Marina Slip or Private Dock on Watts Bar Lake?

Every lake buyer reaches the same fork. Keep the boat at the marina, or buy shoreline where the dock is your own. It is one of the bigger decisions in a lake purchase, and most people make it on instinct.

One limit first. This page cannot tell you whether a particular homesite at Tennessee National can have a private dock. That depends on TVA and on the community's rules, one property at a time. What this page can do is give you the framework and the questions.

What is the difference between a slip and a private dock?

Who owns the dock, who maintains it, and how far you walk to the boat.

Both put you on the same water. Watts Bar Lake is a freshwater TVA reservoir with more than 39,000 acres of water and 722 miles of shoreline.

Can you build a private dock on Watts Bar Lake?

Only with TVA approval, and not on every stretch of shoreline.

TVA manages the shoreline of its reservoirs. A dock or other structure along the water needs TVA approval, which TVA calls a Section 26a permit. Owning land at the water's edge does not by itself give you the right to build a dock. Whether one is allowed depends on TVA's rules for that piece of shoreline.

A community's own rules come on top of that. Homes at Tennessee National go through design review, and the governing documents say what can be built.

So before you pay for waterfront because you want a dock:

1. Ask the Tennessee National team whether that exact homesite can have one.
2. Ask TVA about the shoreline at that address.
3. Read the covenants and the design guidelines.
4. Get the answers in writing.

What does a marina slip really give you?

Less to own, less to maintain and more people around. For many owners it is the right choice.

• No dock to look after. Docks need upkeep. At a marina that is someone else's job.
• The lake level is handled. TVA holds the summer pool at about 740 to 741 feet and the winter minimum at 735 feet. The marina plans for that change of about 5 to 6 feet.
• Company. Other boaters are around. That matters when you are away. See lock-and-leave living.
• Room to change your mind. You can change boats, change how much you use it, or stop.

Tennessee National has a full-service marina with 140+ boat slips, and it is a golf cart community. Ask about the cart route from the homesite you like.

The trade-offs are plain. The boat is minutes away, not steps away. Summer weekends mean sharing the docks. And you need to confirm that a slip is open for your boat and what it costs. The marina checklist has the questions.

What does a private dock really give you?

The water becomes part of your property, not a place you go to.

• Coffee to boat in a minute. No cart ride and no loading. Sunset cruises on a whim tend to happen when the boat is right there.
• A place of your own on the water. A dock is also a swim ladder, a fishing spot and a seat at the end of the day.

The trade-offs are just as plain:

• Approval. TVA decides. So does the community.
• Building and upkeep. Both are yours.
• Winter level. Ask how much water is at that shoreline at 735 feet, not just in July.
• Storms and time away. A private dock has nobody watching it unless you arrange for that. For the cold months, see where to keep a boat in winter.

What drives the cost of each?

We do not print prices. Here is what moves the number.

• A slip. The size of the slip, whether it is covered, and which services come with it. Ask the marina. Start at boat slips.
• A dock. The shoreline property, the approval process, the dock and lift, and the upkeep after that. Position on the water is usually one of the things that drives the cost of a homesite.

Pricing for homesites is in the info pack.

How do you decide?

Answer four questions honestly.

1. How often will you really boat? A few times a month, the slip does the job. Several times a week all summer, a dock starts to earn its keep.
2. Who is coming with you? A house that fills with guests all summer gets more out of a dock.
3. How much are you away? If you travel or split the year, a slip is easier.
4. Do you want to own a dock? Some people enjoy looking after one. Others want no chores at the lake.

You can also take it in steps. There is no deadline to build after you buy a homesite at Tennessee National. Start with a slip, live with the lake for a season or two, and then decide. What you really do beats what you guess you will do.

The honest part

Do not pay for waterfront on an assumption about a dock. Waterfront has its own value in the view and the setting. A dock is a permit, not a promise.

A slip is not second prize either. Plenty of boat owners want the boat in the water, ready to go, with nothing to maintain. That is what a marina is for. For how the lake level affects either choice, read Watts Bar lake levels and TVA.

Facts about Tennessee National come from the community. Lake facts come from TVA. Rules, taxes, loans and insurance change, so confirm anything that affects a purchase with the right office or professional before you buy.