Best Marina on Lake Travis!
West Beach Marina (512) 266-2277
17317 West Beach Road – Austin TX 78734
- Uncovered and covered boat slip rental
- Deep water – regardless of lake level
- Plenty of parking, short flat walk to slips
- Most convenient marina on Lake Travis
Our Lake Travis Marina Prices and Dock Layout
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Compared with other Lake Travis marinas, West Beach Marina (WBM) offers more convenience. And better boat slip rental value. This is a result of our conveniently located south shore Hudson Bend site, modern facilities and dedication to giving our members the best possible boating experience and customer service.
- Modern, well-maintained docks and wet slips
- Short flat walk from parking lot to docks
- Gated, monitored security, night watchman
- Close to Lakeway – Steiner Ranch – Cedar Park – Austin
Top Marina on Hudson Bend
We have great deals on uncovered and covered boat slips. Among all marinas on Lake Travis, WBM is widely known as the most family-oriented and enjoyable. Customers tell us this is due to our attentive staff and great Hudson Bend location. We are proud of our 5-star Google reviews and Facebook recommendations. And the referral business we get from current and past WBM members.
To protect the boats, all our floating docks have breakwaters to dampen wakes and waves. We also offer HydroHoist lifts for sale or rental to members. These keep your boat’s bottom clean and offer additional protection from wave action. And for enhanced security, our facility is gated and monitored with video surveillance systems and a night watchman.
Low Water Level – No Problem!
In contrast with less well-situated marinas, our boat docks and wet slips are always accessible. Regardless of the lake level. The gently sloping site makes for easy parking and a short walk to your boat. It also enables us to keep our members’ cruisers and sailboats in deep water with plenty of maneuvering room.
When the water level recedes, we just move each floating dock and breakwater out into deeper water. Docks and walkways remain connected to the shore. As do the lines for shore power and potable water. Our docks and boat slips retain the same spacing. With plenty of maneuvering room and easy access to the main channel.
Even when the water level is low, our flat terrain enables members and guests to drive right down to the shoreline to park. It’s still easy for WBM members get their crew and gear aboard. No hiking up and down steep terrain or walkways with your gear! Your family and friends will be a lot happier than folks at another boatyard or yacht harbor. Where a boating day starts with a lot of discomfort and drudgery!
Challenges for Marinas on Lake Travis
Large variations in water levels mean that stationary piers and wharves won’t work. All watercraft berths need to be on floating docks and secured to the shoreline and anchors on the lake bottom with cables and dock winches. As the water level declines, these floating quays, dock structures and walkways need to be moved into deeper water.
This necessitates longer walkways – and moving the heavy concrete anchors farther from the shore. Electrical and potable water plumbing lines also need to be extended to continue providing shore power and drinking water at the slips. And, given the constraints of their locations, some marinas and boat clubs just don’t have room to do this.
Managing Marinas in Drought Conditions
As the level continues to fall, other marinas just run out of room. So they disconnect their docks from the shore, and move them way out into the busy channel of the Colorado River. Where boats are subject to wave action from wake boats and large displacement vessels. Their customers are obliged to wait for a shuttle launch to get from the beach to their wet slips.
A lot of marinas have no electricity or drinkable water at the slips. Under low water conditions, their docks sit well below the level of the parking lot, restrooms and other marine facilities. They saddle their customers with a long steep climb (with equipment, refreshments and guests) up and down winding ramps and stairways. These kind of challenges at our competitors’ facilities can really spoil a day on the water.
Things You Won’t Find at West Beach
We have designed and managed WBM to be a quiet, family-oriented marine facility. One that enables people to relax on a weekend or afternoon. So we don’t have a raucous bar or busy restaurant. . No boat rentals, houseboat slips, party boats, drystack storage or watercraft rentals. And we don’t have a noisy ships store, fuel dock, pump out station or unsightly amenities. But there are plenty of restaurants and bars nearby. And several marine hardware stores and gas docks within a 10 minute drive or boat ride.
We do have a well-maintained office and restrooms. Just a short walk from the boat slips. But no shipyard repair, marine services shop. And no boat or trailer storage yard to spoil our marina’s serene atmosphere. Most of our members perform their own maintenance. Others prefer to call on nearby mobile marine services outfits for boat detailing or repairs.
How Lake Travis Marinas Adapt to Low Water Conditions
The lake’s variable water level depends on the amount of rainfall the watershed receives. And with the quantity of water the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) decides to discharge downstream from Mansfield Dam. During the 2013-2015 drought, the level fell to 626’ above Main Sea Level (MSL).
Unfortunately, weather experts forecast similar drought conditions in the future. The ability of a given boatyard or yacht club to accommodate the changing levels has a major impact on how much you enjoy boating. Whenever the level falls below 640′ above MSL, other marinas can experience problems keeping the docks afloat and separated.
As the water recedes, marinas located on narrow coves have less space in the their boat basins for floating piers and breakwaters. So docking structures need to be crowded together – or removed. This makes it a lot more difficult for you to enter/exit your slip and navigate around other watercraft and obstacles.
Cramped conditions also increase the likelihood of collisions and groundings. The shallow depth and close quarters are especially troublesome for larger powerboats or sailboats with deep drafts. Boatyards or moorings located in steep canyons or shallow creeks suffer more than WBM – which resides on the deeper main channel of the Colorado River.
Advantages of WBM’s Hudson Bend Location
The LCRA considers Lake Travis ‘full’ at 681′ above MSL. Obviously, boating is most enjoyable when it’s above 670′. But we have plenty of navigable waterway at 644′. All the way from Mansfield Dam to Marble Falls. Even at 623′ (only 1/3 full), Travis contains 123.2 billion gallons of water!
For comparison, this is 15 times more than Lake Austin. We have a lot more room for parasailing, water skiing and wake boarding. And our family-oriented membership also enjoys pontoon boating, cruising and sailing on this expansive reservoir.
Our site’s gradually sloping terrain enables members to drive right down to the waterfront to park. It’s just a short flat walk to the slips. You’ll appreciate that if you and your guests are bringing food, drinks, fishing gear, wakeboards or towable tubes.
The WBM location also makes it easy move the docks out into deeper water as the lake level drops. We still have potable water and electrical power on our docks following this reconfiguration. Unlike many marinas on Lake Travis’ southern shore. Our members still have the same short walk from our parking lot to their slips.
And we have the same floating dock spacing we had at the 670′ level. So there’s still plenty of room in the boat basin for maneuvering in and out of your berth. And the same easy access to the main channel. Devil’s Cove is even closer!
Boating is Fun at West Beach!
WBM members do not suffer from drought-induced issues like the patrons of other boat dockage facilities. As the water level recedes, our parking lot expands to include area formerly underwater. Our docks remain connected to the shore, And electricity and water are still available.
The easy walk from the parking area to your slip remains short and flat. WBM members get to spend more of their valuable time boating. And less time and effort hauling stuff up and down hills, to and from their cars.
No problem parking, no shuttles, and no steep stairs to climb with your gear.
We’re at the north end of Hudson Bend. Just a short drive from Austin TX and even closer to the communities of Cedar Park, Lakeway, Steiner Ranch and West Lake Hills. Whether you have a ski boat, runabout, cruiser, pontoon boat or personal watercraft – you’ll enjoy the great boating experience and value we offer.
Call today to learn more about our boat slip rental deals, modern facilities and happy boaters! And if you have a boat lift where you are now, we can help you get it moved. Many of our new members come from other nearby marine facilities; so we’ll make this easy for you.
Call (512) 266-2277
17317 West Beach Road – Austin TX 78734