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- Apr 23
- 3 min read

Choosing the right marina for your boat - Tips on what to look for in a marina

Where you keep your boat in Sydney, at which Sydney Marina it lives, can make a big difference to your boating lifestyle and your hip pocket. Here are our hot tips:

There are many things to consider when choosing a marina and a marina berth - don’t just pick the one nearest to your home, you should actually pick the one where you want to go BOATING and that provides as much service/peace of mind for you as possible.

When you enquire about a marina here are some great things to consider:

🛥️ What locations and waterways does this marina have access to? Are these busy or relaxed? Will you have to avoid much larger vessels, is it a working port or is it purely a recreational boating area?

Sydney Harbour for example is a very busy harbour and has few public moorings and lots of wash so if you live in Sydney it’s worth investigating waterways like Broken Bay (Bobbin Head) , Pittwater and the Hawkesbury for their quiet bays and abundant moorings.

🛥️ How easy is it to park your car there? And what costs are there which will add to your overall expenses of being at that marina?

Other things to consider when choosing a marina, especially a Sydney marina.

🛥️ Is there a cafe or restaurant on site you can grab a coffee from or maybe catering for your day out?

🛥️ What’s the security like? Do they just have cameras or manned security too?

🛥️ Do they have staff on site that can catch a line for you when you return to your berth and give you advice on where to go boating/how to care for your boat etc

🛥️ Are there services and a hardstand on site to get your boat maintained/fixed/lift your boat if she’s taking on water? If not you’ll be up for extra charges for contractors for travel time and they will prioritise boats at their own marina over yours so you could expect delays and therefore lose precious boating time

Does your marina berth have parking and hardstand facilities to repair and maintain your boat?

🛥️ Is the marina in a tidal area that will restrict what time you can come and go from the marina?

🛥️ Is there lots of passing water traffic so your boat will be constantly rocking and rolling when at the marina?

🛥️ How sheltered is the location of the marina? The more exposed it is the harder berthing will be but also you’ll worry about it more when the wind comes up

🛥️ How generous are the fairways between the marina berths? Is there tight access into the marina? Are there fingers between the marina berths to allow easy tying up and access?

🛥️ Is the marina floating or fixed (fixed can restrict access in low or high tides) and are there plenty of tie up points at each berth?

🛥️ Is there power and water available at each marina berth?

The marina you pick to store your boat can make a big difference to the level of enjoyment in your boating. So in other words look at different options and what they bring to your boating lifestyle. Don’t just call them and ask for their berth rates, visit the marina, see what condition it is, get a feel for how well they look after their berth customers. We welcome you to tour Empire Marina Bobbin Head or Empire Marina Lake Macquarie anytime, simply contact us to arrange.

We hope this helps you enhance your boating lifestyle by picking the right marina and the right marina berth for you and your boat.