Hundreds of watercraft stay dry at Dagmars Marina

Certainly, there are better-known names in the county, but perhaps none more recognizable.

Each day, the thousands of motorists who speed — or crawl — along Interstate 5 in Everett at least unconsciously see the name of a woman long since immortalized.

That, of course, would be Dagmar.

The name appears on a hard-to-miss sign in the Snohomish River Delta, beckoning motorists to leave the asphalt:

"How to get here. Call 1-877-DAGMARS."

People who dial the number — about 30 a month — receive directions on how to reach Dagmars Marina, a part of the I-5 landscape since 1978. The marina may be difficult to reach, but it's hard to miss, with hundreds of boats and yachts dry-docked west of I-5.

Dagmar was the name of the grandmother of Jim Christiansen, founder of the marina. She emigrated from Norway in 1909, when she was 18, according to company records.

Christiansen is gone now, and the marina went into other hands more than 15 years ago, but the name stuck, said Kernan Manley, operations manager. What remains is one of the most advanced dry-land marinas in the state and the largest dry-storage marina in the county.

The marina, at 1871 Ross Ave., has about 800 boats and could handle about 1,200, said Val Cook, office manager.

The Port of Edmonds has about 280 dry-moorage slips, which can accommodate boats from 16 to 32 feet. The Port of Everett offers no permanent dry storage but does have temporary facilities where boats can be kept out of the water for maintenance.

"We haul out the biggest boats," Manley said, explaining that the marina's three forklifts, each with 27-foot forks, can lift boats that weigh up to 26,000 pounds.

"We can do 30 boats an hour on a busy Saturday morning," Manley said. "We'll do 300, 400 boats in a weekend in the summer."

Dagmars founder Christiansen was a man with a vision who'd done well in the construction industry in Alaska. He had the idea of building a marina along 1,500 feet of Snohomish River waterfront that wouldn't require a breakwater, floating docks and other expensive elements.

Instead, the installation would store the boats on land and launch them within a few minutes using forklifts. The plan called for a restaurant and a canal that would stretch east toward I-5, recalled Manley, who went to work there in 1978.

The marina opened in 1978, although the restaurant and canal never materialized. By 1980, interest rates on Christiansen's loans had reached 22 percent a year and the Port of Everett had opened a 1,200-boat addition to its marina, providing serious competition for Dagmars.

"He was dead in the water real quick," Manley said.

Christiansen eventually lost the property. It passed to bank ownership and was sold to the current owner, Bellevue's Sato Corp., in 1985.

Most customers are from King County and the Eastside, Manley said. Many got tired of going through the Ballard Locks to reach Puget Sound or simply appreciated having their boat closer to the San Juan Islands and liked not having to worry about marine growth and storm damage in wet moorage.

Tenants vary from people who use their boats virtually every weekend to owners who haven't used their craft for years, Manley said. A large wall-mounted photo shows a power cruiser being launched in 1990 — and that was the last time it was used, he said. People have offered to buy it, but the owner declines, pledging to someday clean it up, Cook added.

Other customers come from as far as California, Arizona and Detroit, Manley said. They store their boats during the winter and often use them for a few weeks each summer.

Moorage rates range from about $148 to $230 a month, depending on the size of the boat, with lengths up to 44 feet, and include unlimited launchings and retrievals. Launchings usually take about 15 minutes. Other businesses at the site offer marine repairs, boat sales, canvas work and trailer sales.

And how do you get to Dagmars?

The secret is to get on Highway 529 — old Highway 99, which was the main route between Everett and Marysville before I-5 was built. Take the East Marine View Drive exit off I-5 or take Broadway through Everett to bridges across the Snohomish River, where signs point the way to the marina on the north bank.

Peyton Whitely: 206-464-2259 or pwhitely@seattletimes.com