A Place Where to Moor a Boat in South Lake Tahoe
Owning your own boat can be hugely rewarding, with the freedom to travel the Homewood (South Lake Tahoe) waterways at your own pace, closeness to nature and sharing your love of the waterways by entertaining friends with day trips.
Some initial things to consider include the costs, types of boat, getting a boat license and boat maintenance. Unless you intend to continuously cruise the network throughout the year, you need to give some serious thought to finding a permanent mooring for your boat.
Generally finding the right boat at the right price is fairly straightforward, but finding somewhere to berth it can be extremely difficult. It is, therefore, an absolute necessity to find a permanent place where your boat can be moored.
South Lake Tahoe Marinas
There are many launch ramps available around the lake. During low-water years, many of the ramps are not usable except for the smallest boats.
There are several small marinas around the lake, as well as the huge Tahoe Keys marina at South Lake Tahoe. Slips are a precious commodity, however, and generally are not available except for full-season rentals–and even then, waiting lists are often years long.
Lake Tahoe includes public piers on the lake. Most piers have limited space for public tie-up and are subject to considerable swell depending on the weather. Note that there are many more private piers around the lake that should be used only by invitation.
Most piers charge no fee but expect that you are patronizing the business associated with the pier. (One notable exception is the large pier at Gar Woods, which is open to public use for any reason and is useful for accessing other businesses in the area.)
Piers at public parks often have time limits and are intended primarily for loading and unloading. Some piers have attendants, especially on summer weekends, who expect to be tipped (much like a valet parking attendant for your car).
Permanent moorings can be found within marinas or basins (offline) or along the main line of a canal or river (online).
Marinas are usually large purpose made water spaces but moorings can also be found at boatyards and the wharves, arms and loops left from the commercial days of the waterways.
Offline moorings are generally run by businesses, and can be more expensive than online moorings. However, you are more likely to benefit from facilities such as water, toilets, sanitary disposal, showers, a diesel pump, electricity, coal, gas, and WIFI. Some marinas also have boatyards and chandlery shops on site and there may even be some basic security against vandalism and other crime.
Marinas and basins often have transport links and car parking which are something to consider if you need to travel. Apart from the cost, possible downsides include the fact that some marinas may have a waiting list for their berths. A few marinas may offer a ‘caretaker’ (residential) berth, but these are obviously rare.
Online moorings along the main line of a canal are usually run by the navigation authority, or in some cases local farmers who set up moorings along their land and tend to cost less than offline moorings because there aren’t as many, or any, facilities.
Apart from the cost, advantages of online moorings include being closer to nature, heritage and often beautiful scenery.
Some moorings are available along the towpath side but these lack privacy and any degree of security. Those on the non-towpath (off-side) are preferable and will have some security depending on the access, fencing and gating arrangements.
You could buy or lease a length of land alongside the waterways but remember that this does not necessarily mean that you have rights to moor a boat there.
There may be planning restrictions and on canals, you will still have to pay the navigation authority for mooring. These can be referred to as ‘end of garden moorings’ or ‘farmers’ field moorings’.
On rivers, the situation is different as riparian owners generally have the right to moor alongside their land. Remember that rivers go up and down so you will need suitable mooring arrangements to allow for this and you may not be able to get to your boat in flood conditions. In either case, you should consult with the navigation authority first before committing to a mooring.
Things to consider when looking for a place to keep your boat:
- When choosing your location to decide how far do you want to travel each time you use your boat – some people don’t mind a couple of hours journey, others want to pop down to their boat when the mood takes them
- Do you enjoy your comforts and want to be able to just step aboard? – if you do then a full service marina is for you
- Do you prefer tranquility to hustle and bustle? – then a mooring accessed by water or a remote boat yard may be the place for you
- If you’re boating on a budget then you may need to choose marinas or moorings with fewer amenities or perhaps accessible only at certain times of the tide.
Considering all the important aspects to look for a place where your boat can be moored, it’s important to highlight there are several private companies that offer the service of mooring your boat at South Lake Tahoe, in the city of Homewood. One of them is recognized by the name of B.J.’s Barge Service (located in the city of Homewood).
They can let you use their private space in South Lake Tahoe to get your boat moored or offer different mooring products such as buoys, custom lines, stainless steel hardware and galvanized steel hardware.
Aside from knowing how to safely run a boat out on the water, being able to securely moor it is one of the most important skills a boater can possess. Yet it’s something that’s frequently done very poorly—and even by boaters with lots of experience. While it may not seem like a big deal, there are plenty of instances where a bad mooring job causes major damage not only to the boat but also to other boats around it.
Whether you’ve got a pontoon boat or an inflatable dinghy, knowing how to properly secure your boat can certainly prevent a lot of expensive headaches. So, this means when you want to get you boat moored in the City of Homewood, exactly at South Lake Tahoe, do not wait to call the best company, they will provide the best service and you won’t have any problem with your mooring.