How to Find a Boat Slip

Some new boaters take boat slip availability for granted. There are marinas everywhere, so getting a slip shouldn’t be a problem, right? Unfortunately, limited mooring options are a fact of life in some areas, leading to a high boat slip cost and even a long waitlist in some places.

We explain how some free boat slips are available for transient docking below. Included are additional tips about booking. There are also snapshots and examples of what it costs by night, week and month at specific locations in specific regions below.

Tips for online booking resources are also available below.

First, some definitions. A boat slip is like a parking spot for your boat, although the terminology varies around the world.

You might also hear it called a marina berth or a dock. A boat dock is a generic term describing where a boat gets tied off and can include a marina slip (more on boat dock vs boat slip below).

If you live on the water, you could have a boat slip behind your house. Most boaters, however, must lease their boat slip from a marina. A “mooring” is technically any place where you tie up a boat, but in the US, it specifically refers to a tie-up that isn’t connected to land—it’s like a permanent anchor that you rent that you access by dinghy.

Marinas vary in location, size, and quality.  The best-run marinas are like five-star hotels, with concierge service, pools, and spa-like facilities. The other end of the spectrum is an old wood dock with broken boards, a dirty bathroom, and a power connection that cuts in and out.

Marinas may have space for multihulls or only one or two slips that can accommodate a wide boat. They might have boatyards onsite, or they might not. They might have state-of-the-art floating piers that make tying up and boarding easy or tall fixed piers that require gymnastics to get on and off your boat.

Let’s dive in and look at various slip and mooring options, how to find a boat slip, and how to understand marina rates.

Understanding Boat Slip Costs

Boat slip pricing can sometimes seem like an incomprehensible calculus equation. Boat slips are typically leased daily, weekly, or monthly to transients and on a long-term (usually annual) storage rate for locals.

Daily rates are always the most expensive, but the discount for staying longer varies from marina to marina. If the marina has lots of business—meaning the docks are consistently booked—they may not offer discounts for longer stays. On the other hand, quieter marinas use discounted weekly or monthly rates to fill their docks.

The price of a marina slip is, first and foremost, related to the location; secondly, it varies depending on the size of the berth.

Sometimes, it’s easy to see why a marina charges what it does. If it’s a popular five-star resort in a must-see destination, you can bet it will cost you dearly. Key West, Miami Beach, Nantucket, and Provincetown have some of the most expensive slips I’ve seen on the East Coast.

Marina Supply and Boater Demand

Like all commodities, supply and demand factor into the marina slip price. In an area with many boats and few slips, the average boat slip cost will go up. This is the case in Long Island Sound in the summer or Florida in the winter. Some marinas even implement peak pricing, where holiday weekends or festivals cost extra.

In addition to high prices, busy areas may have limited boat slip availability. Busy marinas, especially municipal facilities, sometimes have years-long waitlists.

Like a resort, each mooring option offers a specific set of marina amenities. Having an on-site pool, clubhouse, or fitness center means you’ll pay a little more. A marina with older fixed docks in disrepair or a marina whose entrance channel has shoaled in might be a good deal because they’re not in demand. It’s a little taste of the old adage: You get what you pay for.

Boat Size vs. Boat Slip Size

Marina rates are set based on the size of your boat or the size of the slip you use. In either case, it is normal for a marina to charge more per foot for larger vessels.

If you are charged based on the size of your boat, you must read the fine print. “Length overall” or LOA, includes any overhangs, including bowsprits or dinghies on davits.

Furthermore, catamarans or trimarans may be charged 1.5 or 2 times the standard rate because their wide beams require extra-wide slips or T-heads (end docks). Many marinas set a minimum length for their price-per-foot, as well.

Marinas that charge based on the slip size simply set the rate based on the berth’s dimensions. In most cases, T-heads or double-wide slips are priced higher. Being charged by slip size might be painful if you’re a short boat in an extra-large slip.

In addition to the rate per foot, you’ll also pay separately for electricity. This is typically a flat fee added per night or a metered rate added monthly. The more power you need, the more you will pay—30-amp hookups are the cheapest, whereas 50- or 100-amp yacht hookups cost much more.

Other Marina Arrangements

Some marinas or cities offer moorings in areas where dockage is limited. If a large mooring field is installed, there will usually be a launch service to get you to and from your boat. Moorings are very common in places that don’t have enough slips for the number of boats, especially in New England and Florida.

Moorings are much cheaper than slips, but they come with their own set of problems. You will not have shore power or water on a mooring, and the bathrooms and showers are a dinghy ride away. Like slips, moorings may be priced daily, weekly, monthly, or annually. Moorings are nearly always charged a flat rate with a maximum allowable length (set by the layout of the mooring field to keep you clear of other boats).

Municipal marinas tend to have better rates than private ones. This is intentional since the marina is seen as a source of tourism and revenue for the whole city. Some towns even provide free overnight dockage for visiting boaters. Two examples are Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and Portsmouth, Virginia.

If you happen to be a yacht club member, you may be able to stay at private clubs with reciprocal agreements. Most clubs have a few available slips for members visiting from other clubs. Sometimes, they are free; other times, they cost as much or more than slips at a public marina.

If you have a small, trailerable boat, you may also be interested in in-out boat storage, also called a dry-rack marina. These facilities have a forklift to lift your boat out after each use and store it on a special rack either inside a huge barn or outdoors. With this type of storage, you don’t have to worry about the maintenance resulting from keeping your boat in the water.

When you want to go boating, call the marina, and they launch your boat when you get there.

More and more traditional marinas are also installing boat lifts for smaller boats. This way, you can lease a regular wet slip, but your boat is stored safely out of the water when not in use.

Average Cost By Region

On average, the cost I see at marinas is usually around $2.00–2.50 per foot per night plus $5–20 for electricity. Weekly rates often equal the cost of about a five-night stay, although not always. Monthly rates can sometimes be as low as the cost of two or three weeks, but not in resort areas. Annual storage rates vary dramatically from location to location. By staying out of big cities (and Florida), we’ve been able to find slips for as little as $350 per month.

Here’s a look at the prices in four popular ports along the US East Coast. Prices are estimates based on published 2024 transient docking rates for a 42-foot monohull boat with a single 50-amp electric hookup. These rates show some of the most popular cities—if you find a marina in a quieter area, it will likely be cheaper.

New England: Newport, Rhode Island

Private marina (Newport Yachting Center): summer rate $397/day 

Private moorings (Oldport): $60/day 

City mooring: $47/day 

Upper Chesapeake Bay: Annapolis, Maryland

Private marina (Annapolis City): $126/day, $693/week, or $1,092/month 

City docks: $126/weekday, $168/weekend day 

City moorings: $35/day (seventh night free “weekly rate”) 

Florida: St. Augustine

Private marina (Marker 8): $143/day, $771/week, $1,430/month 

City marina: $96/day, $966/month plus utilities 

City moorings: $30/day or $560/month

Florida: Key West

Private marina (Perry Hotel): $283/day plus utilities 

City marina (normally has a waitlist): $100/day, $1,273/month plus utilities 

City moorings: $25/day, $430/month

Where to Find a Boat Slip

Many marinas post their rates on their websites. This is usually the most accurate and complete source of information since it allows you to compare their short-term versus long-term rates.

On the US East Coast, Waterway Guide is the best resource I have found for comparing prices. The company’s website or app can access a map showing all the marinas with detailed information, including pricing and reviews. Even though the pricing data is occasionally outdated or missing, Waterway Guide makes it easy to get a rough idea of what they charge.

Snagaslip is another great resource that is both an AirBnB of boat slips and a way for marinas to reach a wider boating community.

Booking Your Slip

When booking a slip or mooring, you’ll usually need to contact the marina directly. Some marinas use the Dockwa or Snag-a-Slip apps to book short-term stays. However, no app has every marina, and some marinas are opposed to the apps. So, you’ll still need to call or email some marinas directly.

About half of the moorings we’ve used refuse to take reservations and insist that they are only “first-come, first-serve” or have some other restriction that makes planning a stay difficult.

Finding the Best Boat Slip

How long you want to stay at a marina will dictate how you get a slip there. If you’re just staying a few nights, you likely just want a safe place to tie up along your route. For longer-term stays, transients research and compare rates and amenities to decide where to visit. 

Boaters looking for a home slip must conduct careful research. If you can get a slip, meet the marina management team and take a tour before signing a lease. Realize that marinas are generally private businesses run by individuals looking to serve a particular type of client—a marina for sportfishing or center console boats may not welcome sailboats, and vice versa.

Read the marina’s rules and policies, which may include requirements for a specific amount of boat insurance coverage, limits on how long you may be able to stay on your boat (i.e., a prohibition on living aboard), who you can hire to work on your boat, or what type of boat work you’re allowed to do at your dock. You’ll also want to check out the slip personally, the condition of the facility, how well cared for the neighboring boats are, and how much protection you will have from inclement weather.

On the US East Coast, pay special attention to a marina’s hurricane policies. Some marinas require you to remove your boat from the marina if a storm approaches. In the north, you’ll want to know the marina’s policies about overwintering.

Slip Ownership

A handful of marinas sell their slips to boaters. However, state, county, and city zoning and legal requirements limit which marinas can do this, so it’s not guaranteed that you will find any ownership marinas in your area. These marinas tend to continue to have slip leases available as well.

The advantage of owning a slip is to have a sellable asset to recoup at least some of your costs when you’re ready to move on. Some marinas will even let you lease your slip when you aren’t using it, allowing for potential monthly income. However, these marinas are carefully managed, so you’d want to review all of the legal documents, rules, and policies that come with such an arrangement. A monthly maintenance fee would also be included in the arrangement.