Good recommendation for haul out and storage on Chessie

[ron6785]

We're back after spending 4 + months in the Bahamas. We are working our way up the east coast and will probably put the boat on the hard for July and August while we take the truck/camper to Newfoundland. Want to increase pitch in props and some other small stuff. Any recommendations for a good and inexpensive yard for haul out and storage in the Chessie????

Thank,

Ron

 

[GJH]

I, and the PO as well, have been happy with Anchor Bay East in Dundalk (Baltimore). I have used them for a wide variety of jobs. They are very familiar with Hatts. They outsource their prop work to Miller Island Propellor who refurbished mine quite nicely. 410 284 1044

 

[ron6785]

I, and the PO as well, have been happy with Anchor Bay East in Dundalk (Baltimore). I have used them for a wide variety of jobs. They are very familiar with Hatts. They outsource their prop work to Miller Island Propellor who refurbished mine quite nicely. 410 284 1044

Thanks George. Not sure how far up the Chessie but everyone says I should go to Baltimore. How long can you expect to have decent weather in the fall??? I was thinking I'd start back south in early October.

 

[jim rosenthal]

There are a couple of yards in the middle Chesapeake area that you might find useful. Herrington Harbor North stores big boats like the 53MY. Not cheaply, though. You might also call Smiths Marina in Crownsville, they are a great family-owned yard and have cleared out most of their winter storage, so they would have space for you. I think they could haul a 53 MY. I have hauled and stored my boat there for the winter for about eight or ten years at least. You might also try Kent Narrows Yacht Services.

 

[GJH]

Weather can be great in early October and you have your pick of anchorages and marina space. If you want to be further south, at the far other end is Atlantic Yacht Basin in Great Bridge. Very protected. I have direct experience with them as well and they are excellent people, and work on big boats. I have to say they did an emergency favor for us once that was way above and beyond "just being nice" and we will never forget it. You are right in suburban Norfolk/Chesapeake there.

There are yards in Deltaville (perhaps OBX Tucker will chime in) and Solomons too (Washburns and Zahnisers). Zahniser's has a good reputation, no direct experience. All I really know about Washburns is a mix of some good and bad word of mouth; the PO kept the boat about 100 yards from them, but always went up to Anchor Bay East to have it hauled and worked on.

By the way, and perhaps this has changed in the last couple of years, but Anchor Bay never charged us slip or storage fees if we were having or had work done. We were there once for a couple of weeks, maybe three days of which it was worked on. There's a good Enterprise rent a car office nearby, and it is about a $30 cab ride as I recall to BWI. They used to have and still do I think, a nice little cafe and tiki bar there too, "The Hard Yacht Cafe". Good memories...

 

[Diver Down]

We just came off a 40 days on the hill at Cobb's Marina in Little Creek (Norfolk-Va Beach line at the south end of the Ches. Bay). They are very nice about letting you do any or all of the work yourself.

 

[jim rosenthal]

I'd forgotten about the marinas at Little Creek. Some of them are very good about that kind of thing. I think you might like the middle Bay marinas better than the ones in Baltimore, and it isn't a lot further to travel from BWI, which is where you would fly into if you flew.

 

[OBXTucker]

Deltaville Boat Yard (my marina) and Zimmerman's both have the ability to haul up to 75 tons. Zimmerman's has a larger storage yard, but I'm partial to the work DBY does.

That said, neither are inexpensive. If you're interested, I'll be happy to introduce you to the DBY folks via PM.

While these are great yards, the main concern in my opinion would be the location. Deltaville isn't exactly in the middle of suburbia. It's actually in the middle of nowhere! Richmond, Norfolk or Newport News are the closest airports, about 1.25 - 1.5 hours away.

 

[ron6785]

There are a couple of yards in the middle Chesapeake area that you might find useful. Herrington Harbor North stores big boats like the 53MY. Not cheaply, though. You might also call Smiths Marina in Crownsville, they are a great family-owned yard and have cleared out most of their winter storage, so they would have space for you. I think they could haul a 53 MY. I have hauled and stored my boat there for the winter for about eight or ten years at least. You might also try Kent Narrows Yacht Services.

Thanks Jim, when I get a little a little closer I'll call those yards.

We are currently in Beaufort, SC. and in no real hurry but would like to do some cruising in the Chessie before and after we put the boat up. This is our first time up the East Coast so there is so much to see we will have to do this over several years. The work I want done is fairly minor and I can do all of it myself if I want to. However, if I judge the prices are in line I will let a yard do the work. We're from Texas and you can put a boat on the hard for 300-350 a month so I get sticker shock when a yard charges the same price as a marina. Ron

 

[ron6785]

Weather can be great in early October and you have your pick of anchorages and marina space. If you want to be further south, at the far other end is Atlantic Yacht Basin in Great Bridge. Very protected. I have direct experience with them as well and they are excellent people, and work on big boats. I have to say they did an emergency favor for us once that was way above and beyond "just being nice" and we will never forget it. You are right in suburban Norfolk/Chesapeake there.

There are yards in Deltaville (perhaps OBX Tucker will chime in) and Solomons too (Washburns and Zahnisers). Zahniser's has a good reputation, no direct experience. All I really know about Washburns is a mix of some good and bad word of mouth; the PO kept the boat about 100 yards from them, but always went up to Anchor Bay East to have it hauled and worked on.

By the way, and perhaps this has changed in the last couple of years, but Anchor Bay never charged us slip or storage fees if we were having or had work done. We were there once for a couple of weeks, maybe three days of which it was worked on. There's a good Enterprise rent a car office nearby, and it is about a $30 cab ride as I recall to BWI. They used to have and still do I think, a nice little cafe and tiki bar there too, "The Hard Yacht Cafe". Good memories...

Thanks George, will look into these yards when we get to the Chessie. By that time we will have been steady cruising for about 8 months so "The Director of Naval Operations" is ready to sit and or get on land for a few months. So If the weather gets really warm we will probably take our truck/camper to the maritimes in Canada for the late summer. We would probably get back to the Chessie after Labor Day, which usually signifies the end of family boating in most areas and everything quietes down. Thanks, Ron

 

[ron6785]

Deltaville Boat Yard (my marina) and Zimmerman's both have the ability to haul up to 75 tons. Zimmerman's has a larger storage yard, but I'm partial to the work DBY does.

That said, neither are inexpensive. If you're interested, I'll be happy to introduce you to the DBY folks via PM.

While these are great yards, the main concern in my opinion would be the location. Deltaville isn't exactly in the middle of suburbia. It's actually in the middle of nowhere! Richmond, Norfolk or Newport News are the closest airports, about 1.25 - 1.5 hours away.

Thanks Jeff, Did you tell me your marina was fairly inexpensive??? The distance to the airport is a factor also we need to fly Southwest Airlines because we have free air miles. While the boat is on the "Hard" we will fly home and pick up our truck/camper.

Since the Chessie is so big we will probablly try to do only a small section this summer. When does the weather get consistantly nice there in the spring???
Next spring we will head north sooner as we plan to only spend early spring in the Northern Bahamas or perhaps will spend all winter in the Keys havn't gotten that far in planning.

 

[ron6785]

We just came off a 40 days on the hill at Cobb's Marina in Little Creek (Norfolk-Va Beach line at the south end of the Ches. Bay). They are very nice about letting you do any or all of the work yourself.

Thanks, if you don't mind my asking, how much did they charge per month to be on the hard ?? Ron

 

[OBXTucker]

We're from Texas and you can put a boat on the hard for 300-350 a month so I get sticker shock when a yard charges the same price as a marina. Ron

Ron, I don't think you'll find the "yard storage" prices that different than many other places. As an example, Deltaville Boat Yard charges $4.00 per foot (2 month min.), plus $138 for marina usage (pool, laundry, wifi, bicycles, etc.) should you choose. So, 50' Hatt = $338 +/-.

Again, Deltaville isn't a metropolis, but we have a LOT of northerners and Canadians that use our marina as a home port for cruising....

 

[captddis]

I stored my 46C for a winter at Deltaville Yacht Center. Very nice people and it was 75.00/month on the hard!!! I could not believe how cheap it was.

They told me that they haul a 58YF every year, but the travelift groaned with my fully fueled 46.

 

[jim rosenthal]

As far as convenience to an airport goes, I know Southwest flies to Baltimore and to Norfolk. I can't recall if they fly to Richmond. The Chesapeake is big, but most (not all!) of the good cruising is in the middle and upper parts, as the lower Bay is more open water and there are somewhat fewer destinations, especially on the Eastern shore- there's a lot of really good cruising on the Western shore and then on both sides in the middle and upper Bays.

As far as covered storage IN the water- two places, Atlantic Yacht basin in Great Bridge, which is about as lower as you can get, since strictly speaking it isn't in the Bay at all but on the ICW, or Piney Narrows up here in Kent Island- one of our forum members has his Hatteras there and it is a well-sheltered spot. Easy access to BWI, more or less, and lots of local cruising.

Let me know if I can help you further. I have a standing offer of dinner in Annapolis to any HOF member who visits in person with their boat. This week is Naval Academy graduation, so we might have to stand in line a bit

 

[ron6785]

As far as convenience to an airport goes, I know Southwest flies to Baltimore and to Norfolk. I can't recall if they fly to Richmond. The Chesapeake is big, but most (not all!) of the good cruising is in the middle and upper parts, as the lower Bay is more open water and there are somewhat fewer destinations, especially on the Eastern shore- there's a lot of really good cruising on the Western shore and then on both sides in the middle and upper Bays.

As far as covered storage IN the water- two places, Atlantic Yacht basin in Great Bridge, which is about as lower as you can get, since strictly speaking it isn't in the Bay at all but on the ICW, or Piney Narrows up here in Kent Island- one of our forum members has his Hatteras there and it is a well-sheltered spot. Easy access to BWI, more or less, and lots of local cruising.

Let me know if I can help you further. I have a standing offer of dinner in Annapolis to any HOF member who visits in person with their boat. This week is Naval Academy graduation, so we might have to stand in line a bit

Thanks Jim,how much cruising we do on the Chesapeake will be have to do with the weather. If it is as hot as last year we will definitely not stay in the area. Pretty much for the last 12 years or so we have stayed in what I call eternal spring. We head to Canada when it gets hot in the lower 48 and come back when it cools down. I want to put the boat on the hard simply because I have some work to do and also if we do we will go RVing for several months so it's best if she's high and dry.

When I get closer I'll contact you. Ron

 

[ron6785]

I stored my 46C for a winter at Deltaville Yacht Center. Very nice people and it was 75.00/month on the hard!!! I could not believe how cheap it was.

They told me that they haul a 58YF every year, but the travelift groaned with my fully fueled 46.

Thanks, we will take a look at Deltaville however because we don't have a car it would be problematic if the airport is far away. Ron

 

[magnawake]

Ron, Food for thought.... Hamstead, NC is just North of Wlimington, NC and there's a Boat yard called "Anchors Away Boat Yard", on the ICW. I gave another person thier ph #, and they are running a special, which is free haulout and splash with a 250/month on the hard charge. I thought that was a good price. Its not very close to any airports, but I'll bring you to Wilmington airport myself. Also when you are North bound, consider staying in Southport at Deep Point Marina overnight. It's 1.20/ft trans fee/night. We have a nice pool and laundry, and good restuarants. It'll be great to meet you.

 

[ron6785]

Ron, Food for thought.... Hamstead, NC is just North of Wlimington, NC and there's a Boat yard called "Anchors Away Boat Yard", on the ICW. I gave another person thier ph #, and they are running a special, which is free haulout and splash with a 250/month on the hard charge. I thought that was a good price. Its not very close to any airports, but I'll bring you to Wilmington airport myself. Also when you are North bound, consider staying in Southport at Deep Point Marina overnight. It's 1.20/ft trans fee/night. We have a nice pool and laundry, and good restuarants. It'll be great to meet you.

Hi Pete , thanks for the tip. I would be very interested in Anchors Away. Do you know if they can do prop work?? Before I just needed to have the pitch increased, but my windless went out while anchored in a creek south of Charleston and I drifted onto a Bank on an Ebb Tide and the creek emptied to a point that in less than ten minutes we were on the hard on a sloped creek bed that when the tide was completly out Bout Time was on a 45 degree angle port high and dry.
Trying to ease her off the bank I slightly bent two blades. Dove on the boat yesterday and straightened them as best I could with a hammer but they will definitely have to be tuned. Ron

 

[ron6785]

Well got the 32v windless motor fixed in record time today 3 hours and reinstalled it this afternoon. Will probably depart Charleston either tomorrow or Thursday. If vibration problem is gone after I dived on the props and did a little straightening we will probably proceed to the Chessie. Otherwise, we will stop at Anchors Away Boat Yard in NC.