Canal Street Marina

This was great find especially since I currently live in the South Loop and my boat summers in Belmont Harbor.
I was initially hesitant only because I am a powerboater and the yard is more sail centric.
Any second thoughts quickly vanished. Great people here. Eric, Jackie and the whole crew. I could not ask for a better yard. They were even able to store my boat inside as well.
And then there is Jeff’s Marine Service. Talk about a rare find. Jeff is a smart cookie. His investigations into my boats issues are thorough. He doesn’t just start replacing parts. He develops a theory as to what may be wrong then works to prove his theory… again without replacing a bunch of parts that aren’t going to fix the problem.
I could not be happier with this operation.

Mark, Eric and Jackie are great.
The key in choosing a boatyard comes down to two things:
1. Do the people handling your boat know what they are doing?
2. Do you like the people who work there and do they treat you fairly?
At Canal Street the answer to both is a strong yes…
Price, location, amenities, etc… that’s all important, but relatively easy to deduce on your own. The key question is what happens once you are in a boatyard. I’ve looked into a lot of boatyards and I like what I have found at Canal.

LOVE this place. Don’t let the outward appearance fool you. This is where sailboats want to be.
I’ve stored mast up and mast down at this yard for several years. It is exactly what I wanted in a yard. Close to the Loop, closer than that other place down the river (where I stayed one year and absolutely hated). The guys at Canal St. are great and Eric is fantastic and very reliable. You can bring any mechanic or other trades person to work on your boat (unlike some other yards) but they have good painters and mechanics. You have ²⁴⁄₇ access (unlike some other yards). I’ve never heard of any problems with security and I sleep easy knowing it’s in a good safe spot.
Yea, the yard bathroom is laughably run down, the railroad horn WAY too loud, and the ability to turn south on Canal ridiculously tricky. Whatever, it’s the spot you’re looking for. And remember, your first impression is not going to tell you how perfect this place is.
Oh, and the trip up the river… Honestly, the bridge raising trip to the lake is making you reconsider??? Seriously? You’re a Chicagoan damnit (or at least a midwesterner), act like one. That journey is one of the most quintessentially Chicago outings you can ever have. Learn to make a party of it… an event… an experience. You’ll look forward to them after the first one is under your belt. Sure beats the hell out of sailing down to the south side for storage.

I run a sailing school and have several boats at this marina. I have kept my boats at many marina’s throughout Chicago and by far this one is the best, friendly, efficient. It would be nice to have a ship’s store but other than that, it has everything a sailor could want.