Grand Marina

This marina is a class act all around. Family owned and family managed with professionism.
I had my boat there for 6 years and enjoyed the experience for 6 yrs.

This is one of my spots I like to park at and have coffee in the morning or lunch in the afternoon. Definitely a peaceful little spot where boats launch and come in.

A great view of coast guard island is also here... And if you're lucky it's always cool watching these big boats dock or launch.

There are a few tables ,fish cleaning station and a dock you can walk out on.Parking is always plentiful.

The Grand Marina ain't so "grand" when it comes to adhering to federal moratoriums on evictions, following local law or just having any all-around common decency, so be sure to get everything in writing beforehand when dealing with these people. Because they apparently are "above the law," at least in Alameda and these are the facts:

October 2019 - My partner and I purchased an 88' yacht for $350,000 that was already berthed at the Grand Marina - a live aboard vessel which also apparently doubled as a "turn-key" Airbnb business, and were subsequently charged or taxed a $400 per room surcharge by the Grand Marina, as per our written and signed contract.

December 2019 - The United States Coast Guard investigator Paul Taylor boarded our vessel and notified us that we were in violation of federal law because we were not allowed to rent out individual rooms aboard our vessel. When we showed him the written contract/agreement that we had with the Harbormaster, he informed us that this contract was illegal, and that he was going to inform Chris, once again - that such practices are not legal within US Coast Guard guidelines.

January 2020 - The Harbormaster and his lead muscle, aka the Janitorial Supervisor, begin and outright campaign of terror and harassment in an attempt to get us to voluntarily leave the marina for "throwing them under the bus" according to the janitor. Because they had no legitimate grounds for eviction, they began with hostilities and harassment, which have been documented with the Alameda PD.

February 2020 - The Grand Marina harbormaster "encourages" me to host an upcoming event for the Alameda PD aboard my vessel on March 15, while making it abundantly clear that by doing so and "comping" the event, any possible future eviction proceedings can be avoided. Something smells fishy at the Grand Marina and it ain't the malfunctioning pump-out station. I protested, Chris got offended, and Ray began his assault. The power and water supply to our vessel was illegally shut off by the janitor Ray, only to subsequently be returned to operation by the Alameda Fire Department because they didn't want an environmental "hazmat situation," and Ray subsequently made a direct threat to me, by telling me to "watch your back" which has been documented by the Alameda PD.

March 2020 - Covid-19 Pandemic moratorium on evictions issued.
The Grand Marina then constructs an illegal 10 foot barrier, thus prohibiting access to our vessel in an obvious attempt to force us to voluntarily leave the marina. When I filed a complaint with the Alameda building department, as well as the Alameda Police Department, I was informed that because the marina is "private property"'(even though it's actually leased from the state) that it was a "civil matter," meaning that I had no immediate recourse. This subsequently turned out to be "fake news," just like the Harbormaster's claim that he "owned" the marina, thus affording him full autonomy on federally jurisdicted coastal lands. Trump said "BUID THE WALL"
and Chris obeyed with the construction of a non-permitted and haphazardly conceived barrier. And because of this illegally constructed barrier, I was forced to access my vessel, in order to dewater and maintain it, through alternative means.
I was forced to purchase a kayak, so as to access my vessel via federal water ways, so as not to touch or "trespass" on the personally owned property of the Grand Marina, and in doing so subsequently suffered an accident when my canoe capsized in strong winds and currents, and Iwas taken to Alameda General Hospital for Apoxia after I almost drowned saving my dog. This is all documented with Alameda PD, Alameda FD as well as Alameda General Hospital.

May 2020 - Our vessel is stolen - broad daylight - and transported to the Delta Bay Marina in Isleton, CA, where it was subsequently looted and stripped bare of all of our personal belongings in excess of $130,000. Look at my other reviews for for the details. When we reported this theft to the Alameda PD and the United States Coast Guard, they were advised by the Grand Marina that we had in fact takien the vessel ourselves, and that it had not been stolen. It turns out there is much more than meets the eye here and I will leave that for the justice system to determine, bucriminal investigation is underway and it's a good thing that Grand Marina has insurance. The state of California should also investigate and reconsider their partnership with this not so Grand Marina.
UPDATE:
We have since provided documentation to the Alameda Police Department confirming that our vessel was in fact STOLEN, and paid for in full.
Please find attached a copy of the current proof of OWNERSHIP from the California DMV. We are also the recognized owners as per the NATIONAL VESSEL DOCUMENTATION CENTER/UNITED STATES COAST GUARD.

Raymond, the maintenance manager at Grand Marina was very nice to me. When I needed a 50a to 30a Y connector, he let me borrow his free of charge. It was very helpful. Thank you Raymond. Regarding the Marina, though I did not stay long, the people I interacted with were all very nice. It is a well run place, and I highly recommend it.

I've worked for Grand Marina for about a year now and I have to say they treat their staff really well. Considering the Covid-19 pandemic all of the staff were guaranteed a job and we never had to worry about cut wages or lost hours. They truly have allowed our families to stay afloat during these difficult

We have kept our boat at Grand Marina for the last 15 years. This is our little escape from it all. We love to come down and spend weekends on the boat when we're are not out cruising the bay or visiting the city. We love that the facility is always clean and maintained. The landscaping is wonderful! The marina staff are always so helpful and friendly. We have owned this boat for 20 years and have visited many marinas over the years and we cannot imagine keeping our boat anywhere else. And they have dock carts for tenants use!

A great place for staying or even for just sailing. I had friends who were docked there for several years and I must say that they have really done a great job of bringing the place up to speed, but without losing the feel of a small community like some of the other marinas I've visited and at which I've stayed in the bay area. I have been recommending to friends coming into the area that they should stay at Grand Marina instead of SF or Berkeley. Funny thing is, they had already heard the same thing from people they had overlapped with at other marinas up and down the coast of CA... Funny how those nautical folks talk!

Nice place, this is where I keep my Bayliner, The staff is friendly,Bathrooms are very clean.Fun in Alameda.The parking is getting better.not so good on 3day weekends.

As a 12-year tenant, I have seen it all at Grand Marina. Back in the day, this place was one of the top options if you wanted a slip on the Estuary. In fact, you could have argued it was one of the top options in the entire SF Bay. Today, it is a glimpse of its former self. So let's review Grand Marina in two parts: the physical structure of the marina and its buildings, and the management.

When I became a tenant, there was a fuel dock, a deli/convenience store, a large parking lot with ample parking, on-site security, and several boating industry businesses in a commercial building section on site. The first to go was the fuel dock. A leak developed in the underground fuel tank that allowed water to get into the fuel. The ownership decided instead of maintaining the marina by making the required repairs, they would just close the fuel dock. That in turn spelled the end of the deli/convenience store because there was no foot traffic when there was no gas to be purchased. In retrospect, that was a warning of things to come.

Next to go was the parking lot and commercial buildings when the owner decided he could make more money by cannibalizing the marina to develop real estate. After the parking lot and commercial buildings were removed and turned into a fenced off eyesore that routinely covered boats with dust, the project was promptly halted by the real estate bubble. Several years later the project was finally finished. If the owner thought the pain of making the tenants suffer through his cannibalizing the marina when the project couldn't be finished ended when he finally finished the housing, he was wrong. Now that it's done, you can scarcely find a parking place in the marina after 5 pm on weekdays. Weekends are significantly worse.

You would have thought once the ownership had made money on the housing development they would have put some small amount back into maintaining the failing infrastructure. As mentioned by a previous reviewer, the bathrooms and showers had become an embarrassment. Tile and grout were falling off the walls in some showers. The shower doors were rusting through. Even the toilet seats were loose and falling off. What repairs were eventually made were ridiculous Band-Aids. Instead of repairing the tile and grout in the showers to maintain the property in a consistent manner, a few shower stalls got fiberglass shower stalls while the others were left tiled. The rusting doors had panels attached to hide the rust. It was like taking your guest bathroom and announcing to the world that you didn't really care about your guests by putting the cheapest solution possible in place. It was an embarrassment.

The next cost cutting measure was the removal of the evening security who used to ensure that everything was secure on the docks at night. Security guards would patrol the docks and parking lots. Their absence led to an increase in things going missing, both dockside and in the parking lot. Who needs security when you've got liveaboards, right? Right...

As for the management, there have been changes over the years. Elaine was the first harbormaster I knew at Grand Marina. She did a great job making sure Grand Marina was truly a "Grand" place.

Andy was also another of the more well-respected harbormasters during my tenure. The others don't really warrant mention.

I would be remiss not to mention Ray, the dock master, and the phenomenal job he and his staff did under the circumstances. Ray is great guy.

However, there was a watershed moment with the management that really has changed the profile and feel of the management at the marina. That event was when the owner replaced Andy with the owner's son. Andy was a well-respected nice guy that lived aboard at the marina and made sure he had his finger on the pulse of what was going on. He was a professional harbormaster. I haven't ever even seen the owner's son at the marina in the years since he took over and the staff is not really empowered to make decisions without calling him.

Much like the unwillingness to spend the money to maintain the facilities has caused deterioration of the once proud physical structure at Grand Marina, nepotism has negatively impacted the management experience at the marina as well. There is a lot of grumbling on the docks. The liveaboards are prisoners until they can find a suitable new home (translation: long wait) and the long time tenants are slowly trickling out.

The only reason why I give Grand Marina two stars is because the concrete docks are still in decent shape thanks to Ray. Other than that, my twelve years was like watching a vampire slowly suck the life blood out of robust body.

What's left of Grand Marina now is a carcass.

Pros:
Concrete docks in good shape
Pleasant office staff
Excellent pump out
Clean bathrooms
Ice at $1 per bag

Cons
Parking is very very tight on weekends
Bathrooms need renovating
No security guard at night
Internet all but useless