Storage, Trailers, and Marinas...

We are asked at least 50 times a week by interested people the following questions:

Is the slip or storage place available? We have never had a donor donate the boat and the slip. The slips are owned by associations, marinas, and storage yards; they are never owned by the donors. Most of the time when they are donated they are free and clear of past storage charges. If they are not, we normally settle back-due storage charges unless they are excessive. To find available slips you can rent is easy!

Just do a google, yahoo, or MSN search for Marinas and type in the zip code we include in our Ad. You will come up with many marinas close by and you will be able to get an idea of the prevailing rates for that area.

Questions to ask the Marina: Do you have yearly rental contracts? What is your monthly rate? What is the rate for a _________________ (list size of the boat.) What is the rate for a boat in dry dock? (on the ground as opposed to being in the water.) What is the rate for taking the mast off the sailboat and placing it on my trailer? What is the rate for taking the boat off of blocks and placing it on my trailer? Don't ask them if they'll sell you or rent you a trailer. They don't have them. Their business is to rent slip and storage spaces. Sometimes they do boat repairs and sell food and gasoline. They are not boat dealers or trailer dealers.

BOAT MOVING

We are also asked if we move boats or the marina will move the boat for them. No marina ever moves boats outside of moving on their own storage yards, loading in and out of the water and loading onto your trailer. The normal fee they charge for loading on your trailer is about $8 per foot. They don't sell trailers, they don't have movers they are storage only. So who does move boats?

The answer is Boat Movers and once again you can find them in Google or Yahoo or MSN live. Type in Boat Mover or Boat Transportation and type in your own zip code or the zip code posted in the Ad. You will find lots of people who move boats. Perhaps even your own neighbor or friend can move the boat for you or the boat in some cases can be sailed away or towed away or motored away from its current location. We are not going to know if that is possible because we never see the boats and cannot make that kind of judgment. It is best that you ask people that are experts with power boats or sailboats these general types of questions.

BOAT TRAILERS

When you purchase a boat with a trailer. It is a good idea to check with the state you are picking the boat up from and see if you can purchase a temporary tag from them to allow you to transport the trailer back to your state. You can also check with your home state and see if they will issue you a tag to allow you to bring the trailer back. States have different regulations and laws concerning trailer titles and registration. In some states the donor are required to turn in their tags prior to transfer and the trailer will have no tags.

You use Google, Yahoo, or MSN and type in Boat Trailer dealer. You include the zip code in your search. You can also check Boat Trailer Manufacturer. You can also log onto craigslist.org and search for one there. You can call the boat dealers in your home town or close-by city and see if they have one. But don't try to get one from a marina. They don't have them. The ones they do have belong to boats that they have rental contracts on.

"Buy a boat, save a life!"