Where you keep a boat in Panama decides what you can do with it, because moving coasts means a canal transit. On the Pacific side Panama City has Flamenco Marina, La Playita de Amador, Ocean Reef Marina and the Club de Yates y Pesca, with Vista Mar Marina west at San Carlos. On the Caribbean side are Shelter Bay (Colón), Linton Bay and Panamarina (Portobelo) and the Bocas del Toro marinas. Marinas are registered with the Autoridad de Turismo de Panamá (ATP) under Decreto Ejecutivo 82 of 2008, and the Autoridad Marítima de Panamá (AMP) governs the water. The 4–6 m Pacific tide shapes everything: floating docks, long ramps, dinghy docks that are high and dry at springs, and timing every departure.
People ask: which marina should I choose, what does a slip cost, and can I anchor or live aboard instead. The answer starts with coast, then with whether you need Panama City access, charter pickup rights or a cheap place to leave a boat for months. Slip rates in Panama City are the highest in the country. Anchoring at La Playita and in Las Perlas is normal; living aboard is allowed at some marinas and not others, and your visa status matters more than the marina's rules.
This collection will cover choosing a marina in Panama, marina costs (slips, moorings, dry stack), slip agreements, anchoring and moorings at Playita, Las Perlas and Portobelo, living aboard, dry storage versus wet slip, docking and berthing with Pacific tides, and public boat ramps. Every marina that matters has its own page, and the Panama City marinas and storage guide compares them.
The Florida marinas and docking sub-hub is the twin, written for a coast with a 1 m tide and a hurricane season.