This is the second season that the Municipality of North Hatley has taken over management of the marina and rental of the docks. Docks for rent are now advertised in the heart of North Hatley village. Indeed, the location is fantastic, with the terrace of the Pilsen and now the Vilandré microbrewery overlooking the river. You can enjoy a short tour
I’ve been a boat owner for 12 years, living on the Massawippi River just a short distance from the North Hatley marina where the dock rental is located. It’s paradise, since there’s no lake wind on the river, and the movement of docked boats is almost non-existent. This ensures that your boat is safe.
The only drawback to renting a dock in North Hatley is that you have to pass under two bridges. Indeed, there’s the street bridge and the magnificent pedestrian bridge to cross. As for the concrete bridge (street), it was raised when it was renovated a few years ago, facilitating the passage of boats and even pontoons.
Where the situation becomes more complicated is in the transition from boats and pontoons to the pedestrian bridge. For the past 12 years, the seasons have never been the same, but recent years have made navigation even more complicated. Crossing the pedestrian bridge requires a minimum of confidence and skill in driving your boat.
You can check whether your boat or pontoon passes under the pedestrian bridge here :
The pedestrian bridge forces you to align your boat correctly, otherwise you’ll rub the wood or concrete of the bridge. The slightest error in maneuvering will cause you to hit the deck. Once again, getting your boat out of the marina and onto the lake will be fairly straightforward. However, on your return, if the wind picks up on the lake, the passage will be much more difficult. It all depends on the height of your boat and its windshield. In the case of a boat and pontoon, you’ll need to remove your roof to be on the safe side, as there’ll be nothing left if you forget. In fact, I’ve seen several boaters rip everything out as they passed over the bridge, and several hit the bridge. It doesn’t take a big impact to damage your boat or pontoon, as only the weight of the boat does the work.
Finally, the situation gets worse when it starts raining. This causes the water level to rise, forcing you to “try” a passage under the bridge. In fact, a few days ago, a boat tried to pass under the bridge without success. Sad not to be able to access magnificent Lake Massawippi! Especially as we can count the beautiful evenings on our fingertips.
In fact, since the start of the season, the vast majority of boats have been unable to get through. I have a 19-foot fishing boat with a windshield. Let’s say a medium-sized boat, and since April 25 it’s been impossible to pass under the North Hatley pedestrian bridge from the river where the North Hatley marina is located.
Many friends and acquaintances no longer want to rent a dock at the North Hatley marina for fear of having to cross the bridge, of not being able to pass during the beautiful summer days, or of damaging their boat on the bridge. encore d’endommager leur bateau sur le pont.
That’s why I think it’s essential that people who want to rent a dock at the North Hatley marina do so with full knowledge of the facts. It would be very unfortunate to realize that your boat doesn’t pass, or passes only with great difficulty, after you’ve rented your dock.
Beware, passing a pontoon under the bridge is rather difficult, but not impossible. Of course, you’ll need to remove your roof, whether bimini or full. By the way, the same applies to all boats: you must remove your roof or your Wake bar, of course!
Let’s hope Mother Nature is more generous with sunshine than rain, so that marina tenants don’t have to take their docked boats out into the river. In fact, I’ve seen it many times!
As manager of the marina, the municipality of North Hatley is undoubtedly looking into ways of facilitating the passage of boats under bridges. This was not the case two years ago when we submitted a letter signed by over 90 people requesting and proposing corrections to facilitate the passage of all boats from the North Hatley marina.
It’s probably hard to understand the problem if you don’t boat or pontoon from the North Hatley marina.
Sur ce, mesurez la hauteur de votre embarcation et observez bien le passage sous le pont avant de louer un quai. This will save you from disappointment!
