You bought a boat.

Congratulations.

Now where are you going to keep it?

It depends on the size of the vessel, of course.

You can tow most small boats using a truck and trailer and keep your boat at home, giving you access to all kinds of fresh and salt water. Get much bigger than a 28-footer, however, and moorage can get a bit tricky.

While many marinas on the Sound offer permanent moorage slips, usually rented on a month-to-month basis, some have waiting lists, especially for larger boats.

Waits at the Port of Everett Marina for some slip sizes used to be years long.

Fortunately, that’s improved thanks to the new 12th Street Yacht Basin, which opened for boats 40 feet and longer in June 2007 next to 10th Street Marine Park off Marine View Drive.

Already at about 85 percent capacity, the Yacht Basin has been a big boost for boat owners, said Bob VanValkenburgh, 63, of Snohomish.

He and his wife, Jayne, weren’t able to find a permanent slip for their newly acquired 44-foot yacht in Anacortes, where they prefer to moor for easy access to the San Juan Islands.

They were delighted last fall, however, to rent a slip at the new marina in Everett, where they can pop by any time to work on the many renovations they have planned for their trawler-style vessel, destined for a trip to Alaska in summer 2009.

“We’re getting ready for the season,” Jayne VanValkenburgh said. “It’s never too early. We’re going to refinish everything.”

Everett’s moorage waiting times for large boats have improved with the new marina, which added about 150 slips, said Lisa Mandt, a Port of Everett spokeswoman.

“Historically there’s been a trend going to a little bit larger moorage in the water,” she said. “There’s a tremendous demand for boats 40 feet and larger.”

If you’re still wondering if you need to check your boat-length envy at the boat-show door, check out some of the closest moorage options in the region.

Act fast.

Vacancies tend to fill steadily as the peak summer boating season approaches.

Reporter Sarah Jackson: 425-339-3037 or sjackson@heraldnet.com

Port of Everett Marina

1720 W. Marine View Drive Everett Port Gardner

Capacity: This expansive marina, the largest under single ownership on the West Coast, offers permanent and guest moorage spaces for about 2,200 vessels, including rental slips for 20-foot to 70-foot-plus boats, covered slips that can host 28-foot to 50-foot boats, plus end-tie areas for boats up to 143 feet. In June 2007, this marina expanded with a new 12th Street Yacht Basin for boats 40 feet and longer with 150 new permanent moorage slips.

Cost: Rates range from $106.10 a month for a 20-foot slip to $963.37 a month for a 70-foot slip.

Availability: Uncovered slip waits range from zero to 17 months, depending on the vessel size, and zero to 26 months for covered slips. There are numerous vacancies in the 20-foot to 28-foot range at the moment, but they will likely fill up by summer.

Information: www.portofeverett.com 425-259-6001 (Port of Everett Marina) 425-212-2341 (12th Street Yacht Basin)

Bayside Marine

1111 Craftsman Way Everett Port Gardner

Capacity: In July, this marine service center opened a 150-boat dry-stack indoor storage facility next to the new 12th Street Yacht Basin and can accommodate vessels up to 36 feet. Customers call ahead when they’re ready to use their boats and they are placed in the water with a forklift in specially designated marina dock spaces, usually within the hour.

Cost: Monthly rates start at $250 for 15-foot to 23-foot boats and go up to $500 for 36-foot boats.

Availability: It’s about 80 percent full now with spaces still available for all vessel sizes.

Information: www.baysidemarine.com 425-252-3088

Dagmars Marina

1871 Ross Ave. Everett Snohomish River

Capacity: This is one of the largest dry moorage facilities in the Northwest with up to 800 boats in storage this time of year. Covered and open-air land stalls host boats up to 39 feet. Workers use a forklift to put vessels in the Snohomish River, three nautical miles upriver from Port Gardner.

Costs: Rates range from $160 a month for a 15-foot boat to $265 a month for a 39-foot-boat.

Availability: Uncovered storage is available for all boat sizes. Covered storage, reserved for boats up to 32 feet, is sometimes scarce. Covered slots are usually offered to current customers first if a waiting list forms.

Information: www.dagmarsmarina.com 425-259-6124

Port of Edmonds Marina

336 Admiral Way Edmonds Puget Sound

Capacity: This marina, honored in 2006 with the national Marina of the Year award from Marina Dock Age magazine, offers 668 moorage slips for boats up to 54 feet as well as end-tie areas that can accommodate boats 55 feet to 84 feet. Covered slips come in 26-foot to 48-foot sizes. There are also 280 dry-stack storage spaces for boats up to 32 feet. Guest moorage is also available.

Cost: Slip rates range from $158.27 a month for a 20-foot slip to $662.75 for 54-foot slip. Covered rates range from $277.32 for a 26-foot slip to $818.63 for a 48-foot slip. Dry storage rates range from $166.17 to $250.07 a month.

Availability: Waits for slips vary depending upon the category. There is a shorter waiting period for smaller slips 20 to 26 feet. Waits for larger slips are one to 10 years with the wait times increasing in proportion to slip size.

Information: www.portofedmonds.org 425-775-4588

Oak Harbor

1401 SE Catalina Drive Oak Harbor Saratoga Passage

Capacity: This 420-boat facility features 217 uncovered and 135 covered slips for boats up to 50 feet, plus guest and side-tie moorage. There are also 96 dry-storage sheds for boats up to 19 feet.

Cost: Uncovered moorage rates range from $124.31 a month for a 24-foot slip ($170.08 covered) to $323.29 a month for a 50-foot slip ($498.76 covered).

Availability: Covered and uncovered space is available now for power boats up to 32 feet. Waiting lists for larger boats are in place with some waits lasting more than a year. Garage-type 10-foot-by-20-foot sheds rent for $99 a month, but there is a waiting list. Parking storage for small boats on trailers is available for $46 a month with no waiting list.

Information: www.whidbey.net/ohmarina 360-279-4575