PierShare was launched in 2018 to give boaters a compelling alternative to their local marinas. Marinas have always been known for being priced at a premium, inflexible, and short on space. PierShare provides boaters with an entirely new and forward-thinking dock rental alternative, and this article discusses five reasons why boaters are better off docking through the PierShare app than by calling their local marina office.

1. PierShare Is Cheaper Than Marinas

The first of the five reasons why PierShare is better than marinas for boaters is the most important. PierShare listings are on average 25-50% cheaper than comparable marinas in the area. A slip in a prime marina in Florida can charge anywhere from $35/ft per month upwards. By contrast, PierShare’s docks range in price from $10/ft per month – $25/ft per month (with most of them being between $13/ft per month – $22/ft per month).

Therefore, even our most premium docks will still work out to be cheaper than renting a comparable slip at the local marina. This means you can save money every month for other things.

2. Flexible Dock Rentals For the First Time Ever

Marinas treat their dock rentals like contractual leases. Boaters wanting to stay at marinas usually sign a long-term rental agreement, often with a first- and last-month deposit (like with an apartment). Boaters will also be forced to adhere to strict notification and penalty clauses if they would like to depart the space. This is not only onerous, it also goes against the easy-going, relaxed spirit of boating.

We want boaters to have fun on the water and not have to worry about the consequences of breaking a contract. That is why all PierShare dock rentals are fully flexible and entirely month-to-month.

Pro-ration Privileges Like Nowhere Else

We allow for pro-ration for up to 30 days anytime during a rental. This allows boaters unique docking privileges that can’t be found anywhere else, specifically:

• Docking on a transient (30 days or shorter) arrangement and trying out a dock on a day-by-day basis before upgrading to a month to month plan;
• Pro-rating in the middle of a dockage to take a short trip, before returning and paying for the month ahead; and/or
• Pro-rating the end of a long-term docking, so that you don’t have to pay for the full month ahead.
  
  

And the best part about pro-rating your docking through our platform is that you never have to think about it! Just press a button to pro-rate your docking and we take care of the rest!

3. Slip Targeting Made Easy

The third of the five reasons why PierShare is better than marinas for boaters is we beat the one size fits all marina model. Slips at marinas are pre-configured in different size tranches. Your boat may fit one of the dock spaces that they assign you to, but many times your boat won't be the length of the slip. Boats come in many different shapes and sizes. As a boater, it’s a constant struggle to find a fitting dock and where you’re not paying for space that you don’t use.

And even if you are lucky enough to find a great-fitting slip in a marina, you’re not just paying for dockage. You’re actually subsidizing the real estate costs and the marine services procured to others without necessarily realizing it. This is regardless of whether you use these services or not.

Furthermore, some marinas charge membership fees on top of the dockage rental rate. Again, this is irrespective of whether you use the marine services they offer.

Easier And Fairer

To make it easier and fairer for boaters, PierShare has created the most advanced interface yet for identifying an available slip that fits your boat. You have the power to filter specific listings based on location, bridge clearance, electrical needs, and dock rules such as whether maintenance or liveaboard is allowed.

Moreover, if you happen to land on that perfect dock, but your boat is smaller than the slip, fear not. In many cases on our platform, dock owners price their dock by the foot and allow multiple boats docked at the same time. So, you’ll never be caught by surprise on pricing like you would at a marina.

4. Is The Dock Available? Yes!

Many marinas show glossy photos on their websites of their slips filled with vessels. But boaters cannot know from the photos if a particular marina’s spaces are truly available. Often, boaters have to call the marina to find out if it has a slip available, let alone if it has the right-sized slip available. This is inefficient, unnecessary, and time-consuming. 

PierShare takes an entirely different approach to this problem. The fourth of five reasons why PierShare is better than marinas for boaters is because we want the dock searching experience to be easy and efficient. Our automated systems track the short-term and long-term availability of our listed spaces based on when boats are arriving and departing. It doesn’t matter what type of boat you have, when you plan to arrive, or how long you plan to stay - if a dock is shown as listed on our platform, you can bet it’s available!

5. Complete Pricing Transparency

If a marina does not post it’s pricing on its website, you’ll need to call a marina office and have them email you a contract. Only then, can you see how much your rental will cost. And when you get that contract, it will be filled with tons of fine print that will catch you by surprise.

Wouldn’t it be great and convenient if you could go online and see exactly how much you’ll be paying for dockage, in an easy to understand way? Without all of those unnecessary add-ons?

The last of the five reasons why PierShare is better than marinas for boaters is because on our platform you simply look at the rental rate posted on the listing and that’s it! You can see there and then how much you’ll pay for a dock.

In addition, for a more detailed overview, you can press the “Dock” button and begin inquiring about the listing. Then, you’ll be able to view our service fee as well as any applicable discounts.

Enjoy An Amazing Docking Experience Today

Finding the right slip for your boat can be tough, and we at PierShare are here to make that process hassle-free. Our first-rate customer support team combined with our forward-thinking, flexible platform means PierShare is simply the best way to rent a dock. In fact, you'll probably be docked at one of our spaces before a marina can email you a contract.

Check out our available spaces today, and we can’t wait for you to dock with us!