Okanagan Landing · Vernon, BC

Boating and moorage in Okanagan Landing

“Where will I keep the boat?” is one of the first things waterfront buyers ask me. Unless your home comes with its own dock, the answer is a yacht club slip, a strata slip, or a trailer and a launch pass. Here’s how each one works on this shore, from someone who lives down the road at The Strand.

Your own dock

If the home is on the water, a private dock is the easiest answer. But a dock on Okanagan Lake sits on Crown land and has to be authorized by the Province. An old dock isn’t proof that it’s legal, and the authorization doesn’t always pass to a new owner on its own. I’ve written that up separately in Docks and the foreshore.

The Vernon Yacht Club

The club sits right in the Landing at 7919 Okanagan Landing Road, across the road from The Mandalay. It received its charter in 1953 and the club says it is the only Okanagan yacht club that owns its own property.

What it has: about 285 slips, most of them full service. A year-round area stays hooked up to power through the winter. The moorage is lit, under surveillance and key-card only. Members also get the club’s private boat ramp and parking, the use of about 30 North Okanagan mooring buoys the club maintains, and reciprocal privileges with about 25 other yacht clubs.

What it costs: the club’s posted rate is $47 per foot per year plus GST. “Per foot” means whichever is longer: your boat overall (swim platform, outboard and all) or the slip. Summer power is $85; winter power is $25 plus metered use. Joining also means a one-time initiation fee and annual dues, which the club doesn’t post online.

How to get a slip: you must be an approved, fully paid Regular member before you can apply for moorage. Slips are assigned first come, first served, matched to boat length, and the club says there is a waiting list. You can’t privately rent out your slip; any sublet goes through the club office. Members need a moorage contract and proof of boat insurance with at least $2 million in liability coverage on file.

Not a boater yet? The club also has a Social membership, with some limits. It hosts a free Boat and Leisure Show each year, and its Learn to Sail course and Power Squadron boating courses are open to the public.

Moorage in a strata complex

Some Okanagan Landing complexes have their own docks or marina slips. How they work varies a lot: a slip might be owned with the unit, leased, assigned by the strata, or on a waitlist. Before you write an offer, ask the strata for the moorage bylaws, any slip agreement and the waitlist. See each complex page for what I know: Tuscan Terraces, Silverton on the Lake, The Mandalay and The Strand.

Trailer and launch

The City of Vernon runs two open public launches in the Landing:

• Paddlewheel Park, 7815 Okanagan Landing Road. A launch pass is $10 a day or $60 for the season. Season passes are sold at the finance counter at Vernon City Hall or the District of Coldstream office, and also work at the Kalavista launch on Kalamalka Lake. The City has planned an upgrade of this launch for 2028.
• 8130 Tronson Road, on the north shore of the arm. Rebuilt in 2023 with heavier concrete slabs, new signs and an updated parking layout.

A third City launch, at 8835 Okanagan Landing Road, was closed for safety in 2021. In the low-water fall of 2026, the City closed it again on September 2 until conditions allow safe use.

Low water matters. In fall 2026 the City warned that low lake levels were making some launches hard to use and could damage boats, trailers and vehicles. Check the City’s news page before you head out. More in Okanagan Lake levels: flood and drought years.

Mooring buoys for a day out

Want somewhere to tie up for lunch? Ellison Provincial Park, south of the Landing, has mooring buoys in South Bay and Otter Bay, part of a marine park system sponsored by the Okanagan’s yacht clubs. There’s no launch at the park. The Vernon Yacht Club also maintains buoys at Ellison Park, Agate Bay and Fintry. They’re open to the public for short stays, a responsible adult has to stay with the boat, and unattended overnight mooring isn’t allowed.

Moving here with your boat

If you’re bringing a boat from Alberta or anywhere else, plan for these before launch day:

• Inspection stations. Anyone transporting a watercraft in B.C. must stop at every open invasive mussel inspection station on the route. That includes kayaks, canoes and paddleboards. Not stopping can mean a $690 fine.
• Pull the plug. It’s illegal in B.C. to transport a boat with its drain plugs in.
• Coming from out of province? Contact the provincial program at COS.Aquatic.Invasive.Species@gov.bc.ca to find out whether your boat is high risk and should be decontaminated.
• Operator card. Everyone who operates a power-driven boat in Canada needs proof of competency, most commonly a Pleasure Craft Operator Card. It’s good for life.

Before you buy: boat checklist

• Dock paperwork. If the home has a dock, ask for the Province’s authorization and any boat-lift permission.
• Strata slips. Get the moorage bylaws in writing: owned, leased, assigned or waitlisted, and the cost.
• Club timing. Apply for Vernon Yacht Club membership early if you want a club slip.
• Water depth. Look at the dock in late summer, not just June. Low-water years change what’s usable.
• Trailer parking. If you’ll launch, check where the boat and trailer will live at home; strata bylaws often limit this.
• Insurance. Get boat and dock coverage quoted before you remove subjects. A Vernon Yacht Club slip requires at least $2 million in liability coverage on the boat.

Boating questions, answered

More nearby: Okanagan Lake levels · Schools in Okanagan Landing · Docks and foreshore · Life in the Landing · The Mandalay · Tuscan Terraces · Silverton on the Lake · The Strand at 7343 Okanagan Landing · All Okanagan Landing videos

Sources

• Vernon Yacht Club: moorage and fees
• Vernon Yacht Club: moorage request terms
• Vernon Yacht Club: membership
• Vernon Yacht Club: history
• Vernon Yacht Club: visitors and public events
• Vernon Yacht Club: mooring buoys
• City of Vernon: Paddlewheel Park and launch passes
• City of Vernon: low-water launch closures, September 2, 2026
• City of Vernon: Tronson Road launch rebuilt, 2023
• City of Vernon: 8835 Okanagan Landing Road launch closure, 2021
• BC Parks: Ellison Park
• Province of B.C.: watercraft inspection stations
• Province of B.C.: invasive mussels
• Transport Canada: Pleasure Craft Operator Card

Checked October 24, 2026. General information only; fees and rules change, so confirm with each organization.