Need: Ft. Myers Liveaboard Marina

[cabo_sailor]

We're looking for suggestions on liveaboard marinas in the Ft. Meyers area that are relatively close to a hospital. My wife is an RN and will be looking for work. In addition to the proximity to a hospital the place must be capable of entry by our 38 footer with 5 ft draft. The time frame we would like to be there for is approximately Nov of this year to May next year.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Rich

[drew.ward]

I'm in the same boat (ok not in that boat exactly) but I have noticed that googling marinas + florida, marina + sales, liveabord etc doesn't seem to bring up the best results.

Is there a good online directory of marinas and which allow liveaboards and average costs and such?

[Dreaming Yachtsman]

Try ActiveCaptain. It is a fairly comprehensive list of marinas with reviews of their services.

[forsailbyowner]

City marina between downtown bridges , also have anchorage. Ball includes dinghy dock, showers, parking laundry etc

[markpj23]

City Marina might be unreachable due to your air draft - 55ft maximum to get in there I believe.

Ft Myers beach would be closest to a hospital. There is a mooring field there just inside the Matanzas Inlet and south of the fixed bridge (65ft) leading to Ft Myers Beach. Your draft will be no problem. Not sure about dockside live-aboard slips but there are several marinas there.

Best resource for FL information I've found is Cruisers Net your best source for up to date information on the Waterway - Home

[cabo_sailor]

Thanks, I'll look into those resources. We're transitioning into cruising by hopping to different ports where my wife can continue to work and bring in some cash while we evaluate if cruising is for us. If it is we might take a 3 month contract cruise for 9 and so on.

Rich

[Just a Tinch]

Right at the moment...off the top of my head...there is really only one marina that I can think of that meets your needs.... Centennial Marina in Fort Myers.
It is to the west of the bridges, about 200 yards or so... Actually its called "Legacy Harbor Marina" now.... I googled it up as Centennial. It probably is still listed as "Centennial" on the charts though.

It will cost you above $15 a foot, and $130 a mo liveaboard, plus electricity is metered, and sales tax on all of it. If your stick is higher than ?? feet, there is a problem getting under the bridge to get to the city marina or the mooring field. I am not sure of the US 41 bridge height...so you would have to consult the charts for the Caloosahatchie River.

That is the closest marina for your use. There is a marina just the other side of the river..."Marina Town".....and with a 5'+ draft...you would possibly run aground in their channel at high tide. We had our boat in there about 9 years ago....didn't like it....not a good area of town and other asundry reasons. Publix...one of the largest grocery chains in FL closed their store that was about 3 blocks from the marina back around the time we left there....the legal liability for the number of their customers who were getting mugged in the parking lot got too high.

We live on our trawler about 30 miles north of Fort Myers.... and I've been in the area for 12 years....

The problem in the area is this: Developers bought marinas, built condo's around them, made the slips private....shortage of slips.

My advice...and mind you, I'm just playing "devils advocate", on two items is this:

1. Secure a liveaboard slip in writing and have your deposit it on it before your wife secures the position! You are wanting to secure a slip when it is the busiest time of the year in SW FL, and as you will see if you check the rates for Legacy Marina....the rates are higher Nov 1 thru April 30. You would need to reserve that slip, if they have any available....NOW. They may have standing reservations from people who come back in the winter.
In the marina that I am in....a year or two ago....if you left...and you expected to return to the slip the following winter....you paid for your slip all year...that was the only guarantee you could get.

2. Have your wife get a written contract from the hospital, stating everything, especially the pay ie, weekly salary or the hourly rate, and benefits. There has been more than one RN and other health care professionals promised much, and then after getting there and reporting for work....found out that what they were promised verbally has gotten revamped...and where wages are concerned....it usually ends up lower.

The bright side in it all..... FL's economy is so far in the dumps its pathetic....and even our marina....with 420 slips....has about 170 empty slips at last report. Who knows....maybe the same will be the case in Fort Myers..... The marina I am in is about 30-35 miles away from the Hospital in Fort Myers.....but there are no bridges and at a midtide you could get in and out.... And if you are in the mood to become a real estate tycoon....the recession has triggered massive foreclosures in the area....houses are at bargain prices, and FL has actually experienced a drop in its "population". Google these words: Foreclosures Fort Myers FL ....and you will find that the biggest business in the surrounding area is trying to sell off all of the foreclosures.... After the summer of 2004 when we had 4 hurricanes hit FL...homeowners insurance rates went out of sight, and real estate prices soared...people who bought homes got nailed for much higher property taxes....and with the recession, couldn't hang on to the houses. Many of those were the older retired people with two homes...living off their investments....

I apologize if I gave you any bad news....but I would rather give you some honest information than not.

[cosmosmariner]

Originally Posted by Just a Tinch

I apologize if I gave you any bad news....but I would rather give you some honest information than not.

WOW! I didn't ask the questions but your post helped me out a lot! We are going to move our boat from Charleston, SC back to the west coast of FL end of this year. We have been investigating marinas from New Port Richie to Naples. I was leaning toward Ft. Myers but I think I'll lean elsewhere. Thanks for the straight up info it tacks with other info I've gotten about the area.