Kemah Boardwalk Marina

10/26/09

Parking lot of broken dreams

by wave runner at Citysearch

Faced with the winter season fast approaching, and wanting to sail more as time permits , I went to visit the Kemah Boardwalk Marina, I had heard from other boaters this was the place to go. The proximity to Galveston Bay appeared ideal to escape the wrath of the Northeast winds that drain the other marinas of their lifes blood.

Well I am here to tell you that on one hand they were right, but thats the extent of the good this so called martina offers. First and what should be formost in all boater minds is it a safe environment, sadly the answer was No! as a structural engineer I can say in all candor that this place is falling apart, the floating docks are a plus but only in principal, the place is coming apart at the seams, the fairways are stuffed with old relics of the past, that hinder safe passage to and from your slip. It appears to me while walking the piers that boat size and slip size do not gel as in other marinas I have looked into. My suggestion is if you want a parking lot, go for it, but if you are looking for a broader view, move on.

• Pros: distance to the bay
• Cons: falling apart at the seams.

08/04/09

Where Texas Royalty Resides

by bilgepump at Citysearch

This place is down right disgusting ! When I found out this place is owned by the same entity that owns the Kemah Boardwalk, I couldn't believe it. The restroom facilities should be reported to the he.lth dep.rtment for being a bio-hazard. The last time I experienced such filth, was a construction site outhouse in west Texas. The shower stall and shower floors are coated in a black greasy residue. Pubic hair, urine and feces are prevalent every where most of the time. I cant even imagine how someone could think cleaning a public restroom once every 2 weeks is good enough, but apparently it is. The pool isn't much better, but at least its a somewhat cleaner place for the inhabitants to urinate when no-body's looking.The whole place has gone to hell in a hand basket and the marina is run down bad with plenty of r.ts and ro.ches to keep you on your toes! And nobody seems to care. 'Oh' except where the king keeps his mega yacht, the 150' Boardwalk. All fenced off behind stainless steel lock & key from the rest of the peasants with its private restroom facilities ( cleaned daily) better than new atmosphere and its cleaned and polished nautical ambiance. If this facility ever sorted out its deficiencies I would be glad to update my reveiw with more of a positive tone. But for now, this is my story and I'm sticking to it !

• Pros: Its a cheap place to keep your pride & joy
• Cons: You'll get what you've payed for and more

09/27/08

Where absent ownership meets poor management

by Islaholic at Citysearch

It?s a shame that this marina has been allowed to decompose over the last few years. The management knows little about boats and boating, and even less about customer service. I?ve never seen a business have such disdain for their customers. If it?s not the owner?s intention to drive all the boats out and fill it in for more parking, they?re certainly missing an excellent opportunity to do so. The pool and spa are closed more than they?re open, the toilets back up and many of the tide risers are broken. If you complain, you will be evicted.

The lease agreement now features a clause that allows the marina to force you to vacate for a month while they hold giant boat shows, so don?t get too attached to your slip.

On the upside, it has deep water floating docks and it the closest marina to the bay.

• Pros: Deep Water
• Cons: Unbearable weekend traffic, Inept management, Poor maintenence