Reviews: Harrisville Harbor of Refuge

Reviewed by: Kevin Williams , m/v Blue Tortuga, on Aug 23, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 5

Concurring with other reviews...outstanding marina with great staff. Best selection of bikes for use I've ever seen. Lots in the immediate area. Would return without hesitation.

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Reviewed by: Amy SPENCER , Jessica Grace, on Aug 8, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 5

Harrisville Harbor of Refuge was a spacious, clean and all-around protected marina, with man-made outer breakwaters and harbor basin built by the US Army Corps of Engeineers in 1960. Fixed newer docks in a park like setting, offering courtesy shuttle and Bikes for Boaters provided by local business donations. Wednesdays 7-9pm free concert. Saturday farmers market and also several historical buildings. We would return again.

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Reviewed by: DJ Sauber , Searenity, on Sep 22, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 5

Extremely clean!!!! Staff are the absolute best. Glad we choose to stop here. Great stay!!!

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Reviewed by: Douglas Morrow , Ripple, on Aug 22, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 39'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Very nice marina in a park. We were here 2 nights due to windy, rough weather. Good help docking. Walking distance to a few shops that are still open. The grocery has closed. There is a Dollar General with some supplies not too far. Shotmakers is one of the few restaurants/bars still open ever day. Good food. There is also an ice cream store and coffee house. The Alcona Brew Haus is a great place and open Wednesday till Sunday. They have excellent beer and pizza. The courtesy car will drop you off and pick you up which is great. Nice shower room with 4 private rooms. 2 washers and dryers are available($1.50 each). Large lounge area and free coffee in the morning.

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Reviewed by: Terry Freeman , Merry T, on Aug 20, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 35'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Great staff, they'll shuttle you over to Sturgeon Point Lighthouse (or about anywhere) and come back to pick you up! Lighthouse is a must do, likely only on a weekend. Town itself is extremely quite, come upon hard times??

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Reviewed by: Robert Manier , Benita, on Jul 5, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 33'
Draft: 3.6'

Rating: 5

Great marina. Everything was clean and maintained beautifully. The staff was excellent.
The town is very walkable and they do have a courtesy van and loaner bicycles.

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Reviewed by: Kerry Batty on Sep 14, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 6.0'

Rating: 5

Top notch facilities! Good showers, clean bathrooms! They can make change for laundry!!

The courtesy car was great!

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Reviewed by: Pete Washburn , Spring Fling, on Sep 1, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Great marina and staff. Top notch. WiFi on the docks was excellent. Boater's lounge was very inviting. Agree with comments from 8/19/22. We'll add that there is also a nice coffee shop in town that's open until 3pm (we got there the first day at 3:15). Just got a new delivery of diesel but it came with a new price of $5.919.

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Reviewed by: Michael Gribble , This Is What, on Aug 19, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 47'
Draft: 3.8'

Rating: 5

Marina is top notch. Docks are in great shape, with staff that are very helpful. They have laundry, bathrooms and showers. You can borrow bikes to ride into the little town. But, there is also a shuttle van that will take you around town when needed.
Town has a small grocery store. Plus, the Alcona Brew Haus has a good selection of beers made onsite and food.

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Reviewed by: Paul Border on Aug 8, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 34'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 4

Harbormaster has built a friendly professional staff, excellent facilities. Courtesy van to local businesses and restaurants (drop-off and pick up and the mircro brewerywas excellent), docks clean and in very good condition. Would have given 5 stars but unable to get 30A to our boat.
If we pass this way again, this will always be a well placed rest stop.

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Reviewed by: Brooks Watson , Mangata, on Jun 7, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 42'
Draft: 6.9'

Rating: 5

Love this marina! Super friendly and accommodating staff. Courtesy car available to take you up the hill to the shops. Clean new hot showers with laundry. We're a deep-keeled sailboat 6'9" and had no problem. Highly recommend!

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Reviewed by: Jeffrey Brown , Sea Tiger, on Oct 2, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 31'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 5

An impressive marina with well-maintained docks and facilities, and excellent Harbormaster. Enter harbor from north side into wide inner harbor with water depth 10ft. If going to the fuel dock keep three red buoys on the right and dock on either east or west side of fuel dock, advised to receive instructions from Harbormaster while on approach outside breakwater (MB ch9). Blue roof building contains clean restrooms and showers, comfortable boater's lounge, coin-feed laundry, and Harbormaster office. On 30 September I paid $3.50/gallon diesel. A restaurant, coffee house, and general store are located with four blocks of the marina. This is one of the best marinas I have visited on Lake Huron and Lake Erie. MV Toucan traveling on the America Great Loop stayed the night before attempting the tricky Alpena/Thunder Bay waters enroute to Mackinaw City.

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Reviewed by: Capt Maria Langer on Sep 12, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 27'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 5

With more than 30 days of cruising, THIS was the best marina we'd stayed at to date. We received excellent instructions on the way in -- I compared the harbor master's communication to that of an air traffic controller (I'm a pilot) -- and knew exactly where to go before we even came into the harbor. Dock hands were there to tie us up for fuel and, later, to tie us up at our slip. Everything looked brand new and was extremely well kept: docks, fuel dock, power pedestals, bathrooms, laundry room, lounge area. I even saw a dock hand using a broom to sweep away cobwebs that invariably form around the power pedestals and dock posts. There were bicycles to borrow to get into town and beyond. The sea wall did a good job at blocking Lake Huron's angry seas from the dock area during a small boat advisory with strong wind so there was very little rocking and rolling. Although the residential area around the marina was really nice with walkable tree-lined streets and sidewalks, town itself was disappointing. We found only one restaurant within walking distance that was open for lunch and there were many empty storefronts. There was a grocery store, however, and bank with ATM.

Anyway, bravo to the folks who maintain this marina. It was a real pleasure to stay here.

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Reviewed by: Bill Mcmahon on Aug 13, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 4

New beefy floating dock with both cleats and posts., friendly staff, easy entry slips. Clean new restroom and showers, comfortable lounge with book exchange, good laundry ($2 for wash, $1.5 dryer), courtesy car. Great marina, but not much in Harrisville.

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Reviewed by: Rob Dare , Liberty Call , on Aug 7, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 46'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

One of the best run marinas we have stayed in. Radioed us before we entered the breakwater to see what services we needed. Tiffany, the dockmaster, and all Dock hands were very proficient at helping tie up boats. We were quickly fueled up and pumped out. The slips are new, wide and in great shape. All the staff spends a lot of time cleaning the marina and it shows. Nice picnic area with grills. Nice little town with a well stocked grocery store. Great areas at the marina to walk the dogs and lots of nice residential areas for a long walk.

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Reviewed by: David Merchberger , Slo Pace, on Aug 5, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.8'

Rating: 2

As other harbors in Michigan, it is well sheltered with nice facilities. Unfortunately, the day we were there, the treatment we received from the staff was less than it could have been.

At least four employees on duty, three were obviously temporary 'summer' employees and they were great. Their 'leader' however was overwhelmed and out of control.

We were not the only ones to experience this treatment during our stay. Others on the docks that we spoke to expressed the same frustration.

With better leadership, this could be a nice stop on the lake.

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Reviewed by: Robert Webb , Doc's Aweigh, on Jun 29, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 54'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

This is another great State sponsored marina. Clean, organized, exceptionally clean laundry/toilets/showers. Docks recently renovated and staff are helpful and available; very accommodating to weather changes and schedules. Call them directly to book a slip. There's a bake shop close by but unfortunately closed the day we were there. Harbor well protected, good power pedestals, nice fueling dock/hut and comfortable separate office/lounge in the laundry-shower/restroom building. We would definitely stay again.

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