Sticker Shock

[alansmith]

Found a nice trimaran in south east florida. She is 34X23 foot. A Hammerhead by Chris White. But I got a call from a dockage guy who told me that it would cost 750 dollars a month to dock her at his private residence...a 50 foot dock. I said it was way out of my league.

I am west coast based so very unfamiliar with Florida's burgeoning boat scene. My question are these who are familiar with rents:

If you rent a can in a mooring field. Are there spaces available year round?
What is the cost and availability?

Can you supply me with any contact information of agents that are in the business that you can recommend?

I told my wife that I felt sick to my stomach to hear such a price.

Are there options off shore like Bahamas, P.Rico, A.Virgin Is, etc...or is more of the same pain down there?

I can take this boat apart and trailer It to the west coast but I need to keep the boat out of California for an entire year...can you guess?

any help appreciated...I love this boat but it would appear that it is unaffordable if mooring is that high. Could the boat be stored on the hard anywhere within reason for a reasonable price that does involve selling my wife or left kidney? Yes, my wife is more important to me than any thing...so it is just a phrase...

Here is picture of boat...

[roverhi]

If you live in SoCal, $750 should seem like a steal for a 23' wide boat.

[smj]

Try Port LaBelle Marina. http://portlabellemarina.com In the center of the state and accessible if your mast is under 55'. Well priced at $4 per foot per month and they have very wide multihull slips.


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[Training Wheels]

Very nice boat! I'd just ship it to CA and pay the sales tax, it's not THAT much. How much will it cost you to do the required trips to the boat to hopefully get the exemption? Time off work? Other expenses having the boat so far away?
If you do it now, you do have a year to pay the taxes. If your in a county that is aggressive, they might deny your exemption anyway.

[Tayana42]

Have you found anyplace in California that will cost less than $750?


S/V B'Shert

[Training Wheels]

$750 for a 50' end tie is a reasonable price. If you're set on FL, you could check out moorings. Of course, there is that hurricane thing........


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[Schooner Chandlery]

Where in California will you ultimately keep the boat?


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[leftbrainstuff]

A not unreasonable price.

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[Shanachie]

Get used to it. Stopping in a marina will cost you $125-150 a night with that boat.

[tomfl]

Southeast Florida is a big place and the cost of mooring, docking, and storing on the hard has a large range. As a rule the cost is determined by the law of supply and demand. A prime spot in a location with easy access to the ocean with good commercial/transportation access will cost more than a place you have to pass under many bridges and far from roads.

Folks who have lived in Florida all their lives often say Florida has four seasons, football season, love bug season, hurricane season, and tourist season. During tourist season there is a greater demand for places to keep a boat. During hurricane season there is greater demand for places to store a boat on the hard.

$US750 a month may be reasonable or unreasonable depending on the season and location. Lots of folks are more than willing to pay that for what they consider a prime location. On the other hand it is not really hard to find something for half that price if you are willing to move the boat.

The same is true for the other locations you mention. PR is a little different in that it is part of the US while the other non US locations may require some type of importation fee/tax if you keep the boat there for any length of time.

As SMJ noted Port La Belle is one of many places on the Okeechobee Waterway where the price of storing boats is normally lower than anywhere else in the state. Just as an aside my boat is on the Okeechobee Waterway now, stuck due to the massive release of water from Lake Okeechobee which has parts of the waterway a couple of feet above flood stage so the 54 foot bridge I need to clear has about 50/51 feet of clearence. Another option is Green Cove Springs on the St. Johns River close to Jacksonville.

I would suggest you first try and determine just where you want to store your boat and then go to the ActiveCaptain web site and see what is available in that area. Next you will need to call the marina/yard and see if they have any room.

The Hammerhead from Chris is a great boat.

[alansmith]

Thanks guys, I will check the places mentioned. I live in S.F. Bay Area. To be honest with u I never checked it here either because it will cost 8.85%sales tax in Heil Hitler state! That is 7k or more...thank u very mucho. So, if I can keep it elsewhere it would be ok. As I said this boat is dismantable. Not easy like a Farrier design but do-able.

Ah, and their is a sweet little 39 foot Dick Newick screamer Cat up in Maine. I am gobsmacked in love with her also. Reminds me of the time when I left Guam after 2 years and went to a college dance and there were lovely women everywhere u looked. Dazzled. He he.

[smj]

If you keep the boat in Florida you will be liable for a 6-6.5% tax.


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[alansmith]

I just am loathe to pay that much tax. The rabbit brain is hard at work.

[Training Wheels]

Welcome to the U. S. of A! Remember, you can't just leave the boat in another country for a year, you have to prove you went and used it for a certain number of times during that year. Did I mention, great boat!


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[alansmith]

Thanks gents, rabbit brain close to meltdown.