Princess S6567'7"
View Specs & ReviewThe Narrows-gated South Sound base — time the tide, then it is yours
Yachting in Tacoma & Gig Harbor
A Minted Location · Tacoma & Gig Harbor, Washington
Two towns, four nautical miles apart, with a 6.6-knot tidal gate between them. That is Tacoma and Gig Harbor, and the gate is the reason they belong on one page rather than two.
Tacoma is the capacity. Dock Street Marina on the Thea Foss Waterway publishes 120 feet and — more tellingly — a dedicated 60-foot-and-over guest tier with 100-amp power at $50 a night. That is the clearest big-boat signal in either town. Foss Harbor runs 416 slips from 26 to 96 feet with a 90-foot fuel dock selling ethanol-free gas and marine diesel. Foss Landing is an all-large-slip marina where "slips are 70' or 75'." And the Foss Waterway Seaport gives you 1,200 linear feet of public side-tie with four hours free.
Gig Harbor is the destination, and the common assumption about it is wrong. Its entrance does not cap your length — it caps your draft. Peninsula Yacht Basin publishes 100 feet across 100 slips, and Arabella's Landing publishes 95 with more by arrangement. What the entrance gives you is roughly 10 feet mid-channel at mean low tide, with shoaling from both shorelines. Gig Harbor takes big boats. It does not take deep ones casually, and you enter near high water.
Haul-out is the one thing to settle before you commit to a berth here. The lift in this market is a 50-metric-ton machine rated to 60 feet, 19 feet of beam and 100,000 pounds, and it is on the Gig Harbor side rather than the Tacoma side. Berth a 120-foot yacht here and its refit is a trip up the Sound.
Where to keep a yacht in Tacoma & Gig Harbor
Dock Street Marina on the Thea Foss Waterway is the market's large-yacht berth, and the way it prices tells you so: guest moorage at $2.00 per foot per night up to 59 feet and $2.25 at 60 feet and over, $20 for up to four hours, with 100-amp power at $50 a night. Maximum published length 120 feet. A marina that builds a separate rate tier above 60 feet is a marina that sees boats above 60 feet.
Foss Harbor Marina is the volume and the fuel: "our 416 slips range in size from 26' to 96'", guest moorage at $1.90 per foot per night with a $35 minimum, power $5 a night, and a 90-foot fuel dock selling ethanol-free gas and marine diesel. Covered moorage stops at 36 feet.
Foss Landing Marina is unusual and worth knowing about — an all-large-slip marina where "slips are 70' or 75'", with two 50-amp/250-volt outlets per slip. It sells no fuel, describing itself simply as "convenient to two fuel docks."
The Foss Waterway Seaport public dock is the downtown default. 1,200 linear feet of side-tie, four hours free, then $1.25 per foot with a $12 minimum, maximum 14 consecutive days, 30 amp $5 and 50 amp $7. Water runs 1 May to about 1 November, docks are winterized 15 November and the power stays on. The north section has no power or water at all.
Point Defiance Marina, run by Metro Parks, is the municipal option at the north end — unleaded gas only, with a flat overnight rate of $26.75 for anything over 30 feet. Because the rate is flat above 30 feet rather than per foot, it is priced for small craft; take diesel at Foss Harbor's fuel dock. Free pump-out on the western float. Breakwater Marina next door offers "moorage – both permanent and overnight", and Tyee Marina — "Tacoma's largest marina", 100 percent floating with two pump-outs — works the same way: size, rate and availability are settled on a call to the office.
Tacoma Yacht Club keeps a V-shaped guest dock just beyond the breakwater at Point Defiance, maximum four boats, reciprocal and first-come, with a 48-hour courtesy limit, $5 a night for power and the rule that no boat may be left unattended overnight.
Across the Narrows, Gig Harbor's numbers are larger than its reputation. Peninsula Yacht Basin publishes "100 slips from 25–100ft", with covered moorage from 36 to 50 feet — the largest publicly stated LOA in the town. Arabella's Landing publishes 95 feet, and "95+" by arrangement, at $1.50 per foot (holidays $2.00) — billed on slip length, not boat length — check-in 13:00, out 11:00, and a limit of three reservations per boat per twelve months. Its B dock side ties run 30 to 60 feet, and its own instruction for the big ones is neat: "combine two side ties for 70 to 95 feet space."
Jerisich Dock, the City of Gig Harbor's public moorage on a 0.56-acre waterfront mini-park, charges $1.75 per foot per night from Memorial Day to Labor Day ($35 minimum) and $1.25 otherwise ($25 minimum), with a maximum of three overnights in any ten-day period. First-come, not reservable. Seasonal water and pump-out run 1 April to 1 November.
Haul-out is the one thing to settle before you buy here. Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard runs a "50-ton metric Travelift" handling vessels "up to 60 feet long, 19 feet on the beam" and "up to 100,000 pounds", with 24 covered slips and guest moorage by reservation. It is the lift for both towns — anything longer than 60 feet hauls out up the Sound.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dock Street MarinaThe market's large-yacht berth, on the Thea Foss Waterway. It publishes a dedicated 60-foot-and-over guest tier and 100-amp power at $50 a night — the clearest big-boat signal in either town. | Thea Foss Waterway, Tacoma | 120 ft | — | — |
| Foss Harbor Marina"Our 416 slips range in size from 26' to 96'." Covered moorage stops at 36 feet, and the fuel dock is the practical reason to come alongside. | Thea Foss Waterway, Tacoma | 96 ft | 416 | Yes — a 90 ft fuel dock with ethanol-free gas and marine diesel |
| Foss Landing MarinaAn unusual facility worth knowing about: an all-large-slip marina where "slips are 70' or 75'", with two 50 amp / 250 volt outlets at every slip. There is no small-boat inventory here at all. | Thea Foss Waterway, Tacoma | 75 ft | — | No — described as "convenient to two fuel docks" |
| Foss Waterway Seaport public dock1,200 linear feet of side-tie and the de-facto public dock downtown. Water runs 1 May to about 1 November; docks are winterized 15 November with the power left on. The north section has no power or water. | Thea Foss Waterway, downtown Tacoma | — | — | No |
| Point Defiance MarinaMunicipal, run by Metro Parks, taking "most sized vessels" with free pump-out on the western float. The overnight rate is flat above 30 feet rather than per foot, so it is priced for small craft. | Point Defiance, Tacoma | — | — | Unleaded gasoline only — take diesel at Foss Harbor's fuel dock |
| Breakwater Marina · Tyee MarinaTwo Tacoma marinas that arrange moorage by the office rather than by a published tariff. Breakwater offers "moorage – both permanent and overnight." Tyee describes itself as "Tacoma's largest marina", 100 percent floating with two pump-outs. Call either for size, rate and availability. | Point Defiance and Marine View Drive, Tacoma | — | — | — |
| Peninsula Yacht Basin"100 Slips from 25–100ft", with covered moorage from 36 to 50 feet. The largest LOA published in Gig Harbor — and the evidence that the entrance constrains draft rather than length. | North Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor | 100 ft | 100 | — |
| Arabella's LandingPublishes 95 feet, and "95+" by arrangement. B dock side ties run 30 to 60 feet, with a neat instruction for the big ones: "combine two side ties for 70 to 95 feet space." | Harborview Drive, Gig Harbor | 95 ft | — | No |
| Jerisich Dock (City of Gig Harbor)A 0.56-acre waterfront mini-park with public moorage in the middle of downtown — the most practical way to spend an evening in Gig Harbor by boat. Seasonal water and pump-out run 1 April to 1 November. | Downtown Gig Harbor | — | — | No |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tacoma Yacht ClubA V-shaped guest dock just beyond the breakwater at Point Defiance, taking a maximum of four boats. Small, but the terms are published in full. | Point Defiance | — | 4 | No |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from Tacoma & Gig Harbor
The Tacoma Narrows is the gate, and NOAA's 2026 predictions make transit timing mandatory rather than optional.
| Station | ID / bin | Depth | Max flood | Max ebb | Mean flood/ebb |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Narrows, 0.3 mi N of the bridge | PUG1527 bin 19 | 23 ft | 6.58 kn | 5.95 kn | 198° / 40° |
| The Narrows, south end (midstream) | PUG1528 bin 13 | 52 ft | 6.29 kn | 5.12 kn | 221° / 28° |
| The Narrows, south end (midstream) | PUG1528 bin 1 | 131 ft | 5.31 kn | 4.47 kn | 222° / 32° |
| The Narrows, north end (midstream) | PUG1524 bin 16 | 40 ft | 4.87 kn | 4.45 kn | 145° / 337° |
| Gig Harbor entrance | PUG1523 bin 14 | 11 ft | 1.36 kn | 1.06 kn | 198° / 7° |
⚠️ Peak flood approaches 6.6 knots near the bridge. For a displacement boat that is not a nuisance, it is a schedule — run the Narrows near slack and go with the stream.
And here is the genuinely non-obvious part, which comes straight out of the bin data: the current is materially stronger in the shallower bins than at depth. At 23 feet the flood peaks at 6.58 knots; at 131 feet it peaks at 5.31. Most people assume the opposite. If you are running shallow through the Narrows — which is exactly what a planing boat does — you are in the fastest water, not the slowest.
⚠️ Gig Harbor's entrance is a draft problem, not a length problem, and it shoals from both shores. Arabella's Landing puts it plainly:
"The entrance to Gig Harbor is a narrow passage marked by a light at the end of a sand spit extending from the east. The center of the passage is approximately 10' deep at mean low tide, but shallows extend from both shorelines. Entry is not especially tricky or hazardous, but there can be strong tidal currents, and popular boating days see a lot of traffic."
That roughly 10-foot mid-channel figure is the real constraint — and note that NOAA's own entrance station puts the current there at a maximum of 1.36 knots, so "strong tidal currents" is relative to a dinghy, not to the Narrows. What you are actually working around is the shoaling from both shores and the summer traffic.
Tide is what makes the entrance workable. NOAA station 9446484 at Tacoma, epoch 1983–2001, on NAVD88: MHHW 12.40 · MHW 11.52 · MTL 7.49 · MSL 7.46 · MLW 3.46 · MLLW 0.62. Great Diurnal Range 11.77 feet, mean range 8.06, with a highest astronomical tide of 14.265 and a lowest of −3.743 — an 18-foot extreme swing. That range is precisely why a deep-draft yacht enters Gig Harbor near high water and leaves the same way.
Blake Island Marine State Park, about 12 nautical miles north, is the anchoring destination — and it has a hard rule worth knowing before you go: "Boats larger than 45 feet are not permitted to moor at buoys and must use the dock." Buoys are $23 and the dock is $1 per vessel foot, charged year-round from 13:00 to 08:00, with a three-consecutive-night maximum and no rafting on buoys. The pump-out there is out of service, and moorage is not guaranteed even with a reserved campsite.
- Blake Island Marine State Park — About 12 nm north of TacomaThe anchoring destination, with a hard published rule: "Boats larger than 45 feet are not permitted to moor at buoys and must use the dock." The pump-out is out of service, and moorage is not guaranteed even with a reserved campsite.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gig Harbor Marina & BoatyardA "50-ton metric Travelift" handling vessels "up to 60 feet long, 19 feet on the beam" and "up to 100,000 pounds", with 42 covered slips. It is the lift for both towns: a market that berths 120 ft yachts hauls out at 60, so settle a bigger boat's yard work up the Sound before you need it. | Gig Harbor | 60 ft | Guest moorage by reservation |
On the Tacoma & Gig Harbor calendar
The full-service season runs roughly April/May to early November, in a harbour that never actually closes. Jerisich Dock runs seasonal water and pump-out 1 April to 1 November, with peak pricing from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day. The Foss Waterway Seaport runs water 1 May to about 1 November and winterizes its docks on 15 November, leaving the power on.
Dated and official:
- Point Defiance Marina publishes a real calendar: Boathouse Market 26 September 2026; "Fish Tales" on 10 September, 8 October, 12 November and 10 December 2026; Grit City Litter Cleanup 15 August and 19 September 2026; and a New Year's Day Polar Bear Plunge.
- Maritime Gig Festival, Gig Harbor — attendance "between 6,000–8,000 people each day", including the Blessing of the Fleet. The organiser gives the festival as "June 5th and 6th", dates the Grande Gig Parade "June 6, 2026" and Wheels on the Water "Sunday, June 7, 2026" — confirm the day with the organiser before you plan a passage around it.
Regatta and tall-ship dates are set by their organisers — confirm them directly. The seasonal dates above are the ones that actually change a trip.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Tacoma & Gig Harbor
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the largest yacht that can berth in Tacoma?
Dock Street Marina on the Thea Foss Waterway publishes 120 feet, with a dedicated guest tier for 60 feet and over at $2.25 per foot per night and 100-amp power at $50 a night. Foss Harbor runs 416 slips from 26 to 96 feet with a 90-foot fuel dock. Foss Landing is an all-large-slip marina where every slip is 70 or 75 feet. And the Foss Waterway Seaport offers 1,200 linear feet of public side-tie with the first four hours free.
Where can a yacht be hauled out in Tacoma or Gig Harbor?
Only in Gig Harbor, and only up to 60 feet. Gig Harbor Marina & Boatyard runs a 50-metric-ton Travelift handling vessels up to 60 feet long, 19 feet on the beam and 100,000 pounds, and it is the lift for both towns. A market that berths 120-foot yachts hauls out at 60, so settle a bigger boat's yard work up the Sound before you need it.
How strong is the current in the Tacoma Narrows?
NOAA's 2026 predictions give a maximum flood of 6.58 knots and a maximum ebb of 5.95 knots at station PUG1527, 0.3 miles north of the bridge. For a displacement boat that makes transit timing mandatory rather than optional. There is also a genuinely counterintuitive detail in the data: the current is stronger in the shallower bins than at depth — 6.58 knots at 23 feet against 5.31 knots at 131 feet. A planing boat running shallow through the Narrows is in the fastest water, not the slowest.
Can you tie up and eat in Gig Harbor?
Yes. Anthony's at Gig Harbor states that guest moorage is on the dock just in front of the restaurant, available while dining, on a first-come first-served basis. The City's Jerisich Dock is the other option — a 0.56-acre waterfront mini-park in the middle of downtown at $1.75 per foot from Memorial Day to Labor Day, first come and not reservable, with a maximum of three overnights in any ten-day period.
What size boat can get into Gig Harbor?
Longer than most people assume — the entrance caps draft, not length. Peninsula Yacht Basin publishes 100 slips from 25 to 100 feet, and Arabella's Landing publishes 95 feet with more by arrangement. The constraint is depth: Arabella's own FAQ puts the centre of the passage at approximately 10 feet deep at mean low tide, with shallows extending from both shorelines. With a great diurnal range of 11.77 feet at Tacoma, a deep-draft yacht simply enters near high water.