Maine
- Thread starter Thaddeus
- Start date
Hi Thaddeus..
That sort of depends on how far you might want to travel, and availability of moorings..
Southern Maine has few harbors and many people vying for moorings.. I live near Rockland and I decided to set my own mooring in neighboring Owls Head. This is an investment and requires upkeep, but in the long run is cheaper than renting. Moorings run about $1200 -(Knights Marina) a season around here for rental, but that includes parking, dingy space. and shower privileges. ..(which you don't get with your own mooring)...that is if there are openings... The biggest factors in availability are the size of the harbor, the number of residents, fishing boats, and the popularity of the harbor. Forget, Camden, and Boothbay and other tourist towns. I would look on line for the town you think you might like and then call local marina's and the harbormaster to see if there is anything available. Good luck, and hope you find something that fits the bill.
Kevin White. (Ericson 28+)
That sort of depends on how far you might want to travel, and availability of moorings..
Southern Maine has few harbors and many people vying for moorings.. I live near Rockland and I decided to set my own mooring in neighboring Owls Head. This is an investment and requires upkeep, but in the long run is cheaper than renting. Moorings run about $1200 -(Knights Marina) a season around here for rental, but that includes parking, dingy space. and shower privileges. ..(which you don't get with your own mooring)...that is if there are openings... The biggest factors in availability are the size of the harbor, the number of residents, fishing boats, and the popularity of the harbor. Forget, Camden, and Boothbay and other tourist towns. I would look on line for the town you think you might like and then call local marina's and the harbormaster to see if there is anything available. Good luck, and hope you find something that fits the bill.
Kevin White. (Ericson 28+)
Thaddeus
Member II
Hi Kevin,
This Is a tardy reply. Thank you for your idea of Rockland being a good area to set up for the summer. I’ve spoke with a friend who has many years traveling the coast of Maine who also recommended Rockland. Thanks again, Tom
dhill
Member III
Hi @Thaddeus ,
Sorry, I must have missed this when it was first posted.
I would recommend Boothbay Harbor. It is my home port, so I am perhaps a bit biased, but I think it is one of the best harbors on the east coast of the US. It is well protected with islands reaching across a substantial portion of the harbor and it is large enough for great sailing within the harbor itself, even when seas are rough outside. There are lots of things to do in the area and you are within a day trip to Muscongus, Penobscot, and Casco Bays. It is also closer to Boston.
Moorings run about $1,200 to $2,500 for the season. Dock space ranges from $90 to $120 per foot for the season, or $3.50-4.00 per foot for the night.
Good luck with your choice!
Dave
Sorry, I must have missed this when it was first posted.
I would recommend Boothbay Harbor. It is my home port, so I am perhaps a bit biased, but I think it is one of the best harbors on the east coast of the US. It is well protected with islands reaching across a substantial portion of the harbor and it is large enough for great sailing within the harbor itself, even when seas are rough outside. There are lots of things to do in the area and you are within a day trip to Muscongus, Penobscot, and Casco Bays. It is also closer to Boston.
Moorings run about $1,200 to $2,500 for the season. Dock space ranges from $90 to $120 per foot for the season, or $3.50-4.00 per foot for the night.
Good luck with your choice!
Dave
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Pete the Cat
Member III
I am the retired harbor master from Castine Maine. We are too far from Boston (4 hours) for anyone to regularly commute. Boothbay would be OK if you like the sailing in that area and Muscongus Bay, but Rockland has better access to the glory of Penobscot Bay, its islands, and the inside passages to Acadia--IMHO these are the preferred cruising grounds of Maine. Calculate the drive and make a decision. You cannot legally buy a mooring in a town mooring field in Maine (State law) from a person to person transaction, so be careful with anyone who sells you their mooring--they could be selling you just the gear, not the position in the mooring field. In a town mooring field you rent the space for the mooring from the town (generally $100 to $300 a year), and buy and own your own mooring gear as specified by the harbor master. The harbor master has local and state laws that govern who gets to moor where and when. Even some lifelong Mainers fail to understand that they may own the mooring gear but they do not own the place they set the mooring in a town harbor (all the land under the water belongs to the State) and they cannot transfer it without the permission of the harbor master. It might be possible to buy a mooring in front of someone's house along the shore where there is no town authority monitoring moorings but this is rare. Harbor masters in Maine are actually law enforcement officers though most do not carry weapons or have uniforms. Some are very sloppy and others adhere to the letter of the law.
BTW: Sometimes renting is cheaper than owning. A complete set up of pendant, mooring ball, top chain, bottom chain, rock or other grounding mechanism is $2 to $4K to purchase and install--and harbor masters often require that you them serviced (which generally means replacing at least the top chain) at least every 3 years. Buying someone's used equipment can be a crap shoot. Generally, you want to buy the mooring gear from the folks who place it and service it.
BTW: Sometimes renting is cheaper than owning. A complete set up of pendant, mooring ball, top chain, bottom chain, rock or other grounding mechanism is $2 to $4K to purchase and install--and harbor masters often require that you them serviced (which generally means replacing at least the top chain) at least every 3 years. Buying someone's used equipment can be a crap shoot. Generally, you want to buy the mooring gear from the folks who place it and service it.