The Surfside Marina RV park. Surfside Beach, Texas.
The idiom goes “You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.” That phrase does not apply to RV and boat storage near Houston, Texas.
You can most definitely have both.
Thirteen hundred miles make up the Florida-to-Texas Gulf Intracoastal Waterway, or 3,000 miles if you want to complete the entire Gulf Coast and Atlantic seaboard leg of the Intracoastal Waterway. Along the coast, the RV-and-boat dual wanderers can cruise the I-10 or drop down State Highway 146 from Houston and hug a piece of what constitutes thousands of miles of navigable coastline (NOAA claims to survey 95,000 miles of shore).
All this expanse means, sometimes it’s necessary to stop and sit still for a few weeks–perhaps somewhere that caters explicitly to the Texas RV and boat owner.
Surfside Beach is a coastal gathering point for the RV and boater community
The Texas coast is home to 423 miles of the Intracoastal Waterway adventure. About 65 miles south of Houston, Surfside Beach, Texas is just 1.6 square miles of land but boasts the authority in Texas Gulf Coast hospitality with 20 RV pads and access to water and power: Surfside Marina.
How does reserving both RV and boat storage for a season serve the Gulf Coast fishing community?
A fisherman out of Surfside Marina fillets a red snapper at a summer tournament.
The Texas coastal traveler is often seasonally nomadic, has some knowledge of Intracoastal rest points, and loves sportfishing. Surfside Beach’s prime location with proximity to the Gulf, the Houston metropolis, and year-round fishing seasons make it a spot one points to on the map and says, “Yep, we’re stopping there in June to hit the federal snapper opening.”
The baseline is that recreational boaters want a camp. They need a convenient and affordable location from which to set out and settle in. Managing Owner Hunter Cameron of Surfside Marina explained the arrangement best:
The best “offshore fishing set-up” you can have on the Texas Gulf Coast is to have a valet indoor dry storage rack, a large climate-controlled locker, and an RV at Surfside Marina. That allows the marina member to have all their equipment ready and available on location in their VIP Locker. When they have an RV on location, they can catch a little extra sleep before their trip because they don’t have to drive down early from their home. After their trip, they are only steps away from their own “home away from home RV” for a shower, change of clothes, and a quick nap before dinner. Truly, nothing feels better than coming off your boat and walking only a few steps to your own RV.
Surfside Beach restaurants will cook your fish that you caught earlier in the day. Boat owners drive golf carts from the docks to their RVs. Spouses and family members who aren’t up for a full day of fishing can explore the rolling swells of Surfside Beach and its unique blend of surfers, exotic shells, and the nearby Surfside Beach Bird & Butterfly Trail. The trail speaks to Surfside Beach’s designation as a “Bird City,” as recognized by the Texas Parks and Wildlife for its hundreds of vibrant bird species. The culture of Surfside Beach exemplifies exactly what a fantastic journey resting point should look like.
What security features are in place to protect me, my boat, and my RV?
In a new environment, safety is a paramount tenet for the Intracoastal traveler. The best RV and boat storage locations will include all or some combination of video cameras, gated access, on-site security, 24-hour staff, and well-lit RV grounds.
Surfside Marina, for example, provides tenants with a gate card to enter and exit any time of the day and a 24-hour dock presence adjacent to the lighted RV campground. The marina is home to a sophisticated dry storage barn so that during hurricane season, RV campers have an option to keep their boat in a safe haven – a literal port in a storm.
What kind of on-site amenities best support a two- or four-week stay at a Texas RV and storage location?
RV and boat owners use the Surfside Marina ship store as an extension of their refrigerator.
Surfside Beach is a unique stop in that it draws tournament anglers seeking RV and boat storage from Houston, but also from Galveston, Dallas, and beyond. Some tournaments span weekends, and others, like the annual CCA STAR Tournament, encompass a summer. When you spend eight hours pulling snapper out of the Gulf each day, you’ll need to restock some things. It’s a trip-changer to have it all right at your fingertips.
The RV typically becomes an extension of the boat storage, and the marina’s offerings become a base for the RV. Surfside Marina provides the boat and RV owner crowd with fuel docks, ice, live bait, a boat service center, and a ship store that doubles as a general store with batteries, RV toilet paper, tank tablets, filters, snacks, drinks, and boat necessities. A quality RV and boat storage destination, of course, includes full hook-ups with electricity. The comprehensive amenities help a traveler stay two or four weeks and never feel like they left home without a necessity.
How much does it cost for boat and RV storage near Houston, Texas?
RV and boat storage rates in South Texas vary wildly based on unit size, location, and amenities. Most of the options are inshore, self-storage units that serve purely the “storage” aspect without the “hospitality” component.
Surfside Marina’s RV park caters to the Gulf Coast sportfishing and RV community with a $450 monthly RV rate and dry boat storage at $15 to $17 per foot annually, or a $21 to $23 month-to-month per-foot rate depending on length. Put it in the context of your month-long fishing vacation: A retiree down from Houston or the 28-year-old on a road journey might pay $530 for a month of boat storage and $450 for a month of RV storage, or roughly $1,000 for a month of lodging and nonstop fishing action.
A journey in itself: Planning your trip.
It might be a year away from now, and that’s the fun of it: marking those waypoints, exploring eccentric stops, poring over articles for the right offshore tarpon rig.
The planner has to ask the tough question: “Where can I possibly keep my boat and RV and get in the best fishing?” The answer is among friends at Surfside Marina, with a palm tree for company, and in full view of the Intracoastal Waterway.
Surfside Marina serves an exclusive segment of the Gulf Coast RV and boat owner clientele. Our RV spots are limited, and we lease them only to those who also have a boat in storage at Surfside Marina (transient or long-term) or know someone who does. To place your reservation or to discuss the RV park and boat storage at Surfside Marina, please email Santos at or call the marina at 979-230-9400.
0 Comments