Benetti Oasis 42M139' 5"
View Specs & ReviewBerth downtown, bunker to 155 feet — the last full-service stop before the rapids
Yachting in Vancouver
A Minted Location · Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver is the city you leave from, and that is a compliment. Every route out of here is tide-gated: Dodd Narrows runs to 9.43 knots on the way south to the Gulf Islands, and Seymour Narrows to 15.60 knots on the way north to Desolation Sound and Alaska. Both are transit-at-slack propositions. Which is exactly why crews stage, fuel and provision in Vancouver before they go.
And the city is unusually good at that job. Coal Harbour Marina publishes a per-foot guest rate card across its full 30-to-330-foot range — high season $4.56 to $8.83 per foot per night — with 242 berths, 100-amp power and a triple breakwater, a few hundred metres from the downtown core. That is real, bookable superyacht dockage in the middle of a major city. False Creek Fuels supplies "large vessels from our wharf in Vancouver, BC (max 155′)", with MARPOL-compliant paperwork, sealed fuel samples and a high-flow boost pump.
What Vancouver cannot do is haul any of it. The largest travelift in Burrard Inlet handles 75 feet. The regional ceiling — 130 feet and 29 feet of beam, on a 220-ton lift — is at Richmond, 20 kilometres up the South Arm of the Fraser River, 14 nautical miles from Sand Heads. So a 200-footer can berth downtown, bunker downtown, and provision downtown, and cannot be lifted within a day's steaming of it.
That is the honest shape of this market: berth and bunker, not refit.
Where to keep a yacht in Vancouver
Coal Harbour Marina is the reason a large yacht comes downtown. It publishes 242 berths ranging in size from 30 to 330 feet, on cement floats "protected by a triple breakwater system", with 30, 50 and 100 amp power. Guest moorage is published across that entire range: high season (1 April – 30 September) $4.56 to $8.83 per foot per night, low season (1 October – 31 March) $3.42 to $7.40. Check-in 13:00, out 11:00. Hail VHF 66A; chart 3481; N49°17.500′ W123°07.600′.
Bayshore West Marina, the second-largest Coal Harbour basin, works on availability rather than assignment: "We do not have assigned transient slips. We offer transient moorage only when an existing customer goes out cruising… As of August 11 2026, we have 46 feet slips available… Please consult us for 60 feet slips." Plan around Coal Harbour Marina.
In False Creek, the picture is smaller and more municipal. Quayside Marina in Yaletown publishes 120 feet, with 30 amp at $10, 50 amp at $15 and 100 amp at $30 per night, short-term defined as under 30 days, and no liveaboards or chartering. A long-term listing on the same page advertises slip C21 at 122 feet — plan against 120 ft and confirm anything longer with the dockmaster. Strata slips lease from $3,000 a month at 50 feet to $10,000 at 122.
False Creek Fishermen's Wharf takes transients openly: $2.00 per foot per day up to 59 feet and $2.50 at 60 feet and over. That rate band is the size signal — call ahead for anything much beyond it. Power runs 20, 30, three-phase 30, 50 and 100 amp, with on-site welding, a crane and forklift and 24-hour security.
The City's two municipal marinas are closed to new applications. Burrard Civic — "the largest marina in False Creek", 423 water berths, maximum 40 feet — states: "The waitlist for Burrard Civic Marina is currently paused. We are not accepting new applications." Heather Civic at Stamps Landing, maximum 42 feet, is the same. Burrard does offer free pump-out to all recreational boaters, mid-March to mid-November.
Two clubs take visitors, and one takes them without a club card. Royal Vancouver Yacht Club at Coal Harbour gives reciprocal members two free nights a year, then $2 per foot per night plus $5 for 10/15/30 amp or $10 for 50, with a maximum stay of 14 days per calendar year; its dock offices are staffed 24 hours. Vancouver Rowing Club, in Stanley Park, is open to unaffiliated transients — $2.00 per foot per day plus $5 utility, five to seven day maximum, proof of insurance and ownership required. Its instruction is specific: "Tie up at the Reception Dock (next to the Mast Tower) and check in immediately. The Reception Dock is not available for overnight stays."
Fuel and provisioning is where this market genuinely excels. False Creek Fuels at the end of Dock E supplies vessels to 155 feet, seven days 06:30–20:00 and "available 24/7 with advance notice", with marine fuels and lubricants, MARPOL-compliant paperwork, sealed fuel samples, a boost pump for high flow, and ships' stores for qualifying commercial vessels. It is also a full chandlery.
Haul-out is the market's weak point and the numbers are unambiguous. Granville Island Boatyard: "Our 50-metric-ton travel lift handles vessels up to 75 feet", maximum beam 18 feet. Mosquito Creek in North Vancouver: 60 feet, 16 feet of beam, 9 feet of draft on a 50-tonne lift — and its moorage is listed as "NO LONGER AVAILABLE", so treat it as a yard call rather than a berth. Lynnwood Marina & Boatyard, also on the north shore, is referenced as running a 75 tonne lift — confirm capacity with the yard before you plan around it.
The regional ceiling is up the Fraser. Shelter Island Marina & Boatyard in Richmond publishes "two of the largest Travelifts on the Pacific Coast (70 TON and 220 TON)… capable of lifting vessels up to 130 feet and 29 feet in width", with 300 slips, 8,000 linear feet of fresh water moorage and dry storage for 300 vessels on 20 acres. It sits 14 nautical miles from Sand Heads — fresh water, and a different body of water from the one you berthed in.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coal Harbour MarinaThe market's headline berth: 242 berths from 30 to 330 feet, 30/50/100 amp on cement floats protected by a triple breakwater system. VHF 66A, chart 3481, N49°17.500′ W123°07.600′. Real, bookable superyacht dockage at 330 feet, a few hundred metres from the downtown core. | 1525 Coal Harbour Quay, downtown | 330 ft | 242 | — |
| Quayside MarinaPublished at 120 ft, with a long-term listing on the same page advertising slip C21 at 122 ft — plan against 120 ft and confirm anything longer with the dockmaster. Power 30A $10, 50A $15, 100A $30 per night. Strata slips lease from $3,000/month at 50 ft to $10,000/month at 122 ft. | False Creek / Yaletown, 1088 Marinaside Crescent | 120 ft | — | — |
| False Creek Fishermen's WharfThe transient card carries a "60′ and over" band, which is the size signal — call ahead for anything much beyond it. Power in 20A, 30A, three-phase 30A, 50A and 100A, with on-site welding, a crane and forklift, and 24-hour security. | South shore of False Creek | — | — | — |
| Bayshore West MarinaThe second-largest Coal Harbour basin, and it works on availability rather than assignment. Its own posting as of 11 August 2026 offered 46-foot slips and directed enquiries about 60-foot slips to a phone call. Plan around Coal Harbour Marina instead. | Coal Harbour, 450 Denman Street | — | — | — |
| Burrard Civic MarinaThe City calls it the largest marina in False Creek — 423 water berths plus 162 land and 69 canoe/kayak spaces, capped at 40 feet. Free pump-out for all recreational boaters, available mid-March to mid-November. Office hours extend 1 June to 31 August. | Kits Point, at the entrance to False Creek | 40 ft | 423 | — |
| Heather Civic MarinaConcrete floats, annual and live-aboard moorage to 42 feet. Like Burrard Civic, closed to new applications — the municipal inventory in False Creek is effectively unavailable to a newcomer. | Stamps Landing, False Creek | 42 ft | — | — |
| Maritime Market & MarinaOver 100 slips inside a five-building working waterfront with more than 85 marine businesses. Lengths and availability are settled on the call. | Granville Island | — | 100 | — |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Vancouver Yacht Club — Coal HarbourDock offices at Coal Harbour and Jericho are staffed 24 hours. Coal Harbour has no clubhouse — the only dining is the Mermaid Inn floating restaurant. | 49°17.744′N 123°07.602′W | — | — | — |
| Vancouver Rowing ClubThe rare club berth that does not require a club card. Its instruction is specific: "Tie up at the Reception Dock (next to the Mast Tower) and check in immediately. The Reception Dock is not available for overnight stays." | Coal Harbour, Stanley Park | — | — | — |
Fuel docks
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| False Creek FuelsThe concrete provisioning hook for this market: "False Creek Fuels can supply large vessels from our wharf in Vancouver, BC (max 155′)." MARPOL-compliant paperwork, sealed fuel samples, a boost pump for high-flow delivery, and ships' stores for qualifying commercial vessels. Also a full chandlery. | 1655 Whyte Avenue, end of Dock E | 155 ft | — | Marine fuels and lubricants; wharf open 7 days 06:30–20:00, and "available 24/7 with advance notice" |
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 Vancouver
Read this section as a departure brief, because that is what Vancouver is.
The gates. CHS 2026 predictions:
| Passage | CHS station | Max flood | Max ebb |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Narrows | 07721 | 5.87 kn (17 Jun 2026) | 5.84 kn (25 Dec 2026) |
| Second Narrows | 07745 | 5.11 kn | 6.68 kn |
| Dodd Narrows (south) | 07487 | 9.43 kn | 8.13 kn |
| Seymour Narrows (north) | 08108 | 15.60 kn | 12.88 kn |
First and Second Narrows are the harbour's own gates — slack roughly every three to six hours, and Second Narrows runs harder on the ebb. But the two that shape a cruise are Dodd and Seymour. Both are transit-at-slack propositions, and they sit on opposite exits. This cruising ground is tide-gated in every direction.
Tide. Vancouver, CHS station 07735, 2026 predicted highest 5.065 m against a lowest of −0.108 m — a range of 17.0 feet. Point Atkinson (07795) gives 16.8 feet, with datum offsets of −2.9 m to CGVD2013 and −3.06 m to CGVD28.
This is a working commercial port and the rules reflect it. The Vancouver Fraser Port Authority handles "approximately 3,000 commercial ships every year", and states that all vessels including pleasure craft "are required to follow… our Boaters' Handbook." From the Burrard Inlet safe boating guide:
- First Narrows: *"Narrow channel, strong currents… Stay to the right of the channel."*
- Second Narrows: "Be extremely cautious… Do not impede the deep-sea transit route."
- ⚠️ "Anchorages in Burrard Inlet are for deep-sea vessels only unless in an emergency and then only with port authority permission."
- Keep clear by at least 50 metres (164 feet) of Canada Place and float plane landing areas.
- In the busy port area: "No anchoring, crabbing, fishing, sailing, rowing, paddling, jet skiing, or waterskiing (with exception of existing uses of Coal Harbour)."
- Monitor VHF 12 and VHF 16. The Port Operations Centre runs 24/7 on 604.665.9086.
The Port names four recreational anchorages instead: False Creek, Port Moody, Deep Cove and Bedwell Bay. The guide also sets 5, 10 and 15-knot speed zones through the harbour — read the posted zone for the water you are in.
Anchoring in False Creek is permitted and regulated, which is unusual enough to be worth the detail. The City requires a permit to anchor for more than eight hours between 09:00 and 23:00, or at any time between 23:00 and 09:00. The limits are 14 days out of 30 in high season and 21 out of 40 in low season. No anchoring is allowed within the navigable channel, "marked by 20 green and red buoys from the Granville Bridge east to Science World", and dinghy access is limited to designated public wharves with a three-hour limit. Vessel-size limits sit in the City's Wharf By-law — settle yours with the City before you plan a long stay.
- False Creek recreational anchorage — False CreekOne of the few genuinely regulated urban anchorages on this coast. No anchoring within the navigable channel, marked by 20 green and red buoys from the Granville Bridge east to Science World. Dinghy access limited to designated public wharves with a three-hour limit. Vessel-size limits sit in the City's Wharf By-law — settle yours with the City before a long stay.
- Burrard Inlet — anchoring restricted — Burrard Inlet"Anchorages in Burrard Inlet are for deep-sea vessels only unless in an emergency and then only with port authority permission." The Port names four recreational anchorages instead — False Creek, Port Moody, Deep Cove and Bedwell Bay. Keep 50 metres clear of Canada Place and float plane landing areas; monitor VHF 12 and 16.
Service, refit & supplies
Shipyards & refit
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Dockage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shelter Island Marina & BoatyardThe regional haul-out ceiling, and it is not in Burrard Inlet: "Two of the largest Travelifts on the Pacific Coast (70 TON and 220 TON)… capable of lifting vessels up to 130 feet and 29 feet in width." Also 8,000 linear feet of fresh water moorage and dry storage for 300 vessels on 20 acres. Fourteen nautical miles from Sand Heads, roughly 20 km up the river from the city. | 6911 Graybar Road, Richmond — South Arm of the Fraser River | 130 ft | — |
| Granville Island Boatyard"Our 50-metric-ton travel lift handles vessels up to 75 feet", maximum beam 18 feet — the largest lift in the downtown basins. Holding bay takes to 32 ft, first four hours free then $50 a day; emergency after-hours lift adds $500. Operating since 1978. | Unit 108, 1650 Duranleau Street | 75 ft | — |
| Mosquito Creek Marina & BoatyardA Marine Travelift with a capacity of 50 metric tonnes, taking 60 feet, 16 feet of beam and 9 feet of draft. High season March to October. Moorage here is listed as "NO LONGER AVAILABLE" — this is a yard call, not a berth. | 415 Esplanade West, North Vancouver | 60 ft | — |
| Lynnwood Marina & BoatyardA North Vancouver yard referenced as running a "new 75 tonne lift" — settle capacity, maximum length, beam and draft with the yard on the telephone before you plan a haul-out around it. | North Vancouver, under the Second Narrows crossing | — | — |
On the Vancouver calendar
Vancouver runs a roughly six-month prime season with a genuine year-round shoulder. Coal Harbour Marina's high season, the City's anchoring permit periods and Burrard Civic's extended office hours all break on the same two dates: 1 April and 30 September.
The part worth noticing is that nothing closes. Every marina stays open all winter and Coal Harbour publishes a full winter rate card at roughly 25 percent off. This is a city you can keep a boat in twelve months a year.
Dated events:
- Vancouver International Boat Show — 27 to 31 January 2027, at BC Place and Granville Island, where the in-water show runs
- Vancouver Fall Marina Show — 18 to 20 September 2026, at the Marina at Hampton Cove
The Honda Celebration of Light has been cancelled indefinitely. The organising society states that it "has made the difficult decision to cancel the Honda Celebration of Light indefinitely." It was the city's biggest on-water spectator draw, and anyone planning a summer around it should know it is gone rather than merely rescheduled.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Vancouver
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you anchor in False Creek?
Yes, with a City permit, and the terms are published. A permit is required to anchor for more than eight hours between 09:00 and 23:00, or at any time between 23:00 and 09:00, with a maximum of 14 days out of 30 in high season and 21 out of 40 in low season. No anchoring is allowed within the navigable channel, which is marked by 20 green and red buoys from the Granville Bridge east to Science World, and dinghy access is limited to designated public wharves with a three-hour limit. Burrard Inlet is different: the Port states its anchorages are for deep-sea vessels only.
Can you buy fuel for a large yacht in Vancouver?
Yes, and this is the market's real strength. False Creek Fuels at the end of Dock E states that it can supply large vessels from its wharf up to 155 feet, seven days a week from 06:30 to 20:00 and available around the clock with advance notice. It provides MARPOL-compliant paperwork, sealed fuel samples, a boost pump for high-flow delivery and ships' stores for qualifying commercial vessels, and it operates a full chandlery alongside.
What is the largest yacht that can dock in Vancouver?
Coal Harbour Marina publishes 242 berths ranging in size from 30 to 330 feet, with 30, 50 and 100 amp power on cement floats behind a triple breakwater — and it publishes a guest rate across that entire range, from $4.56 to $8.83 per foot per night in high season. That is real, bookable superyacht dockage in the downtown core. In False Creek the ceiling drops sharply: Quayside publishes 120 feet, and the City's two municipal marinas cap at 40 and 42 feet with their waitlists paused.
Is there dock-and-dine in Vancouver?
One dock, and it is civic rather than commercial. The Granville Island public dock behind the Public Market is free, first come first served, limited to three hours, and requires registration on arrival at 604-315-3003. Everything else in the city works the other way round — you berth at Coal Harbour, Quayside or Fishermen's Wharf and walk. Bridges, Dockside, The Sandbar, Cardero's, Ancora and the Mermaid Inn all sit near the water and are all reached on foot rather than by tying up outside.
Where can a large yacht be hauled out near Vancouver?
Not in Burrard Inlet. The largest downtown lift is Granville Island Boatyard's 50-metric-ton travelift, which handles 75 feet and 18 feet of beam; Mosquito Creek in North Vancouver takes 60 feet. The regional ceiling is Shelter Island Marina in Richmond, which publishes two Travelifts of 70 and 220 tons lifting vessels up to 130 feet and 29 feet in width — but it sits on the South Arm of the Fraser River, about 20 kilometres from the city and 14 nautical miles from Sand Heads. Vancouver is a berth-and-bunker city, not a refit city.
How strong are the currents leaving Vancouver?
The harbour's own gates are moderate: First Narrows runs to 5.87 knots flood and 5.84 ebb in 2026, and Second Narrows runs harder on the ebb at 6.68 knots. The passages that actually shape a cruise are further out. Dodd Narrows, on the way south to the Gulf Islands, reaches 9.43 knots flood; Seymour Narrows, on the way north to Desolation Sound and Alaska, reaches 15.60 knots flood and 12.88 ebb. Both are transit-at-slack propositions, which is exactly why crews stage, fuel and provision in Vancouver first.