Reviews: Paducah Transient Boat Dock

Reviewed by: G. Jay Nelson , Pegasus, on Nov 4, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 44'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 4

The Paducah Transient Boat Dock is very nice stop. It is essentially a fuel dock with water and power, but has no other services (e.g., restrooms, showers, etc.) other than fuel (both gas and diesel) and pump-out. The floating dock is new, exceptionally sturdy, very well lighted, and can accommodate 10-14 boats depending on size. The docks are a bit low, so fender accordingly. Dockwa provided a warning to approach the dock perpendicular from the river to avoid a shoaling that builds up off the point just above the dock. We did not purchase fuel, but noted that fuel was reasonably priced and both the fuel pumps and pump-out seemed to be self-serve with a credit card. However, it seems you must call ahead to make a reservation for fuel, there are posted signs say the pumps are only open from 0700-1400. The barge traffic wakes makes the river side of the dock a bit bumpy, but the traffic dies down at night. The dock is part of the Paducah Waterfront area that has large grassy areas and walking paths (very pet-friendly). The Waterfront has a lot of public activities, and is a very easy walk to Paducah's many restaurants, bars, and museums. While it might seem like something you would pass, the Quilting Museum is very impressive and well worth the visit. We dined a Stella's and really enjoyed our meal.

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Reviewed by: Kevin Williams , m/v Blue Tortuga, on Oct 8, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 3

The docks themselves are solid. There is good power and water but no restroom facilities. The 3 star rating is due primarily to the fuel situation. We observed their website that you needed to call and reserve a time to fuel, which we did. We were told they didn't fuel on Saturday or Sunday, and would need to wait until Monday, which we agreed to. However, we observed that several boats fueled on both Saturday and Sunday so their internal communication suffers. There is no office onsite, so if you need to receive a package it's impossible unless you get creative. The town itself is fantastic. Does Steakhouse is a must-do.

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Reviewed by: MARK GLOVER , Cool Change, on Oct 7, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 45'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 4

Good docks. A little rolly from barge traffic and a few rude Loopers. Fuel, pump out, power and water. Great little town to spend time in.

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Reviewed by: Paul Steindorf , Ohana, on Sep 23, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 45'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 4

Nice floating dock with power, water, Pumpout and fuel. No bathrooms! Easy walking access to quaint downtown. Lots of shops and restaurants. Lyft available to provision. And yes, you must go to the Quilt Museum! Exposed to tow wakes, especially on river side of Dock. Great stop.

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Reviewed by: David Richardson , Voyager (Grand Banks Europa 46'), on Sep 15, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 50'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

Great  "safe harbor" dock structure on the Ohio River. Don't expect any amenities. Might smell like dead fish. Might get waked by passing barges. Might have to walk up steep hill to land. Despite all this it's a great place to stop after some mighty and unforgiving rivers. And cool town of Paducah with lots of nice eating and drinking establishments.

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Reviewed by: Scott Gregory , My Happiness, on Sep 12, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Stayed here Oct. 16, 23. Easy to make reservations on-line and I needed to call regarding fuel and a pump-out and the municipal staff was good to work with. You will have a long steep walk up the ramp from the dock, but you are close to downtown. Worth the money and we will be back.

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Reviewed by: D. Jenkins on Sep 10, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 31'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 5

This was a much needed stop for our Great Loop Group. The docks were in fantastic shape. Greg on the fuel dock was a great ambassador for the town and made us all feel welcomed. Very appreciative of this transient dock facility. Paducah was very nice to visit with good restaurants. We would have really appreciated a good bath / shower facility after a week working our way down the Upper Mississippi…… having a secure mooring and the fuel dock, we can't complain. We will always stop here for a few days when traveling through.

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Reviewed by: Douglas Morrow , Ripple, on Aug 24, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 39'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

Paducah is a wonderful town with the National QuiltMuseum, William Clark Market House Museum and River Discovery Center. The quilt museum is unbelievable! There are lots of cute shops and antique places. Freight House has wonderful food with a chef who has been runner up twice on Top Chef. Doe's is a landmark restaurant and has fantastic steaks. There are no restrooms or showers at the marina. Fuel and pump out are available with an appointment. Unfortunately there were lots of dead carp in the river when we were there.

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Reviewed by: Tony Green on Oct 6, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 26'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 4

Great dock and Paducah is a very interesting and welcoming place. Easy to book on Dockwa. No showers, but there is a public restroom in town. Exposed to wakes and weather. No security, and we never felt unsafe, but we had a steady stream of visitors on the dock, including a couple of loud partiers at 2:30 AM.

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Reviewed by: Dick Heusinkveld on Sep 19, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 44'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 4

Our 4th visit. Outstanding town dock with power, water, fuel, and pump out. It is not a marina, so no showers or restrooms. Pump out was working on all our visits. Water was fine. The attendant arrived 15 minutes before opening time, in response to a message left the night before to pump diesel and give us a pump out. Diesel price on out September 2023 visit was better than GTB even with their discounts, so it was worth checking the price at the other fuel locations and not making assumptions.
We always enjoy the town, excellent restaurants and museums. Kroger a long bike ride but doable.
Wakes are bad from passing tows and service boats, fender well.

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Reviewed by: Tom Taylor on May 16, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

Very nice dock. Fuel and pump out equipment on dock. You have to call the city to get service. Docking is available on both sides of pier. I heard some comments about shallow water on the shore slide but our 5' draft had no problems. My measured depths were 15'+.
Farmer's market on Saturdays just other side of flood wall. Quilt museum is well done and interesting. Downtown well preserved and interesting.

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Reviewed by: Graeme Walker , Confirmed Aquaholic, on Oct 24, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 54'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

Nice new dockage, only fuel. Quilt Museum was excellent, as you enter look at the quilt to the right, made of wood, very impressive. Do not expect to have packages delivered here, they won't be. Apparently they have had floods of 80+ feet hence the massive pylons holding the docks and the walls surrounding the town. Had a great bourbon flight at the local bourbon bar.

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Reviewed by: Janet Green on Oct 6, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 36'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 4

As many reviews state, there are no restrooms or other amenities. The pump out is not currently working, which is clearly stated on the website and Dockwa. This is not a problem as long you know what to expect. The Quilt Museum and mural are fascinating. There is a bike path that you can take to the Kroger grocery store 3 miles away!

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Reviewed by: Brian Wicks on Oct 1, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 27'
Draft: 2.0'

Rating: 2

No amenities other than electricity and water. Not protected from winds leading to a very rocky night. Only fuel available at 8am and 1pm only. Town was very shut down on a Sunday.

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Reviewed by: Patricia And Steven Stanley , Calypso, on Sep 28, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 39'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 3

We arrived at Paducah Transient City Dock at about 11 am. Luckily, Looper friends were there to direct us and catch our lines. It was windy and complicated since you need to approach the dock at a 90 degree angle to avoid shallow depths. There are also many wakes from the tows that pass by. We were literally rocking the whole 2 day visit. The transient marina has fuel and a composite floating dock with long pilings. The ramp to the shore is an engineering feat. There are no restrooms, showers nor laundry. A short walk brings you to restaurants and attractions but you'll need to catch a ride to Walmart for groceries.

On the first day we walked to the Quilt Museum and viewed the amazing pieces of art. We also saw the murals painted on the flood wall which depict the interesting history of Paducah. While VP of the US under Truman, local Barkley was instrumental in getting an Atomic plant built in Paducah. This lead to a big population boom. The town is really cute yet has a huge Center for the Performing Arts and Maritime Training School. Most of the Tug drivers earned their education here.

On the second day we took a cab to the Walmart shopping center to buy groceries and oil.

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Reviewed by: David Rowe on Sep 7, 2022
LOA: 38'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 5

This is how to do a transient city dock. I dropped my prescription sunglasses on the dock, and the dockmaster came looking for me to return them. I asked him where I could buy beer, and he drove me to the liquor store after telling me it was too far to walk. We had dinner downtown at a nice restaurant (can't remember the name). Everything a passing boater needs is right here, and folks couldn't be nicer.

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Reviewed by: Linda McCormick on Aug 29, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 39'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 4

Great dock, protected from the current. Do watch for a back eddy along the dock. It can push you forward faster than anticipated. Power, water, fuel and pump-out. Great little town with lots to see and do. Quite a few restaurant, bars, a theatre, dance group, shops, Quilt Museum and of course the history murals. Not a provisioning stop unless using a taxi.

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Reviewed by: Rob Dare , Liberty Call , on Oct 19, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 46'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

Great marina. Long face dock with docking on both sides. Wide docks. Gas, fuel and pumpout available. No bathroom or showers. The gang plank is an engineering marvel. John and Adam are great. Very helpful getting boats tied up and always checking on everyone to see how it is going and if anyone needs anything. They work hard to keep the place clean. Lots of nice restaurants and bars within a short walk. Long trails to take a dog for a long walk. This was one of our favorite stops on the great loop.

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Reviewed by: Bill Mcmahon on Oct 7, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 4

One long face dock, very substantial and wide, floating on giant pilings. Boats tie up on both sides and there seems to be plenty of water on the inside. Has water and electricity, but no showers or rest rooms. Adam the dock hand was very nice and got us ice. The town's historic and quaint with lots of antique shops and restaurants and of course there are the famous murals on the flood wall. A good stop when traveling the rivers.

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Reviewed by: Capt. Mac Rubel on Sep 19, 2021
LOA: 48'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 3

The Paducah Transient Boat Dock is back in business with new docks floating on the biggest and tallest pilings that I have ever seen. Gas and Diesel are available, so is power, water, and free pump out. There is also very good free Wi Fi with 10/5 mbps speeds. Deeper draft vessels tie up on the outside of the dock and face more turbulence from passing boats. Shallow draft boats that can negotiate the tight turn due to shoaling just downstream from the docks, tie up on the inside. The four level floating shore ramp is an engineering marvel.

The Paducah Transient Boat Dock is operated by the parks department and they are very responsive to your calls and will take Dockwa reservations for you instead of just referring you to the site. Email and even Nebo Communications are informative and helpful for the dock and also for the town of Paducah. The parks department, however, is not really running a marina; they are running a service dock. There are no bathrooms, no showers, no laundry and no office. The two very helpful dockhands are employees of the parks department, they work from 6 am to 3 pm seven days a week, and they work out of their parks department pickup truck.

Downtown Paducah is a short walk away and there are several things to do and see and several good restaurants within walking distance. This is a good place to stop on your way to Lake Barkley and the Tennessee River. The three star rating is only because of what the dock lacks as a marina. What it does have is excellent.

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Reviewed by: Brian Chapin , Tug Life, on Jul 23, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 25'
Draft: 2.0'

Rating: 4

New aluminum long floating docks with fuel, power, water, wifi & pumpout. If water level permits, tie to inside for wake protection. No restrooms or showers on-site. Notify dockmaster in advance for approach advice and dock assist. Quilt museum, restaurants and train museum within four blocks. Quilt museum fascinating even for non-quilters!

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Reviewed by: J Mixon on Mar 25, 2020
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 20'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 4

Beautiful waterfront to walk around. Public restrooms a short walk. Great restaurants!

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Reviewed by: Sharon Rasmussen on Sep 21, 2019
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 46'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

Very nice and well maintained facility. As loopers, we were excited to find this new transient dock! Thank you, Paducah!

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