We are looking for covered moorage for Sept 2024 for a new Cutwater 30 we are buying (thank you Seattle Boat Show) , We live in Northern California so would ideally like a marina that we could get to by bus or rail from SEA TAC. Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated
Need coveraged Moorage for Cutwater 30 Sept 2024
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Bruce Moore
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SJI Sailor
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Congratulations on the new boat!
As Dave says, there are many (Des Moines, Kingston, Edmonds come to mind immediately, plus various ones inside the Locks on fresh water). However, many marinas now have waiting times of up to several years, depending on the location, and that is for uncovered slips. I have no experience with the fresh water options so I'll speak only to the salt water ones.
The larger and more expensive marinas (like Elliott Bay, which is all uncovered) are easier to get slips; smaller and/or and prime locations (Anacortes, Friday Harbor; all uncovered) are 2+ years of wait, and a few (Roche Harbor, Deer Harbor; again all uncovered) are effectively never (10+ years).
However there is a factor in your favor for September: many marinas have winter moorage available from October until May (or thereabouts) which would at least give you an initial place. The difficulty will be finding a covered slip.
My recommendation is to compile a list in your preferred locations and call them all to ask about the options and see, for example, what is involved with their waiting lists. And know that winter moorage somewhere is a backup option if you need it!
As Dave says, there are many (Des Moines, Kingston, Edmonds come to mind immediately, plus various ones inside the Locks on fresh water). However, many marinas now have waiting times of up to several years, depending on the location, and that is for uncovered slips. I have no experience with the fresh water options so I'll speak only to the salt water ones.
The larger and more expensive marinas (like Elliott Bay, which is all uncovered) are easier to get slips; smaller and/or and prime locations (Anacortes, Friday Harbor; all uncovered) are 2+ years of wait, and a few (Roche Harbor, Deer Harbor; again all uncovered) are effectively never (10+ years).
However there is a factor in your favor for September: many marinas have winter moorage available from October until May (or thereabouts) which would at least give you an initial place. The difficulty will be finding a covered slip.
My recommendation is to compile a list in your preferred locations and call them all to ask about the options and see, for example, what is involved with their waiting lists. And know that winter moorage somewhere is a backup option if you need it!
Almanac
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Port of Everett is a large marina with coverage moorage available and nice wide open protected entry. It's possible to bus from Seattle to Everett but might take a bit of research from someone outside of town and not get you directly to the marina.
Some advantages though is that Everett is about 1.5 hours by boat further North which puts you closer to the San Juan Islands. There's also Dagmar's marina which is an interesting choice and much cheaper. You can store your boat on the hard, and they will launch it for you at your request with a large forklift. The advantages are it's 1/2 the price and even if you're not looking at budget options it saves a lot of maintenance as your anodes and boat do not take much wear while out of the salt water.
Some advantages though is that Everett is about 1.5 hours by boat further North which puts you closer to the San Juan Islands. There's also Dagmar's marina which is an interesting choice and much cheaper. You can store your boat on the hard, and they will launch it for you at your request with a large forklift. The advantages are it's 1/2 the price and even if you're not looking at budget options it saves a lot of maintenance as your anodes and boat do not take much wear while out of the salt water.
SJI Sailor
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+1 to Everett as a possibility. Although the trip from SeaTac is somewhat complex, flying into Everett Paine Field could be an option, depending on the departure airport.
I believe a C30 is too large for the forklift haul out (max 30' LOA), but the moorage waitlist at Everett estimates 10 months for a covered 36' slip, which should be just long enough for a C30.
La Conner comes to mind as another marina with many covered slips but I have no idea about the wait. The town is very cute and convenient to the marina, but the channel requires high awareness for logs and occasionally planning for extreme low tides.
I believe a C30 is too large for the forklift haul out (max 30' LOA), but the moorage waitlist at Everett estimates 10 months for a covered 36' slip, which should be just long enough for a C30.
La Conner comes to mind as another marina with many covered slips but I have no idea about the wait. The town is very cute and convenient to the marina, but the channel requires high awareness for logs and occasionally planning for extreme low tides.
Remedy2
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SJI Sailor":2aybjggi said:
I'll double down on this. I'm assuming you're going to cruise the Sound which puts you at an "availability" problem. I've moored in three: Edmonds, Port Ludlow, and Elliott Bay. Only one of those, Edmonds, has covered moorage and if you get on the list TODAY you might get lucky. If you're looking for public transport you can take the light rail to Northgate and Uber from there. Edmonds, IMO, is the best Marina in the PS to get to anywhere.
Elliott Bay is expensive and uncovered but definitely in the "luxury" category. Views are phenomenal and easiest to get to from SEATAC. Kingston would be great but, again, three year (at least) wait.
I don't know about the waitlist at places like Eagle Harbor and Poulsbo but, again, most are uncovered.
As someone who has had my Cutwater covered and not I'll offer this: obviously the boat is better covered, however, with putting all the canvas up, drawing the curtains, and having your hull cleaned oncer per quarter (Double D Diving is great)- uncovered might be a better option than you think.
gswearin
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As was mentioned, Des Moines is close and has covered moorage, though likely, as always, with a big waiting list. As an added benefit its the home base for Ranger Tugs, so free advice is only a short walk away.
From Google: The best way to get from SeaTac to Des Moines without a car is to line 156 bus which takes 14 min and costs $1 - $3.
From Google: The best way to get from SeaTac to Des Moines without a car is to line 156 bus which takes 14 min and costs $1 - $3.
linedoctor
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Don’t overlook Lake Washington/Lake Union. There are many marinas with covered moorage. And covered fresh water moorage makes exterior maintenance almost effortless.
The locks can be intimidating at first and add time to getting from here to there, but many thousands of recreational boats use it each year.
I have my boat at Newport Yacht Basin and there are many empty covered spots. They are privately owned but try contacting Seattle Boat (they own quite a few) for availability or contact the marina manager.
Most of the lake marinas are within a 30 minute Uber from the airport.
Taking your boat to Seattle/Lake Union, downtown Bellevue, or Andrew’s Bay on a hot summer evening to visit a great restaurant or just float on the lake with Seattle in the background, is unique and very easy. I’ve kept my boats on the lake for over 30 years and never run out of things to do.
And finally, if you need Ranger to come and fix/tweak something (on any new boat, pretty common!) they can get to you easily.
The locks can be intimidating at first and add time to getting from here to there, but many thousands of recreational boats use it each year.
I have my boat at Newport Yacht Basin and there are many empty covered spots. They are privately owned but try contacting Seattle Boat (they own quite a few) for availability or contact the marina manager.
Most of the lake marinas are within a 30 minute Uber from the airport.
Taking your boat to Seattle/Lake Union, downtown Bellevue, or Andrew’s Bay on a hot summer evening to visit a great restaurant or just float on the lake with Seattle in the background, is unique and very easy. I’ve kept my boats on the lake for over 30 years and never run out of things to do.
And finally, if you need Ranger to come and fix/tweak something (on any new boat, pretty common!) they can get to you easily.