Great thread! I have a bunch I can add (I could write a book)....here are just our family's favourites:
Vancouver Area
Steveston Fisherman's Wharf 49.123206, -123.183945 - inexpensive (or free if you show up after 9pm and leave by around 7am or stay less than 3 hours) and electrical & water hookups. Great restaurants, shops. A little noisy in the morning with the whale-watching boats but one of my favourites. Shady Island restaurant is incredible - great food, great service, great prices, great patio & great views.
North Van/Lonsdale Quay - there are 3 different docks we have tied up to and never paid, never been questioned. Pier 7 - 49.309045, -123.080067. The Quay 49.309912, -123.081580. Waterfront Park Dock - 49.311045, -123.085894. All stores & restaurants nearby.
Coal Harbour City of Vancouver Dock 49.290728, -123.120752 - It might be open, it might not (damaged a couple years ago). City workers may tell you no overnight stays....they might not. You never know with the CoV, but it's been a good place to tie up to in the past. A little noisy. No utilities, but groceries, liquor and ice a short walk away and the gas barge right next to you.
Pitt River/Gillnetter Pub - Free - first come, first serve. No services/water/electric. Decent Pub. Shell Gas station a short walk away. Can get a little bouncy from the tug traffic going by at night. 49.233873, -122.766089
Indian Arm - Burrard Inlet Granite Falls 49.451173, -122.862739. Technically a dinghy dock, too busy in the summer to tie up to during the day but possible to tie up from dusk-to-dawn on a first-come-first-serve basis. No cost. Stern tie and anchoring 50-100 meters north of the dock. A must-see local adventure.
Pitt Lake - North End working dock 49.542458, -122.595005 - Very limited spots available if any....raft up to other boats if you need to. Good anchorage nearby. Wilderness location - no services, stores, etc. Very old, rickety dock but a great free place to tie up to if you've been fishing the river or if the lake blows up unexpectedly. We bring our bikes and go to the Pitt River Hot Springs 22kms-each-way. Be prepared for extreme back-country conditions & wildlife encounters with bears/cougars/elk.
Harrison Lake, Long Island Bay 49.480157, -121.836381. Free. No stores or services. Bring your prawn traps and set them shallow along the sides anywhere near logs or debris baited with hotdogs for the crawfish. The warmest water on Harrison Lake for swimming and well protected in all weather. Great hikes. Decent outhouses. Nice half-way point on the lake for exploration. Plenty of wilderness campspots nearby. First come-first serve.
Gulf Islands (South to North)
Saturna - Winter Cove 48.809597, -123.190296 - Free. Busy in the summer and used mostly as a dinghy dock. No electric or water, stores or fuel. Nice walk & park nearby. Great washrooms. Site of the annual Canada Day Lamb Bake BBQ. First come first serve.
Saturna - Lyall Harbour Public Dock 48.798150, -123.200281. Free (*I think...I've never paid). Gas available if you go into the bike store, and carry down their jerry cans. No electrical or water. Decent but expensive pub and offsales. First come first serve.
South Pender Island - Port Browning Marina 48.776928, -123.272494 - Great pub & excellent outdoor swimming pool. Showers, laundry, Ice. Electrical and limited water at the dock. Decent rates. Groceries, coffee, liquor, restaurants, shopping and hardware a short walk away at Driftwood center. One of our almost-annual visits. Reservations recommended. Part of the Mill Bay Marine Group
Sidney - Port Sidney Marina 48.653902, -123.392469 - A little pricey but all services & stores available. Part of the Mill Bay Marine Group. Reservations recommended.
Portland Island - Royal Cove 48.734224, -123.370894 - Officially a dinghy dock in the summer but you can tie-up off season and stern tie & anchor just off the dock in peak season. No services/stores. Parks Canada managed. Excellent trails and great washrooms. Best outhouse and top-3 nicest beach in the Gulf Islands a short walk away at the Arbutus Point campgrounds. First come first serve.
North Pender Island - Otter Bay Marina 48.799746, -123.308904 Very nice clean marina - a little pricey but kids loved it. Great laundry, showers, hot tubs & swimming pools. Ice and minimal groceries available. Water & power at the docks. Beware if they put you in the shallowest fingers of hidden rocks & debris just below the water line. No easily accessible stores and services nearby.
Salt Spring - Fulford Harbour 48.768852, -123.450373 - Gov't dock. Cheap rates but no enforcement that I'm aware of. Some small stores and restaurants nearby. Open to waves & ferry wake. First come first serve
Salt Spring - Ganges Marina 48.856475, -123.498366 - All stores/shops/services/fuel/laundry/ice/showers, etc. Home to the semi-famous Saturday Market (there are smaller ones on Tuesdays, I think). The guys at OutSpokin' Bike Shop have excellent E-Bikes for rent at great prices if you want to check out the island (16+). Catch a cab to the top of Mount Maxwell for insane views. The nearby Oystercatcher patio is one of my favourite places on earth. Reservations recommended
Wallace Island - Connover Cove 48.936090, -123.543397 - Very small public dock, no services. Not sure if payment is expected. Shallow and limited anchorage nearby. Beautiful spot....definitely going back to explore.
Bowen Island - Snug Cove 49.378393, -123.331481 - Decent rates. All stores/shops/services/fuel/laundry/ice/showers, etc. Reservations recommended
Further North
Comox Valley Marina 49.670309, -124.932605 - Decent rates. All stores/shops/services/fuel/laundry/ice/showers, etc. Extremely friendly and helpful staff.
Quadra Island - Heriot Bay Marina 50.103579, -125.212821 Some electric & water at the docks. Showers & Laundry. Fantastic pub. Groceries, liquor & ice a short walk away. Nearby hardware store that delivers. Friendliest & most helpful locals I have met anywhere. Close access to some insane fishing.
Cortes Island - Mansons Landing Public Dock 50.071772, -124.983991 - Pretty sure it's free....no enforcement I'm aware of. Decent outhouse 200 meter walk up the street. No services. Stores, Liquor Ice and Hague Lake a 15 minute walk away.
Refuge Cove - West Redonda Island 50.123908, -124.840160 - Decent rates. Fuel, Water, Groceries, Liquor available at the dock, and a garbage drop-off barge nearby.
Lund 49.981823, -124.763717 - All stores/services. Nancy's bakery is a must. Decent rates. Gong-show in the summer. Reservations required.
Stillwater Bay Log Dump near Powell River 49.767987, -124.315420 - Absolutely nothing here except for some friendly guys and a safe harbour during a very unexpected and long-lasting severe squall with 30 knot southerlies with a huge ebb tide that turned the mouth of Jervis Inlet into hell itself. My kids and I are still appreciative for them letting us tie up to their tug dock that memorable evening. I still tremble thinking about that.
Egmont - Backeddy Pub & Marina 49.757734, -123.939119 - Decent rates. Excellent pub. Gas, showers, laundry, limited water & electrical available. Great stopping off point for Jervis Inlet & Princess Louisa Inlet. Reservations recommended.
Pender Harbour Hospital Bay Gov't Dock 49.631901, -124.031642. Gov't dock, limited water and power. Minimal rates with no enforcement. Right next to John Henry's that has fuel, groceries, ice, liquor, some supplies, decent restaurant and excellent ice cream. First-come-first serve.
