Living in Colorado and keeping a boat on the Florida coast

[CaptRory]

St. Petersburg is central to the west coast, the best coast for cruising islands and the keys. Way better than the east coast except it's a long way to the Bahamas. It has the Tampa International Airport and PIE which host Allegiant Airlines that flies into small cities. It's also a great city to hang out in. Southwest Fla Yachts in Ft. Myers has live aboard learn to cruise on trawlers and bareboat chartering. Punta Gorda/Ft Myers is another place to consider, Charlotte Harbor is great cruising.

[BandB]

One thought if having a boat and being able to use it two weeks at a time. Move it each two week period so that you're using it all up and down the coast. Fly in to one city and fly back home from another. You could have it in Marathon or Key Largo and fly into Miami. Use it, fly home from Ft. Lauderdale. Fly back to Ft. Lauderdale then home from West Palm. Half the year you could work your way north and half the year south.

[1Sunseeker]

As a former Boulderite speaking, any chance you could put your two weeks back to back? That could give you a month at times. Now as I always stress, look at renting for a while try out different boats, marinas and locations until you are more sure of what and where you want to be/do. Shucks lots of folks come to the PNW from Denver it's a short one day flight. Charter a boat in Anacortes, Bellingham, Nanaimo BC or even Vancouver, BC. You could see a lot of Beautiful British Columbia or the Salish Sea in two weeks minus two/three days over a bit of time. Plus try different boats until you find the one you really like. You won't want to do this ever month but alternate with Florida as the seasons allow. JMHO of course.

[DeepCut]

You might be better off being a charter boat owner with unlimited use/genorous usage policy. Defray some of the cost of ownership. Absentee owners are unlikely to make it 2 weeks per month as other activities will come up, occupying your time.

[mayberrybfd]

I live in Denver,,About a mile from Downtown,,,I had a boat in NC I lived 75 miles away,,,it was a neverending pain to moderately do projects at even that distance,,,,I cant Imagine the 1600 mile trip....and find dead batteries,locked up pumps,stolen stuff,,,and a protected anchorage for Hurricane season,,,,even living that close I was worried to death all the time,,,,Oriental NC is an Amazing place along with the city of New Bern NC,,,forget the house ,,,it was covered ,,,the boat ,not so much....Dave in Denver two years till retirement

[mayberrybfd]

Bareboat rental ,the best option i saw

[flyingfin]

Best airfares, and most number of daily flights, from CO to FL are either to Orlando, Ft Lauderdale or Tampa

So depending upon what type of boat you are buying and how much you want to spend on each month on dockage, I suggest you dock the boat in
a) Cocoa Beach/Daytona/Melbourne
b) St Petersburg/Clearwater/Palmetto
c) Ft Lauderdale

[capngeo]

I'm on the West Coast of FL. The cruising here is great, and there are many "yacht management" types around here that will look after your boat while away.

[SecondBase]

Originally Posted by ValiantV

Other issues aside, rather than looking (and paying) for a "service" to look after your boat, cultivate some friendships with locals - preferably liveaboards - in the marina you choose. They will certainly cost you a lot less and likely be "there" more than that guy you pay to look in on your boat from time to time.

We've found a couple of reliable locals who have shown us the waters since we're new to the area. They're scouted out better and less expensive slips for us, and helped us troubleshoot a few mechanical problems. All but the time we insisted on paying him for was all gratis and cost no more than a beer and being neighborly.

+1. Even unasked some of your neighbors will take care of an obvious issue when you aren't around. Make the rounds on the dock and get to know people. Liveaboards are also 24x7 security especially those with dogs.

[tomrealest]

This is a really interesting thread and I enjoy reading the different ideas and opinions.

I have owned a 58' Hatteras Cockpit Motor Yacht since 2002. The first 3 years I would move it to the Chesapeake Bay in the spring and to the Ft Lauderdale area in the fall. After I went to the Bahamas in the summer of the fourth year, I have never taken it north again. The boat is currently north of Boca Raton and in the late fall it will be somewhere between Ft Lauderdale and Pompano.

Since I bought it I have used the same mechanic out of Ft Lauderdale to take care of the maintenance. He visits the boat every 2 or 3 weeks and charges me by the hour including travel time. He checks everything that needs to be checked such as the water in the batteries, sea strainers of AC, etc, etc,. He starts all of the engines and puts the generators under load.

The boat needs to be washed regularly. I prefer women because they seem to do a better job and they understand how to clean the inside of the boat before we return. Check lists of Your expectations are extremely helpful especially if you inspect what you are paying for.

During the winter we cruise to Key West, Marathon, Key Largo, Miami and Miami Beach and West Palm Beach. We could go further north but we haven't for no particular reason. Summer's are in the Bahamas or sometimes Miami Beach because I like to party and dance like I am much younger than I am. Three events You may not want to miss at least once, would be the Columbus Day Regatta in Biscayne Bay, Fantasy Fest in Key West at the end of October and Sunfest in early May in West Palm Beach.

The idea of moving the boat each time you come down is interesting except I don't think you get the flavor of an area in a two week trip. Plus you have to see if whoever manages the boat can handle the moves. I could see doing it every other month. Or whenever you want to move on to another location. I use TripAdvisor.com to find restaurants and things to do in each area.

I am blessed that I have had the resources to be a little overboard on what I try to accomplish. I have always enjoyed taking care of my boat. When it was in Florida, I realized I didn't want to spend the small amount of time in Florida to wash, clean and maintain the boat. I wanted to use the boat!

You can e-mail me at tomrealest@aol.com

Just another perspective

[el taco loco]

Wow...what a terrific list of very helpful responses! My wife and I have read and re-read them all at least three times, and we want to express our deep appreciation that each of you has taken the time to assist us with your knowledge and experience. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

[Flyingriki]

Sorry, didn't read 40 answers. Did anyone mention lightning strikes? Amazingly common there. Can be simple, can be devastating. Guessing insurance companies figure it into premiums....

[BandB]

Originally Posted by tomrealest

I use TripAdvisor.com to find restaurants and things to do in each area.

Wifey B: We use trip advisor tons and gobs for finding places and things we want to see. We use it some for restaurants but use google more.

[SecondBase]

Originally Posted by DenverSailors

The point for the OP? Ensure you find a place near an international airport!

Orlando has amazing air access, frequent scheduling and low cost fares. It is a short ride to the Port Canaveral area and a Class A inlet. On the other hand those planes are full of kids. Only 34 miles with very little traffic from the airport to Cocoa FL on the AICW.

[Robin1]

Originally Posted by el taco loco

Hello to all. I am new to this forum and am excited that I found you all!

My wife and I are contemplating the option of keeping a boat...likely a trawler in the 45' range...somewhere on the Florida coast. We are currently able to get away from home for about two weeks each month, year round. Boating here is...well, you can imagine. Regardless, it is a bit difficult to wrap our minds around keeping a boat so far from home.

We would like to keep a boat in a place that is somewhat "central" to likely cruising destinations, up and down the coast.

Q: Where in Florida would you suggest? Are there any specific marinas in that area that we should look at?

Q: What would you say would be on the top five list of considerations for "absentee boat ownership" in this region, so to speak?

We assume that arrangements can be made to have our boat looked after (a fee-based service) if we aren't there for, say, a few months at a time. Is this even a thing?

Many thanks in advance to all who have advice to share!

There are a lot of people who live on the he water. Ft Lauderdale residents often have extra dockage available in the 150-300 dollar range. Marinas are expensive and they don't care. Having your boat looked after by a homeowner is fantastic. I have a number for you if you like. Also Dockwalk ft Lauderdale magazine usually has ads for space.
Best of luck
Captain Robin Mary Drummond