Canoe Cove Marina & Boatyard

Had a fantastic experience at this boat yard and will definitely be coming back the next time I need to haul out. The staff were accommodating and helpful, reminded me of that good old fashioned Island hospitality. It's a busy yard yet they were able to book me in on short notice. I needed some help to reposition the boat stands and they were able to accommodate me in a timely manner. The nearby pub and cafe both had good food and was convenient since I wanted to focus on my boat project rather than making food. There is also a neat little consignment boat chandelier where I was able to stock up on a bunch of fuel filters for my Yanmar 2GM20F.

​By far the worst experience we've had at a marina yet.
​We booked a haul out and bottom coat well in advance, but the lack of basic service, communication, and proper facilities was staggering. Here is a breakdown of our experience:

- ​Zero Assistance & Broken Promises: There was no yard hand available to help us set up anything upon arrival. Later, when we desperately needed a hose to wet-sand the antifouling off, there was a severe lack of faucets and hoses in the area. A yard hand explicitly promised he would help get us a hose, but he completely ghosted us and never brought one.

- ​Fighting for Basic Utilities: Because of the lack of equipment, the only hose within our entire area was occupied for two straight days by a neighboring boat running a pressure washer. We ultimately had to go and personally ask the neighbor if we could borrow the water for a bit just to get our work done.

- ​Poorly Stocked Chandlery: Their store didn’t even carry basic sanding poles with adapters. Because of this and the hose situation, I had to crawl under the boat, getting dripped on and covered in old antifouling paint just to get by.

- ​Terrible Facility Layout & Upkeep: The yard Wi-Fi is essentially non-existent. To make matters worse, the ladies' bathroom is located all the way on the complete opposite end of the yard. Meanwhile, the men's bathroom is shared with the staff and gets incredibly messy.

- ​Non-Existent Communication: We explicitly stated we needed to splash back into the water on Sunday. No one bothered to communicate that they are closed on weekends. Because of this oversight, we were forced to stay two extra days entirely at our own expense.

- ​Environmental Concerns: It was highly concerning to see them allowing old antifouling paint dust and debris to contaminate the soil without proper containment.

- ​Nickel-and-Diming: To top it all off, they tacked on unexpected fees and actually chased us down later to charge us for a ladder rental. If a business is going to itemize and charge for every single minor aspect, their customer service needs to be exceptional. It wasn't.

​During our entire stay, not a single staff member voluntarily checked in on us to see how we were doing.

​If you want a boatyard that actually cares about its customers, go to Van Isle Marina or Stones Boatyard. Those teams are amazing and constantly check in to see if you need anything. Canoe Cove Boatyard fell flat on every level. Save yourself the headache and go elsewhere.

Great staff and clean facilities.

Clean, friendly and feels safe

We had a really good haul-out experience last week here. The staff were organized, friendly and professional. A shout out to Jordan as well, who operates the lift and did an amazing job and made sure we had stairs while on the hard so we could get our dog on and off the boat.

Getting boat service at this time of year is like winning the lottery but Canoe Cove showed great ingenuity in squeezing me out and back into the water at a very busy period.

Full Service boat yard. Highly recommend.

Handy marine services even for those on the gulf islands as it is within walking distance from the ferry terminal if you need to leave your boat behind for repairs.

Friendly staff, clean, and well-kept. A great marina with extremely good access to the Swartz Bay Ferry Terminal and Sidney by the Sea! Walking distance to the ferry, easily. A little longer to Sidney, but not ridiculous.

I keep my boat here over the winter and everyone is so good. The travel lift guys are fantastic.

Well run boatyard. Pleasant to deal with. Managed to get the boat back in the water on time even with the travel lift being broken down. Thanks Derick for your effort.

Tried to visit fox and monocle cafe with a friend and was rudely told we could not park in the parking lot by a weekend staff member of Canoe Cove Marina. He belittled us for being women on motorcycles, so we decided to leave and take our business elsewhere. Great way to lose business and make customers feel unwelcome with people like this running the place.

Lovely spot to watch boats and walk the docks

Drove through the boatyard. Looked clean and organized compared to those I have experience with. Did not deal with the management.

Went here for a visit on a boating course
Awesome place to see.
Had a tour of the SARS boat and area.
Will be back to check out the food services.