Beaufort Town Docks: October Rates and Waterfront Updates

For most of the first half of 2026, the rates for visiting boats at the Beaufort Town Docks were built on figures copied from old rate boards. According to the town's own committee, the previous operator hadn't actually been charging those amounts. On paper the budget looked healthy. On the water, the rates "represented a significant increase over historical norms." The minutes say they drew negative feedback from transient boaters, local recreational boaters and cruising communities up and down the Eastern Seaboard.

Fixing that taught the town something about its own waterfront. When F3 Marina took over January 1, it began collecting real numbers, and those numbers pointed to October. The town had been missing a basic fact about its own docks, and this fall is the first time it is setting prices with that fact in hand.

A price list built on an old sign

Beaufort's Board of Commissioners approved the F3 Marina contract in August 2025. F3 runs dockage, diesel and other marina services, collects the revenue for the town and keeps 3% of overall sales. Whatever remains after expenses goes back to the town for waterfront and community priorities. The docks have 42 floating slips for vessels up to 55 feet, plus more than 850 linear feet of side-tie space for much larger boats.

At its June 4 meeting, the Beaufort Waterfront Operations & Finance Committee agreed the old schedule had put Beaufort "at rates comparable to dedicated superyacht facilities in Charleston." The committee's stated goal was to maximize transient occupancy. Its reasoning was that a full marina sells more fuel from the new tank, sends more customers to waterfront merchants and restaurants, and produces better data for planning. Prices that felt too high would suppress all three. The committee also discussed staying competitive with nearby marinas, particularly the adjacent Fins marina.

The town chose not to squeeze every dollar out of each night at the dock. Its bet is that boats tied up on Front Street are worth more to downtown than the extra cents per foot.

October was the month nobody had on paper

The minutes include one sentence that explains this fall: "October is historically the busiest transient month, information not previously available when the original budget was drafted." The town reworked its October projections around it.

The schedule now posted on the Beaufort Town Docks rate page, updated in September 2026, treats October and November as peak months along with April through June.

The committee recommended these figures in June. The town adopted its FY2026–27 budget on June 8. The schedule now on the docks website matches the committee's recommendation. We didn't find a separate Board vote on the fee schedule itself.

For a 35-foot boat, the posted rates come to $68.25 a night this month and $52.50 a night once December's off-season pricing starts. Over the winter months there is also a monthly rate of $11 per foot, or $15 for catamarans. The committee set a 30-foot minimum on that monthly rate. It also dropped a planned weekly discount, because anything longer than about seven days already costs less at the monthly rate. The numbers bear that out: a 35-foot boat pays $385 for a month in December, and a week at the nightly off-season rate costs $367.50.

The monthly rate doesn't apply to the T-heads or the first slips inside them on Docks A, B and C. Those stay open for arriving transient boats. Dock D and the inside slips of the basin are the ones available by the month. The layout favors short stays at the outer berths while leaving inside room for winter boaters. By June, F3 reported that several returning winter liveaboards had already rebooked. It also said inquiries were coming in from northern boaters who usually haul out and store their boats for the winter.

Diesel came back to Front Street, and the parking lot changed

The second big change of the year sits underground beside The Dock House at 500 Front Street. The town installed a 26,000-gallon fuel tank in the western parking lot. It has two compartments: 20,000 gallons for diesel and 6,000 gallons reserved for future use. Construction began January 5 and was substantially complete by March 26, according to the town's Waterfront Improvement Project page. The town financed it with a $1.2 million loan from First Bank, and Oakes Grading held an $879,620 contract for design and installation.

Anyone who parks downtown has already seen the effect. The angled spaces in the western lot were converted to parallel parking, and a dedicated delivery lane now runs along Front Street beside the lot for fuel tankers and merchant deliveries. A few spaces moved to Front and Craven streets, and the town reports no net loss of parking.

The tank wasn't fully operating until the last days of April. In May the marina sold 118,000 gallons of diesel, well above projections. Fuel now outweighs slips in the town's plans. The revised FY2026–27 proposal projected $3,000,000 in fuel sales and $1,169,000 in slip rentals. That projection explains why cheaper slips made sense to the committee: every boat that stays overnight is also a likely fuel customer.

At the Board's July 27 work session, F3 reported that fuel sales beat projected volumes. Revenue and net operating income for the fiscal year that ended in June both came in above budget. The same meeting introduced the current team: Sara Bell, Administrative Manager since July 1, and Dock Master Jacob Naegelen. The docks' amenities page lists showers and restrooms, laundry, a courtesy car, 30-, 50- and 100-amp power, and in-slip diesel. Reservations go through Dockwa, and the docks say requests are usually answered within four hours.

The Dockwa reviews show what visiting boaters notice about Beaufort. F3 reported 31 reviews averaging 4.5 stars since January. The four-star reviews mentioned trouble with tide and current. The committee noted that dock staff were consistently praised for handling arrivals and departures in "Beaufort's notoriously strong currents." Restroom conditions and Sunday closures drew the lower ratings.

The commercial docks are still a work in progress

The east end of the waterfront is where the tour boats load, and it is still changing. On September 14, commissioners unanimously approved a three-rail railing at the Crystal Coast Lady commercial dock in place of the two-rail design used along Front Street. The new design leaves 7-inch gaps between boards and 6 inches at the bottom, which makes it harder for a child to slip through. Crystal Coast Lady Cruises raised the concern because that dock extends out over the water. The Board also approved, on a 3-2 vote, a second entrance at the east end of the commercial docks. Building it means modifying the railing and grinding the concrete for a code-compliant transition.

Commissioner Sarah Spiegler said foot traffic has increased because the dock now has more commercial operators, and that the extra pedestrians have made boarding harder. The shaded area that used to cover part of the east end was removed during construction. Vendors have asked for shade to come back, and the Board tabled that decision so the waterfront committee could study designs.

These are some of the operators working the Front Street waterfront:

• Island Ferry Adventures runs to Bird Shoal Beach, Carrot Island and Sand Dollar. Its posted winter schedule has hourly trips from 10 a.m., with the last outbound boat at 3 p.m.
• Island Express Ferry Service carries passengers from Beaufort to the Cape Lookout Lighthouse and the west end of Shackleford Banks. The National Park Service says schedules vary by season and recommends checking with the operator.
• Crystal Coast Lady Cruises offers scenic cruises, dining cruises and private charters, with sightseeing for dolphins and horses.
• Beaufort Pirates Revenge sails from 600 Front Street with a treasure cruise and a haunted "Ghost Float."

What's on the water calendar through December

Some of this fall's waterfront events start this weekend:

• October 10, 2 to 5 p.m. The 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing Marine Ceremonial Concert Band plays a free concert at Gallants Channel, 172 W. Beaufort Road. If it rains, the concert moves to Beaufort by the Sea Church at 214 Turner Street.
• November 14 and 15. The Beaufort Pirate Invasion comes to the Gallants Channel Annex at 293 W. Beaufort Road Extension, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. That weekend still falls under November's peak dock rates.
• December 5, around 6:30 p.m. The Friends Holiday Flotilla enters Taylor's Creek and passes along Front Street. Participating boats may tie up at the Town Docks afterward if space allows. It is also the first week of off-season pricing and the monthly winter rate.

A few questions are still open. The town hasn't said what the 6,000 reserved gallons will hold. The shade decision is still with the committee, and the town lists the overall Waterfront Improvement Project as ongoing. Going into October, the town has a fuel dock that's open, lower posted rates and a full first year of data showing which months bring the most boats.

If you're thinking about a home where your own boat can reach Taylor's Creek and the Front Street fuel dock, I'm glad to talk through slips, tides and currents from my own time on these waters. Reach out to Jo Ann Mangum and let's connect.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.