Transient Boat Dock

Contact Info and Notes

Contact There is no attendant on site. Call 270-538-9849 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. seven days a week for reservation and fuel information and to find out about docking conditions. Fueling is available until 2 p.m.

No Mailing Address This is a transient dock. Packages cannot be delivered here. The Parks and Recreation Department office is not located near the dock.

Reservations To reserve space on the dock, visit Dockwa.

CONSTRUCTION CAUTION When docking riverside, please avoid the marked construction area near power pedestal No. 5.

About the Transient Boat Dock

Paducah is uniquely situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. In 2017, the City of Paducah opened its 340-foot transient boat dock adjacent to a newly constructed park area that extends into the Ohio River. The park provides a harbor area for the transient dock and creates the potential for the development of a future marina.

The dock, located downstream from the heart of historic downtown Paducah, provides space for transient boaters to enjoy Paducah by spending a few hours or spending several nights. Amenities include fuel (diesel and marine grade gasoline), water, power pedestals, and a sewer pumpout station (seasonal for water and sewer amenities). Note: To launch a boat, visit the Ohio River Boat Launch at North 6th and Burnett Streets.

Winterizing the Dock The dock is winterized in the late fall with water and sewer pump-out amenities drained and winterized to prevent damage to the pipes. The dock remains open during the winter with fuel and power available for boaters. If the Ohio River is near 39 feet or above, all amenities (power, fuel, sewer, and water) are disconnected. Note (April 3, 2024) - All services are available.

Dock Location, Information, and Rules

Due to a downstream shoal, vessels are advised to approach the dock perpendicular from the navigation channel to avoid grounding.
Dock is located at Ohio River mile marker 935 (Tennessee River mile marker 0). Dock is upstream from Brookport Lock & Dam 52.
Docking is allowed on the river and shore sides of the dock.
Mooring is available to transient boaters and their guests. The dock is not for commercial or charter purposes.
Daytime temporary moorage is allowed at no charge between the hours of 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Dock does not provide a security gate.
The dock does NOT have showers, laundry, or restroom facilities on site. There is a public restroom facility downtown at the corner of Jefferson and Water Streets, but it doesn’t have showers.
Fishing and swimming are not allowed from the dock.
Smoking is prohibited on the dock and within the marked fueling area.
Pets in dock area must be controlled on a leash.
Bicycles, skates, skateboards, scooters, mopeds, and other motorized vehicles shall not be used on the dock. Motorized wheelchairs are allowed.
Camping is not allowed in the adjacent park area.
Full List of Paducah Transient Dock Rules & Regulations for the cancellation and no-show policies.

Reservations

Overnight reservations can be requested online using Dockwa. (No discounts). The price is per foot of boat ($1.25 per foot) in addition to the cost for electrical needs. Reservations by credit card only through Dockwa (no cash transactions).
View Paducah's Docking Profile on Marinas.com
Call 270-538-9849 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. seven days a week for reservation information.
Reservation check-in is 3 p.m. Check-out is 11 a.m.
Nine (9) electrical/water mooring pedestals are available (cost is per day): 30 AMP-120v - $5.00; Dual 30 AMP-120v - $10.00; 50 AMP-240v - $10.00; Dual 50 AMP–240v - $20.00.
There is no charge for water.
Boaters are permitted to stay a maximum of 14 consecutive days and then must vacate the facility for a 48 hour minimum.
Visit the Paducah Transient Dock Rules & Regulations for the cancellation and no-show policies.

Fuel

Call 270-538-9849 between 8:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. seven days a week to request a fueling attendant and to find out about fuel prices. (No discounts)
Fuel by credit card only (no cash transactions).
Fueling facility (located on shore side of dock) has Valvetech products, diesel and 90 octane non-ethanol unleaded gasoline.
Free pump out with purchase of twenty-five (25) gallons of fuel or more.
Water and sewer operations are seasonally based.

Enjoy Paducah

The dock is in a perfect location to enjoy Paducah's historic downtown and LowerTown neighborhood, a nationally-known neighborhood that is full of art galleries and beautifully renovated historic homes. Within one to two blocks of the dock are the seasonal Farmers' Market, the National Quilt Museum of the United States, the Holiday Inn Paducah Riverfront, and Paducah's Convention Centers. With just a four block walk, you will encounter the heart of downtown Paducah with numerous shops, restaurants, galleries, museums, and the Dafford Floodwall Murals.

Visit the Things to Do page to learn more. Plus, if you need a map or help planning your perfect stay, the staff at the Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau located at 128 Broadway are eager to help.
Read the blog posted on Dockwa titled Why Great Loop Cruisers Love Paducah's Transient Boat Dock.
Read the 2018 article in Waterway Explorer Magazine titled Paducah Offers New Stop on the Great Loop.

Boaters' Choice Awards

Paducah’s Transient Boat Dock is a recipient of the 2023 Boaters’ Choice Award through Marinas.com. This is the seventh consecutive year for Paducah to receive the award which honors marinas and docks that consistently provide an excellent home for the boating community and received the most praise throughout the year from boaters. The Boaters’ Choice Award is based on reviews by boaters. To be recognized, each facility had to receive at least three reviews averaging a rating of four or more stars out of five stars.

Below are a few of the five-star reviews posted by boaters who enjoyed Paducah’s amenities in 2023.

Excellent facility and friendly people. Will definitely come back.
This is a very nice well-built dock; good directions on approach and the booking site; excellent communications and responses through email and Dockwa. Very quiet.
Nice facility. Really close to town. Easy docking and fueling. Need 36 hours to explore Paducah properly.
Museum was great and murals are worth the stop alone. Town and shops very interesting.
Wonderful city to explore! Floating docks are in great shape with nice lookout places as you walk up to the town.
Probably the nicest municipal docks we’ve ever been to. Paducah has great pride in their waterfront and the municipal transient docks reflect that.
The dock is on the river and everything that comes by leaves a wake, but after three long days in the rain, it was great to have a dock to tie to. The city people were great about making us welcome and finding space for us. The location is within easy walking distance to restaurants and shopping. It was a welcome stop.

In 2023, Paducah’s Dock had 461 reservations with boaters spending a total of 607 nights.

For comparison, Paducah’s Dock had 608 reservations with boaters spending a total of 863 nights in 2022. In 2021 Paducah’s Dock had 491 reservations with boaters spending a total of 847 nights. These numbers increased significantly as compared to 2020 (72 reservations with boaters spending a total of 134 nights) and 2019 (358 reservations for a total of 554 nights).