Please Help the Newbie - Good Boat Slip vs. Bad

Lake Newbie · 10-04-2007, 10:47 AM

We've been coming to the lake area for years, but we're new to boating. We're considering buying a house (hopefully with dock access) and since we are novices I was hoping to get some advice. I'm sure, as with all things, all coves and boat slips on the lake are not created equally.

We've been looking in Meredith, although we're not tied to any specific location.

- What should we be aware of when looking at dock space?
- Are there any coves or areas on the lake that are notoriously bad for navigation?
- Are some areas more difficult due to large areas of low wake restrictions?

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. My fear is that some things that seem like a great deal, may not be such a great deal afterall.

Misty Blue · 10-04-2007, 11:44 AM

Hi Newbie!

Just a few thoughts...

Do you want to travel on the Lake? If so try to find a place with easy access to the broads so you have an easy trip to Wolfeboro, Weirs, Meredith, Alton, etc. Keep in mind there will be a lot of boat traffic in your view.

Do you want peace and quiet? Then try a more out of the way place like Moultonborough bay, Lee's Mills or Blackie's Cove, etc. But remember it takes a half an hour to get from Lee's Mills to the broads for a trip to the Yum Yum shop.

Think about depth. Coves and bays are usually shallow and are darn near empty at the end of the season. Places with open water and an western exposure tend to be deep at the shoreline but you will probably not have a sandy beach and may be exposed to high winds and waves.

Ialands are an option. Most have good water around them but you will need a place to dock your boat and park a car on the mainland.

In the end every choice is a compormise but this is the Lake and every choice is a good one!

Good luck!

Misty Blue.

sa meredith · 10-04-2007, 12:16 PM

Not exactly sure if the boat slip and real estate purchase HAVE to be tied together or if the purchases can be separate things. But...if they are seperate, and you are in search of a slip, depending on boat size, I would tell you we use a "valet service" as opposed to a slip. Boat is always clean this way, and way less stress when returning after a day on the lake. Boat is lifted in and out of the water each and every time. Also, no worries for you when the weather turns violent...as it often does. Your boat will be sleeping comfortably inside a building. Many marina offer this, including Meredith Marina...and many others in the area. The only other advice is this...if somehow you end up in Paugus Bay, remember you have to deal with the channel everytime.
Now...if money is no object...here is what I would do right now.
Buy one of the parcels currently listed for sale in Johnson's Cove in Winter Harbor. One of the quieter coves on the lake. Build a nice home, with your own dock...and you are 1 minute from the broads, and therefore within a half hour of wherever you want to go. (except Green's Basin..and 5 minutes hahahah). Seriously, that would be the dream set up. Quiet...except for weekends and the rafting you will have to deal with. Good luck.

LIforrelaxin · 10-04-2007, 01:54 PM

Ah dock slips there is always so much advise out there..... my advice is this...

If you are going to buy into a marina:
- see if they have as previously suggested a valet service as an option
- If buying a slip make sure to buy one that will allow for growth... sure you may have 20' now but might you want a 25' in a couple of years... in other words just think a little about what your furture needs may be
- as others have said consider location...
- talk to other memebers of the Marina... some places my have obstacles to getting in and out especially durring the fall when the water is low.

If your going to buy a water front home:
-take sometime go down on the dock and look around on a sunny calm day you can see the bottom and pick out rocks that may be a problem
-ask to talk to the owners about any navagational hazards when approaching the dock.
-check the depth of the water at the dock, and factor in lower levels in the fall to make sure you will have enough depth to get in and out.
- also you will have to take care of and maintain the dock so make sure it is something you can work with....( example being if you have a bad back and don't often have people that can help you, a seasonal sectional dock my not be the best thing).... of course with a few permits and some more money you can always put in a new dock.
-finally if you are real serious about the waterfront home I would not be afraid to ask about bring a canoe down and paddling around on a nice calm sunny day to look around and double check for rocks that may be a hazard.
-if there are rocks close to shore and the dock that may be an issue, and you buy the home make sure you make a good note of where they are, and even put a marker on them for the first few years.... many places around the lake, you will see where people have done this close to there docks with milk jugs....

All in all the bigest piece of advice I think anyone needs is don't get in a rush or let anyone presure you.... when you find the solution your comfortable with you will know it.......

WeirsBeachBoater · 10-04-2007, 02:10 PM

Lol, comes with a deep water slip!

NightWing · 10-04-2007, 02:23 PM

From experience, I would never get a slip that had concrete piers. I had a very unpleasant awakening when my new boat was slipped at a concrete finger dock and, as the lake level dropped end of season, my boat was low enough that the fenders were below the edge of the dock and bolt heads and rebar in the concrete had several weeks chewing time on the side of my hull and the swim platform.

No matter what the material of the dock, make sure that you look it over and anticipate where your boat will be in the fall. Fenders under the dock protect nothing.

Long Pine · 10-04-2007, 04:10 PM

If you are buying waterfront property with an existing dock, you may know that there are a lot of rules enforced by the DES Wetlands Bureau regarding dock structures. One important thing to know about the dock you are buying is that all the proper permitting was done for it. If you think you are getting a 50 foot dock because that is what is on the premises, but you later find out that the previous owner only had a permit to put in a 30ft dock, you may get an unpleasant surprise the next time you need to get a permit to do work on the dock. I'm not sure how often this happens, but I certainly would want to check it out before buying a place to avoid any surprises. The DES has a search facility on their website where you can pull info about permits on a piece of property. I believe owners are also required to file their permits with their town deed registrar. For many counties, you can search for deed info at www.nhdeeds.com. Good luck.

Alton Bay Bob · 10-09-2007, 07:33 PM

I discovered that my experience really echoes LIforrelaxin's post... We originally rented a cabin in Alton near Sandy Point. It was a deep dock.. but the waves from boating traffic were vicious. When we were able to buy a place we went for the quiet cove..... No waves....very quiet...

We knew there were rocks around... and we brought our canoe to explore every inch of the cove. We learned where all the rocks were and they are now bouyed. But our season usually ends in the second week of September becasue of low water.... We knew that was going to happen and it worked for us... We wanted that great view down Alton Bay of Prospect Mountain for the other months...

Every property will have positives and negatives.... The key is knowing what is important to you..

We have increased the size of our boat... always build that in to the equation.

I would suggest looking at the Alton side of the lake because you do not have to deal with the Paugus Bay traffic....You can get to Wolfboro very quickly unless you will be there during the week.....then you have the best of all worlds....

Best of luck in your decision..... You are at the best time of your life... the freedom to make a great decision. You really can not make a mistake. As you know, this place is wondrous...

LIforrelaxin · 10-10-2007, 11:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Long Pine

If you are buying waterfront property with an existing dock, you may know that there are a lot of rules enforced by the DES Wetlands Bureau regarding dock structures. One important thing to know about the dock you are buying is that all the proper permitting was done for it. If you think you are getting a 50 foot dock because that is what is on the premises, but you later find out that the previous owner only had a permit to put in a 30ft dock, you may get an unpleasant surprise the next time you need to get a permit to do work on the dock. I'm not sure how often this happens, but I certainly would want to check it out before buying a place to avoid any surprises. The DES has a search facility on their website where you can pull info about permits on a piece of property. I believe owners are also required to file their permits with their town deed registrar. For many counties, you can search for deed info at www.nhdeeds.com. Good luck.

I would think that docks in deeds is dependant on several factors:

A) how long the camp has been with the previous owners....people that have owned since before 1978 never needed permits unless they abandoned their docks after permiting became required

B) Although you need a permit for a dock, I am not sure that you are required to add it to the deed if it is seasonal...... it might be in the best interest to do so.... but I don't think it is required....I have an application for a Seasonal dock and it mentions nothing of the sort. (and many seasonal docks are non conforming anyways)

C) even if it is required for permanent structures ( which I could understand )....is there any check and balance to make sure it is done...probably not......

In short I would say a vast majority of places don't have docks mentioned in the deeds especially if they have been in families for generations ..... This is something I believe will start to be added to more and more deeds as time goes on though.......

10-04-2007, 10:47 AM	#1
Lake Newbie Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Please Help the Newbie - Good Boat Slip vs. Bad We've been coming to the lake area for years, but we're new to boating. We're considering buying a house (hopefully with dock access) and since we are novices I was hoping to get some advice. I'm sure, as with all things, all coves and boat slips on the lake are not created equally. We've been looking in Meredith, although we're not tied to any specific location. - What should we be aware of when looking at dock space? - Are there any coves or areas on the lake that are notoriously bad for navigation? - Are some areas more difficult due to large areas of low wake restrictions? Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated. My fear is that some things that seem like a great deal, may not be such a great deal afterall.

10-04-2007, 11:44 AM	#2
Misty Blue Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Posts: 658 Thanks: 121 Thanked 283 Times in 98 Posts	Dock advice Hi Newbie! Just a few thoughts... Do you want to travel on the Lake? If so try to find a place with easy access to the broads so you have an easy trip to Wolfeboro, Weirs, Meredith, Alton, etc. Keep in mind there will be a lot of boat traffic in your view. Do you want peace and quiet? Then try a more out of the way place like Moultonborough bay, Lee's Mills or Blackie's Cove, etc. But remember it takes a half an hour to get from Lee's Mills to the broads for a trip to the Yum Yum shop. Think about depth. Coves and bays are usually shallow and are darn near empty at the end of the season. Places with open water and an western exposure tend to be deep at the shoreline but you will probably not have a sandy beach and may be exposed to high winds and waves. Ialands are an option. Most have good water around them but you will need a place to dock your boat and park a car on the mainland. In the end every choice is a compormise but this is the Lake and every choice is a good one! Good luck! Misty Blue.

10-04-2007, 12:16 PM	#3
sa meredith Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Posts: 986 Blog Entries: 1 Thanks: 32 Thanked 352 Times in 137 Posts	Not sure... Not exactly sure if the boat slip and real estate purchase HAVE to be tied together or if the purchases can be separate things. But...if they are seperate, and you are in search of a slip, depending on boat size, I would tell you we use a "valet service" as opposed to a slip. Boat is always clean this way, and way less stress when returning after a day on the lake. Boat is lifted in and out of the water each and every time. Also, no worries for you when the weather turns violent...as it often does. Your boat will be sleeping comfortably inside a building. Many marina offer this, including Meredith Marina...and many others in the area. The only other advice is this...if somehow you end up in Paugus Bay, remember you have to deal with the channel everytime. Now...if money is no object...here is what I would do right now. Buy one of the parcels currently listed for sale in Johnson's Cove in Winter Harbor. One of the quieter coves on the lake. Build a nice home, with your own dock...and you are 1 minute from the broads, and therefore within a half hour of wherever you want to go. (except Green's Basin..and 5 minutes hahahah). Seriously, that would be the dream set up. Quiet...except for weekends and the rafting you will have to deal with. Good luck.

10-04-2007, 01:54 PM	#4
LIforrelaxin Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Long Island, not that one, the one on Winnipesaukee Posts: 2,821 Thanks: 1,014 Thanked 880 Times in 514 Posts	my few cents Ah dock slips there is always so much advise out there..... my advice is this... If you are going to buy into a marina: - see if they have as previously suggested a valet service as an option - If buying a slip make sure to buy one that will allow for growth... sure you may have 20' now but might you want a 25' in a couple of years... in other words just think a little about what your furture needs may be - as others have said consider location... - talk to other memebers of the Marina... some places my have obstacles to getting in and out especially durring the fall when the water is low. If your going to buy a water front home: -take sometime go down on the dock and look around on a sunny calm day you can see the bottom and pick out rocks that may be a problem -ask to talk to the owners about any navagational hazards when approaching the dock. -check the depth of the water at the dock, and factor in lower levels in the fall to make sure you will have enough depth to get in and out. - also you will have to take care of and maintain the dock so make sure it is something you can work with....( example being if you have a bad back and don't often have people that can help you, a seasonal sectional dock my not be the best thing).... of course with a few permits and some more money you can always put in a new dock. -finally if you are real serious about the waterfront home I would not be afraid to ask about bring a canoe down and paddling around on a nice calm sunny day to look around and double check for rocks that may be a hazard. -if there are rocks close to shore and the dock that may be an issue, and you buy the home make sure you make a good note of where they are, and even put a marker on them for the first few years.... many places around the lake, you will see where people have done this close to there docks with milk jugs.... All in all the bigest piece of advice I think anyone needs is don't get in a rush or let anyone presure you.... when you find the solution your comfortable with you will know it....... __________________ Life is about how much time you can spend relaxing... I do it on an island that isn't really an island.....

10-04-2007, 02:10 PM	#5
WeirsBeachBoater Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Posts: 709 Blog Entries: 9 Thanks: 39 Thanked 148 Times in 65 Posts	Buy my Condo!!! Lol, comes with a deep water slip!

10-04-2007, 02:23 PM	#6
NightWing Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Posts: 410 Thanks: 4 Thanked 6 Times in 6 Posts	From experience, I would never get a slip that had concrete piers. I had a very unpleasant awakening when my new boat was slipped at a concrete finger dock and, as the lake level dropped end of season, my boat was low enough that the fenders were below the edge of the dock and bolt heads and rebar in the concrete had several weeks chewing time on the side of my hull and the swim platform. No matter what the material of the dock, make sure that you look it over and anticipate where your boat will be in the fall. Fenders under the dock protect nothing.

10-04-2007, 04:10 PM	#7
Long Pine Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 93 Thanks: 12 Thanked 33 Times in 12 Posts	Dock Permits If you are buying waterfront property with an existing dock, you may know that there are a lot of rules enforced by the DES Wetlands Bureau regarding dock structures. One important thing to know about the dock you are buying is that all the proper permitting was done for it. If you think you are getting a 50 foot dock because that is what is on the premises, but you later find out that the previous owner only had a permit to put in a 30ft dock, you may get an unpleasant surprise the next time you need to get a permit to do work on the dock. I'm not sure how often this happens, but I certainly would want to check it out before buying a place to avoid any surprises. The DES has a search facility on their website where you can pull info about permits on a piece of property. I believe owners are also required to file their permits with their town deed registrar. For many counties, you can search for deed info at www.nhdeeds.com. Good luck.

10-09-2007, 07:33 PM	#8
Alton Bay Bob Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 46 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Echoing LIforrelaxin I discovered that my experience really echoes LIforrelaxin's post... We originally rented a cabin in Alton near Sandy Point. It was a deep dock.. but the waves from boating traffic were vicious. When we were able to buy a place we went for the quiet cove..... No waves....very quiet... We knew there were rocks around... and we brought our canoe to explore every inch of the cove. We learned where all the rocks were and they are now bouyed. But our season usually ends in the second week of September becasue of low water.... We knew that was going to happen and it worked for us... We wanted that great view down Alton Bay of Prospect Mountain for the other months... Every property will have positives and negatives.... The key is knowing what is important to you.. We have increased the size of our boat... always build that in to the equation. I would suggest looking at the Alton side of the lake because you do not have to deal with the Paugus Bay traffic....You can get to Wolfboro very quickly unless you will be there during the week.....then you have the best of all worlds.... Best of luck in your decision..... You are at the best time of your life... the freedom to make a great decision. You really can not make a mistake. As you know, this place is wondrous...