Best marina around central Florida to walk around looking at peoples Catamarans?

[krashx6]

Would anyone recommend a Marina around the Orlando area that they know has a couple of catamarans? Using Google Maps satellite view, I could see a few around marinas at Port Canaveral, but those photos are months old, so they may be gone.

We're both pretty young (31), and after discovering that living on a sailboat is something people do, we've been hooked. It would be a long process to make that dream a reality, but we were hoping to just walk around a few marinas and see how big and what they looked like.

We'd eventually want a Leopard 42 or 43, but I read a brand new Lagoon 380 is 237k euros, so that may be a better option.

Thanks in advance cruisers!

[SV Bacchus]

Hey there! Bit of a drive for you but not to bad. South on Turnpike to Ft. Pierce. Met some friends there for dinner about a month ago and there were about 8 or 9 various sized cats on the last dock. We spent an hour just looking at the differences.

I'll send you a PM.

[danielamartindm]

[QUOTE=krashx6;2694268]Would anyone recommend a Marina around the Orlando area that they know has a couple of catamarans? Using Google Maps satellite view, I could see a few around marinas at Port Canaveral, but those photos are months old, so they may be gone.

We're both pretty young (31), and after discovering that living on a sailboat is something people do, we've been hooked. It would be a long process to make that dream a reality, but we were hoping to just walk around a few marinas and see how big and what they looked like.

We'd eventually want a Leopard 42 or 43, but I read a brand new Lagoon 380 is 237k euros, so that may be a better option.

Thanks in advance cruis

Go to the boat show">Annapolis Boat Show in October. If you're already hooked on cats, you'll OD there!

[chuckr]

A boat is not a boat is not a boat - like women the outside and inside are totally different. If you really want to know about the boats and differences go to a boat show and find a good person to take you on board and explain what makes it a what it is. All boats are different on the inside and how they are constructed and walking the dock and looking just does not get it.

[Lance]

OK firstly well done being wise enough to make the choice of a Catamaran , where you will appreciate the advantage of the bridge deck saloon .
Your living area is above the water line and usually provides an all around view which is not only appealing but a safety factor as well .
However you say your focus is living on a sail boat and I am not sure that you also want to go sailing .
If you want to cruise offshore I would point out that the boats you are considering are not necessarily the best performance Cats to choose from .
Read as much about Cat Sailing Performance as you can find , with particular attention to bridge deck clearance , which is the height under the part in the middle because heavy over laden low clearance Cats have a nasty habit of hitting waves on the underside of your living area .
This slamming can be disconcerting and also a cause of stress and hull integrity .
Dont get sucked in by shiny apartments at boat shows and slick sales personal .
Absolutely follow your dream but make sure you know what you need for your personal circumstance .
Good luck

[Davy J]

Don't waste your time walking a marina. Go down to Ft. Lauderdale and visit the Catamaran Company office. They usually have quite a few cats there for sale. A broker there will gladly show you around.

Catamaran Company in Ft. Lauderdale

[LeeV]

Unless you’re independently wealthy, you have some time to approach this properly, using all the tips from the posts above. Save some money and treat yourselves to Annapolis this fall, or the next Miami show. Get a hotel, buy yourselves 2 sets of tickets each. Go all day Friday and see every cat there. Take a couple of notes about price, do we like galley up/down, size (e.g., not every builder makes a 40 footer), and your “top 3.” Then you have 2 options: Take Saturday to see Miami, have fun, rest up and go back Sunday refreshed and only look at your top 3, but much more carefully. OR, just go back Saturday and have at it.

Have fun!

[GeneM]

Originally Posted by LeeV

Unless you’re independently wealthy, you have some time to approach this properly, using all the tips from the posts above. Save some money and treat yourselves to Annapolis this fall, or the next Miami show. Get a hotel, buy yourselves 2 sets of tickets each. Go all day Friday and see every cat there. Take a couple of notes about price, do we like galley up/down, size (e.g., not every builder makes a 40 footer), and your “top 3.” Then you have 2 options: Take Saturday to see Miami, have fun, rest up and go back Sunday refreshed and only look at your top 3, but much more carefully. OR, just go back Saturday and have at it.

Have fun!

If you want to just check a marina, try Harbortown on Merritt Island, just off 528. It's great for hurricane security. They have a broker on site.

[freelandken]

Originally Posted by krashx6

Would anyone recommend a Marina around the Orlando area that they know has a couple of catamarans? Using Google Maps satellite view, I could see a few around marinas at Port Canaveral, but those photos are months old, so they may be gone.

We're both pretty young (31), and after discovering that living on a sailboat is something people do, we've been hooked. It would be a long process to make that dream a reality, but we were hoping to just walk around a few marinas and see how big and what they looked like.

We'd eventually want a Leopard 42 or 43, but I read a brand new Lagoon 380 is 237k euros, so that may be a better option.

Thanks in advance cruisers!

Agree with LeeV. Annapolis is a great show. Much easier to navigate than Miami.

[Scaramanga F25]

See Caroline at the Catamaran company on st rd 84. Lots of cats there.

[MNGator]

Harbortown at Port Canaveral. One of the few Marina's you can actually wake and lots of friendly sailors to talk to.

[krashx6]

Thanks for all the replies so far guys!

We're going to checkout Harbortown Marina in Marritt Island since it's only an hour drive from us.

The boat show suggestion is perfect. We may not be able to go to the Annapolis one because it's difficult to find someone to watch our dogs. But the Miami one is perfect. 6 months away and we can drive there.

If anyone is familiar with the Wyns on YouTube, we're kind of following that same path. Don't know much about sailing, and are just taking it slow. With the show being 6 months out, that will give us a lot of time to learn about sailing more and also research all the equipment we would need on the boat, to know what we're looking for at the show.

Appreciate all the help everyone!

[jmschmidt]

Good advise to visit the Catamaran Company in person. Most listings can also be seen on Yachtworld.com, Moorings Brokerage and other websites with plenty of photos and sometimes even videos. Note: Leopards are US import duty exempt if not already imported.

Also, most really good marinas have locked access to the docks.

[krashx6]

Originally Posted by jmschmidt

Good advise to visit the Catamaran Company in person. Most listings can also be seen on Yachtworld.com, Moorings Brokerage and other websites with plenty of photos and sometimes even videos. Note: Leopards are US import duty exempt if not already imported.

Also, most really good marinas have locked access to the docks.

I've been checking Yahtworld daily for new listings.

I'm wondering how hard it is buying overseas.

[JasonS]

Definitely go to Miami boat show. You'll have a large selection to look at. Catamaran Company in Fort Lauderdale is a good suggestion too and if you head down this way, call Just Catamarans and Leopard Catamarans as well. They are both in Harbourtown Marina in Dania Beach. Just Catamarans usually has some used cats and they are the US dealer of Outremer.

Before you start making trips to look at them, start thinking about what you want to do:
- Live on board at a marina hooked up to electric and not move
- Cruise the east US coast? the Bahamas? the Caribbean? the World?
- What is your timeframe?
- How much money will you have for the boat? Figure you'll spend another 15-20% in the first year to fix/upgrade/insure.
- Figure boat insurance will run you 1-3% of hull value depending where you cruise, your experience, and type of coverage. Rates have gone up $$$$$ since last years hurricanes

We spent almost 4 years from our first boat show to purchase of our Manta 40. We looked at a lot of boats during that time. Attended Annapolis Boat Show, Cruisers University, St. Petersburg boat show, and several Miami boat shows. Several boats fell through during negotiations. We've now had our Manta over 5 years. Heading toward retirement, but taking longer than we thought (we're now 52 - our goal was 50). We're getting there and we're getting lot's of experience on our boat - we were out diving off it today.

Good luck. If you want to see a Manta 40 while you're down here, give me a PM and we'd be happy to show you ours. It's behind our house on a canal just off Hillsboro inlet in Lighthouse Point. We're the next inlet North of Ft. Lauderdale.