BranchPort? Peggys? HELP I AM NEW

[newpghboater]

First off thank you for letting me joing after 30 min trying to sighn up and trying to fill in the blank to Along came a _______ and sat down beside her i finally joined.

Any way I have been boating in pittsburgh for 10+ years yes the weekened warrior who trailers his boat and all you guys who dock hate me cause i dont talk and you say the ones who trailer cause all the problems... well thats not true. I always trailered cause i did not want any dock rash but now as me and my boat are getting older i am looking to dock this year but do not know where. A friend wants me to go to branchport but i hear that guy down there is always drunk but other then that its great. I hear peggys is very strict and you need to have special clearance from the goverment to dock there,but they are both very easy to get to and i get gas from peggy all the time and she is sweet as can be so are these just rumors? I have 2 friends at the lock wall one and it is a very very nice place but i trailered my boat for 10 years to avoid dock rash and i seen them boats get slammed by the wakes there so thats not an option and i dont really want to pay washingtons landing there ridic fees. So that leaves Peggys Brandport or Station Square witch parking is expensive for quests and lugging coolers to the docks and a long walk to a bathroom ok ya station square is out lol so Can you guys give me any postives or negatives you know about peggys or Branchport please to help me make an answer as i cant get a good idea from looking at the empty marinas in the winter. Thanks so much guys... 10 more weeks!!!!!!!

[gsent]

Can only speak for peggy's.
Been there 27 years now, and love it. Never have to take the keys out of your boat, cause no one touches anything. Very safe place, with great showers and restrooms. (newly remodeled).
Peggy is very strict, but it's for your own benefit. No pets allowed, is probably the rule everyone hates most. Cannot carry gas, because leaving a bunch of empty cans layong around on a hot day is not a good idea.
She offers winter indoor and outdoor storage, summer trailer storage. Parking is close to your boat. Mechanic on duty that is reasonably priced, and can fix all brands.
Dock electric is installed right, and no stray current. Peggy is constantly upgrading, repairing, and making the place better.
Marina is geared towards family. Common sense is a must.

[JM_Excel]

Branchport compared to Peggy’s.
I dock at Branchport and i have never docked at Peggy’s.
Although, I had it narrowed down to those two myself.

Peggy’s has newer/nicer docks.

Peggy’s has a boat launch (can not use it Friday - Sunday)
Branchport does not have a launch so you have to use south side or Newport’s

Peggy’s Can not carry Gas
Branchport can carry Gas so you save some money bringing in your own

Peggy’s can not have Pets
Branchport can have dogs

Peggy’s has Ice at the docks
Branchport you have to bring it in.

Peggy’s only has trailer storage if you store winter and summer
Branchport has trailer storage

Peggy’s new customers normally get put on the end closer to Branchport which isnt lit very well at night. The Main Area is lit well
Branchport is lit very well at night

Both have parking close to your boat

Peggy’s has coast gaurd dock there some like that some do not

Both get waked the same

Both Family oriented

I don’t recall the exact prices but Peggy’s was/is more expensive

Peggy’s has Mechanic on duty, I have heard only good things about him, only bad is he is always booked, but that’s because he is good.

I never used the showers or bathrooms at Peggy’s (Gsent says they are nice)
Branchport has bathrooms and one shower but nothing special.

Peggy’s is closer to the point

Peggy who owns Peggy’s is very nice but she is strict.
Wayne who owns Branchport is nice too and more laid back
They both have their positives and negatives to go along with them

It all depends what you as an individual are looking for..
I tried to give and unbiased comparison

I hope this helps..

[pleasurehut]

I guess i'll speak for branchport. all in all its not horrible place to dock. improvements could definitely be done. electric if needed needs to be improved. theres no boat ramp at all just a jet ski lift. docking a 20 footer or so you will have no problems docking. just spend the money in BIG fenders and good dock lines. no matter where you are in the PGH pool you will get waked! i had no problem at all with Wayne. Everyone who i ran into who dock there seems nice. you probably have a better chance getting a spot there but, if you are going to look into a spot at any marina act now! theres only so many available

[contessaowner85]

If waking is your primary concern. Only place on the Pittsburgh pool you wouldn't have to worry about waking would be Silky's Crow's nest. The only wakes i get there are just a few of the boaters there wake their own marina when they are drinking. and some come in to fast when they are visiting the restaurant. rest of my comments about Silky's can be found under the Dock Talk section.

Peggy's sounds like a good place (except for the pets). I like to go downtown via boat not by car. . So unfortunately wouldn't be able to consider there.

[netresult]

dont come to the crows nest

[newpghboater]

Why DONT COME TO CROWS NEST

[Nelis Customs]

I've never docked at either location, but if it wasn't for the fact that I have a dog I would have inquired about how to get a slip there for this summer once I got to know Peggy and the crew down there late last season.

I'd heard a lot of "strict" and "negative" sounding reviews / posts about people complaining about how Peggy's is run, people yelling [rightfully and perhaps even a little overly in some posts here supposedly] about wakes, and when I went in there for the first time I had a bit of an opinion already from each story I heard fresh in my memory which I regret doing. I travel to quite a few marinas for business reasons obviously and while I'd never do any negative publicity for any of them, I'll give Peggy's a thumb's up. Some will let me work at them, some will not (for various reasons). Some on the lakes and rivers will let anyone pull onto the property, hook up to any boat and leave as I please without having a conversation (even let me hook up to a trailer, pull a boat, and tow it off the property uninterrupted), others will not even let me take my truck onto their property let alone tow a boat out of their grounds no matter what the owner tells them ahead of time if they're not with me. Peggy and her team does it just right in my opinion - not too strict, nowhere near too loose either.

My very first experience was when I was there in 2008 to tow a boat back to my shop for a new cover after the mechanic(s) at Peggy's had winterized it. The owner contacted the marina and told them I'd be coming down to get it. When I arrived I was greeted at the entrance by Peggy in a golf cart within 30 seconds of pulling up and she politely, but from a strictly business tone "sternly" asked how she could help me. When I explained who I was / why I was there, she asked to see my business card or other form of ID to prove I was who I was being who I was supposed to be before taking me to the boat (whose owner was standing by) that I was there to hook up to after confirming the name of the owner I supposedly spoke to before letting me through the entrance - and the boat in question wasn't even one of her member's boats, just a boat that came there to get winterized which I'll give an A+ in security in my opinion. I thought "yeah, she's strict like they said" but at the same time, if my boat was there, I'd appreciate every ounce of it so I respected the courteous yet stern approach both personally and professionally. If you pop up here to read this, it was your boat "GoFigure", so feel free to make me not sound like a commercial for Peggy's if you will!

When I was asked to perform some work there in the later part of 2009 and introduced to Peggy at her marina again, she verified my business was insured, legitimate, and again for some "credentials" before agreeing to let me do work at her facility. As far as I know, Peggy's has a "one provider" rule from what I have gathered, and what that means is if she has a provider of that service currently in an arrangement to perform at her marina, she wants you to use that person. While a lot of other marinas in the area have a similar rule for my type of work, I'd say the majority of the time the reasoning behind that rule is because a business person in my shoes (but not me) has agreed to kickback to the marina owner for enforcing that rule / guaranteeing the business owners a mutually beneficial transaction for work done on site, but not at Peggy's as of this writing - as of today I have never given Peggy's a dime (despite offering any form of payment she'd take whether it be a gift of money, labor pulling docks, etc to show my appreciation - all were declined politely). Instead, I believe she does it to ensure the quality, reliability, and overall smoothness of her customer's transactions by "vetting" the contractors and limiting the quantity to who she trusts one at a time for what I'll assume is the ease of her marina's operations. It may irritate the boat owner here or there, but it is for your benefit and not hers believe it or not. When I met Peggy again this past summer and we asked / she gave me permission to start work on some of her customer's boats, I asked the question I dread asking every marina owner - "Do you charge a fee for me to perform my services here?" Her answer showed her honesty and commitment to customers when she said something along the lines of the following (paraphrased keep in mind - I didn't have a notepad or recorder, but I'll never forget the conversation because it was unlike any I had ever had with a marina owner, note I've had many conversations with her since and they all echo the same sentiment for the most part): "Greg, I could charge you to work here, but i won't. I could tell you I want discounted services or prioritized scheduling for my dock members, but i won't tell you how to run your business. Instead, all I want is for you to treat my customers the best you can and offer an honest, good quality product. Return their calls promptly within reason, stand behind your commitments, and if you can't work on their boats for 4 weeks - that is understandable but be forthright in telling us and them so there is no misleading or disappointment and we'll handle what we need to handle if it is urgent when that happens." Like I said, that conversation happened back in August so while the exact wording is probably a little too well written compared to how it was said and sounds a little unbelievable as a result, the gist of the conversation was what I wrote - "Gsent" was standing beside me when it occurred and can correct / confirm it if he'd like to.

In working at Peggy's I've found her and her team, both for the marina and on site mechanic to be stand up people despite some hiccups we've encountered without pointing fingers as to who was to blame. The dock members I've met there thus far are top notch people and the place makes you feel like you're in a tight knit community and not a boat dock / marina from what I gathered on any given day there. If it wasn't for the dog who is a part of my boating as much as me, I'd be docking there this summer despite knowing I probably will only have the opportunity to touch my boat a handful of times in all likeliness. If Peggy throws my business on the street tomorrow or changes her business practices with me to where we can longer agree to do business, I'd still speak as highly of the facility as I do now. The docks are patrolled several times an hour providing the most security I've personally ever seen. The video surveillance system is of the same caliber of the subway / light rail systems I used to work on prior to opening my business but I'd consider it a backup to the patrols in all honesty because you can't replace human eyes or bodily presence (video does a great job confirming your boat was broke into or stolen, people stop it from happening just by being there) of the owners or even the watchful eyes of fellow boaters there. There are clean, modern, restrooms that I've never walked into and thought "I'd never shower in there." And the fellow boaters (I've met) are nothing but helpful to one another and "the new guy" in my opinion. I'm required to check in and advice of what boat or boats I'm there to work on because for reasons other than the obvious, I've been told its not uncommon for a fellow dock member to go up to or call the office to see if someone is supposed to be on their neighbor's boat before going to see what that person is doing on it themselves instead of waiting for a staff member to get there too.

With all of the above in mind, I've walked into marina's that have locked gates I should need a key for, 24/7 security surveillance signs posted everywhere, etc and simply walked out with upholstery / canvas without anyone stopping me or needing a key when I couldn't find a staff member to tell what I was doing beforehand. I've driven into marinas where I could hook up to any boat of my choice and driven off with it without anyone even raising an eyebrow if I chose to do so. But never would I attempt, or get away with, any of these actions at Peggy's which to me makes the "strict" rumors justified but appreciated at the same time. Can you be drunk, making noise, and carrying on there at 2 AM (not judging anyone, please take no offense ANYONE - lots of different boaters here)? I highly doubt it. Can you and or your family have a good time within reason if you're not disturbing anyone else? I'd imagine - but I'd suspect the "family oriented" quote mentioned prior rings a good tone of what you can expect there from a behavior standpoint.

There are probably a lot of great places to dock at on the rivers beyond these two that offer more / different / less if desired level of services too. I haven't docked at either mentioned or on any for that matter on the river since 2000 when I became a lake/trailer boater. In my history I've docked at and worked at a lot of worse places and I hope to learn about a lot more on the rivers like Peggy's so I land at the right one that allows my dog to keep my boat or owners who are fair when it comes to my business.

Good luck in your search - you've come to the right site for the answer's you're looking for.

[Go Figure]

The past summer was the first year I docked at Branchport. I was debating branchport vs peggy's last spring. I ended up chosing Branchport because I have a dog and peggy's doesn't allow pets. Other than that both marinas are great. I get my boat winterized and cleaned every year at Peggy's (as Greg mentioned). My uncle who has been boating in Pgh for over twenty years recomended Peggy's to me. After doing business with Peggy, I think they offer top notch service. In my opinion whichever one you end up chosing, you will not be disappointed.

[Yukshamush]

phewww........

[DJFisher]

Sorry this post is late, but I wanted to pass off some dock info regarding Station Square:

I have been docked there five years, I checked Peggy's, Branchport, Washington's landing and decided on Station Square. Alot had to do with the fact I live west of the city and its really close to home. But here is what you get at Station Square:

-$50 a foot to dock for the season. This includes two parking passes to any lot at station square-the garage and surface lots by the amphitheater and the lot over by Saddleridge/Old Hooters. Parking pass is valid 24/7. Almost worth the price of the dock alone, great deal.

-24/7 security and dock attendants Thursday thru Sunday. Video cameras monitored 24/7, plus guards patrol dock areas 24/7. No one has ever had any damage, theft, vandalism in the five years I have been there. Atmosphere is great, very safe, extremely relaxed and family friendly.

-You can bring your own gas.

-Pets are welcome. (As long as you clean up after them)

-Dock has power hook ups, water/hoses, first aid, ice and a vending machine for drinks.

-Docks are new, well maintained and well lit.

-All restaurants are boater friendly-(You can use their restrooms, offer take out)

-No serious wake problems/issues. Water depth in dock is around 11-12ft, boats over 35 ft must use the outside docks facing the river.

-Excellent views of the fireworks for the 4th, Pirate's games.

-Spots are open for next year. They do keep a few spots open for visitors. Also, the river taxi stops at the dock as well.