Marinas.com has the world’s most extensive database of marine locations, featuring low altitude, high-resolution aerial navigation photography of marinas, key inlets, detailed overviews of waterfront communities, bridges, locks, anchorages, lighthouses, along with other major nautical points of interest.
Annual winners of Best Marinas are calculated based on boater reviews submitted throughout the year. Winners are the top-rated among more than 9,000 marine businesses.
The Elite Fleet tier of Boaters’ Choice marinas represent the marinas that went above and beyond to delight boaters, maintaining an average star rating of at least 4.8 and receiving at least 10 reviews throughout the year.
Congrats to the following Michigan marina’s:
Bay Harbor-Lake Marina
Elk Rapids-Grace Marina
Leland-Leland Marina
St. Clair Shores-Michigan Harbor Marina
Saugatuck-Singapore Yacht Club
Harbor Springs-Walstrom Marina
Wyandotte-Wyandotte Marina
Full Winners List here:
https://marinas.com/boaters_choice
Two main types of storage:
Dry stack: Your boat will be stored out of the water on vertical stacked racks, outdoors or indoors. Cranes and lifts transport the vessels from the water to the rack, and vice versa. This form of storage only accommodates power boats.
Wet slip: Your boat will be stored in the water for the entirety of the season, in either uncovered or covered slips. This form of storage accommodates sailboats as well as power boats.
Marina and/or boating terms glossary
Bow – The front part of the boat, yacht or cabin cruiser.
Canal – An artificial waterway usually man-made and connects lakes, rivers or oceans allowing for easier navigation.
Channel – The part of a body of water either naturally occurring or constructed with a dredge machine, having adequate depth for boats, yachts or cabin cruisers to navigate.
Dock – The area where a boat, yacht or cabin cruiser remains attached when not in use.
Dredge – A machine used to clean or deepen the bottom of a river, lake, canal or harbor.
Floating dock – A platform supported by a floating device.
Head – Refers to a boat, yacht or cabin cruisers bathroom.
Hull – the body of a boat, yacht or cabin cruiser located between the deck and the keel; essentially acts as the buoyancy, which prevents the boat, yacht or cabin cruiser from sinking.
Inboard Engine – An engine located inside the boat, yacht or cabin cruiser with the driveshaft and propeller protruding through the bottom of the vessel.
Marina – A port located on a body of water that provides dockage, moorings, storage, fuel docks, supplies and maintenance services for boats, yachts and cabin cruisers.
Mooring – Also known as moorage, refers to a permanent anchoring system that holds or secures a boat in a specific location.
Outboard Engine – An engine mounted on the outside of the vessel with the driveshaft and propeller located on the outside ad well; usually found on small boats.
Peninsula – A piece of land protruding into a body of water and surrounded by water on three sides.
Port – The left side of the boat, yacht or cabin cruiser when facing forward.
Promenade – A pedestrian walkway.
Propeller – Also known as a prop, refers to a rotating machine with multiple blades used to force a boat, yacht or cabin cruiser through water.
Pump out station – A sanitation facility, usually located on a marina, used for draining holding tanks on a boat, yacht or cabin cruiser.
Running Lights – Navigational lights that are required by law to be turned on when the boat, yacht or cabin cruiser is in motion between sunset and sunrise.
Slips – A place between two docks where a boat, yacht or cabin cruiser is lifted out of the water and moored in that location.
Starboard – The right side of the boat, yacht or cabin cruiser when looking forward.
Stern drive – Also known as inboard/outboard, refers to a boat, yacht or cabin cruisers’ water propulsion system. The water propulsion system consists of an engine located inboard and a driveshaft and propeller located outboard.
Stern – The back part of the boat, yacht or cabin cruiser.
Transient dockage – docking or mooring your boat, yacht or cabin cruiser at a marina for a short period of time, typically for the day/night or week.
Travel Hoist – A moveable device used at marinas for lifting, hauling and moving boats, yachts or cabin cruisers.
Yacht – An expensive recreational vehicle usually greater than 25 feet or more in length and conveys and luxury and pleasure.
