Marinas in Florida

[rohin13]

Hi everyone, I've been reading the forum for about 3 months now trying to learn as much as I can. Thanks for all the incredible info. Sailing has been a dream of mine for about 20 years and I feel like it will be something I will obtain in the next year or two. I live in Colorado, but plan on spending some time in Florida in the next couple years. I just booked tickets for my girlfriend and I to Orlando in Feb. for 9 days. The plan is to look at boats, marinas, and surf breaks and figure out an area that fits our needs/desires. So far I'm quite interested in the Titusville public marina because I heard it was affordable, liveaboard, and it is close to Orlando (where we will be flying in most of the time). I was hoping some people could give me leads on some live aboard marinas to check out that are affordable and safe. I plan on buying a 35-40 ft monohull and it will most likely be our home in Florida, possibly along with a small RV. Do marinas let you park RVs in the lot? It would be nice to keep them at the same facility.

I also plan on finding boats on yatchworld that interest me and try to set up appointments to see a couple while we are there. Can anyone recommend another good source for used boats in Florida? We will be driving to the Keys so we will pass through most of the east coast of the state.

Thanks for any help, Rohin

[Hudson Force]

I would also recommend the Tituvsille Municipal Marina as a good choice close to Orlando. Not as close to Orlando, but some other good locations are on the St. Johns River south of Jacksonville. Lake Monroe at Sanford is very close to Orlando, but you would need to clear 65' fixed bridges. You can take a vertical clearance of 45' down to Green Cove Springs.

[akaMOJO]

I have been searching very hard for a s/v best deals i have found have all been on craigslist,but got to be care full as a lot of scammers on there as well.

[dennisjay]

Harbortown Marina on Merritt Island is one of the closest to Orlando and it's even cheaper than Titusville. You can see marinas and comments on them at ActiveCaptain.

If you can fly in and out of Jacksonville, Amelia Island is a great place to keep a boat. Fernandina Harbor Marina is our favorite place there.

[LostAtSea2011]

Halifax Harbor Marina. http://www.m.halifaxharbormarina.com/

Cheap, liveaboard friendly, RV parking, 1 Hour drive from Orlando, and good surf nearby .

[j dragon]

Check out the boat show">Miami Boat Show Frbruary 16-20. I went to the Annapolis Boat Show and it was great, learn alot. Also visit Two Can Sail web site//www.twocansail.com/index.html. Great siminar and wonderful couple, helped us find the right boat.

[rohin13]

Hey, thanks everyone. Great Ideas and info.

And thanks for reminding me about the boat show. I forgot, but luckily we will be in Miami at that exact time. We are definitely going atleast for one day. I read Catalina will be there and Gemini and Moorings. Will Moorings have one of the R&C cats? I'd love to check one out.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Rohin, and akaMOJO.