Boating and Water Access at Surf City
Surf City sits directly on the Intracoastal Waterway, and its mainland side -- not just the island -- carries real, confirmed boating infrastructure: a recently renovated public boat ramp, an ICW-front restaurant with its own docks, and a documented (if not fully detailed) private yacht club.
Soundside Park: The Town's Public Boat Ramp, Recently Rebuilt
Soundside Park, at 517 Roland Avenue on the mainland side near the base of the Surf City bridge, is the town's public boating access point on the Intracoastal Waterway. It offers double-wide launching lanes, courtesy docks, roughly 30 trailer parking spaces, a fishing pier and decks, a playground, six smaller pavilions, and restrooms, with free boat launch access day or night -- a genuinely full-featured public facility rather than a bare-bones ramp. The park underwent a real, recent capital improvement: the boat ramp closed for renovation on December 16, 2024 and reopened April 14, 2025, during which the launch ramp was widened from 78 to 92 feet and its underwater section deepened from 28 feet to roughly 42 feet at average low tide, with new floating docks added on both sides of the ramp, one built to ADA-compliant standards. For anyone planning to trailer a boat regularly, this is a confirmed, currently upgraded piece of town infrastructure, not an aging or under-maintained amenity.
Sears Landing: Dock Access Tied to a Working Waterfront Restaurant
Sears Landing, on the mainland side along the Intracoastal Waterway off Roland Avenue near Little Kinston Road, combines a residential neighborhood with Sears Landing Grill & Boat Docks, a long-running restaurant that specifically welcomes customers arriving by boat as well as by car, with slips located directly behind the building. That's a real, distinctive amenity for a mainland Surf City property owner or visitor: the ability to boat directly to a sit-down meal on the Intracoastal Waterway without needing to cross the bridge onto the island at all. This page did not find current slip rental rates, reservation policies, or capacity figures for Sears Landing's docks specifically -- confirm current details directly with the restaurant before planning a boat-in visit or inquiring about longer-term dock access.
A Private Yacht Club Exists Here, With Real Gaps in What This Research Could Confirm
Available reference sources indicate a Surf City Yacht Club operates in town, but this research did not confirm its current membership structure, slip count, public-access policy, exact location, or any connection to specific residential real estate. A buyer specifically interested in yacht-club-adjacent property or membership-based boat access should contact the club directly to confirm its current status, rather than assuming details based on the name alone or treating its existence as evidence of a specific amenity package tied to any particular property.
Island-Side Water Access: The Ocean Itself, Plus the Pier
On the Topsail Island side of town, water access means direct Atlantic Ocean frontage along the beach strand, plus the Surf City Pier itself -- rebuilt to 937 feet after Hurricane Florence's 2018 damage, and the only remaining pier in Surf City today. The pier functions as both a fishing and a general public access point extending well out over the ocean, distinct from the boat-launching infrastructure on the mainland side. This page's Fishing Guide covers pier and surf-fishing specifics in more depth; this page focuses on boat-based access, which on the island side is generally limited to whatever a specific property's own dock or slip access provides, since this research did not identify a public boat ramp located on the island side of town itself (Soundside Park is on the mainland).
CAMA Permitting Applies to Any New Dock on Either Side of Town
Any new dock, pier, or bulkhead construction in Surf City -- whether on the mainland ICW frontage near Sears Landing or Soundside Park, or on the island side -- is subject to North Carolina's Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) permitting through the NC Division of Coastal Management for any project disturbing more than 200 square feet of ground within a designated Area of Environmental Concern. This page did not independently confirm Surf City's own specific municipal code sections governing dock setback or size limits; this site's Seawall & Bulkhead Guide covers the general statewide framework in more depth. Confirm current permitting specifics for a given parcel directly with the Town of Surf City and the NC Division of Coastal Management before planning new dock construction.
Boating Beyond Surf City: The Broader Topsail Island and ICW Context
Surf City's position on the Intracoastal Waterway connects boaters here to the broader ICW corridor running the length of the North Carolina coast, and to Topsail Island's other communities (Topsail Beach to the south, North Topsail Beach to the north) without needing to go offshore. This page did not independently confirm current fuel dock locations, marine service providers, or specific navigational hazards near Surf City's stretch of the ICW or the nearest inlet -- a boater planning regular use of local waters should consult current NOAA charts and local marine service providers directly rather than relying on general descriptions of the area.
What This Page Doesn't Cover
This page describes Surf City's confirmed public boating infrastructure at Soundside Park, the Sears Landing dock-and-restaurant combination, and the existence (without full detail) of a private yacht club. It does not state current marina slip rates, Surf City Yacht Club membership details, specific dock/pier permitting numbers under the town's own code, or current navigational hazard information for local waters. Confirm current details directly with the Town of Surf City, individual marina and dock operators, and current NOAA charts before planning boating activity. Nothing on this page is navigational or legal advice.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data sourced from: the Town of Surf City's own Parks materials (surfcitync.gov/2416/Parks) and WECT's reporting on the Soundside Park boat ramp renovation completed April 2025; area guide and restaurant sources (Access the Beach, Landmark Rentals, checkwhatsgood.com) for Sears Landing's location and Sears Landing Grill & Boat Docks; pier-history coverage for the Surf City Pier's current 937-foot length and status as the town's only remaining pier; Wikipedia-indexed reference material noting the existence of a Surf City Yacht Club, not independently detailed further; and the NC Division of Coastal Management's general CAMA permitting framework for Areas of Environmental Concern. Facts not independently confirmed and not invented here include: Surf City Yacht Club's current membership, slip count, or exact location; Sears Landing's current dock slip rates and policies; Surf City's own specific municipal code sections governing dock and pier permitting; and current fuel dock or marine service provider locations near Surf City. Confirm current details directly with the Town of Surf City, individual marina and dock operators, and the NC Division of Coastal Management before planning boating activity or dock construction. Nothing on this page is navigational or legal advice.