Minding Your Business- Stage Harbor Marine

The history of Stage Harbor Marine in Chatham dates back decades, and the marina will most definitely be around for decades and decades to come. The business was founded by the Meincke family in the 1970s and they continue the family tradition today with Andrew and Drew Meincke running the show. The father and son duo, along with office manager Grace Welsh (and her adorable dog Friday) and mooring master George Smith round out the leadership team. Together are all looking forward to another busy spring and summer season ahead.

“This is not just a business,” Welch said. “We love our customers, every single one of them.”

“We are small but mighty,” Smith said in describing the Stage Harbor Marine operation. “We are a full-service marina so we service boats, store boats, do spring checklists and have our launch service. We get everybody ready for the season.”

Stage Harbor Marine has about 46 moorings in the harbor, many of which are used by recreational boaters and some commercial fishermen. Currently there are waitlists in place at the marina for moorings, storage, dockage and even dinghy dock waitlists, proving pretty nicely that Stage Harbor Marine is one popular place to be! 

In the summer, Stage Harbor Marine also employees additional people and dock hands to help with the moorings, fueling and launching. They are typically the crew that launches boats and fuels them all summer long during operating hours from about 8 a.m to 6 p.m, seven days a week. 

“We have two seasons here: summer and winter,” said Smith. “It is really gangbusters around here; we are like a NASCAR pit crew in the summer launching boats all day. Then we store and service them all winter. In the springtime, we go through client’s checklists to get them ready for spring commissioning. Each boat goes through a customized commissioning to get them ready for the season.”

Welsh takes pride in managing the office and overseeing the clients who come through the door everyday. 

“This is the best place to work in the summer,” Welsh said. “We have a nice mix of demographics here, mostly families and retirees. It is definitely a generational thing with kids growing up using the marina with their families and then coming back with their own families. I think if you’re having that much of a wonderful experience that it becomes a generational cycle.  If your family started coming here, it is something you will probably continue for the rest of your life. We share in that enjoyment with them.”

Stage Harbor Marine is committed to meeting all of the needs of the community and their clients. Being full-service, they can aid and assist you with almost any issue you may face with your boat, including storing your boat off season right on their property. Their fall and spring checklists are extremely comprehensive and include needs like winterizing the vessel and engine, replacing water pumps and thermostats, power washing, shrink wrapping and so much more. They are certified Yamaha technicians but can service any type of boat and also work on any number of power or electronics issues. 

In addition to brokering all types of used boat sales, Stage Harbor Marine is also the exclusive dealer of Novurania boats on Cape Cod (novurania.com). Novurania is a high-performance, luxury-style brand of boats with many different models and lengths available. If you’re in the market, this is definitely something worth chatting with the folks at Stage Harbor about. 

Both Welsh and Smith wholeheartedly agree that it is the people that make Stage Harbor Marine so special. 

“We have amazing customers,” Welsh said. “We get to know them and their families so well through the years. We really develop lasting relationships with them, which is amazing. The universal feeling is that everybody is happy to be here when they are here. You know, Cape Cod, Chatham, the ocean — being on the water is therapy.”

Stage Harbor Marine

80 Bridge St., Chatham

508-945-1860