Green Cove Springs Marina - Green Cove Springs, Florida

andrew caudill

I can't say enough good things about the haul out I had here. The staff had a hard time related to the slope and depth of our keel. They offered to get up the next day super early to be sure the tide was a bit higher. They managed to get the straps under our deep keel and safely blocked my boat in the storage yard. The rates are stellar here and they allow diy work in the work yard. The storage yard has fences that are locked every day at 4 and barbed wire above. We still took our gear off the boat as a precaution but it's even more secure than the places we keep our boat up north usually. The office staff is super nice and helpful. No surprise charges!

Jacomine

Our boat was in storage in GCSM for 8 months, they checked it whenever we asked, refilled the damp rid and sent photos of the boat in and outside. It was waiting for us in good condition in the work yard when we came back. The atmosphere in the yard was good, both neighbours and staff very helpful. When we left something was wrong with the prop and the staff went the extra mile to get us out straight away again so we could fix it. It is not a posh marina, but good price, you can dyo work and it seemed a good spot to leave the boat hurricane season. Thank you to the staff and if in the area again we will certainly come back.

Josh Fody

Just finished haul out and blocking for the season. We have 44' monohull and are pretty picky about how she is cared for. After reading the reviews for this yard, we were a bit nervous. We were present for every step of the process. So far all I can speak to is haul and and blocking, but I recommend this yard based on our experience. We tried to haul the day after Memorial Day, and admittedly things were moving very slowly, and there was a bit of disconnect between the office and the yard crew. That said, next morning everyone was up bright eyed and bushy tailed and did an absolutely A+ job. Boat was very well cared for, job done right, and crew knows what they are doing, yard is clean and freshly graded. In this day and age when marinas are becoming insanely pricey and not allowing DIY work, I think this place is a gem. Also, we hauled the past 2 years next door at Holland/Reynolds, and one year the crew damaged our boat and now Reynolds does not allow access after M-F work hours which makes DIY work very difficult. Glad to know GCS Marina os an option. If you are nervous based on past reviews, I say go for it but just be present during haul out for peace of mind.

joe barkhurst

Summary of below
Boat damaged at haul out/blocking,
Facilities filthy/often closed due to septic backing up/black mold and human feces on floor and toilet seats,
TERMITES, Owner Chris could care less about customers.

Let me start with the only thing good I can say about this place, Jodi and Bree in the office are two of the nicest and most accommodating people I have ever met. Other than that Green Cove Springs Marina has been by far the worst experience I have ever had relating to the marine industry. My wife and I are full time cruisers and arrived here by boat. We had never seen the place before. Had we have had the opportunity to look around before being hauled out we probably would have left immediately and gone ANYWHERE else.
Our first problem was after our haul out we were asked to go fill out the paperwork in the office. While we were in the office the yard crew blocked our boat incorrectly, not enough blocks for it's size and crooked, placing more weight on one side of the keel. The yard manager told us he would fix it the next day. After getting into the cabin we noticed a gap in the floorboards that measured about a quarter of an inch and a gap where the floor had pulled away from a hanging locker. We went and found John the yard manager, he took pictures of the gaps and put us on the hydraulic lift trailer for the night. We were re-blocked with two more blocks and level the next day. We still have a gap going down the cabin sole and a hatch that does not close correctly, as if our boat had somehow been twisted. (See attached pictures)
My wife does not feel safe here as there are seemingly homeless people sleeping in vehicles lining the road that enters here and also right in front of the bath house. So if she has to use the bathroom in the middle of the night I have to get up and escort her there. The facilities are absolutely disgusting. There is black mold in the restrooms and showers. If you need to sit on the toilet make sure you bring something to clean it because the people here somehow manage to defecate on the seats regularly. There was once footprints in feces leading from the door to the restroom that was there for over 2 days before anybody cleaned it up. (See attached pictures) Of course the cleanliness of the restrooms only matters when you can get into them. Every couple of weeks the septic system starts to back up and they have to close the restrooms and showers for an undetermined amount of time until the professionals can come out and deal with it.
Chris one of the owners is absolutely not at all interested in improving a thing. There was a guest blocked near us that would tether his dog to one of his boats stands and ignore it all day. The dog barked incessantly all day long. I asked the owner of the dog if there was something we could do to quiet it and he called me a choice word. I tried to take it up with Chris the owner who's reply was "what do you want me to do about it? Dogs bark". Most recently there was a swarm of dry wood termites from behind my boat. Dozens
of them landed on my boat and shed wings. I went to the office and Chris was the only one there. I told him about the termites and also that I would be ready for my blocks and stands to be moved to apply the next coat of paint in a few days. I asked him if at that time I could be moved away from where the termites were. He told me he couldn't guarantee it. I don't own a boat yard but if I did and a customer came and told me that there were wood destroying insects getting on his boat and asked to be moved I would certainly make it happen. I believe anybody who cared about their yards reputation or customer service in general would also do the same.
At this point all I can do is as quickly as possible finish what is necessary to get my boat put back in the water and put this horrible experience behind me and also hope that if the gap in my floor does not go away once re-launched and that my boat's hull does not return to its normal untweaked shape that having the marina take care of it won't prove to be an impossible task.

Wind Tree Studios

This marina is home to a small community of boat owners that congregate together, fix and restore their boats, and enjoy access to the mighty St.Johns River and beyond. The wharfs and piers here were originally built by the military during WWII and are quite large and heavy duty.

X X

Before arriving I read the reviews and was concerned about the safety of my boat being here. After being here on a mooring ball and in the work yard, I am happy to report that I've zero problems. Everyone in the office has been friendly and helpful. Same goes for the yard staff. The place isn't a yacht club. It's a place to work on your own boat at reasonable rates. The whole reason I traveled 500 and some nautical miles to get here. I look forward to coming back the next time I need to haul out.

Brandon Keepers

I typically love DIY yards, but I will not be coming back to this one.

We’ve stopped by twice to check on our boat in storage, and both times found it in completely unacceptable circumstances. The first time, it was listing with the port jack stands not even touching the hull. When I talked to Chris the owner about it, his response was “yeah, sometimes the lot settles in the rain”. It was along the road in plain view where the staff would see it every day and they did nothing to fix it until I complained. So frustrating.

Today we stopped by and found our boat in the middle of the road with downed power lines laying on it. Somehow they managed to run it into power lines while moving it. The workers from the power company said this isn’t the first time they’ve been out to fix these lines either.

From the moment we first arrived we’ve found the staff to generally be rude and inconsiderate (although Jodi has been much better than Lori). We have our bill on autopay and still get late fees because their billing system is messed up. We have never received an apology for any of the issues we’ve had with them.

I wish I could find something nice to say about this place, but they need to get their act together.

Update: I informed the owner that I was leaving this review based on our experience. Instead of offering some option to improve our experience he replied: “If you decide to leave your vessel in our care, we ask that you refrain from leaving those reviews based on events that were, in fact, flukes. If you choose to not refrain from writing the negative reviews, we ask that you take us up on our offer of launching you at our expense. Please let us know how you wish to proceed.”

So on the bright side, we will no longer be paying them to neglect our boat.

Fedor Aredakov

Best place to prepare your boat to a long journey