From outside marina firms to fishing enthusiasts, the Carteret County boating community in North Carolina is growing rapidly although many believe there’s not enough boat storage to keep up.
One example is the Portside Marina in Morehead City, where many have been waiting to get in.
“One guy came in this morning and said he’s been on the waitlist for years now. He has his boat out in another marina but he’s trying to move,” says Port 32 General Manager Patrick Creech.
Port 32, a marina collection group from South Carolina, purchased the Portside Marina from Bogue Holdings in August for over $5,000,000.
They believe Carteret County could become a recreational boating destination and with their vision in mind, they plan on doubling their storage space from 208 slips to around 400 to help ease the stress for boaters in the community.
One marina owner who has been in Beaufort for 28 years, says the Carteret County boating community’s growth is due to more outside marina firms being interested and more boat enthusiasts moving to the area.
“There have been facilities built locally but not keeping up with the number of pays of the number of boats that are assuming people are buying and then need to store it. So there’s certainly a shortage of storage,” says Steve Tulevech, Town Creek Marina owner.
Besides the area being known for its fishing tournaments and landscape, Creech says what attracts them and other outside marina firms and people to the area is something more.
“It’s just the community itself…we really want to be part of this community,” says Creech.
Creech says they’re working on the details of the pricing rate of the new dry boat slips and that the goal of the completion of the additional storage is set between March and April of 2025.
