Reviews: Church St. Town Dock

Reviewed by: Gary Miller on Oct 21, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 76'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

First Class, good 50 Amp power, good freshwater, good water depth at dock, price is fair, wind and current were running hard for our arrival and need bow into current to dock. Restaurant at dock and several others close by.

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Reviewed by: Jess , Jacinta, on Feb 11, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 5.4'

Rating: 3

Floating docks in good condition. Good depth on approach and at the dock. Power and water at the dock. Washrooms (no showers) at visitors centre up the street 8am-8pm. Easy access to town, shops, restaurants etc. I have enjoyed my stay here however I agree with previous comments that this could be much better run by the town. Lots of run about power boats come in and tie up to go into town. These boats do not have reservations or pay for the slip. Since there is no one on site to monitor things it is quite likely to show up and have one of these boats in your assigned spot. I was here in the off season and arrived early in the day, so did not have this issue but I can see that it would be chaos in the busy season. I'm also not a fan of their cancellation policy. Things happen when boating and they need to be more flexible. Definitely a lot of room for improvement but there's lots of potential.

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Reviewed by: Gary Miller on Oct 9, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 76'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Great spot, floating T head is great 16' water 1 hour before high tide. Justin Webb, dockmaster was great help. $1.50' plus $5.00 for electric.

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Reviewed by: William Cooper on Jun 3, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 36'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 2

Lowering my rating to two stars. Twice I have arrived at my pre-assigned slip only to find someone parked there. Calling does no good we had to wait the first time for the owner to come out and move. In the meantime we went into a slip that wasn't wide enough when they said "park anywhere". Finally ended up moving to the correct spot only to find that we needed to share two working power pylons among three boats. Left a bad taste in my mouth. Second time through, tried them again. Same exact result. I stopped payment on my card payment and went to Caspers. While we were waiting and trying to indentify the guy in our spot another boat called and said he was there, but in the wrong spot because of the same problem. Then a sailboat came and we yelled at another boat that was getting ready to take their reserved space. They didn't end up parking in their assigned space either. If they want to take money for a service, like providing a place to park your boat, then people are going to expect that service to be done. If the local government can't handle it then they should get out of the marina business.

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Reviewed by: CAPTAIN TONY , LOONAROSSA, on May 19, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 30'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 5

The Church St Town Docks are a great find. We usually stay at Dudley's but they were remodeling so there was no room for us.. Then we spotted the Town Docks located on a city park, and very close to the charming village of Swansboro. These docks are relatively new & in very good condition. There are only about 10 slips but I've never seen it full. You call the number on the sign and Tammy in the town hall takes your CC number. No amenities & no staff on the dock. There is electric on the dock but that's all. There is a restaurant on site which was superb with a full view of the harbor

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Reviewed by: William Cooper on May 18, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 36'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 2

First off there was much confusion about the docking instructions, perhaps the way I was asking but my slip was not where it was described and part of the problem was that there was a runabout parked in our reserved spot. Since my spot was taken I went into an adjacent spot which wasn't wide enough. After several phone calls we got it all settled out. Also as others mentioned we had three boats sharing two working pylons. Also it seems that Casper's can't or won't do pump outs any more so the Church St. Dock has raised their prices in response to increased demand to $35. Wait a day if you can, get a slip at Homer Smith's and get free pumpout and ice with your slip. Swansboro is a nice town but this stop needs just slight improvement to become a real top notch place. Until then 2 stars is the best I can do based upon our latest experience.

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Reviewed by: Troy Hersom , MELODY, on Apr 15, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 45'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 4

Good docks, but had to try 3 power posts before getting one to work properly.

Great friendly small town with a good choice of watering holes right off the docks.

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Reviewed by: Brian W , Slow Ride, on Jun 16, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 4

Tammy was super helpful. 50 amp service. No facilities. Great proximity to a great small town. Well worth a stop!

Current was tough as previously stated so be cautious outside of slack tide.

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Reviewed by: Richard Trumper , Island Fox, on Jun 15, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 34'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 4

As others have said, well worth it for the price $51 for 34' boat with 50 amp service.

BE AWARE of strong current. We docked in opposing wind (20ish) and current (at least 3 or 4) and it was "adventurous". No harm done, only bruised egos.

LOVE downtown. Small bottle shop and multiple restaurants right on waterfront, along with a excellent small local grocery.

No Bathrooms or showers.

Can't wait to come back.

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Reviewed by: CAPTAIN TONY , LOONAROSSA, on Jan 28, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 30'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 5

Cindy Wallach says it all.........Let me add.......these are new floating slips, about 12 plus the FD. Part of a town park. Call the number on the sign and the person at the town hall will take your CC # and you simply take an available slip. Price is good. And the best thing is right on the property one of the best seafood restaurants you will find on the ICW in NC. This little spot is a good find.

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Reviewed by: Cindy Wallach on Nov 19, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 44'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 4

Folks of Swansboro were so pleasant to deal with. Affordable floating docks in the heart of town, with electric. Lovely to walk around, dog friendly, easy on and off the ICW. And 5 bars LTE T-Mobile! The only trick was catching the dock in strong current, as this is an unattended dock so you have to be your own cowboy. Prepare ahead of time and it will all be fine. It's nice to have a safe, affordable place to tie up, plug in, and stretch your legs.

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Reviewed by: David Merchberger , Slo Pace, on Jul 14, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.8'

Rating: 3

Nice slips and t-head. Even though reservations are required for transients, the local 'day' boats seem to have the run of the place and reservations don't really mean anything unless you can get someone from the city to come down and sort it out.

Restrooms are about 1/4 mile up the hill in the visitor's center. Pumpout was not working when we were there in mid April 2021.

'Typical' little NC town with several eating/drinking options. Fairly strong current may run parallel to the face dock, so be prepared.

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Reviewed by: Gary Miller on May 17, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 76'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Great facility, great docks, great power, price is reasonable, town staff cordial. Saltwater Grill is excellent. Plenty of water depth on T head.

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Reviewed by: Bruce Stewart , Escape, on Apr 20, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 4

Nice little facility, room for about 10 boats. When we got there they were all full of smaller (20'ers) out for dinner, luckly one was just leaving so we were able to get into our reserved spot.

Docks in great shape, water and power on site.

Right on the old town, only down side would be a strong current in the area and no help with the lines getting in.

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Reviewed by: Rob Dare , Liberty Call , on Apr 6, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 46'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 4

Floating dock with 100 ft face dock and a couple of slips that will hold larger boats. 30, 50 and 100 amp power available. This is 500 yards off the ICW so a lot less wake than the marinas right on the ICW. Right in the center of town. Lots of great restaurants. Great rates but no shower or bathrooms. This will be our first choice from now on. A few parks to take the dog to for a walk.

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Reviewed by: Gail Nordhaus on May 27, 2020
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 5.2'

Rating: 4

The town docks are right in front of Saltwater Grill. They are very nice. Look new. They are not staffed. You have to call the Parks and Rec. for reservations and information. Dock fee: $1.50 per ft and $5 for electric. The t dock easily accommodated our 5'2 draft. There are several slips that are 14 ft wide and one 25 ft wide. Not sure of the slips depth.

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Reviewed by: G Ebert on Sep 22, 2019
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 4

Agree with previous comments re quality of the dock docks and current. Important to note - pump outs are only available on 24hr notice - and the fee is $35!

When making a reservation, you are pre-paying for your slip. Only when you receive your confirmation are you informed of their refund policy "Cancellation/ Refund Policy: Cancellation at least 14 days in advance - full refund of fees. Cancellation at least 48 hours in advance - 50% of fees. Cancellation less than 48 hours in advance - no refund of fees".

However, we made a reservation on 8/19 for an 8/20 stay which we were not able to use do to weather conditions. I canceled the morning of 8/20 and was pleased to get a phone call the following Monday letting me know my refund was in the mail.

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Reviewed by: Louise Anderson , Then Again, on May 14, 2019
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 31'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 4

A portion of this facility was damaged/destroyed by Hurricane Florence. The rebuilt docks are very solid, and, work is underway to rebuild the gazebo and shore side amenities. Please read the other reviews about the current and docking. It can be exciting if you are tying up with the current at your stern. Parks and Recs people are very nice, but make it clear no one is on-site. The Stillwater Grill, however, is at the top of the ramp, and very delicious. We agree that the downtown is charming and easy to get to once you step off the dock.

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Reviewed by: Terry on Dec 2, 2018
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 52'
Draft: 4.6'

Rating: 5

We anchored off the docks our first night but in the morning our port engine wouldn't start, so we went over to the town dock. Be aware that this is Not a full marina; its run offsite by the parks department (with really nice staff!). There's no one to help take lines, no office or bathrooms. Aside from that, its great. New floating docks. A number of 16' slips (one 29' used by a catamaran one night, and shared by two trawlers another) plus a long T-dock. All are parallel to the strong current. Swansboro is a charming town with shops and restaurants a block away; grocery and hardware stores about a mile walk. We were there for the annual candlelight walk and the Christmas flotilla, both wonderful town celebrations. Highly recommend at least a night or two in this town.

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Reviewed by: John Rockwell on Apr 24, 2018
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

This dock is perfectly located on the ICW in the heart of Swansboro.

Very reasonable pricewise. Check out the town website for the dock.

New dock, everything works.

If you have a single screw - The current can be a challenge as there is usually no dockside docking assistance, and there is a current. Tie up on the face dock if you are worried. Just take a few passes to practice, really its not that hard. (Come into the dock against the current)

This is a great spot to go out to eat, quite a few places within a short walk.

Take a taxi, $7, to the Piggly Wiggly for provisions.

No Wifi. But then, they don't promise one.

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Reviewed by: Matt on Jul 12, 2017
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 55'
Draft: 12.0'

Rating: 5

Great sport right down town.

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Reviewed by: Bill Lawrenson on May 27, 2017
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 36'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

We were delayed as the ICW was closed for 4 hours. Church Street Dock allowed us late arrival. The services are basic, but the docks are great and the location is right down town. Tie yourself up and have a great time

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