Reviews: St. Petersburg Municipal Marina

Reviewed by: John Newman on Jan 6, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 50'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

Had a great experience at St Petersburg municipal marina. The marina is very well maintained. We were in the south basin overlooking the airport and next to Demens Landing Park. It was wonderful except for the occasional waves coming from Tampa Bay. The breakwater doesn't prevent much. There is also a 3 foot tide and with fixed docks, it can make getting off the boat problematic.

Frank the dock master is very knowledgeable and was there to help us dock during very windy conditions. He gave us great instructions on tying up the boat. We didn't have to readjust our lines the entire time we were here! Joan and Mia and the rest of the staff were always helpful.

The marina has a locking gates entrance and the bathrooms were clean and always stocked. There are 3 showers and 4 stalls.
It is within walking distance to the downtown with lots of restaurants and museums like the Dali.
Will definitely return!

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Kevin Williams , m/v Blue Tortuga, on Oct 8, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 4

Dockhand Kathy was excellent and super helpful. Spectacular location with multiple venues in walking distance. Fixed cement docks in reasonable repair. Bath house aging but clean and functional. Never did find the trash receptacle. Great view of downtown and awesome sunrises. Super easy in and out.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Nancy Taylor , Puffin, on Jul 2, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 26'
Draft: 2.9'

Rating: 5

Stopped by for fuel. Fuel was priced 3.75 or 3.64 with our Boat US membership.
Staff was extremely friendly, clean facilities. 10/10 recommended and we'll definitely be returning.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Jill Terrell on Jul 21, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 50'
Draft: 8.0'

Rating: 4

Excellent location. Clean facilities, dated but clean. Frank is amazing, super helpful. The docks are in need of updating. The permanent docks do make it difficult to get on and off the boat with the tides. It is manageable but can be difficult with pets. But ok especially being right in the heart of downtown. They have recently raised their rates for transient considerably which was disappointing.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Jay Herrington on May 15, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 36'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 5

We were in town for a concert near the marina. Excellent experience with Dock Master Frank. Frenk communicated weather information for our arrival and met us on the docks to assist. Marina facilities were clean and people were freindly. We shall return.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Lisa Vidor on Feb 22, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

One of our favorite stops. Marina is walking distance to lots of great restaurants and shops. Shuttle to take you all over town. Be sure to stop at Chihuly and Glass Museum. Will come back for sure!

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Tom Burton , SeaDancer, on Feb 22, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 50'
Draft: 3.8'

Rating: 3

The only reason for as many as 3 stars is location. It's located very convenient to downtown. Marina itself it getting very run down. Needs rebuilding. Shower bath house old and Wi-Fi wasn't working while we were there. Dockmaster very accommodating.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: David Mann , Now or Never, on Dec 29, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 44'
Draft: 4.7'

Rating: 5

The marina is located adjacent to the St Petersburg Pier which provides good areas to reconnect with grass! Beautiful park with lots of activities. Bike pathways abound in the area and you can cover a lot of ground on them here. Museums and more. While parks are wonderful they often bring another side with them. To address that issue St Pete has done a good job of having security officers in view through out the park. The marina has real locked access points and is patrolled by their own security officers who walk the docks. Great job guys. Calm waters prevail along the long transient dock. Good power. The docks are stationary concrete so they are solid but outboard pilings do make for a gap between them and your boat. Frank will make sure you get secured well for local conditions. Unfortunately the WiFi is still not working and I found my AT&T internet hot spot did not function well in that area. Verizon was a little better but still not strong.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Bill Mcmahon on Dec 17, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 5

Frank went above and beyond to get us in a day early and accommodate our side tie request.
Fixed dock with pilings was new and solid.
Showers and restrooms were dated, but clean.
WiFi wasn't working when we were there.
Great location. St. Pete is a nice city.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Green Turtle Bay Marina- Ford - Buena on Dec 4, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

The town of St. Pete, marina location, the staff at the marina (especially Frank and Seth), the accessibility to provisions, restaurants, shops, entertainment, tourist attractions and biking all deserve 5+ stars. We found the marina well protected from wind and waves, especially on the north pier. Fuel was easy to access as well. I would agree with the 1/2 finger dock comments. We were able to make it work fine in our side entry boat with a small ladder on the side. If you have mobility issues, I wouldn't recommend this dock. Otherwise, we felt that all this area and marina had to offer far outweighed any issues that the dock caused. We will be back for sure! Our favorite "big city" dock so far in over 1400 miles.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Bill Craven on Mar 4, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 4

I know most people rate this marina five stars but the facility itself does not deserve it. St. Pete Muni Marina rates higher than five stars for its location on the water and land. It is easily accessible by water on the "safe" side of the peninsula and situated in beautiful downtown St. Petersburg. As many previous boaters have extolled, the downtown area and new St. Pete Pier are absolutely outstanding. Furthermore, I was very impressed with their check-in procedure and welcoming as a transient. But the fixed wood docks and short finger piers with dated pedestals and related equipment brings them down a full star. We are experienced cruisers but rarely have we had so much trouble getting on and off the boat as here. At the transient dock, the pilings are outside the dock so there is 12" to 18" of space even before the dock hand puts your fender between the piling and your boat adding another 12" of space. All you need to do is jump about 24"+ between the dock and your boat and 6" of height at low tide. The old wood docks and ugly old boats populate the majority of this facility really take away from what could be a world class marina.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Len Barton on Feb 1, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

This is a nice marina within short walking distance of restaurants and museums. The park is beautiful. There is a free trolly service that can take you just about anywhere you need to go. The mooring field is gone and there is construction work going on in that area. Transient section of the marina is full of mostly liveaboards, as we are finding everywhere this year, so make a reservation through Dockwa well in advance. Excellent facilities and staff.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Chris Himmelheber on Jan 27, 2018
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 36'
Draft: 5.5'

Rating: 4

Overall, this is a pretty nice marina. The docks are almost all 1/2-finger docks with pylons, and are fixed. Although the marina has a breakwater, enough waves get through it that there is almost always some wave action at the docks, and if the wind is above 20 knots, the wave action is significant. The docks are well maintained, as are the rest of the facilities.

Speaking of facilities, they have a very deep water approach and within the marina, able to easily accommodate a 5-feet keel. There is a fuel dock, and a not-so-easily accessible pump-out station. However, they provide free mobile pump-out service that can be scheduled within a week. There are also 3 separate restroom/shower/laundry facilities around the marina. They are all pretty comparable. The one near the South Basin has 4 separate showers for the men (and presumably the same number for the women) within a heated/cooled restroom, and one restroom/shower room that is separate from the rest. There are 4 washers and 4 dryers, and a community room with vending machines, a microwave, and a widescreen TV. All are quite clean.

There is also a public park within the marina, but the REAL draw is that downtown St. Petersburg is just steps away. St. Pete is a really nice city, with lots or restaurants, bars, and cafes, a multiplex movie theater, a live-theater venue, shopping, etc. Almost anything you could want is within walking distance. They also have an excellent public transit system that is pretty inexpensive if you get a weekly or monthly transit pass. Of course, there are also taxis, Uber, and Lyft.

The University of South Florida campus is about 5 blocks from the marina entrance, and they have excellent free WiFi in the campus library. As usual, the free WiFi in the marina is almost non-existent. Finally, the staff at the marina office are very willing to help, if you ask. Overall, this is a very nice marina, and the cost is lower than any others in the area.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Terrance Godbold on Jan 19, 2018
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 36'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

We have been in this superior marina for 2 weeks. Having completed the "loop" we found this to be one of the better marinas. Easy walk to town, good showers, great dock master. Everything has gone very well

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Terrance Godbold , Magic, on Mar 25, 2017
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 36'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

Excellent marina with good facilities. Just a walk away from many restaurants and other sites. Great public transportation. Good place to stay.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Captain K. on Mar 1, 2017
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 22'
Draft: 2.0'

Rating: 5

The facilities here are in very good condition and the marina has a nice ship/gift store. You cannot top the location right in the heart of downtown St. Pete – there are so many shops, restaurants, bars, and the Salvador Dali Museum within walking distance. We were impressed with the number of breweries and especially enjoyed Cycle Brewery!

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer