Marina glossary
The marina glossary.
Slips, beams, drafts and drawdowns, explained in plain words for boaters shopping for a slip and for anyone new to running a marina.
Longer reads: What is a boat slip? · Covered vs uncovered · How much does a boat slip cost?
- Beam
- The width of a boat at its widest point. A slip has a maximum beam it can take, so beam matters as much as length when matching a boat to a slip.
- Berth
- Another word for a boat’s place at a dock. More common on the coast and abroad; on most American lakes people say slip.
- Boat lift
- A frame in a slip that raises the boat out of the water when it isn’t in use, keeping the hull clean and dry. Some marinas allow tenants to install their own, and some rent slips with a lift.
- Boat slip
- A space at a dock where one boat is kept in the water, usually between two narrow walkways. Marinas rent slips by the season, the year or the night. More about boat slips.
- Covered slip
- A slip under a roof, which keeps sun, rain, leaves and birds off the boat. It usually costs more than an open slip, and the roof limits how tall a boat can be. Covered vs uncovered.
- Deeded slip
- A slip that is bought and owned, usually with the property next to it or as part of a condominium dock, instead of rented each year.
- Draft
- How deep a boat sits below the waterline. A slip needs enough water depth for the boat’s draft, which matters on lakes where the water level drops.
- Dry storage
- Keeping a boat out of the water, on a trailer, a rack or the ground, instead of in a slip. Often cheaper than a wet slip, and common over the winter.
- Dry stack
- Dry storage on tall racks, usually inside a building, with a forklift that launches boats when owners call ahead.
- End tie
- The space at the outer end of a dock, where a boat ties up alongside instead of between finger piers. Often priced by the foot. For example, Hurst Harbor Marina on Lake Travis posts end ties at $18 a foot a month.
- Finger pier
- The narrow walkway that sticks out from the main dock between two slips. You step from the finger pier onto the side of your boat.
- Houseboat slip
- A larger slip built for houseboats, often with water and more electrical power. Popular on Kentucky and Tennessee lakes.
- Liveaboard
- Someone who lives on their boat at the marina. Many marinas don’t allow it, or allow it only with permission and a higher rate.
- LOA (length overall)
- A boat’s full length from the tip of the bow to the back of the stern, including anything that sticks out. Marinas usually price and assign slips by LOA.
- Marina
- A business with docks where people keep, launch, rent and service boats. Lake marinas often add fuel, a store, boat rentals and sometimes a restaurant.
- Mooring
- A buoy anchored to the bottom that a boat ties to out in open water, instead of at a dock. Less common on lakes than on the coast.
- Per-foot pricing
- Charging for a slip or a stay by the length of the boat, for example so much per foot per night. Common for visiting boaters and end ties; most lake marinas price seasonal slips by slip size instead. How to price boat slips.
- Pump-out
- A station that empties a boat’s holding tank. Many lake marinas offer it, and some states track how much is pumped out each year.
- Seasonal slip lease
- An agreement to rent a slip for a boating season or a full year, usually renewed by the same tenant. Leases can start in any month, so renewals often come due all year round.
- Shore power
- Electricity from a pedestal on the dock, usually 30 or 50 amps, that charges batteries and runs air conditioning or appliances on board.
- Side tie
- A space where a boat ties up alongside the dock, parallel to it, instead of between finger piers. Often used for larger boats or visitors.
- Slip lease renewal
- When a tenant signs up for another season or year in the same slip. Renewals are some of the most important work in a marina office, whether they bunch up in spring or come due every month. How renewals can run themselves.
- Transient slip
- A slip rented by the night or the week to visiting boaters, rather than to a seasonal tenant.
- Waitlist
- A list of boaters waiting for a slip to open at a full marina, usually by slip size or type. How a waitlist can fill open slips.
- Wet slip
- A slip where the boat stays in the water, as opposed to dry storage.
- Winter drawdown
- On many reservoirs the water level is lowered in fall and winter for flood control, which is why lake marinas often use floating docks and some close boat rentals for part of the year.
Run a marina? See the software we built for it.
Slips, leases, renewals and boat rentals in one place, with a website included.