay in quincy - let me know if you want her contact info
2.constitution is a nice, well run facility - but also consider a marina that can winter store your boat and has a full service dept - if you are at a marina without one, it can be a looong wait during a short season to get repair work done.
3. As far as trips - yes on p-town, salem is nice, plymouth - once you get through the canal another world opens up - islands, newport, block etc
4. dinghys on a boat of this size are a pain in the ass - any major mooring field (mv,nantucket, newport) run an efficent shuttle service or, just stay at transient marinas - look at dockwa to see whats possible
 
Constitution Marina is a great spot, we’ve stayed there many times. Parking can be a problem. As far as marina costs go in the Boston area they were competitive last time I looked. Marina costs for a boat your size will run about $4k for the summer season, water, 30 amp service and dock box rental.

for trips you can go north as well. Salem and Gloucester are about an hour, north of cape Ann is Essex, ipswich and further up, Newburyport.

Time was I would have told you to go see Russo, the local Sea Ray dealer. However, since they were acquired by Marine Max, let’s just say they aren’t the same organization they used to be. They seem to be focused on new boats and only new boats. Since the current line up is basically day boats that’s all they are trying to sell.

H
 
The costs at Constitution are higher than that. 2020 rates are $203/ft plus 6/ft for 30amp. On a 33 LOA that would be $6,897 for the summer of 2020. Charlestown Marina is about the same costs. Sounds ridiculous but we have friends with 5th wheel trailers that keep them at Bayley's in Old Orchard Beach for more than that per season. The bonus is we have parking at our condo and can just walk down there in 5 minutes.

Marinemax seems to be the same business model as Carmax, no thanks. I've still got tons of research to do, just curious where we can go for day and overnight weekend trips. :)
 
Salem/Gloucester are easy day trips to the North. Scituate/Cohasset same to the South. Going from Boston Harbor to Provincetown or the Cape Cod Canal is 50-55 miles each way and can get some rougher seas if the wind is out of the East or Northeast. Nantucket from Boston Harbor is about 100 mile ride and Newport is 110 miles. Inside the harbor there are many places to go for dock and dine (Hingham Shipyard and Marina Bay). The hotspot to spend the night is Worlds End in Hingham where you can rent a mooring for the night or weekend. Yes slip in commercial marinas are stupid expensive, that's why I belong to a yacht club. Its about a third the cost.
 
TTA, it sounds like you're in a perfect location to be a boat owner but let me throw in a small word of caution: BUY YOUR SECOND BOAT FIRST.

By that I mean avoid the mistake many first time boat buyers make. They buy a boat they fall in love with, only to discover that it really doesn't suit their needs. So after a season or two they decide to sell it and buy the one they should have bought in the first place.

Selling a boat you've only owned for a couple of years can be very expensive. You put money down when you bought it and you're probably going to lose that. Then you're going to have to come up with more cash to put down on your new boat.

So save yourself a lot of time and money and do your homework before you buy a boat. You said you like to do research, well now is the time for that. Walk on a lot of docks, look inside a lot of boats. Don't buy a boat for the two of you because soon you'll find that boating is a lot more fun with friends along. Take your time, do your due diligence and buy your second boat first.
 
Agree with above plus the sea conditions once you get outside Boston Harbor can range from flat calm to 6-8ft. This storm that just past made sea offshore Boston Harbor 12-14ft according to the sea bouys. As said above bigger is better.
 
I went through the same thinking a few years ago, bought a 330 dancer (my second Sea Ray) and as I alternate between my house on the Cape and the Boston area in the summer, I ultimately joined a yacht club as the overall expenses are much lower than a marina

The trip from Boston to Hyannis is about 4 1/2 hours and you definitely want southwest winds for that trip! Scituate, Plymouth, Sandwich and Falmouth are good stopping points if your not in a hurry, even Provincetown is an easy trip form Boston in a bigger boat.

Lots to do in Boston as previously stated, including fireworks on the Charles river on 4th of July, it's spectacular being so close you can smell the fireworks!
 
I wish there was a yacht club in Charlestown, I'd be all over it. I'm willing to pay for convenience to be able to walk to the boat and not deal with a car. :)

Looking forward to the Boston Boat show this winter!
 
If I lived on the North side of Boston I'd join Winthrop Yacht Club. Great club but no winter storage space.
 
Don’t know if you got a boat yet but, you’re really in a fantastic spot to own one. There are many places to go locally and further out. Many places to dock and dine in Boston. Going through the Charles River locks is a blast. The views are amazing. For day trips, I’ve gone to Provincetown many times. Martha’s Vineyard, Cuttyhunk. Even Block Island but, that was kind of pushing it.
As far as a dinghy ..not a necessity but can be fun/useful. You can anchor off one of the harbor islands and use the dinghy to hit the beach. On long trips it can be a insurance policy (lifeboat). If you’re at a spot with no dockage and the tender isn’t around, you can still get to shore..MV for example. Plus they’re cool to putt around on to grab breakfast somewhere, without having to unmoor the whole boat. As far as transporting the dinghy, I found a great product/solution. The dinghy sling. It works great.
 
Yikes I just realized this an old thread. Assuming TTA didn't find a boat?
 
Yes slip in commercial marinas are stupid expensive, that's why I belong to a yacht club. Its about a third the cost.

Every yacht club in the area has a waiting list -- at least 1 year it seemed like.
 
:D

You can say that again! I can't even imagine what it costs in and around Boston.

We’re paying a little over $7k for our slip in Newburyport. Yacht Clubs on the North Shore are no bargain with respect to Marinas. We would pay nearly the same for a mooring (no slips) at Ipswich YC when everything is factored in. Friends from our marina who defected to Newburyport YC say it is also very similar cost wise.
 
We’re paying a little over $7k for our slip in Newburyport. Yacht Clubs on the North Shore are no bargain with respect to Marinas. We would pay nearly the same for a mooring (no slips) at Ipswich YC when everything is factored in. Friends from our marina who defected to Newburyport YC say it is also very similar cost wise.

Thanks Henry, I don't feel so bad paying mid 5's

Like anything, you have to take everything into consideration. Sure, I could get a cheaper slip a few miles down the road .... but it's a few miles of back roads which equals 15 mins more driving each way when we're headed there or when we're having guests meet us there.

I found a nice spot in Marina bay, which has a lot more going on in the immediate area as far as restaurants and other things, but it was more expensive and farther away. Plus no beaches for the kids.

To your point I'd much rather have a dock space than a mooring. Especially since it's easier for the grandparents to board right on the slip.
 
Being of grand parent age, I second the ease of access value. We stopped using the mooring behind our house in Ipswich just for that reason. We probably pay some level of premium for our slip as it is literally in downtown Newburyport, but it is worth it for the restaurants and shops. Newburyport being the tourist destination it is, is both good and bad. Although we have reserved parking weekend traffic with all the out of state goobers who don't know where they are going can be painful. The only good thing from Covid was last summer's lack of tourists.
 
Being of grand parent age, I second the ease of access value. We stopped using the mooring behind our house in Ipswich just for that reason. We probably pay some level of premium for our slip as it is literally in downtown Newburyport, but it is worth it for the restaurants and shops. Newburyport being the tourist destination it is, is both good and bad. Although we have reserved parking weekend traffic with all the out of state goobers who don't know where they are going can be painful. The only good thing from Covid was last summer's lack of tourists.
Some level of premium is an understatement for Newburyport. Beautiful location. I navigated in and out of the port last summer and have spent a good portion of my life going there for subs and pizzas near the bridge with my family.
 
Every yacht club in the area has a waiting list -- at least 1 year it seemed like.

My yacht club accepts new members year round. You do not need wait a year to join but slip availability is based on seniority and boat size. If you joined my YC now (4k initiation) you would most likely have a slip to use next season give your boat size. Seems like many are moving up to big boats (35-50ft). The most difficult boat size to accommodate is 35-39ft due to slip configurations.
 

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