Reviews: Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

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Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

#1 Tugboat Lane
Waterford, NY 12188
Erie Canal 0.5

Lat / Lon: N 42° 47.230' / W 073° 40.770'
Contact: Dick Hurst
Phone: (518) 233-9123
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.town.waterford.ny.us/harbor-visitors-center.html

4.28

(18)

4.28 out of 5 stars

Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Lance Williamson on Sep 29, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.8'

Rating: 4

Stopped here after exiting the Erie Canal. Floating dock has power and water. Not all pedestals have 50 Amp. The visit center staff are volunteers and are friendly and helpful. Docks fill up quickly! Grocery store is a half mile walk. Bathrooms and showers are clean. Be sure to check out the "map" of the Erie Canal that is done in pavers in the sidewalk in front of the visitor center. Great price on ice!!

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Our Boat Story, Mahalo, on Aug 12, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 50'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

The staff here are so kind. Showers and toilets were clean. Docking was free with power and water for $10/night. We really appreciated that we could send our Amazon packages here for some boat parts. Stayed two nights. Unrelated, the Chinese food across the river, New Beijing of Troy, is a 10 minute walk was really good. $10 for combos with no MSG and only vegetable oil.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Chris Ensing, Pau Hana, on Jul 9, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 31'
Draft: 3.4'

Rating: 3

Docks fill up quick and we had to tie up to the high wall. Tough to get on and off, no electric so had to run the generator. Visitor center was not much.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Graeme Walker, Confirmed Aquaholic, on Jun 27, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 54'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 5

We stayed two days on the floating docks, not sure I'd stay on the concrete docks as they are very high and make it difficult to get off/on your boat. No power on concrete section, miscellaneous power on the floating docks, i.e. some 50 amp some 30 amp. Downtown is really suffering but good grocery and liquor store across the bridge. Hannaford groceries allows you to take a cart to the marina, just tell them you need it unlocked so it can go past their parking lot. There is a pump-out area of the dock, didn't try. docks fill up by early afternoon.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Malcolm Rubel on Jun 12, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 48'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

48 hour floating free dock with a $10 dollar per day charge for electricity and water. Water was not working while we were there. Docks are getting a bit old but the electric is still in good shape. The Visitors Center is wonderful and there are bathrooms available for an additional $5. The Sunday Farmers Market is in front of the docks and, although it is small, is definitely worth the time. Hannaford Grocery and Walgreens Pharmacy are a half mile away. Everything that needs to be said about the stop has been put in other reviews. This is a great place to meet and get to know the group that you will be moving through the Erie Canal with.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Jane Fidler on May 22, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 34'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

Cute area to explore. Lots of trails. Walk to groceries. There is only one bathroom and one shower per sex. Docking is free but there is a charge for electricity on the East end of the docks and a $5 charge for a bathroom key.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Patricia And Steven Stanley, Calypso, on Jun 26, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 39'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

Waterford free wall has a floating dock plus wall space. You can stay there for 48 hours for free, though it's $10 per night for power and $5 for the bathroom and shower key. There's only 1 bathroom and 1 shower per gender. There's a nice welcome center and you can walk to Lock 2. There are two walking trails. You can also walk to a local grocery store and they will unlock your cart so you can roll it to the marina. The town has many restaurants and shops. This morning there will be a Farmer's Market that starts at 9am though we plan to depart to go through Erie Canal before that. Nice stop!

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Brian Wicks on Jun 10, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 27'
Draft: 2.0'

Rating: 4

No electricity - was getting worked on. Didn't use facilities. Restaurant delivered to our boat.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Christopher Edwards on Oct 4, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 30'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 5

Very nice dock to stop at before or after the canals. Easy to dock with good bathrooms and showers. Town is convenient to dock with a good restaurant and there are some good parks to walk around to stretch your legs. There is no charge for docking and only $10 if you want electric. You will meet other boaters on their journeys to make it more interesting. Try not to dock under the bridge as the road traffic can be a bit noisy.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Ross Wiltse on Aug 28, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 2.9'

Rating: 5

Great stop, 48 hour limit. Just on the East side of Lock 2. Worth the stop, $10 electrical. Lots of history, the dock master, Chris was exceptional in giving the history of the area. Easy walk to grocery store and plenty of restaruants. Worth the walk up to the lock to watch boats lock through. A great stop.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Capt Maria Langer on Aug 17, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 27'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 4

Nice stop before starting a westbound trip through the Erie Canal. Good staff, very helpful. 30 amp power was good. Ice available. Restrooms/showers stark but clean enough. Laundry about four blocks. Wooden floating dock is a big rocky and loud when people walk down it. Walking distance to Lock #2.

Get here early! We arrived around noon on a Saturday in August; by 2 PM, most of the dock space had been taken.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Gary Miller on Jul 24, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 76'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 3

Never been able to find space at the dock area but have laid on the concrete wall east of the floating docks many times waiting for the Canal to open. Water depth at wall is 7-9', no electric in that area and no fresh water but ok spot for staging.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Jeffrey Skoda on Jul 21, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 65'
Draft: 6.0'

Rating: 4

Nice stop before beginning the Erie Canal. We got groceries at near by store. We were on the East end of the wall and were unable to get electric.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Bill Mcmahon on Jul 15, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 5

The beginning of Erie Canal good deals, free! Better than some marinas I have paid for. Friendly helpful staff clean showers and restrooms, but can get crowded. We arrived at 11:30 am and got the last spot on the floating dock. (It was the beginning of the 4th of July weekend and a steam boat festival had half the dock reserved.) There was room on the wall all the time we were there.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Rob Dare, Liberty Call , on Jun 4, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 46'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 4

Great stop to get ready for the flight of five locks. Super friendly staff at the visitor center. $10 a night. Several great restaurants near buy and a Hannaford grocery store that lets you bring their cart to the pier and they pick the carts up. Lots of great places to walk a dog. Great opportunity to watch lock 2 in action and talk with a lock master. Docks are a little and power pedestals are missing. West of the pump out has 2 30 amps but no 50 connection.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Louise Anderson, Then Again, on Sep 2, 2019
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 36'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 4

Excellent place to stop before entering the Erie Canal. The pump out is on a fixed dock- look for the orange flag. The docks were a little shaky, but we didn't have any problems with electric. We recommend calling the lock before getting underway, since you can see the lock from your berth. Good information in the visitor's center about the town and the canal itself. The center plays host to the Tugboat Roundup the weekend after Labor Day.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Tom Hale on May 30, 2018
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 38'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 4

Price is right! $10 per day for electric. Dock is free. Docks are old, power posts have many burned receptacles. Good access to shopping and several good restaurants.

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Review for Waterford Harbor Visitor Center

Reviewed by: Howard Entman on Aug 6, 2017
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 45'
Draft: 5.0'

Rating: 5

Free!!!

Excellent floating docks, good electric (free), and even a usable wifi that doesn't need a password.

What else is there!!!

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