HUNTINGTON, NY (WCBS 880) - It’s expensive to dock your boat at private marinas on Long Island. So, boaters looking to save a buck are putting their names down on waiting lists — which have grown to outrageous proportions – at public marinas .

WCBS 880 Long Island Bureau Chief Mike Xirinachs On The Long Wait For A Home Port

Some people are waiting decades for a public slip, which can be half the price of a private one.

Barry is a long time mariner who has some advice for young boaters: “Sign on immediately. That’s it. Even if you don’t have a boat, get on the list.”

The demand for public slips is so great, Newsday reports one woman attempted to forge her deceased mother’s signature to try to hold on to her parents’ docking space.

The paper also reports that Smithtown has a 2,668-person waiting list for its 180-slip marina.