Newbie Question; Chicken or Egg???

L

Less

New Member
Jun 13, 2014
23
Cape Cod ( Falmouth)
Boat Info
2006 240 Sundancer. Blue hull with white top. Garmin 545GPS New Standard Horizon 1700 VHF radio
Engines
350 Mercruiser w/ Bravo III drive
Hi, I plan on retiring early next summer and begin my second life as a boater on Cape Cod.

My question relates to whether I should secure a place to keep my boat before I buy or not worry about that and concentrate on the boat purchase. There is a marina/yacht club a 1/2 mile ( walking distance) from our house in Falmouth, Ma. that would be an easy choice to join. They have both moorings and slips, ( I don't plan on trailering) and repair facilities, but I don't know the availability or costs of either and whether you have to join the yacht club to get a preferred spot. There are also many other marina's for slip/mooring or rack storage in the immediate area ( 3-5 miles).

My dad had a 21ft Searay cuddy cabin back in the early 80's that we went out on in Boston harbor every weekend and had a great time, but it's been a while since he sold that boat so I feel I'm back to being a newbie again. I'm planning on buying a used Searay cuddy cabin in the 24ft to 28ft range from 2003-2009. I figure I can find a good used boat for $25k-$30k.

So should I find a boat and then find a place to keep it. Or start exploring marina's and lock a space in before I buy the boat??

I'm sure I'll have many more questions, so I'll thank you all for the help in advance.

Less
 
It's been 24 yrs. since I lived on the Cape. But at that time slips and moorings were at a premium. I'm sure a lot has changed. I would start nosing around and look at places you would want to keep the new boat. I'd hate to purchase my dream and not have someplace to keep it.
 
Your asking the wrong people, contact the marinas in your area and ask them your questions
 
Our Yacht Club has a waiting list so you'd better start asking. On top of the upfront cost to join we also have an annual fee and you pay extra for a slip. BTW, a 2003-2009 28' Sundancer will end up costing more than $30k. I'd start looking at boats, what they're selling for and annual upkeep.
 
I've looked at Boat Trader and there are a number of 24ft Searays under $30K and a couple of 260's. within a 100 miles od the Cape. I agree, that to go to a 270 or 280 in that year range I will probably be closer to $35-$40K.

Regarding the availability of moorings or slips , I do know that there is a waiting list of years for a town mooring. I guess these are very inexpensive and are never given up. But I have been told that the marina can put in their own moorings. But I don't know if you need to be a menber of the yacht club to get these.

As a follow-up question, if you are on a mooringdo you need to pull your batteries to keep them fresh ( no shore power) if you don't use the boat for a couple of weeks?
 
Do both... If you find a boat you like, get its length/beam and call the marina... You should price the total costs. Also, you may want to buy a bigger boat, and if you find the slip first, you won't have that option...
 
I've seen a few people buy a boat and not have a place to put it, or had to take a place that involved a long drive to get to the boat because there was nothing closer.

I'd suggest you contact a marina or two where you'd like to keep the boat and see if they have a wait list for slips. If so, get your name on the list at each marina. Even if you had to rent a slip for a few months before you bought your boat, at least you'd have it available when you find that perfect boat.

Before I bought Beachcomber I had a 330 Sundancer. I jumped at the chance to get a 20'x60' covered slip because I knew I was going to upsize the boat at some point. I was in the bigger slip for 2 seasons before I found the right boat. One less thing to worry about in the buying process was where I was going to put it.
 
Just add to what I said earlier and to further agree with what has been said. You do need to look at the total cost. Before I bought the 1st boat here in NC I to all the marinas I thought would fit our needs best. That also helped greatly in deciding what type of boat we should look for.
 
I think you should be looking at both at the same time. I suspect you are already doing this. When we started looking at boats, we started to figure out what we wanted, and where we wanted to be. We ended up on the OK side of our lake and very happy there. It was just fate.

GFC has a good idea, getting a slip you can grow into, which you may do. I’m already eyeballing a 18x50 enclosed with an upper lower deck that my 330 would still leave room for a SeaDoo a couple slips down from me. They don’t come up often at my marina, in particular at my boathouse.

Matt
 
We are so lucky here in San Francisco Bay. There are always slips. The issue is usually pricing. Monterey and Santa Cruz have waiting lists and people have bought boats just to be grandfathered in to the slip. I agree with the post that says you do not want to limit yourself by getting a slip that is too small for the boat you purchase. In the Land of Boats I say you shop for the deal. Look at enough boats and one will choose you. You will know it when it happens. In the Land of Slips you need to determine what factors will make it easier to actually use the boat. We have a 45x17 foot slip which is a little oversized for our boat but makes launching and docking much easier. Emery Cove Yacht Harbor is on the East side of San Francisco Bay. Since the prevailing wind here is NW we are almost always "down hill" for the ride home and not fighting the wind and chop. At the end of our channel you are pretty much in the Central Bay with great vies of the GGB and the City, and good access to Angel Island, Jack London square, Pier 39, Tiburon, and Sausalito. Only about an hour out from a couple of pretty good fishing spots. Also, our boat lives in the water about 1/2 hour from our home. This facilitates better maintenance and more frequent visits. I think the 'chicken or the egg' thing will sort itself out as you start narrowing down which boat you like and what kind of boating you plan to enjoy.
 
Thanks All, I have been spending more time looking at boats than where to keep it. It's much more fun to look at boats, but I think I'll swing by the local marinas this weekend and get a feel for what next season is looking like for space and prices.

Is there anyone here that boats in the upper Cape Cod area ( Falmouth, Bourne, Mashpee) that can recommend any marinas, especially for space and repair facilities?

Thanks
 
Yep, research marinas while you're looking. You're on track already with pricing/total cost considerations, and some others have mentioned what I call "amenities," too, so look at those. The marina where I slipped last year was closer to home (less time to launch), but farther from where I raft with other people (more gas/longer time to get to the fun), and did not permit me to put a PWC or other craft in the slip, whether my boat was in it or not. It didn't have pump out service at the slips, either. On the up side, it didn't have a waiting list, so there was less risk of being slip-less when I bought the boat, and they had a larger variety available so I got one that was 16' wide, which was perfect while we were learning. This season we moved to a different marina and a 12' slip--small cost savings on slip, big cost savings on gas, and it's ok with this place if I keep my PWC in it, too. You can get pumpout at the main gas/guest docks, schedule fee-based slip service from a marina employee, or check out a machine and do it yourself. Probably small potatoes for those who are at higher-class marinas, but those types of things made a huge difference in my ownership and boating experience.
 
Less, let's hear how you made out with your search. We've gone through similar ordeals when we first decided to moor. We had to forgo good deals to accommodate moorage and now, where we are, there is a "minimum" length that they will allow in the slip also. Doesn't matter now though because we're right where the Admiral wants us to be:grin: in the size department. (I'd do a live aboard if I could:smt021) Good luck.
 
I found my boat at dealer who also ran the marina. Part of the deal I worked out was for them to provide a slip (first season free).
 
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Our boat will be in Falmouth next year due to financial reasons. I have family on eel pond (not really a pond for those unfamiliar, it is salt water). we have been at Marina Bay in Quincy when we bought the boat and Hingham Shipyards where we are now and Falmouth next year. There are goods and bads about all three for us. one is free but further away from us but means we would be with family more often, one is close but kind of a hassle with parking and walking and you are not private enough for my liking(feel like im on display like an animal at a zoo on my boat at Hingham) plus the staff is useless there. Marina bay had great amenities and the marina store and staff were super friendly but too far from us with traffic and cost.

every marina, or yacht club will have its own rules and some might not be to your liking, our service staff moved my boat without my knowledge and without notification. not so much as a phone call or request. one of the many reasons i might never return to the Shipyards in the future.

we have needed to spend about double on the house this year more than we planned for and with losing the port motor, the replacement costs have stolen into our budgeted marina costs. We are lucky, my family has a private Dock and a few moorings right in front of the house in Falmouth, we keep small boats out to the moorings so we dont lose them as a family because they are at a super premium and i know yhere is a long waiting list and we are asked and begged annually by neighbors and weekly renters alike if we will rent out a ball or space at our dock sometimes for very large sums of cash. depending on where in Falmouth you could be at a loss when you actually make the purchase of a boat. Cape Cod is a wild card and not only is it dependant on what town but what inlet/harbor/marina you want to be in could be "come right in" or several year wait. you should also put your name in with the town for a mooring wherever you are as ik now there is a several year waiting list in some places. i dont know how it works in falmouth as my grandparents still take care of it for the family.

good luck with both and dont make a purchase without at leas knowing what your location will bring you. you might want to consider trailering for one year or two if it means the remainder of your retirement you are right where you want to be for good.
 
It's easier to find a boat than a slip in our area. I'd be getting my name on the waiting list of where you will boat and continue to search for the boat. Going bigger than smaller would be good advice for the slip.

I trailer as the cost and space are prohibitive to me on our lake.
 
Thanks AFD. Eel pond is down in Woods Hole if I recall. I'm looking further east at Green Pond Marina/yacht club ( again not really a pond as it is salt water).
I didn't get a chance to look this weekend, but I think I need to do the boat and marina at the same time. I could explore the idea of trailering, but I'd like to establish a relationship with a marina for repair work as I know it will be important eventually.


When my dad had his boat back in the 80's he had a slip at the Metropoitan yacht club in S. Weymouth.
 
Trailering a boat on the Cape is an exercise in patience. I did it. Best to be in the water before 8am and out by 3. Unless you want to deal with the tourists. It is fun to watch but not be a part of.
 
In the size you are looking at, you are looking at an outdrive(s). Be very careful of the model and more importantly, the marina's wiring and their restrictions on how other boats are hooked to shore power.
 
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