Help on school project designing a marina

[Anthony of the ARK]

Hey guys im doing a project for a felicities management class. i have chosen to design a marina for the project.

what im asking help with is what would you guys like to see improved at marinas you travel to in terms of the facility it self and services offered?

what makes a good marina what it is? the facility, people who work there, or higher management.

what should every marina have standard included in its price for a slip for a season?

whats a fair price per foot for a slip a season? as well as transit boats?

you opinions would be much appreciated, thanks Anthony

[Robja]

Anthony,

I don't travel from marina to marina but do fish out of one. They have recently undergone a complete transformation. Gone are the concrete docks to which floating slip docks were attached to. Gone is the covered concrete dock. I like the new floating docks with the fancy brazalian wood pretty but not the most practical. To me the one thing that makes a marina is the people that work there. From the person on the fuel dock,lift driver,dry storage people but not the upper management. Many times over the course of a season we gave the workers some of our catch. We were rewarded by them taking xtra care in putting the boats in the water and in reserving space to park when the marina was full. They are also the ones that took the abuse when the management raised slip rent and dry storage rent so to me it is the people that work there that determines whether a marina is good or bad.

[clt_capt]

I'm a big fan of floating docks - especially if done right. My previous marina just replace their concrete docks with floating ones, but they went cheap on the floats - the dock wobbles. With floating docks, the pilings have to be tall enough to deal with a big storm - these weren't

The same marina was very poor at the fuel dock - you could never get an attendant to help with lines, and the fuel dock was exposed to the ICW, so getting waked was very common.

There was also too much public access to the docks - not trying to be elitist, but I don't want just anyone walking the docks unattended.

Current Marina (Morehead City Yacht Basin) is top notch - they obviously thought it out well in advance. The docks are all floating, with more than adequate flotation, and the designers clearly thought about access to cables and water, by building in a center section capped by stone pavers so access is readily available if necessary.

The Power feeds are big enough to supply full power to each slip - both 30A and 50A for each slip.

The fuel dock is isolated enough that wake is never an issue.

Of course it helps that an attendant is always available - MHCYB staff is professional and does a great job.

The land facilities (restrooms, showers, washing machines) are kept in great shape.

The only things I'd like added to make it the perfect marina is a travel lift and haulout facility for convenience, of course I'd love in-slip fueling and a fish cleaning station nearer the boat (just being lazy)

[gradywhite273]

ok, lets see.....

1. floating docks, yes that seems to be something that keeps being echoed.... The new ones in old port cove, the cleats slide to adjust to the boat, they can pump out right at the dock only using a hose.. top notch...

2. A good ships store would be nice. for example indian river you have to either go to bethany or all the way out rt 1 for something... 30 minutes don't matter which way, only salvation, five guys burgers in either direction.

3. Facilities, bathrooms clean and neat, and god please have nice shower facilities... At Ocean Reef, man i never saw showers that nice before...

along with showers , laundry facilities to me are nice , when we stayed in MHCYB, the place had laundry facilities that is a nice touch.

i know real estate is expensive, but how bout a place for the kids to go, playground, skate park etc, if they don't want to watch dad wax or redo riggers etc....

Finally , FOOD, don't have to be much , a burger stand etc, just something that you can get something to eat and sit down a couple of minutes at.

[gottaflylee]

Another vote for Morehead City Yacht Basin, they also have Internet service, which is another nice amity. Oh ya, one more thing, water presser. It does suck to come in at the end of the day and other boats near you are using water and every time some goes to rinse off there boat the water presser goes down.

Another place I like to stay at it Pirates Cove. Have restraint good dock house, in slip fueling, internet or maybe I road on someone else's...

For us fishing people, nice to have an Ice house handy...

[Innovator]

Having been a private boat captain and running up and down the coast too many times. The following are what I looked for in a marina-

1. Floating Docks
2. In Slip Fueling (Not all states allow it)
3. Quality Ship Store with key food items, filters, and charts
4. Good restaurant and bar
5. Dockside cable TV
6. Courtesy Car
7. Trash Bins/Dumpster that are not a mile away
8. Updated Shore Power Posts- skinned too many knuckles
9. Good water pressure
10. Cute dock girls
11. No nails hanging out of pilings
12. Clear entrance markers
13. Big sign displaying working VHF channel
14. Open early, Close late
15. Big bags of ice, not just 5lbs bags
16 Washer/Dryers
17 Free WiFi
18 Clean bathrooms/showers

[floridadeckie]

things I like to see in a good marina:

1) GOOD floating docks with adequate bumpers/padding and long finger docks, at least 60 ft.
2) redundant breakers in the power box and on shore
3) high quality stainless or corrosion resistant fittings on dock water (I hate it when they break or are covered in corrosion and dont seal)
4) soft dockwater is nice, but not completely necesary
5) consistent water pressure like Lee said
6) Combination-locked icehouse, showers, and laundromat
7) Clean restrooms and showers with large stalls
8) Either a guarded entrance or gated dock heads
9) Well stocked shopstore and bar/restaurant
10) Long fuel dock, at least 250 ft long or 175ft with room for two vessels per side. Fast pumps are a godsend as well. Courteous and hard working dock attendants
11) if the marina isnt set protected from main channel traffic, a large and solid breakwater is a great thing to have

[WAHOONBOX]

ANGLE THE SHOWER STALL FLOOR SO THAT NO WATER WILL STAND IN OR OUTSIDE THE SHOWER....

OUTLAW SHOWER CURTAINS....THEY DO NOT WORK....INSTALL STAINLESS STEEL DOORS THAT WILL NOT ALLOW WATER TO SPRAY THOUGH & COVER THE ENTIRE REST ROOM FLOOR

IF YOU HAVE SAND ON YOUR FEET WHEN YOU ENTER THE REST ROOM YOU WILL BE PLACED IN A DOGPEN WITH TWO PITBULLS AND A PLOTT HOUND WHO HAVEN'T EATEN IN A MONTH


IF A MAN LEAVES HIS SOAP, SHAMPOO, OR RAZOR IN THE SHOWER STALL AFTER HIS SHOWER, HE WILL BE FINED 200 BUCKS BEFORE HE LEAVES STALL

I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO SEE EACH MARINA HAVE AN ARMED GUARD EQUIPPED WITH A LOADED UZI AND A BULLWHIP TO BE STATIONED IN THE MARINA REST ROOMS 24/7.....THE GUARDS JOB IS TO INSPECT THE TOILET AFTER EACH ASSHOLE FINISHES HIS BIZNESS.....BEFORE HE LEAVES THE ROOM!




IF THE ASSHOLE PEES WITHOUT RAISING THE LID, 10 LASHES RIGHT ON THE SPOT.....IF HE WALKS OUT OF THE STALL WITHOUT FLUSHING TOILET, 100 LASHES AND THEN THROW HIS ASS OFF THE DOCK......

IF HE LEAVES THE TOILET WITH SKID MARKS ALL OVER THE BOWL ETC ETC....REPEAT ALL THE ABOVE PUNISHMENT....THEN TAKE HIM TO THE FISH CLEANING TABLE... THEN SHOOT THE SORRY SON OF A ***** WITH THE UZI TIL THE CLIP IS EMPTY.....THEN DRAG HIS NO GOOD DEAD BODY AND PLACE IT IN THE BED OF HIS TRUCK...COVER BODY WITH BIONIC BRINE


OTHER THAN THAT...


IS IT JUST ME OR DO SOME GUYS ACTUALLY SIT AND PLUCK PUBIC HAIRS FROM THEIR BODY WHILE IN THE STALL AND PLACE THEM ON THE TOILET? IS IT JUST ME OR DO OTHERS WITNESS THE SAME PUBE-HORROR THAT I SEE IN ALL MEN'S ROOMS???

[Avenger]

I hate to drag this conversation into the toilet.... Oh wait, somebody already did.

A working pump-out station with easy access, or better yet, the boat that comes right to your slip and does it.

I mean, it's a s#!tty job but very, very necessary.

[TheBigI]

just to add what has been said.
1. A pool
2. Decent space between dock piers and plenty of room to exit the marina.
3. Sat television.
4. A good size parking lot.
5. Enough good quality dock carts to transport gear.
6. Security guards and a good security system. (If Whitey reads this he probably remembers Joel from Sea View.)
Make sure you show us the finished product.