Bala Cove Marina

I've been coming here for several years and I've always had a great experience. Thank you!

Very convenient location in Bala. Super friendly, family business. Rented a bow rider for week in mid-July and was competitive and comparable w/ 10+ rentals we had done at another Muskoka marina (which sadly ceased renting after Covid). I am definitely going back to Bala Cove next summer.

Unfriendly and lackadaisical staff. No normal greeting or smiles on arriving to ask about launching a Seadoo. Slow to even come attend to anyone even though 2-3 parties clearly waiting for help/inquiries. They made us feel we were inconveniencing them. Maybe this marina only caters to longstanding customers and not any new visitors looking to enjoy the Muskoka region.

Unclear, unreliable and poor communication around Seadoo repairs and costs leading to sticker shock and cornering customers. Rather than following through on their promise to call us for permission to replace/repair a part when they found the problem, they proceeded on their own. We had to phone in for a status update to find out what happened and then told the final bill. No apologies for not calling beforehand but just excuses of being busy and “how things are done around here”. They only recourse they offered us when we pushed was to remove the new battery but charge us full labour. So we kept the battery as we did not want any further delays since we were heading home.

A kind cottage neighbour towed us to the marina when our Seadoo ran into trouble. This was completely a private arrangement. The marina staff had the gall to claim “our bill was already pretty cheap considering they waived the towing fee”… even though our neighbour had nothing to do with the marina.

Be it in Muskoka or “the city” every customer and client should be afforded clear and transparent business practices. As a “newcomer” take your watercraft and wallet elsewhere if you get a choice. If its an emergency… be prepared.

We just received our first (new) pontoon boat from Bala Cove Marina! We are first time boaters and we are thrilled with the customer service we got form Dorothy and Gord and their always friendly staff! Dorothy was always on the ball with getting back to us on email and we can’t say enough good about our experience with everyone at the marina! If you consider a boat purchase we will definitely recommend Bala Cove Marina!
Tom and Lone Swaffield

The lady who answered the phone this evening sounded absolutely miserable and instead of answering a simple question about general prices, she told me it's on the website and made me feel dumb for calling to ask. Thanks but I will rent elsewhere