Is your Marina considered an essential business?

Bridog

Bridog

Well-Known Member
Oct 4, 2006
4,961
Gulf Shores AL / Brick NJ
Boat Info
2016 19SPX OB
Engines
Mercury 150 4S OB
So with all the "non essential" places being forced to close. Do Marinas qualify to stay open? Any first hand experience? So far so good with my marina here in Alabama. We just drove past a car wash up and running and was thinking if it's ok for them, why not us?
 
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They are all closed in West Michigan. Essential? You're kidding I hope.
 
The boatyard I keep my boat at over the winter is open, servicing, repairing, painting bottoms and launching boats. I was down there yesterday taking off my shrinkwrap.
 
Sbw1, Not essential for me, but....they consider the ABC (state liquor stores) to be an essential business. Car washes? Seriously? At least Marinas provide slips for livaboards, dockage availability, fuel and pump outs for state, local and coast guard, Provide repairs for the same and access for the local fishing industry, so yeah, I'd consider them more "essential" in that term than car washes or liquor stores.
 
Washington State closed fishing, yet the pot shops are considered essential and are open. I just don't get it.
 
Actually it seems to be in Mass and NH they are. But at the same time we have very large commercial fishing operations and most cities and towns on the water have marine police operations. These all need commercial support for fuel, repairs, and dockage. A recreational boating only marina or boat yard is very rare. What remains to be answered for us when the season starts will be whether marinas will be open for recreational boating, or be like car dealerships (open for repairs and service, but closed for in person sales) with fuel dock and service open but docks limited to effectively in water storage.
 
The marina Wyrman and I are in is open. It's a government owned marina, but that doesn't seem to have any effect on things around here. They have closed all the launch ramps and closed recreational fishing on ALL Washington waters. They can't close the Columbia and Snake Rivers because those are USACE Navigational Waterways.
 
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We are also a working port with large freighters calling on a regular basis. The commercial docks are open and the police use the government basin for support. The local marinas are all closed. If the virus situation worsens which is expected, I will not be surprised to see the local marinas stay closed until the pandemic resolves.
 
We were notified that Pope's Island Marina, in New Bedford Harbor, is moving the opening date to April 15th this year. (They usually open April 1st.)

Of course, that could be pushed out, the schools in Massachusetts just extended their sequester another month to May 4th.
 
be_prepared said:
We were notified that Pope's Island Marina, in New Bedford Harbor, is moving the opening date to April 15th this year. (They usually open April 1st.)

Of course, that could be pushed out, the schools in Massachusetts just extended their sequester another month to May 4th.
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We’re north of Boston almost on the NH border. When we kept the boat in the river behind our house we would start the season in early to mid May because we controlled when the mooring went in the water. The season does not start in Newburyport until the third week in May. Mostly because the Merrimac, one of the largest rivers in New England, still has a parade of tree trunks flowing to the ocean until then.
 
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Our marina, located in a state park, is closed. But the west marine on the way in is open. Go figure.
 
My marina is open. The restaurant is open for takeout. Many boats out on the lake yesterday. Fuel dock was very busy. We are under a stay at home order but outdoor activities are permitted provided you maintain social distancing.
 
My boat is in RI on the hard. I was there on Wednesday and they had full crews working on boats and many owners were there working on their boats as well. Right now their goal is to stay open unless the state mandates they shut down. The marine industry is a large part of RI economy. I would be surprised if there wasn’t some influence to keep the marinas for that reason. As long as they stay open I can get in the water and then I am at a private marina in MA so I will have access to my slip there no problem.
 
Our marina is open, not sure if the transient slips are, but I assume so. Dry storage is still launching boats, but only so many per hour, and you have to call ahead to get an open slot (every 15 minutes?), when you arrive, stay in your car until they tell you the boat is in the water, then jump in and go. No raft ups, boaters are required to stay 50’ apart. No more than 10 on a boat...
Meanwhile, FL is still experiencing exponential growth (in deaths and cases...) hopefully the 3rd week of social distancing will start to show some progress, but I’m afraid we aren’t doing enough.
 
Just this last week, I called the marina but got no answer, and now on Friday, they sent out an email saying they are closed. I'm sure, (at least they better) have a security guard there, so I don't know why they can't let us in to work on our boats? But then the whole closing everything down makes no sense.
 
JimT said:
My marina is open. The restaurant is open for takeout. Many boats out on the lake yesterday. Fuel dock was very busy. We are under a stay at home order but outdoor activities are permitted provided you maintain social distancing.
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LKN was very busy yesterday, like a July weekend. My marina has done a number of things, ships store service is through a window, no one allowed inside and the dockhands are keeping their distance, offering, but only assisting if asked. They typically launch around 25boats from dry storage on a busy weekend, yesterday they launched 35. I was pleasantly surprised at how people were keeping distance and being patient coming and going, getting gas. Much more civil than a typical summer weekend. I think people are just happy to get out of the house for an afternoon. I know my mood was much better after a day at the lake!
 
Doc O Rock said:
Just this last week, I called the marina but got no answer, and now on Friday, they sent out an email saying they are closed. I'm sure, (at least they better) have a security guard there, so I don't know why they can't let us in to work on our boats? But then the whole closing everything down makes no sense.
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I think they are entirely wrong to close down all the parks and such. On the one hand they say you can get outside and exercise, then with the other they close the parks. I get that they don't want big groups and everyone 6 feet away from each other. So instead of closing everything, just have the police break up any large groups.
 
In Colorado, all elective surgeries have been forbidden. My wife is hobbling around on a sore knee, and her knee arthroscopy was cancelled. However, marijuana stores and liquor stores have been declared A-OK, and are open.
 
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