Reviews: Marina Jack Yacht Basin

Reviewed by: MARK GLOVER , Cool Change, on Nov 29, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 45'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 3

Very overpriced for me! Quality floating docks, nice bathrooms and showers but as usual it is a hike. Restaurants on site. Easy walk to town and things to do. Can't get them to answer the phone. Gate locks and bathroom locks were not working.
Buddy boat anchored next to marina ( not mooring field) had dinghy stolen and after talking to marine patrol found out this is common….be aware!!!!!

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Reviewed by: Richard Lewis , Sea-Quel, on Mar 29, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 56'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 3

Wonderful location. Protected from wind. Facility has nice floating docks. Dock staff are great when they finally respond to the radio. Diesel over $1 more than most places but we were on fumes. Then to add insult to injury they would not give us the advertised 10% discount because we filled two tanks in two separate transactions but the total exceeded the amount purchased to get the discount. They made the decision to pump in two transactions and never mentioned discount until we asked and spoke with manager.

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Reviewed by: John Newman on Jan 22, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 50'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

We have a 50 foot trawler and were on D dock.

Pros:
- Dockhands were available to help us dock and the marina office seems always available during working hours.
- Great floating docks
- Gated security onto the dock
- Secure restrooms - note there are only 6 shower/toilet combos. Not enough for a marina this size, but they are constructing more
- Pumpout at dockside
- Walking distance to downtown Sarasota. Lots of restaurants and Whole Foods. Need an Uber to the Circus Museum but well worth it.

Cons:
Price was 4.25/ft. No weekly discounts.
Added to that is a $20/day electric charge for a single 50.
I had a problem with that given the cost of the slip.

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Reviewed by: Capt Maria Langer , Do It Now, on Jan 28, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 32'
Draft: 2.5'

Rating: 5

This reservation was a hard one for me to make; at $3.30/foot/night it was, by far, the most expensive one I'd ever booked at. But this full service, clean, well-staffed marina is worth it. In hindsight, I'm glad I booked two nights.

First, amenities. Power, water, garbage disposal, and self-serve pumpout is included in the fee and can be found near your slip. The well-protected docks are floating and in excellent condition with concrete tops. No finger piers here -- you can walk the entire length of your boat on the dock so you have your choice on whether to park bow or stern in. There are only a handful of transient slips, but they're all grouped together so you're likely to meet up with other Loopers (if you're there at the right time) or travelers. The docks are locked and there's plenty of security. There are 8 individual bathrooms, each containing a toilet, sink, and shower stall. The rooms are small, but they're clean and I've never seen so many hooks for hanging gear while you shower. The laundry room has three washers and three driers; you can wash and dry a load for $5.

There are several restaurants on the premises, including open air dining. There was live music both nights I was there.

The marina is walking distance to downtown Sarasota, including many restaurants, some shops, and even a Whole Foods grocery store. I found Publix and Trader Joes a bike ride away. The town is served by Uber.

Sarasota has a free "trolley" bus system that runs along Main Street and then over the bridge to St. Armands Circle and beyond it to Lido Beach. St. Armands is a sort of ground zero for shopping and dining, with dozens of retail establishments and eateries to explore on foot. Take as long or as short as you like; the trolly come by every 20 minutes or so for the return run. You can pick it up 3 blocks from the marina.

Honestly, I balk at paying so much for a marina and have always been disappointed at the more expensive ones (see my other reviews). But Marina Jack's is a pleasant surprise. It's worth splurging for if you want to explore the Saratoga area.

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Reviewed by: Brian Wicks on Jan 16, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 27'
Draft: 2.0'

Rating: 5

Amazing marina with awesome location in heart of Sarasota. Great restaurant and staff as well. Clean facilities. Self serve pump out at slip. Good protection. Check out the farmers market on Saturday downtown

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Reviewed by: Jeffrey Womack , SV Mischievous Mermaid, on Oct 23, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 44'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Very nice marina. Great staff. All of the amenities that we needed!

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

Rating: 4

Easy to walk into town. Nice view. Stayed just one night.

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Reviewed by: Mike Beck on Feb 4, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

Loved it!!! Easier to get into slip than most. The 360 degrees view of the town, condos and water is breathtaking especially at night. Laundry and showers are very convenient. The restaurant was very good - a lot better than most. Downtown Sarasota food and shops are a very short walk. The mooring balls look very convenient with a place to tie up your dinghy as well. Definitely worth stopping here.

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Reviewed by: Jim Ward , CLASSEA , on Feb 3, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 41'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Stayed one night at Marina Jack's based on a recommendation from a long time friend "you have to stay at least one night there, it's the best" . . . Well he was on point with his recommendation . . . Booking was handled quickly and with follow-up . . . Upon arrival met at the Transient Slip by Phil and Bill who handled the lines and once shore power was connected gave us a rundown on all the amenities, provided us with a temporary access code (until we picked up our access fobs) . . . Resturant was very good, with live music (not too loud) . . . Floating docks in hood shape, finger piers nice and long, safe, secure and many shops, restaurants and Whole Foods within walking distance . . . All pluses! Will return!

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

Rating: 5

This one feels like it has all. First off the dock staff is top notch. They got us in tied off and hooked up in no time and gave us all the details for our stay dockside before we even checked in. Nice floating concrete docks were secure and clean. Good wifi, good secure security gates, nice restaurant and bar on site as well as access to the city. It cost more than I am accustomed to paying but the I feel that the services received warranted that rate.
Great stop.

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Reviewed by: Nancy Taylor , Puffin, on Dec 25, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 26'
Draft: 2.9'

Rating: 5

Our first time staying here and first night staying on our boat. We're very new to boating. Easy trip down from St Petersburg. Restrooms and showers were clean. Great dock staff. Fantastic location. Will def return. Thanks!

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Reviewed by: Rob Dare , Liberty Call , on Dec 18, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 46'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

The nicest marina we have stayed in and we have stayed in over a hundred marinas on the Great Loop. The best dock hands we have had. Super nice cement floating docks. Self serve pump out that you can take your time and flush your tanks. The largest Whole Foods about a 1/4 mile. Nice restaurants and a great outdoor bar at the marina. A couple of blocks walk to a large selection of restaurants. Very large farmer's market on Saturday. Beautiful sunsets. Lots of parks and places to walk a dog.

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Reviewed by: Wade Durant , M/V Lazy Libra, on Apr 6, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 44'
Draft: 4.3'

Rating: 5

Because it's a little pricier than we generally choose, we only stayed one night to deliver some guests who were floating with us to their rental car, but it was excellent.
The transient docks are the easiest ones to get to, just to the right when you come in the marina's channel. The staff waiting for us to throw lines could not have been more helpful and friendly.
The docks are floating concrete and well maintained with a gate at the end, operated by code or key fob. The walk to the main road is a wide sidewalk that takes you around to a park of sorts with a small restaurant called O'Leary's if you are being cost conscious. While there is a restaurant and bar on site, it was a bit more than we needed for just a quick bite.
There is a Whole Foods and Publix within walking distance (up to 1mi).
The bathroom facilities were great and well attended to. There is also a self service pump out cart on every dock, but you can ask marina staff to help for a fee.
We have our own Wifi on board so we didn't use the marina's, and can't testify to the signal strength.
All in all, great stop for us as we cruise up the west coast of Florida to cross the Gulf.

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Reviewed by: Len Barton on Mar 22, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 41'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 3

Stayed on a mooring one night. Wind out of the south made it uncomfortable and impossible to dinghy into the marina.

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Reviewed by: John Landon , Boomer, on Mar 12, 2018
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 65'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Great marina but a little pricey. You pay for the greatness, but not bad for just a couple of days. Stayed 12/2017.

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Reviewed by: Chris Himmelheber on Feb 24, 2018
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 36'
Draft: 5.5'

Rating: 5

This is a GREAT marina! The approach and depth of the marina easily accommodated my 5.5 foot draft. There is a large mooring field right next to the entrance, and it seems to have a lot of boats in it, but there were plenty of empty spots that I could see.

The docks are floating concrete, and are very well maintained. One of my pet peeves is getting a lot of swells and wake action at dock. This appeared to only be a problem on the outer (south-facing) side of dock H, and it was only a minor problem there. The rest seemed to be well protected.

Of course, they have electric and water at each slip along with a dock box. The WiFi was dicey 1/2 way down dock H, but this is nothing unusual. They also have pump-out facilities at each slip, and good dock security.

The restroom/showers are really outstanding. There are 6 individual rooms with locking doors and their own toilet/shower/sink in one secure bay, and right next door is another with 4 similar rooms (but the door to the smaller bay sometimes doesn’t unlock.) Each shower room is very nice and air conditioned, even if a little spartan.

The marina office is well-staffed, and they were very helpful and friendly. There are also an excellent bar and restaurant on site, and the marina is right at the entrance to the downtown. Many great restaurants are within easy walking distance. There is also a Whole Foods about 1/2 mile from the marina, and a Publix supermarket about 1 mile away. The public library (with free fast internet) is also about 1/2 mile from the marina.

The only amenites lacking are a pool and a gym, and the nearest beach is across the causeway, about 7 miles away. I know, these are trivial. In short, this is a really excellent marina.

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Reviewed by: Eddy Johnsen , Spiritus, on Jan 12, 2018
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 36'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

This is the Gold Standard by which all marinas should be judged; a first-class operation. Professional, courteous, helpful staff. In spite of being surrounded by boats over twice our size, we were treated like the most important boaters there! Shower and laundry facilities are unmatched. You can't help but love a marina that leaves a newspaper on your deck every morning!

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Reviewed by: Chris Caldwell , AskCaptainChris, on Jul 3, 2016
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 44'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Great Marina, floating docks. Enter charming old downtown Sarasota Art and Theatre District. Easy entrance to Marina or mooring field.

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