Before you decide to buy a boat and sail into the sunset, you may want to consider the cost. For instance, do you know how much it costs to dock a boat somewhere? If you said no, you are in the right place. After all, you don’t want to start on a high seas adventure only to be knocked overboard from shock when you decide to rent a slip.
Docking a boat in a marina is much like parking your vehicle in a parking garage. Thus, you must pay to use the spot for any length of time. So, how much does it cost to dock a boat for a day? What about a year? Those questions and more are going to be answered right here.
Why You Should Rent a Slip
First off, let’s discuss the benefits of renting a slip. A slip is a space you rent at a marina. Sometimes, you may hear it called a “berth.” The dock is a long structure that juts away from the shoreline. Branching off the dock are slips or berths.
Renting a slip ensures that you will always have a reserved spot at a dock where your boat will be safe until you are ready to use it. Not only that, but some marinas provide additional amenities, such as boat washing. Others will allow you to dock, rent a slip for a year, and live aboard your ship the entire time.
How Much Does It Cost to Dock a Boat?
There are many factors that go into calculating the cost of docking a boat, which you will see soon enough. Here are the averages you can expect:
Slip Costs in US and Canada
Costs vary greatly throughout North America. Consider the following:
- To rent a slip for a single day, you are going to pay an hourly rate of $2 to $3 per hour.
- If you want to rent overnight, the cost is around $4 to $6 a night.
- Renting monthly is no longer by the hour but by the length (feet) of the ship plus a standard rate of $20 to $25 per month.
- Need a spot for a year? You pay $23 to $24 per foot per month.
If there are any amenities or premium services available, you can expect to pay extra for those, as well.
International Slip Costs
Planning on traveling to international waters? Docking fees are a little different in other countries beyond North America. Although the fees are calculated using the length of the ship, there may be added mooring fees, as well as peak traveling season price hikes to take into account. For example, in the French Riviera, you may end up paying about $220 (€185) a night. You may end up putting out $5,520 a month for an 85-foot boat during the busiest times of the year.
Heading to the UK? A 50-foot boat is going to cost you about $5,300 (£3,800)a year, and you also have to pay £1,800 to even dock.
Croatia charges around $160 to $350 (€435 to €1,050) per foot/meter for a year of docking.
Keep in mind that mooring prices vary dramatically by location, even along the coast of one country. For example, if you head to the Port of Saint Tropez instead of the Port of Cannes, you end up paying double for the same berth.
Then, there is Monaco—the most expensive slips in the world. The monthly rental rate varies between $9,000 to $43,500. During the Grand Prix, that price can skyrocket to $100,000 a month!
Factors Affecting Docking Price
Having seen the difference in rates throughout North America and Europe, you may be wondering what the factors are that affect docking prices. Turns out, there are several things contributing to the cost of docking a boat: location, season, boat type, boat length, and berth type. Let’s look at each of these in detail.
Location
It’s as they say in realty or business: Location, location, location. In general, no matter where you are in the world, an urban zone is going to fetch a much higher price than somewhere with small piers and anchorages. For example, the transient rate for a slip in Annapolis, MD is about $3.75 per foot, per day. Meanwhile, in Portland, ME, the cost is about $3.00 per foot for any boat up to 39 feet long.
The same applies to the rest of the world. In Greece, for instance, cheap moorings and anchorages are preferred to marinas, and so the cost is significantly lower than a slip in the UK. Asia, Africa, and South America have budget-friendly rates, while Singapore, Tokyo, and Hong Kong are among the highest.
Season
If you select a permanent berth, the seasonal cost no longer applies. However, if you are a transient boater, you will find that the rate increases during peak season. Prices will increase during spring and summer and decrease throughout the winter. Sometimes, that price hike is as much as 40%.
Berth Type
Where you dock certainly plays a role. If you want the most budget-friendly route, go with a mooring, which is when you anchor your boat in the water near a designated buoy. You can also secure the boat to a platform. The downside? You need to find your own way to shore, and there are no amenities.
Anchorages are like moorings, but there is no place to secure the ship.
The main advantage of docking at a marina is that you can “park” close to the dock and have access to amenities. However, renting a slip is much more expensive than choosing a mooring or anchorage.
Boat Type
There are some marinas that will add an additional charge based on the boat you own. For instance, renting a berth for a catamaran is going to cost you 20% more than a regular boat. That means paying $1,200 for a 40-foot catamaran instead of just $1,000. Commercial watercraft, houseboats, sailboats, and other types of boats all have different rates.
Boat Length
The bigger the boat, the higher the fee to dock. If you have a 40-foot vessel, the average fee is around $1,280 per year in the US. That increases to about $7,200 at metropolitan ports. A shorter boat, around 30-feet long, can get the same slip for about $800 per year, or $5,120 in urban zones.
Of course, anchorages are much cheaper for both. A 30-foot watercraft will only cost around $150 per year. A 40-foot boat costs around $250 per year.
Let Us Help You Live Your Boating Dream
Owning a boat comes with many considerations, including knowing how much it costs to dock. Berthing fees vary throughout the world, but the location and the length of your vessel have the most influence on what you pay. At Yacht Brokers of Annapolis, we can help you find a boat that balances your budget with your dreams of adventure. Give us a call or send us a message to learn more about how we can help.
