Prescott Park Municipal Dock

70 Reviews
Write a Review
Prescott Park, Marcy Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
43° 4' 39.83'', -70° 45' 5.06''
603-498-6816
VHF Ch. 9
$6 - $14/night
www.cityofportsmouth.com
Kittery Town Harbor
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock
Prescott Park Municipal Dock

Awards


Boaters Choice 2017Boaters Choice 2018Boaters Choice 2019Boaters Choice 2020Boaters Choice 2021Boaters Choice 2022Boaters Choice 2023

About


Publicly available docking space is available at Prescott Park on the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth. Reservations are possible. The dock is governed by city ordinance. The dockmasters monitor VHF Channel 09, and notice of arrivals is requested. List of amenities below may be nearby and not specifically on site. Dock space may be reserved by the hour, you will need to request the amount of time. Limited 30 amp spaces are available, you will need a 30 to 50 amp splitter for other slips. Docking on the cement docks require a 4 hour minimum fee.

Berth Capacity


Slips:10

Approach


Minimum Approach Depth:0.0 Meters
Minimum Channel Depth:0.0 Feet
Mean Low Water Dock Depth:0.0 Meters
Mean High Water Clearance:0.0 Feet

Services & Amenities

Last Updated: Jan 22, 2024

Dockage:Yes
Water Hookup:Yes
Transient Storage:Yes
Long Term Storage:Yes
Wi-Fi:Yes
Restrooms:Yes
ATM:Yes
Groceries:Within 5 Miles
Medical Facility:Within 5 Miles
Dog Park:Within 5 Miles
Max. Vessel LOA:55.0 Feet
Max. Slip Length:55.0 Feet
Max. Slip Width:0.0 Meters
Floating Docks:Yes
Show All

Verified

You are the best! So flexible and responsive. 5 Starts all the way!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

It was great.no complaints it was great and Dave was right there to help us out!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

The municipal docks in Portsmouth and very convenient to the park and downtown. The attendant was very helpful and communicated well. Beautiful view of the river and bridge.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

While the staff was very accommodating regarding scheduling and dock usage, the holiday weekend boat traffic on the Piscataqua and wakes being left by them rendered our boat unusable while on the dock during the day. We were on the wooden docks at the park and these may be a bit less "wake friendly" than the neighboring cement docks with power and water. We may try to use the docks again at on a less popular weekend, as the access to downtown Portsmouth is exceptional!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Excellent service and help!! Thank you David.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great experience used by the Prescott Park dock. Thanks for the hospitality!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

We love Prescott Park docks! The staff are great. Always ready to help dock in a fast River current.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Good slip and great staff.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Reservation was ready when we arrived. Great slip!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

The dock was in very poor condition, no available power or water. With the current being extreme our boat rocked terribly even with the smallest boats passing. I would not stay here again.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Very accommodating staff, perfect location if you want to visit Portsmouth, which is an excellent walking town. You literally cannot get closer to downtown. The marina is right next to the Memorial Bridge, which raises on demand at the 1/2 hour. And you are right across the river from the historic Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. Plenty of boats coming and going!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Reserving through Dockwa was very easy. I received several emails from Dockwa and from Prescott Park Dock prior to confirm my reservation. This was helpful and comforting. Once at the dock the Prescott Park Dock staff was extremely helpful. I am sorry I forget his name but he ran down to our slip each time we docked and helped us secure lines, etc. He also helped us with electrical hookups and solved some minor problems through troubleshooting. At the end of the day he walked around to tell the boat owners when he was going off duty and asked if we needed anything. I noticed that he stayed well beyond his shift to assist more boats that were coming in. This shows he is dedicated to his job. Thanks well done! We had a great two nights at the Prescott Park Docks. We hope to do it again and we hope the same staff member is there!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Personally, I thought the person who was on call that day, Ben, went above and beyond and should be recognized for it.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great day trip. They had our spots marked for arrival and very helpful.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great place concrete docks solid as a rock no movement no rocking great staff very helpful

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Always a great experience at Prescott park!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great very accommodating

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Staff (Dave) was very helpful

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

The docks were very unstable and extemely rough.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Excellent location and very friendly.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

End slip was great. Easy in and out.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Dock was reserved and marked prior to arrival, great facility. Currents are strong even at the inner slips.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Very nice location and nice people who work there. High currents so time your arrival and departure.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Ben is great! Docks are great

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

so easy! staff was great and very helpful

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

The dock,hand on duty July 4 was extremely helpful and courteous.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Excellent location, fun to watch the productions playing in the park. Great access to town and restaurants. Can get bumpy with all the daytime boat traffic. Definitely watch the tidal flows, coming in at slack is highly recommended, especially for a sailboat

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Excellent spot to park boat and explore Portsmouth!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

The location adjacent to Prescott park and downtown Portsmouth is worth the stay. The slips however are fairly exposed to the considerable wake from the busy piscataqua river.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Simple and easy system, great spot at the dock with our name on the sign! Terrific!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great Memorial Day weekend stay at Prescott Park Marina! It was great to socialize with other boaters and get some time to clean up the boat as we kicked off the Summer. The marina’s location is perfect to be able to take advantage of all the restaurants, bars and shops Portsmouth has to offer. We only live a couple of miles away but it feels like a mini vacation being on the water, watching the other boats and enjoying the city. Thanks Ben (dockhand) for the assistance once again.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Thank you, great stay.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Ben was helpful. Great location for the NF Film Fest.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Ben lived up to his reputation, which is awesome. Facility is nice and incredibly convenient. The only problem is the slip I was on is the one facing the river and on 3 occasions large wakes slammed my boat against the dock. The last (and worst) time managed to burst one of my heavy duty bumpers and I sustained some, hopefully, superficial damage to the hull. I hate to describe a problem without attampting a solution but I am not sure what that would be other than a warning that the issue exists on the outer slips.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

I was surprised that the dockmaster Ben was there when we arrived. He made sure the electric was all good before he left for the day. Location is awesome. It can get rolly on the T-dock, but was surprised as it wasn't bad at all. Note that there are not showers, but the public restrooms you are directed to use were VERY clean.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

No electricity, unstable and dangerously old floating dock, EXTREMELY rough in the marina - at times over 2 foot waves - from passing boats. There is not a "No Wake" buoy. This marina is unsuitable for any vessel over 35 feet. On the good side, Ben, the dock guy, was very proficient. We had a reservation for 4 nights - stayed only one night and will never return.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great location in town, nice new floating docks.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Wavy during the day but calms down well at night

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great dock location, love Portsmouth.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great staff as always, incredibly helpful. Which is needed to dock in this crazy area of currents! (only reason I docked a star)

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Very pleasant. Loved it being in the center but no grocery shop for miles

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

The park and gardens are beautiful. Walking distance to all Portsmouth has to offer. We were able to get space on the cement dock which made a HUGE difference!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Excellent, a nice park and close to town and restaurants. Good dock. A fair amount of boat traffic during the day does result in some rock and roll. Jonathan the Dockmaster does a good job.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

The concrete docks are great, the wooden docks are humble. The attendant is WONDERFUL! Current is significant, especially on the ebb - BE CAREFUL!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Nice small marina. Quiet and located in a beautiful city park. Two minor complaints. 1) shipyard and boater traffic just off the docks is not slowed down to 5mph. It’s a speed zone and you can get rocked. 2) we have dogs and as soon as you left the marina dock the municipal park has no dog signs all over the place. This was a little problematic preventing peeing in the park and then if you encountered a ranger or cop how do you get your dog back to the docks.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

We were put in the T and there was a lot of wave action. But other than that we had a pleasant stay and met some new friends.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

August 2021 Prescott Park is a great location for visiting Portsmouth. It’s across the street from the Strawberry Banke historical site and just blocks from downtown Portsmouth where there are eateries and shops galore. We also walked the 2.5 mile roundtrip to visit the USS Albacore museum which provides a rare opportunity to go aboard a retired submarine. We wanted to take a walking tour of the downtown area but got rained out. The concrete docks have power while wooden ones don’t. There wasn’t enough room on the face of the concrete docks to hold two boats our size so we were relegated to the wooden dock for the first night. The wooden docks consist of small sections which move quite a bit in the current and wakes. They are noisy - even at night. The extreme current (nearly 4 kts at peak ebb) making docking a challenge. We arrived at just an hour before slack and still had a tough time coming alongside. The concrete dock was more comfortable for the second night. Power was provided through 50 amp plugs so you will need an adapter for your 30 amp cords. Prescott Park is the site of frequent concerts during the summer. The music is loud, but seems to end early enough (9 PM) to not impact sleeping. The heads are modern and clean - even the morning after serving a large concert crowd. Finally, my compliments to the dockmaster who worked hard to help as dock and then move and who kept asking if there was anything more he could do for. He represented Portsmouth very well. We’d like to come back again in better weather to experience more of the city.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great docks with an easy walk downtown. It was pretty rolly with boat wakes though. Definitely get an inside slip, be a catamaran, or both.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

staff is great to work with!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Ben the dock manager was fantastic. Great location In the park and in town. No water Available on our dock and while this is in a no wake zone it’s not followed by the majority of boats. Be prepared to use a lot of bumpers.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Love the small town municipal marinas! Smart towns like this one are investing in docking infrastructure that brings boaters like us to their town who spend money! First class concrete floating dock with good power. EXCELLENT location to experience the town of Portsmouth. Current rips in the river and boat traffic makes it a little rolly but all bearable. Only negative for our visit was the park performances that start at 8:30pm and go till 10:30pm which were quite loud. Restaurants good, town super clean/nice/well kept, flowers in the park AMAZING! Would love to stop here again but fear after you read this review everyone will try to dock here....

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Wonderful location- walking distance to everything downtown and strawberry banke. Unfortunately there is not a no wake zone in this area, and the wakes during the day rocked us so bad we had to stow everything as if we were on an ocean crossing. Very uncomfortable stay.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

We enjoyed very friendly service from the dockmaster and the marina is in a great location. The currents are VERY strong and create swirling eddies around the docks. Definitely try to arrive and depart at slack current; tables are readily available online. The surge from passing vessels plus the current effects can make this marina very bumpy and rolly. We are a catamaran, so not so bad for us, but the power boats and monohulls really moved a lot sometimes. I wouldn't not stay here for a couple of nights for this reason.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Pleasant staff, docks well located

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great place, close to downtown, and fantastic views!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Was great.... Ben the dockhand was fantastic and came over every time to assist in docking, current on the Piscataquis River is not good so this was a real plus.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Ben greeted us when we arrived and made assisted us with docking and answering any questions we had. He also checked in with us before he left for the day. We had a very nice time docking here with a fabulous view all around. The Memorial bridge nearby is beautiful all lit up at night. We had power and water for the boat, but there was no dedicated facility with showers, etc. for the dock visitors, which would be a problem for boats not equipped with a head. There is a public bathroom in the park nearby. The docks are a short walk to town and adjacent to a lovely park with lots of beautiful flowers. The docks are dog-friendly although the park which abuts it is not, so it is awkward getting the dog from the boat to the street. We would come here again. With the dog.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

We had a great time, Great place to dock, we will definitely come again M&M

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

The Dock hand was AWESOME. Very professional. Great place to dock your boat and sightsee.. Thanks so much

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great staff an docks!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Thank you Brad, stay was great

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great way to stop in to Portsmouth to grab a bite to eat.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport

Boaters beware of serious security issues at Prescott Park docks! I want to begin with stating that the staff and management at Prescott Park are fantastic and have been a pleasure to work with. My family and I love Portsmouth and have stayed at the Prescott Park docks several times over this past summer. The major problem is a complete lack of security for the docks which became alarmingly apparent on our last two visits. A few months ago, we were awakened by a fellow boater knocking on our window at 2am to inform us that 2 kids had stolen our kids' scooters and taken off from the docks. They abandoned the scooters in the park and we chalked it up to bunch of drunk teenagers. They had also boarded other people's boats before they were chased away. Clearly, the kids had no respect for other's property. Luckily, no permanent harm was done. However, on 9/30 a serious event occurred. At 4am on a Sunday morning, two intoxicated teenagers came down on the docks and untied our boat from the face dock with my wife and two children on board. Think about that . . . . We are on the Piscataqua river which has significant current and our boat is set adrift while we were in our most vulnerable state, asleep. What would have happened if we did not wake up!? Fortunately, the only damage is that my two young children now have fears about “robbers” and “bad guys” untying our boat in the future. The two individuals were arrested and are being charged with reckless endangerment and drug possession. I shudder to think about what harm could have come to my family from this incident. My only reason for sharing this review is to help create a sense of urgency for the city to add security cameras at the point of entry and some type of pin pad device on the gate. Right now there is simply a chain link gate with a latch that permits anyone who is interested to come down on the docks. The fix for this would be relatively inexpensive and would discourage foul play at the docks.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Good location. A little rough during daily boat traffic on the river. This dock doesn't have 30a power service. Only 50a 250 volt. Most boats will need an adapter which the marina doesn't have. (Marinco 121 type)

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Was really good until sometime around 9:00 PM some jerk thought it would be fun to buzz the docks throwing up a huge wake. Not just once but twice.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Prescott Park Docks is a great place to stay for a day or two. It is open to the river so gets a little bouncy when boats go by. Beware of the current when docking but the staff are very friendly and helpful. It's in a great location with an easy walk into Portsmouth.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

New Docks are excellent. Facility is great.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Our time in Portsmouth seemed to fly by! What a great spot and so easy booking through Dockwa! Current can be strong, but the staff was great getting us in! Really enjoyed the short waling distance to Portsmouth Downtown! we will be back!

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Very sturdy concrete docks with electric. Close to downtown. Be careful, the current can be strong, but we came in a slack and it was easy.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport
Verified

Great place in a downtown park.

Was this helpful?  Yes - NoReport