Anchor Marine Announcement

[webmaster]

After over 30 years at the Weirs, Anchor Marine is in the process of moving to a new location at 1258 Union Ave., across from McDonalds. Although they will be open for gas at the Weirs this weekend, they will then close down for the season.

They will reopen in the spring at the new location but will only be doing boat rentals. No gas or variety store.

Since 1999 Bob Andrews at Anchor Marine has generously allowed me to operate the WeirsCAM through his internet service and in return I have been maintaining his Anchor Marine CAM. Obviously both webcams will be affected by this move. The Anchor Marine CAM will be relocated in the spring to the new location on Paugus Bay. Unfortunately we'll be losing the great view of the Mount at its dock and the action at the gas dock.

The WeirsCAM location is more of a problem and it is possible that it will be offline for a few months this winter. I'm trying to arrange to keep it running on the roof of the pier but that may not be possible for several reasons. There are some other possible options and I'm trying to work that out. I'll post updates in the Area Webcams section of this forum when I know more.

The WeirsCAM is offline right now but will be running again on Saturday. I'll be able to keep it running for a few more months but after that it's unclear at this point what will happen then.

[Happy Gourmand]

This is sad news. I have patronized Anchor Marine almost exclusively for several years. The young people they had as gas attendants were always pleasant and friendly...and they are pretty easy on these old eyes too.
Don, do you know if somebody else will be running the place next season or what the plans might be for it?

[webmaster]

This is sad news. I have patronized Anchor Marine almost exclusively for several years. The young people they had as gas attendants were always pleasant and friendly...and they are pretty easy on these old eyes too.
Don, do you know if somebody else will be running the place next season or what the plans might be for it?Here's what I know from talking to Bob. This is from a casual conversation so don't consider it official:

Two factors forced this move:

1. The owners of the pier would not give Anchor a lease after the last one expired. They have been month-to-month for the last few years. Without a lease there was too much uncertainty to continue investing in that location. You can see from #2 that a large investment was required to keep operating.

2. Even though the gasoline lines to the dock were replaced about 10 years ago the state now requires they be replaced again with a different system. This is a $60,000 project and the owners of the pier would not pay for it or even split the cost. This could discourage another marina from taking over.

Again, I'm not speaking for Anchor Marine so don't quote me.

Many of us will miss the gas dock (and the friendly attendants) but for boat renters the new location will be much more convenient. Parking at the Weirs and hauling your stuff down to the gas dock was not easy on a busy summer day.

[LIforrelaxin]

Don thanks for posting this news and the details as you know.....

It is not surprising to hear that upgrades were needed for the gas dock....
And if its owned by the pier and they are unwilling to allow anchor to sign into a lease, it would appear that Anchor really had no choice......

[DRH]

The WeirsCAM location is more of a problem and it is possible that it will be offline for a few months this winter. I'm trying to arrange to keep it running on the roof of the pier but that may not be possible for several reasons. There are some other possible options and I'm trying to work that out. I'll post updates in the Area Webcams section of this forum when I know more.

The WeirsCAM is offline right now but will be running again on Saturday. I'll be able to keep it running for a few more months but after that it's unclear at this point what will happen then.Don, if a financial contribution toward keeping the WeirsCam in operation would help, please let us know. I think a number of Forum members would be glad to assist.

[Woodsy]

I have known this for awhile... I keep my boat slipped under the pier @ Anchor Marine. I didn't want to weigh in until it was public knowledge.

The Owners of the Pier and Bob are at loggerheads. The best choice for Anchor was to relocate given the inability to come to a suitable agreement.

Unfortunately for me, not sure if I will have a slip next year or not... I am hopeful that I will!

Woodsy

[Bizer]

Having missed this thread last fall, Bizer did not know about this until earlier this week when visiting marinas. According to one source from whom I received an email this morning, " ... It would appear Flight Craft on 104 will be moving into the old Anchor Marine for this season. Doing rental boats, boat repair, etc. " (now paraphrasing): Fuel pumping is unknown.

One marina operator said that the cost of environmental upgrades would probably cause some marinas to cease the sale of fuel.

[dave603]

"One marina operator said that the cost of environmental upgrades would probably cause some marinas to cease the sale of fuel."

That doesn't sound good at all.
If they all stop selling fuel, then wouldn't that increase the chances of a fuel spill with everyone filling from portable fuel containers instead of the pumps?

[jeffk]

It seems to me that Marinas that own their facilities could upgrade and be certain of continued operations to pay off the upgrade costs over time. They, of course, will pass the costs on to the boaters buying gas. Since this requirement seems pretty recent, I suspect it is going to affect all Marinas and therefore would not be a competitive disadvantage. I have a 50 gallon tank on my boat. I am not hauling gas cans to fill it. Even trailering it to a gas station every couple weeks would be a major annoyance. I would probably spend more in time and money hauling the boat around than I pay extra for gas from Marinas trying to pay off their environmental upgrades.

Anchor sounds like it had a specific problem because they could have invested the upgrade money and then lost their spot at any time. They would have not been able to recoup their capital investment over time. That seems to have been too risky for them. Other Marinas that rent their property and do not have a long term lease will face the same problem. I have no idea how many that might apply to, if any?

[Woodsy]

Not sure if Flightcraft operating at the Pier is a done deal. I do believe they rented a couple of slips. There is a gas line that needs to be replaced at a pretty good cost (word on the street $65K YIKES). I would not expect to see gas there this year....

Woodsy

[noreast]

"One marina operator said that the cost of environmental upgrades would probably cause some marinas to cease the sale of fuel."

That doesn't sound good at all.
If they all stop selling fuel, then wouldn't that increase the chances of a fuel spill with everyone filling from portable fuel containers instead of the pumps?

AH, the unintended consequence. The legislators just can't see the trees through the forest. It always gets them.

[Descant]

AH, the unintended consequence. The legislators just can't see the trees through the forest. It always gets them.

This situation has been pending for close to 20 years. No surprise. No sleepy legislature. I think the deadline for tank replacement was December 2015. First, the old single wall tanks had to be replaced with double wall tanks. The life expectancy of the old tanks was about 20 years as I understand it. If you put in a new tank 20 years ago, it was probably due for replacement, along with upgraded plumbing and monitoring systems. Most retailers have been doing this for the last many years. If you didn't own the tank it was hard to replace, and if you were an absentee landlord (See threads about upgrading the Weirs) you probably didn't want to spend much money either. Notice how many "big Oil" companies have been selling the retail facilities to the local retailer where they used to rent to them. How many stations have put up new signs and changed brands where they were '"X" for as long a you could remember?

The gas retailers in the Channel will pick up the slack, I'm sure. They just don't have much "hover space" if there's a line.
Despite what we see as high prices compared to roadside retailers, there isn't a lot of money to be made selling gas, when most of the market is two days a week, when the weather is good.

[Merrymeeting]

Despite what we see as high prices compared to roadside retailers, there isn't a lot of money to be made selling gas, when most of the market is two days a week, when the weather is good.

I have a friend who owns a marina. He would back up this comment. The gas business is break even at best, especially for a small volume shop that is seasonal. The profit is made on service and storage. The gas business is what creates the traffic to enable the other ones.

[thinkxingu]

I have a friend who owns a marina. He would back up this comment. The gas business is break even at best, especially for a small volume shop that is seasonal. The profit is made on service and storage. The gas business is what creates the traffic to enable the other ones.
At something like $.75-$1 more per gallon than the others on the lake, I'm confident Ambrose Cove Marina is making money. Certainly not the average, though.

Sent from my XT1528 using Tapatalk

[TiltonBB]

Not sure if Flightcraft operating at the Pier is a done deal. I do believe they rented a couple of slips. There is a gas line that needs to be replaced at a pretty good cost (word on the street $65K YIKES). I would not expect to see gas there this year....

Woodsy

I heard the same information, even with the same cost estimate. I also understand that the landlord was/is unwilling to make the repairs and wanted the tenant to do that. But, there was no option for a long term lease to enable the tenant to recoup the cost of the repairs. That also makes sense since the pier has been on the market for a long time and it is possible that the landlord did not want a long term lease that might handicap the plans of any potential new owner. A new owner would be obligated to honor the lease.

[BroadHopper]

I saw in the Citizens an article states about 300 independent gas stations in NH may close due to the high cost of keeping up with new regulations. The Mobil Station on Court Street in Laconia was operated faithfully by a mentally challenged man and his wife. He had to shut down because he could not compete with the chains such as Cumberland Farms and Irving who can afford the upgrades. If the feds wants to keep jobs and grassroots business, they need to step up to the plate and help out, not bow to the lobbyists of big businesses.

[ishoot308]

I will certainly miss Anchor Marine. They were one of the few if not the only place you could get gas at later hours. Most gas places on the lake close at 5:00 P.M. - 6:00 P.M. but Anchor always was open later. It came in handy many times for me!

Oh and the dock girls!! I will certainly miss them as well!! ;);)

Dan

[Woodsy]

TiltonBB...

No way Anchor could invest that kind of $$$ with little hope of a return on the investment. I also wonder if the Flightcraft rumor had something to do with it? I seriously doubt they & Anchor could coexist there.....

it will be interesting to see what happens if they do sell the Pier...

Woodsy

[Ms Molly McKever]

How many slips are at the pier,and is any one renting them
now that anchor marine has relocated ??

[Woodsy]

The family that owns the Pier is renting the slips, and there are some available.... BUT its very dependent on boat size. I think they have a craigslist ad....

Woodsy