Pelican Waters Marina: Wet Berths, Dry Stack & Access

1. Pelican Waters is the Sunshine Coast's newest marina. How did it come about, and what were you setting out to build?

Pelican Waters Marina was developed as part of the broader Pelican Waters community, with the aim of creating a proper boating hub on the southern Sunshine Coast. The idea was to bring wet berthing, dry storage, a working boatyard, fuel and marine services together in one place, rather than customers having to travel to different locations for each part of owning and maintaining a boat.

2. Who berths at Pelican Waters? Paint us a picture of the boats and people on the docks.

It’s a really good mix. We have everything from smaller fishing and family boats in the dry stack through to larger cruisers, powerboats and liveaboard vessels in the wet marina.

The people are just as varied. We have serious offshore fishers, families, retirees, weekend boaties and people who just enjoy cruising the Passage or heading across towards Moreton Bay. There is a strong community feel and our staff get to know a lot of the customers very well.

3. You have 126 wet berths for vessels up to 17 metres. What does a berth include, and what sizes are most in demand?

Permanent wet berths include power and water, access to our fob-controlled ensuite facilities, rubbish disposal and use of the pump-out facility.

Demand is strong through the mid-sized powerboat range, although it varies depending on berth size.

One very important consideration for anyone looking at Pelican Waters is vessel height. Access to the marina is under bridges, so vessels need to be around 5 metres overall height or less. Anyone with a flybridge, tall aerials or anything close to that height should speak with us before making plans to enter the marina.

4. How does availability work across casual, short stay and permanent berths? Is there a waitlist?

We cater for permanent, casual and short-stay berthing where space allows.

Availability really depends on the size and dimensions of the vessel, so the best thing is to contact us with the vessel length, beam and overall height. If we don’t have something suitable immediately, we can keep the owner’s details and let them know when something appropriate becomes available.

5. Tell us about the dry stack. How does it work for an owner day to day, and what's the process from a phone call to being on the water?

The dry stack is all about making boating easy.

Customers contact us before they want to go out and we retrieve and launch the vessel for them. We aim for around a one-hour turnaround during operating hours.

When the boat comes back, our team retrieves it, gives the vessel a fresh-water rinse, flushes the motor and puts it back into storage.

Permanent dry storage also includes unlimited lifts and launches, use of courtesy wet berths and one complimentary hardstand day per month, which is handy for servicing or maintenance.

6. Unlimited lifts with a one hour turnaround is a strong offer. What does that mean in practice for someone who boats every weekend?

It means they can use their boat regularly without worrying about a lift fee every time.

They don’t need to own or store a trailer, queue at a boat ramp or spend the afternoon washing everything down at home. They contact us, we put the boat in the water and it’s ready to go.

If someone is boating for several days in a row, we also encourage them to make use of the courtesy berths rather than having the boat lifted in and out every day.

7. What's in the boatyard? Antifoul, PropSpeed, shipwrights, mechanics, electricians. Can owners do their own work, or bring their own trades?

Pelican Waters Marina operates the boatyard and carries out antifouling, PropSpeed and hardstand work.

Mark Wright from Wright Yacht & Boat Services is also based on site and handles shipwright work.

Other trades can be accommodated by arrangement, but we ask owners to speak with us first so we can make sure contractors meet the marina’s insurance, safety and operational requirements.

8. You have Caloundra's only on water fuel dock. What does that mean for boaties in the area?

It’s a big convenience for both our customers and other local boaties.

We have Premium Unleaded 95 and diesel available from the fuel dock, which means vessels can refuel on the water without having to trailer the boat or carry fuel containers.

We also have a blackwater pump-out facility at the fuel wharf.

9. What else can owners get on site? Chandlery, boat wash, engine flush, rope work, anything else worth mentioning.

We already have a good range of services on site, including fuel, boatyard services, shipwright work, blackwater pump-out, hardstand facilities, fresh-water rinsing and engine flushing for dry-stack vessels, courtesy berths and secure customer amenities.

We are also in the process of upgrading our chandlery offering, which is something we’re looking forward to. The aim is to make it easier for customers to pick up the everyday boating items they need without having to leave the marina.

10. Talk us through arriving by water for the first time. The run in, depths, tides, and who does a skipper call?

For anyone coming in for the first time, we recommend calling the marina before making the trip.

Access is through the Pumicestone Passage and into the Pelican Waters canal system. The Passage and bar can change, so we don’t encourage anyone to rely on an old GPS track or a fixed depth figure.

Tide and weather conditions should always be checked before travelling, and an incoming tide is generally preferable when crossing the bar.

The other major consideration is bridge clearance. Vessels need to be around 5 metres overall height or less to access the marina.

We also put out a fortnightly marina newsletter that includes an update on the Caloundra bar crossing and local boating conditions. It gives our customers another source of current information and helps keep people informed about any changes we are seeing in the area.

If anyone is unsure, they can call the marina on (07) 5492 4999 and we’re happy to talk them through the approach.

11. The Caloundra bar and Pumicestone Passage have a reputation. What should a visiting skipper know before making the trip?

The biggest thing is that the bar is dynamic. Sandbanks and channels move, and the safest route can change.

Skippers should check current conditions, tides, weather and any relevant Maritime Safety Queensland information before crossing. If they’re unfamiliar with the area, getting current local advice is a very good idea.

Our fortnightly newsletter also includes a bar crossing update so customers have regular access to current local information rather than relying on something they may have seen months earlier.

Once inside the Passage, conditions are generally much more protected, but again the bridge height restriction of around 5 metres needs to be considered before planning a visit to the marina.

12. What makes the Pelican Waters and Caloundra location special for boaties? What's on site and what's nearby?

The variety is probably the biggest thing.

You can spend the day fishing or cruising the Pumicestone Passage, chase whiting, flathead and other estuary species, go prawning or mud crabbing, or head offshore for a completely different style of boating.

Offshore fishing can be excellent, with opportunities for snapper, pearl perch, mackerel, amberjack, mulloway and a wide range of reef species.

Moreton Bay and Moreton Island also open up plenty of options for longer trips.

Back at the marina, customers have fuel, wet berthing, dry storage, boatyard services, amenities, cafés, restaurants and nearby shopping all within the same general precinct.

13. From Pelican Waters, where are owners heading out to cruise? Give us a few favourite runs.

For an easy local day, Pumicestone Passage and Bribie Island are hard to beat. There are plenty of sheltered areas to explore and lots of options for fishing, prawning and crabbing.

For people wanting to go further, Moreton Bay, the shipping channel and Moreton Island are popular runs.

Then you have the offshore grounds, which give anglers a completely different set of options.

That mix between sheltered estuary boating and offshore fishing is one of the best things about being based here.

14. Anything on the horizon for the next 12 months, new facilities or services, that boaties should know about?

We have a few things happening.

Our chandlery upgrade is underway, which will give customers better access to useful boating supplies on site.

We are also working towards launching the Pelican Waters Marina Social Club. That’s something we’ve wanted to get going for a while.

The idea is pretty simple: get customers together, organise more boating, fishing and social activities, and give people another reason to actually get out and use their boats.

We’ll also continue improving our dry-stack, boatyard and marina facilities as we go.

15. Anything we didn't ask that you'd want a boat owner to know?

Probably that Pelican Waters Marina is more than somewhere to park a boat.

We want to make boating easier and help customers get more use and enjoyment out of their vessels.

From a quick afternoon in the Passage, to mud crabbing, prawning, estuary fishing, offshore reef fishing or heading across towards Moreton Island, there is a lot you can do from here.

We also try to keep customers informed about what is happening on the water. Our fortnightly newsletter includes marina news, weather and boating information, as well as regular Caloundra bar crossing updates.

The one thing we would definitely want visiting owners to understand is the bridge height restriction. Even though we have wet berths capable of taking larger vessels by length, access to the marina is limited to vessels around 5 metres overall height or less.

If anyone is unsure whether their boat will suit the marina, the best thing is simply to give us a call. We’re always happy to talk through the vessel dimensions, access, berth availability or dry-storage options.