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Marinas & Boat Launches in Southern Maine
(listed from south to north)
Read about The Landing Boat School in Arundel
South Berwick: Boat Ramp (Salmon Falls), William A. Bray Memorial Park, off Route 101. Public, gravel ramp not usable at low tide, limited short-term parking.
Ogunquit offers a boat launch
near the footbridge.
Eliot: Boat Ramp (Piscataqua River), Piscataqua River Boat Facility, on Hammond Lane off Route 103. Public, town owned. Cement boat ramp. Fee charged. Restroom. Recreational playing fields, picnic tables. Handicapped accessible. Small beach. Busy. Ample short-term parking. 451-9334.
Kittery: Traip Academy (Piscataqua River), Williams Avenue off Route 103. Public, paved access, limited short-term parking.
Kittery: Town Boat Ramp and wharf (Pepperell Cove), behind Frisbee’s Market on Route 103. Public, paved access not usable at low tide. Limited short-term parking; fee for long-term parking nearby. Trailer parking at nearby Mitchell Elementary School. Long-term parking at Frisbee's lot. Restrooms. Wharf has fuel and water.
York Harbor: Donnell's Marina (York River), Varrell Lane. Commercial; fees start at $6 a foot. Hard-top surface. Small marina with showers, ice, water, restrooms. 207-363-4308.
Cape Neddick: Public launch (Neddick River), Shore Road just south of the Cape Neddick bridge.
Ogunquit: Footbridge Boat Launch (Ogunquit River), Footbridge, Ocean Street off Route 1. Public. Blacktop boat ramp suitable only for launching small boats and not usable at low tide and passage beneath the bridge at high tide is restricted. Restrooms nearby. Large town parking lot.
Wells: Moody Beach (Atlantic Ocean), off Bourne Avenue. Put-in. Public.
Chick's Marina in Kennebunkport
Wells: Wells Town Landing (Webhannet River), between Wells Beach and Drakes Island; from Route 1 turn onto Harbor Road. Public. Paved access not usable at low tide. Restrooms. Short-term parking.
Wells: Webhannet River Boatyard (Webhannet River). 345 Harbor Road. Commercial. Variable fees. Restrooms. Short and longterm parking. Full service boatyard. 207-646-9649.
Wells: Boat ramp (Mousam River), Wells Beach, Mile Road. Public. Paved. Limited short-term parking. Rough ramp, bridge downriver.
Kennebunk: Boat ramp (Mousam River), next to Route 9 bridge on east bank of the river. Blacktop ramp in poor repair (not usable at low tide) and hazardous downriver passage beneath the bridge at high tide. Parking for both vehicles and trailers is along road and is very limited.
Kennebunkport: Chicks Marina (Kennebunk River), 75 Ocean Avenue. Commercial. Fees start at $1.50 a foot. Short and longterm parking. Full-service marina. 207-967-2782.
Kennebunkport: Kennebunkport Marina (Kennebunk River), 67 Ocean Avenue. Commercial. Fees start at $2 a foot; minimum $20. Restrooms. Short-term parking. Water, ice, showers, repairs, handicapped accessible. 207-967-3411.
Cape Porpoise: Cape Porpoise Pier (Cape Porpoise Harbor), end of Pier Road. Public. Put-in. Limited parking. Commercial wharf.
Biddeford Pool: Vines Landing Boat Ramp (Wood Island Harbor), continue south on Route 208 where it leaves Route 9. Public. Gravel access. Limited parking.
Cape Porpoise pier
Biddeford: Meeting House Eddy (Marblehead) Boat Launch (Saco River), routes 9 and 208. Public (state operated). Two paved ramps. Restrooms. Ample parking. Restrooms.
Biddeford: Rotary Park Boat Ramp (Saco River above the dam, fresh water), off upper Main Street. Paved. Public. Restrooms.
Saco: Front Street Boat Ramp (Saco River), Front Street just off Route 9. Public. Paved access. Ample parking. Use caution at low water.
Saco: Camp Ellis Boat Ramp (Saco River), off Eastern and Bay avenues. Public. Fee charged. Paved access. Parking ample; fee. Restrooms. Large boats only at higher tides, diesel at wharf.
Scarborough: Pine Point Co-op Boat Ramp (Scarborough River), King Street on west bank. Public. Paved access. Restrooms. Dock. Ample short-term parking.
Scarborough: Clay Pitts Boat Ramp (Nonesuch Boat Ramp) (Scarborough and Nonesuch rivers), Clay Pitts Road from Route 207. Public. Paved access not usable at low tide. Ample short-term parking.
Scarborough: Scarborough Audubon Nature Center (Scarborough Marsh), Pine Point Road. Put-in. Canoe rentals at nature center.
Scarborough: Ferry Beach Boat Ramp (Scarborough River), Ferry Beach, Route 207. Public. Paved ramp unusable at low tide. Fee charged. Restrooms. Ample short-term parking.
Nineteenth-century shipbuilders once brought fame and prosperity to the Kennebunks. “The Landing” area, a short stretch of the Kennebunk River, was once the location for more than 20 shipbuilding firms that thrived between 1766 and 1867. Unfortunately, the Great Depression brought an end to these businesses. In 1942, the last official commercial launching took place.
The shipbuilding legacy was revived more than three decades later with the start of The Landing School in Arundel, which prepares students for careers in today’s boat building industry. Located at The Landing, the school was established by John Burgess and Helen Tupper in 1978 as a nonprofit, post-secondary institution emphasizing a hands-on education in boatbuilding. The first year was attended by nine students who used a cow barn as a classroom and built two dories and two 18-foot sailboats as their curriculum.
A boat being built at the
Landing Boat School, Arundel.
A yacht design program was added in 1979 to train new designers in the techniques and aesthetics of yacht and commercial boat design. In 1987 the school became the first of its type to be accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges.
Two decades later, The Landing School implemented the marine systems program in September 1999. The school also began a growth plan that resulted in a large addition to the facilities in 2007, providing room for the curriculum to expand again with the composites program.
From September to June, there are full-time programs in wooden boat building, composite boat building, yacht design and marine systems. A student may complete one educational program and receive a diploma or complete two programs plus some general education courses and receive an associate's degree.
The school’s mission is to reinforce and preserve traditional design and construction methods while advancing the boatbuilding art through the integration of modern techniques and contemporary materials. Graduates are employed in the marine industry worldwide as professional designers, builders, systems technicians, crew members and repairers. Some go into related fields such as sailmaking, spar design, marine surveying and yacht sales. Many start their own shops and design offices.
The Landing School is located at 286 River Road in Arundel. FMI: 207-985-7976 or www.landingschool.org.
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