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Old 09-05-2012, 17:03   #1
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Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

Hello all, we are heading off to Florida in June to look over some long term RV parks, Homes for sale and some boats and slips. we will be going to Clearwater area and wondering if anyone had some tips on boat yards and marina's to visit or what area we should spend most of our time at or away from.. We are 2 years out from retiring and selling it all (started with some of that already) and not sure if we should sell the RV and buy a house or keep the RV for our home when not cruising.

If we should sell everything and live full time on the boat (that we dont have yet) or buy a house to be rented out until we are done with this chapter of life and then move into it.............so stinking many options. Any way, we are heading out there early June and hoped for some info of where to look so we can start to figure this stuff out. Thanks in advance for anything you can point us to.
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Old 09-05-2012, 17:18   #2
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Re: ok, need some suggestions

These are choices you need to make based on your particular needs, situation. Mine is, or was, somewhat different. I'm alone. But I chose to buy a condo which I lease out for a monthly income while sailing. Did that with no mortgage. But I also hired a property agent to handle the tenents, repairs, etc. This would be harder with a house because of the need for more upkeep and a gardener, which with a condo is included in the monthly HOA fee.
This is a buyers market for real estate, and if you think that later when you are done cruising and farther up there in age, you will want an actual house with a foundation and yard, then now is probably the time to do it.
Just my $.02. Good luck!

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Old 09-05-2012, 18:12   #3
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Re: ok, need some suggestions

I guess after reading my post it is unclear what I was looking for(sorry). What I should have asked for was locations to look at or avoid. We are also looking at condos but I lumped that into looking at houses. I honestly don't relish a yard to care for as we are getting rid of our house on acres soon and not planning on mowing again. So good areas for us to park the rv, get a home or condo and look at boats and docks? Again we fly into clearwater area so that is the starting point
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Old 09-05-2012, 18:21   #4
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Re: Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

I changed your title. You do get better results by being specific and that starts with the threads title.
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Old 09-05-2012, 19:11   #5
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Re: Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

Thank you. I hope to get some ideas so as to not spend our whole time fumbling around and miss some place important.
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Old 10-05-2012, 04:48   #6
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Re: Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

There are so many boatyards and marinas (and RV parks, and condo complexes) in the Tampa Bay area that it is practically impossible to even know where to start. I guess I'm curious what it is about Clearwater that made you choose it instead of Pinellas Park, Treasure Island, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, Bradenton, or anywhere else in the area.

I guess my advice would be to come on down, get a wifi connection, and start exploring via Google Maps.

June is probably a good time to visit. It will be hot, humid, and buggy, with a chance of brief thunderstorms almost every afternoon. If you aren't put off by that then you should do fine in Florida.

Good luck.
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Old 10-05-2012, 11:25   #7
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Re: Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

Pretty much starting there since that is where we fly into. p I e airport. are any of the places you mentioned better for us to start at? we will be coming from oklahoma where hot and muggy is the theme so we should do well.we will make many trips but each 1 will be short so not wanting to go in the wrong direction straight out of the gate. We do intend to go towards bradenton
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Old 11-05-2012, 06:32   #8
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Re: Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

PIE is a nice little airport. Much easier to get in and out of than Tampa International.

Frankly, with the extremely vague criteria that you have provided, I can't give you any more specific suggestions than I already have. Do some web searches, pick out a few things to look at, and start driving around.

Good luck.
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Old 11-05-2012, 17:35   #9
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Re: Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

We have found some wonderful condos in the area.I went to bing maps and put in clearwater and was able to do a street side view and and I think we are set to go south of clearwater.
are there any marinas we should make sure to hit or boat yards that are a good place to start our search
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Old 11-05-2012, 17:43   #10
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Re: Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

Its still not clear what you want...buy a boat in Clearwater area? Rent a dock? What kind of boat? Some busted condos here also have docks. Dock for a catamaran is very hard to come by.... Live aboards usually not welcome----can you be explicit?
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Old 11-05-2012, 20:31   #11
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Re: Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

I am so sorry I am not clear, I am looking for either a place for the RV long term as a place to come back to when we are not out on the boat or a condo that might be located in an area that is close to a marina or good place to be on the hook. so this might help
can you reccomend an area that we might find one or all or any of the above? we will want to have a home base so to speak that could be rented out while we are gone and still close enough that there would not be a long treck back and forth.
and a good place to dock the boat when we are not sailing.

we are in our first stages and not wanting to be pests but not wanting to start off on the wrong foot. 2.5-3 years is not a long time to get this all buttoned up and do it right when we are so far away from there so we are just trying to get friendly advice. I hope that is a bit more clear.
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Old 12-05-2012, 07:24   #12
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Re: Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

Quote:
Originally Posted by got seashells? View Post
can you reccomend an area that we might find one or all or any of the above?
You can find them all, all around this area. From Hudson right on down to Marco Island.

Marinas you might want to look at... Gulfport municipal is nice, reasonably priced, and doesn't have the years-long waiting list of the municipal marinas in Clearwater and St. Petersburg. They don't allow liveaboards, but you can stay up to 10 nights per month on your boat. The Harborage, in St. Petersburg (near the Dali museum), is also nice, a little bit pricey, but very liveaboard friendly. A lot of the condo complexes also have their own docks.
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Old 12-05-2012, 15:48   #13
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Re: Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

Well, if you are starting out in Clearwater then look at Tarpon Springs. There are a few there. Marinas and RV parks.

But the reason for the answer is that Port Hudson Marina (in Hudson)
Port Hudson Marina | Marina - Events - Boat Club - Rentals
is expanding a part of their dirt to make it a RV park.

This would allow you to have a boat there at the marina and your RV within spitting distance. How is that for being able to get a project done without the 45 Min drive to home? (How do I know )

Also you could leave the boat for summer and escape northwards. You may think where you come from is hot and humid but I dare you to get stuck doing a project at midday. Popping into the AC every hour or so doesn't count.

They don't allow live-aboards per say but will let you spend nights on your boat. Just how this could be enforced if you have a RV that houses your spittoon I don't know but you could talk to Larry or Chris.

Hudson has several marinas, restaurants, motels etc. It also has a contingent of nefarious (mostly harmless) pilferers (someone stole my gps )but so does the rest of the Sunshine State.

My relation?

If I get an RV'r to sign a years lease I get free dockage for my next cat for life..............not really.

I just had my cat there for a little over two years and was happy there.
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Old 12-05-2012, 16:36   #14
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Re: ok, need some suggestions

Quote:
Originally Posted by got seashells? View Post
I guess after reading my post it is unclear what I was looking for(sorry). What I should have asked for was locations to look at or avoid. We are also looking at condos but I lumped that into looking at houses. I honestly don't relish a yard to care for as we are getting rid of our house on acres soon and not planning on mowing again. So good areas for us to park the rv, get a home or condo and look at boats and docks? Again we fly into clearwater area so that is the starting point

I live in that area and have some finds and some "avoids" for you. However, I don't want to trash any business in public. If you want to hear my thoughts, please email me.
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Old 12-05-2012, 16:44   #15
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Re: Clearwater Fl. Boat Yards and Marinas

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Originally Posted by denverd0n View Post
There are so many boatyards and marinas (and RV parks, and condo complexes) in the Tampa Bay area that it is practically impossible to even know where to start. I guess I'm curious what it is about Clearwater that made you choose it instead of Pinellas Park, Treasure Island, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs, Bradenton, or anywhere else in the area.

I guess my advice would be to come on down, get a wifi connection, and start exploring via Google Maps.

June is probably a good time to visit. It will be hot, humid, and buggy, with a chance of brief thunderstorms almost every afternoon. If you aren't put off by that then you should do fine in Florida.

Good luck.

Eh. I live on the Gulf. If you live close enough to the water to get the sea breezes it really isn't all that hot. A typical summer day along the shore is 90, and the humidity isn't as high as people imagine it to be.

it's important to remember that it's really RELATIVE humidity. In other words, the hotter the air is, the more humidity it can hold. So, 80% humidity at 90 isn't as much humidity as 80% at 95. Where the real oppressive heat occurs is away from the coasts. The Tallahassee area often gets the worst of it, even though Tall isn't all that far from the shore.

I much prefer the summers here to where I lived in Missouri. 90 was also a typical day there, but honest to goodness it was MORE humid there, and when we had heat waves they were brutal. You never have heat waves in the Clearwater area. Never. You do have the warm weather in May and September as well as June, July and August, but it's May here and ALONG THE COAST not unbearably hot at all. In fact, I haven't turned on the AC yet, and I live on my boat (weirdly, the inside of my boat is cooler than the air outside. I'm blessed!) So we have more days of warm weather ... but no heat waves. It's' more than a fair trade to me.

The first summer I was here we had about 6 weeks of 93, and everyone was bitching and moaning. Then I noticed that the weather forecasters were also giving the record highs for each day, and it was always around 95. RECORD? I looked up St. Louis. Virtually every summer day in St. Louis had a record temp of 105 or higher, and again I come back to what relative humidity means.

It's not that bad. If Clearwater in June scares you away, you're a wimp.
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