Mattapoisett Town Wharf
Boaters cruising into wide, easily navigable Mattapoisett Harbor will find ample tie-up space and amenities at Mattapoisett Town Wharf’s five historic wharves. With a public boat ramp, grassy park, and charming beach community, this town-owned wharf is a great place for the whole family to stop by, whether you’re coming from land or sea.
Features
A concrete public boat ramp at Mattapoisett Town Wharf provides access to the waters of Mattapoisett Harbor and Buzzards Bay beyond.
Mattapoisett Town Wharf consists of five publicly accessible wharves: Mello Wharf, Middle (Makuch) Wharf, Long (Brownell) Wharf, Holmes Wharf, and Barstow Wharf (next to Mattapoisett Town Beach). These granite structures were built during the height of New Bedford’s whaling boom in the 1800s, when Mattapoisett was the center of a thriving shipbuilding industry.
Anyone can launch a boat from the public ramp between Mello and Middle wharves to enjoy a beautiful day out on Mattapoisett Harbor and Buzzards Bay. Local boaters can also purchase a wharf slip or dinghy storage to keep their boats at Mattapoisett Town Wharf for the summer. (There’s a wait list, so call early in the season!)
Boaters coming into the harbor will find a full variety of services at Mattapoisett Town Wharf. Temporary tie-up space is available at Mello Wharf (one-hour docking and transient dinghy dock), Middle Wharf (20-minute docking), and Barstow Wharf (one-hour docking). Long Wharf offers diesel fuel and a pump-out station. The town has two transient moorings available for rent; contact the harbormaster by phone or on channels 16 or 68 to arrange. The Mattapoisett Boatyard provides a seasonal launch service to and from Barstow Wharf from May to October.
Right next to the town wharf sits Shipyard Park. The park is the site of the former Holmes Shipyard, where the last whaleship built in Mattapoisett, the Wanderer, was launched in 1878. Shipyard Park is popular for summer events, and tables, benches, and a gazebo make the park and its neighbor, the Munro Preserve, a great spot for a harborside picnic with provisions from the wharf’s seasonal concession stand or the Town Wharf General Store.
Habitats & Wildlife
Mattapoisett Harbor’s open waters are home to a variety of birds, including ospreys, gulls, terns, and cormorants. Anglers will want to stop by in spring, when striped bass migrate into the harbor as they move through Buzzards Bay. From the town wharf, you can easily walk to Mattapoisett Town Beach, which has a sandy shoreline and calm waters where kids and families can investigate the harbor’s edge.
