Marinas near Richmond, VA (James River)

dwna1a said:
If I get to drinking and having fun with other CSR members I might just wanna stay put and motor back in the morning. The upper James can be tricky.
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When were you planning on doing this? They do have concerts there almost* every Saturday. Their info is usually on their Facebook page. I have been there for those, well before I was a boat owner. Probably back in 05-06. If you enjoy sloppy, redneck 21 year old girls that smoke and can out drink you, then this is your spot! That was years ago, not sure if it's better now. The bands are usually local, but they did have the band Saliva not too long ago. I'm 29, and I have yet to take a saturday night off from my downtown richmond night life job to attend this. Like I said, years ago it was for me.. but even at 29, not sure if I would still go or not. They usually have a beer truck, and a cash bar. The place in front of the stage can hold around 200 people tops. It does bring in a large crowd, but luckily.. only boat owners and friends of the boat owners can go down to the dock. They have security standing and checking people.. which is kinda nice. Another thing as well, if you're a slip renter.. entry to the concert is free.

Facebook page for more info: https://www.facebook.com/AppomattoxBoatHarbor
 
Tring to work out a weekend soon, I had planned a trip up to see how bad the river looked but just saw your post. It looks to be sometime towards the end of June. Gonna motor up on a Friday after work then come back Sunday morning....maybe
 
dwna1a said:
Tring to work out a weekend soon, I had planned a trip up to see how bad the river looked but just saw your post. It looks to be sometime towards the end of June. Gonna motor up on a Friday after work then come back Sunday morning....maybe
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I'm planning to go to the beach on Sunday morning/afternoon.. but I'm lazy and I don't feel like driving for 3 hours.. haha! It's just for one night too, but I have girls with me.. so I have to, right? I mean, there's 3 of them and there's one of me!
 
I feel for ya...really I do! Leave early...or you going by boat?
 
Just moved to Jordan Point marina, and seems nice. Other than the high wind and longer drive from my house, I like the overall location. Non ethanol gas is a huge plus too. If you're a slip renter, you get $.10 off each gallon. May not seem like much, but it'll add up in savings.

Has anyone else stayed there and enjoyed/not enjoyed the location, and why?
 
I stop there when I go up towards Richmond, the staff is always friendly and the coffee always seems to be fresh!

Just asking, but what made you move?
 
dwna1a said:
I stop there when I go up towards Richmond, the staff is always friendly and the coffee always seems to be fresh!

Just asking, but what made you move?
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The drive from SBH was just too far. It took me 45+ minutes, 3 no-wake zones later to get to the mouth of the James (Hopewell rt 10 bridge). I calculated using 15-20 gallons just to get there and back. That's 30-40 gallons per trip at the minimum. From Jordan Point, I'm only using 10 gallons or so (round trip) to get to the mouth of the James. I guess you could say I'm using that as my prior hub point where you turn to go north towards Richmond (gravel pits, rocketts landing, skinny dip cove). Plus, they have gas right there.. the other marinas (besides anchor point) didn't have that. Sometimes I run my boat at the slip just to make sure everything is running well and just keep everything fresh. If I ran out of gas, I used to have to get cans and fill my boat up that way (during winter time, not taking it out anywhere).

I had no problems at SBH, and I miss the calm water and the people. Another plus of Jordan Point is their mechanic. Very knowledgeable and trustworthy. I can't say the same for SBH.
 
I took the slip next to Jay for the same reasons. Small Boat Harbor is a great place. When I was at River's Rest we had hurricane force winds a few times. I doubled up lines more times than I care to remember. At SBH, it was barely a sneeze.

Even though Jordan Point is roughly 10 miles further by car, Jay nails it regarding fuel consumption on the boat. For me, it's an extra $100 per trip and an additional hour behind the wheel. That money and stress adds up really quick. Unlike Jay (although that may change), I usually head south and east towards the "Power Lines" and other anchorages or Smithfield station so my savings may indeed be greater than his.
 
Well it does make it easier for me to ride up and visit. Just beware of floating trees and junk from the small islands up that way.
 
dpmulvey said:
I took the slip next to Jay for the same reasons. Small Boat Harbor is a great place. When I was at River's Rest we had hurricane force winds a few times. I doubled up lines more times than I care to remember. At SBH, it was barely a sneeze.

Even though Jordan Point is roughly 10 miles further by car, Jay nails it regarding fuel consumption on the boat. For me, it's an extra $100 per trip and an additional hour behind the wheel. That money and stress adds up really quick. Unlike Jay (although that may change), I usually head south and east towards the "Power Lines" and other anchorages or Smithfield station so my savings may indeed be greater than his.
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David, whenever we link up and your boat has a wet butt, I'd like to get together and talk about some spots down south. I'm not familiar with that area and want to plan some trips with my girlfriend & friends. I want to actually use my boat this summer!
 
Sorry to see you guys moving out, but I understand the reasons. I know they were talking about adding fuel at SBH, but I haven't spoken with anyone there in a while and don't know if that is still happening. The trip out to the James from SBH is a bummer (time and fuel).

For me, I think I'm going to stick until we finally decide to move the boat out to the bay somewhere.
 
src said:
Sorry to see you guys moving out, but I understand the reasons. I know they were talking about adding fuel at SBH, but I haven't spoken with anyone there in a while and don't know if that is still happening. The trip out to the James from SBH is a bummer (time and fuel).

For me, I think I'm going to stick until we finally decide to move the boat out to the bay somewhere.
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There used to be fuel at SBH. The tank and pump were at the stationary dock to the far left of the ramp as you are pulling in the fairway. It was removed a few years ago. Billy kept the prices in line with local stations. So much so that people came from Anchor Point to get fuel. I don't know what kind of EPA problems they will have getting it back.

If you are up for the drive, I highly recommend Remlik Marina (http://www.remlikmarina.com/AboutUs.html) in Urbanna. Covered slips. Great folks. Great mechanic. Hartsfield Marine Electronics nearby. I may do that in the next couple of years. I'm just not up for the drive right now....

Good luck.
 
dpmulvey said:
There used to be fuel at SBH. The tank and pump were at the stationary dock to the far left of the ramp as you are pulling in the fairway. It was removed a few years ago. Billy kept the prices in line with local stations. So much so that people came from Anchor Point to get fuel. I don't know what kind of EPA problems they will have getting it back.

If you are up for the drive, I highly recommend Remlik Marina (http://www.remlikmarina.com/AboutUs.html) in Urbanna. Covered slips. Great folks. Great mechanic. Hartsfield Marine Electronics nearby. I may do that in the next couple of years. I'm just not up for the drive right now....

Good luck.
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I've been to that marina, and have had the mechanic do work on my past Bayliner. He is also mobile, and makes the drive out to our marina's often. I believe his name is Danny. That marina is very nice, and the water is clean & smooth. He runs it (I think) and he's very easy to get along with and agreed with David, great people as well. Urbanna is gorgeous.
 
If/when I do move the boat, I'm strongly drawn to dry storage to cut down on a lot of the maintenance issues, but on the flip side being able to hang out at the dock for a weekend is also nice. On the other hand, I'm thinking about trading up to a trawler in the not-so-long-term future. So everything depends on what happens in the next year or two.
 
Recreational. We really want to do more long-range trips in the future, and want something with good space for extended live-aboard times. We were hoping that the 310 would be good for that, but with the small water tank and limited stowage, we just can't see spending more than a couple days out at a time (not counting transient time at marinas). There's no question that the 310 is a great boat, but our needs are evolving.
 
If a trawler is your choice, then Remlik is a great choice. Granted, the run to the bay is going to be a bit of a haul, but in a trawler, everything is. The Mechanic, covered slips, pool, comraderie, full time liveaboards (security), cost and proximity to Annapolis, Norva, Smithfield, etc.... can't be beat.
 
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