Heads up - Gunpowder Cove Marina in Joppa MD closing

[DaleM]

For awareness... I know there are a few non-slipholders that winter there that may not have received the official letter from MarineMax.

Bottom line come Nov 1st all slip holders must leave the marina as MarineMax is closing it's doors. There will be no winterization or winter storage offered at this marina going forward and it will not reopen for the next season. All your 'stuff' must be removed from the property. I also understand everything shuts down including the fuel docs. We just received the letter in the mail Wednesday.

it's a real kick in the chops. It's now a mad scramble to find 1) a new marina and 2) a place to winter store half-way through the season. Not to mention emotions are flying for some who have been there 45 years! IMO it would've been nice to know this earlier in the season as I'm sure the financial issues that are supposed to be behind this can't be newly discovered....

They are offering slipholders discounts to winter I believe in the Inner Harbor. I'm not sure though of those details because I'm not running the boat an hour out of my way when I takes me an hour just to drive to the marina, and then drive another hour by boat to the IH.

Thanks MarineMax...

 

[JimG]

Someone is bound to reopen that facility I would think...

 

[Alegria]

Wow! Quite sad. That was a wonderful quality facility when privately owned. I am confident it will be again when out of Marine Max hands!



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[Searaybio270]

I agree. When it was privately owned the service in the help was tremendous. I hope for all of you and those of us that use to buy things there, that it opens again. I wrote about what happened to me when I took the 400EC there. What they did to my boat, spoiled a fridge filled with food, lost to expensive bottles of wine, greasy hand prints all over and the service guy,he is rather big, was leaning on the transom door and bent the hinges. When I said something to him - he was clueless as to what he did. Not to mention when I complained about how they left my boat, their service manager sent me a $100 gift certificate to some food store. I thought wow. I will not be back. I don't have much love for them or the MM's around the area.
Hope someone jumps in and takes it over.
Good day and a sad day all in one.

 

[Blueone]

I have been in Indiana for 9 years so I am out of the loop with status of Marinas on the Chesapeake.... When and why did Marine Max buy Gunpowder ?

 

[DaleM]

I'm not sure when they took it over. We got there in 2009 and it was MM. My friend who was at the marina prior to MM coming in said there was typically a waiting list to get in. Even when we got our first boat we were lucky to get a slip. I heard that once MM came in a bunch of people were upset about it because they loved the family owned management and left.

 

[rcknecht]

If you are retired military for gov civ, you can winter at APG Edgewood, which is very close to Jopa...

 

[Alegria]

I'm not sure when they took it over. We got there in 2009 and it was MM. My friend who was at the marina prior to MM coming in said there was typically a waiting list to get in. Even when we got our first boat we were lucky to get a slip. I heard that once MM came in a bunch of people were upset about it because they loved the family owned management and left.

Your right we were there both when it was privately owned and when MM owned it. There was a wait list when we brought our first boat from the owner who kept it there. Their prices were some if not the cheapest on the bay and they kept it in good condition. Their service department was also very good, well stocked, knowledgeable and would fix the right thing the right way for a reasonable fee which was nice.

We got out of boating for 5-6 years and got back in after MM took over. As soon as MM took over they raised the prices on all the slips and services. That was what started the change I think. Folks then looked at what you got for what you paid and went elsewhere. Another change I noticed when I came back was the slip fee arrangements. There was a fee for the season and a separate fee for haul out and another fee for storage all per foot. So it got pretty expensive pretty fast given the fact the prices went up and new fees were introduced. Previously your slip lease covered the season and land storage and there was a nominal charge per ft to launch in the spring. There are a lot of houses around the marina and it was a very neighborhood place where many kept their boats out of convenience. Not really a destination marina, that is the challenge I guess when you raise prices and don't add anything else for the customer....

I never had any issues and had good service in the early MM years. We left looking for more amenities and went south on the bay to find them.

 

[SeaRenity]

Dale
You must have really liked MM, Joppa to drive a further distance from home to that marina as there were many closer. I hope all works out or you. If you are looking for a new home I would certainly recommend where I am at Bills yacht basin in Millers Island. I too drive from Frederick county Md.to my marina and it is a pleasant drive just a few minutes over 1 hour. Bill's has individual floating slips overlooking the "Hart Miller Island" cut and is home to Row boat Willies dock bar and neighbor to Dock of the bay restaurant
Rich (Middletown, MD)

 

[dbmathison]

It won't be reopening. I heard Condos are being build on the property.

David

 

[DaleM]

You must have really liked MM, Joppa to drive a further distance from home to that marina as there were many closer. I hope all works out or you./QUOTE]

We started there as after going for a boat ride with a family friend (got us hooked...). They have a daughter who is best friends with mine so it was fun for them to play together when we were at the marina. They've since left and we stayed. We are now on J-pier. There aren't many locations where you can just literally drive up behind your boat with a grassy area for your personal picnic table, grill, etc. I would agree though that there seem to be more bang for your buck places though.

As far as the suggestion - thank you for mentioning Bill's. We will definitely take a look.