Friendliest marinas in Florida?

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Hud3

I have to ditto Rakuflame's recommendation of Twin Dolphins Marina in Bladenton. Kept my boat there for a year. Very well managed, very nice well-kept facilities, and friendly people. The town's nice, too.

Regatta Pointe in Palmetto (across the river) didn't impress me.

I agree, and it's a problem with Pasadena Marina as well. Tonight a friend sailed in from Apollo Beach. Three people -- one of whom I didn't even know -- were at her dock to make sure she was able to tie up safey and securely. Then we took a short walk down Old Main St. to a terrific restaurant and had dinner. Tomorrow we'll get up early, walk down the same street on the other side and have breakfast before she leaves. If she leaves before the marina staff arrive at 9AM there will be people there again in case she needs help turning her boat and to make sure she gets out OK. There was a wicked current when she came in ... you want to be as close to the River Walk as you can be here. But Regatta Pointe has the same problem. The Manatee River has a strong current.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by beachlvr0168

At Pasadena Marina it is $10 a foot and liveaboard fee is $170 per month, includes ice, water, and so so wifi.

Don't get me wrong. I liked Pasadena Marina and would not hesitate to return there .... but it's $9 a foot plus $170 a month here.

At Pasadena, your electric blll is extra. At Twin Dolphin, it's included (there's another extra fee if you have 50 Amp or two 30 Amp cords, but I manage well with 1 30 AMP cord.

Both include WiFi, but Bradenton's is faster and more reliable. Pasadena tracks how much you use it; TD does not. AND ... TD includes basic cable TV.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by IrishWake30

I have lived at my current marina for 3 years. My dock has gone downhill in the past year. There is always some kind of drama that requires calling the police. The port has done little to eliminate the problem 'tenants'.

This weekend I was able to move to another dock to try out the 'new neighborhood'. Only two slips were available. One was so shallow I would have been sideways aground, so I moved while I still could. The slip I'm in now is also shallow, but not as shallow as the first one I was in. Right now, at low tide, my keel is touching bottom and could possibly be about 3" settled into the muck.

I like your method of letting your boat dig a little hole and I'm wondering if I stayed here any length of time over the next month or two, would I be doing any damage to the keel during low tide? My options for a slip in the marina with some peace and quiet are running out.

That's very low level pressure on the keel. It might affect the bottom paint, but so does grounding. I suspect I had ... er ... polished ... the tip of my keel in ... other ways than how I tied it up in the slip.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by beachlvr0168

At Pasadena Marina it is $10 a foot and liveaboard fee is $170 per month, includes ice, water, and so so wifi.

I meant to mention that Pasadena does include ice in their fee, and there's really no limit. There's also a good source for dry ice if you want to use that on a trip.

You have to pay for your ice at TD. So I bit the bullet and got a fridge.

[neptunesjester]

Originally Posted by RolfP

My sister in law has a house in Pensacola, so I've often thought of moving my boat there. Any suggestions on a particular marina for a part time liveaboard? I like the idea of a DIY boatyard also, where I am free to stay on the boat on the hard. What about the hurricane season, do you move, hunker down, or haul out?

Hi RolfP,
There are a number if marina possibilities. It all depends on your preferred price point vs amenties. There are also slips behind private homes to be had. For protected marinas, check out the shores of Bayou Chico. This is the nexus of marinas for Pensacola.


For hurricanes, I run up the Escambia river but I can get under the bridges. My sail boat friends haul out and all who did survived a direct hit by Ivan with no damage.

Later,
Dan

[RolfP]

Originally Posted by neptunesjester

Hi RolfP,
There are a number if marina possibilities. It all depends on your preferred price point vs amenties. There are also slips behind private homes to be had. For protected marinas, check out the shores of Bayou Chico. This is the nexus of marinas for Pensacola.

For hurricanes, I run up the Escambia river but I can get under the bridges. My sail boat friends haul out and all who did survived a direct hit by Ivan with no damage.

Later,
Dan

Great info, thanks Dan.

--Rolf

[Rocketman]

If you are looking at first class facility's you might want to check out Marco Island Marina. It will run 500-600 per month with metered electric and possibly a live a board fee, but it is very nice and very safe. They have a yacht club for dinning, very cheap to join, very nice club house, work out room, swimming pool, club house and large gated parking lot. If you are riff raff don't bother they will find a way to get you out, but if you are looking for very nice, safe, friendly and first class this could be your place.

[Hudson Force]

I'd like to recommend a marina where I used to keep a liveaboard slip for a 33' boat with great amenties for fifty dollars a month, but that was in 1972 and the place has changed! We cruise about a lot and I no longer keep a permanent slip, but I've continued to return to my favorite place from Thanksgiving through the new year. South of Jacksonville, Florida on the wide, slow moving, protected waters of the St. Johns River there is the Flemming Island Marina,- an easy going, inexpensive, low-salinity marina with a great bicycle path to all shopping needs (we don't own a car). This fine place has been my "home port" since 1981 when it was Whitney's Marina.

[IrishWake30]

Thank you, everyone! You have given me a lot of information I can check into and have saved me quite a bit of time of research. I appreciate your responses and input very much.

[Eddien]

Stay away from Regatta point. They are more interested in their restaurants than boaters. Pump out is constantly broke with no alternative method, wifi is non existent , and parking is at the mercy of any event. It's like living in a shopping center. I moved to Twin Dolphins as did many others.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by Eddien

Stay away from Regatta point. They are more interested in their restaurants than boaters. Pump out is constantly broke with no alternative method, wifi is non existent , and parking is at the mercy of any event. It's like living in a shopping center. I moved to Twin Dolphins as did many others.

I agree. Regatta Pointe is weird. It looks great on the surface, and they'll tell you a good tale should you go check it out, but Twin Dolphin is directly across the river from them but miles above them in quality.

That said, the waterline at C dock (my dock) broke. Workers have worked very hard for several days to set up a temporary system while they build a permanent one -- but something happened and the temporary one broke.

It's after 6PM on Saturday night and they're still workong on it, trying to restore water to us. When this first happened, they left big jugs of bottled water for everyone who was a live-aboard on that dock. They do things right at TD.

[Robin3]

Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach is very friendly with plenty of liveaBOARDs. We lived aboard for a year unmoving ashore after I had a stroke, we now have a different boat , gone back to sail from our liveaboard mobo, but the ne boat is also now in Halifax. the marina is very sheltered with floating docks our insurers like it and and we pay no premium for named storms in hurricane season albeit the deductible goes up. Only slight drawback is depths in the ICW are a bit thin if you have deep draught, we are 5ft 5 inches and OK, neighbours have 6.5ft and have to be more careful. POnce iNlet is a little over an hour away south and they have been dredging around there in recent weeks . Our land home overlooks the icw and boats frequently sail past in both directions often just under a headsail, but not if they have to tack upwind as the channel is not that wide.... WE pay $10/ft/month on an annual basis plus extra for electrics ( fixed charge per cord ( 30 or 50amp) per month

SEe herehttp://www.halifaxharbormarina.com/

[mfeene01]

My wife and I are living in Cocoa Village Marina on the Banana River ICW in Cocoa, FL. right now. It is a great live aboard marina with no long term lease (month-to-month only) and two basins with different rate structures and no liveaboard fees. They also accept transients if you want to try it out. The town is just across the street so plenty of shops and restaurants. Nice facilities including a marina owned laundry. Place is clean and staff are very friendly. Take a look at cocoavillagemarina_dot_com for more info and rates.

Mike F.

[Group9]

Originally Posted by RolfP

My sister in law has a house in Pensacola, so I've often thought of moving my boat there. Any suggestions on a particular marina for a part time liveaboard? I like the idea of a DIY boatyard also, where I am free to stay on the boat on the hard. What about the hurricane season, do you move, hunker down, or haul out?

Bear Point Marina in Orange Beach, AL is just a few miles from Pensacola and is a good liveaboard marina. Rates are $250 to $400 depending on location and availability.

[Eddien]

If you are interested in the Keys there are three I've checked into. The Marathon boatyard and marina at the southermost point in Marathon, the city marina and Sombrero marina - not the resort (where I am going to be come Jan 2014)