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Old 05-09-2013, 22:35   #31
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Pasadena Marina is a nice and well kept marina in Saint Petersburg, Fl. The people are friendly and helpful and it has quite a few liveaboards.
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Old 05-09-2013, 22:37   #32
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Originally Posted by IrishWake30 View Post

Anywhere coastal with a marina. It's not my final destination, but perhaps a 6 month stay to complete preparations on my boat.
Also at Pasadena they have a good work area for doing projects.
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Old 06-09-2013, 01:06   #33
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Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove
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Old 06-09-2013, 15:50   #34
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Re: Friendliest marinas in Florida?

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Originally Posted by tamicatana View Post
Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage in Stuart was about the friendliest, nicest place I stayed when I traversed the ICW from Virginia to the Gulf
Ditto, Sunset Bay Marina
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Old 06-09-2013, 16:51   #35
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Re: Friendliest marinas in Florida?

Quote:
Originally Posted by beachlvr0168 View Post
Also at Pasadena they have a good work area for doing projects.

That's a really good point. It's somewhat sheltered from the rain, has saw horses and such, well away from the boats so no one comes home to sawdust all over their deck. Taking care of your garbage is a bit of a nuisance but that's a really small complaint!

I also like that everyone there is on a month-to-month. No lease, so if the owner, who is a lawyer, wants someone out -- they're out. She booted two people out while I was there, both because of spousal abuse bad enough to bring the sherriffs around.

Also, some of the slips are shallow. Mine was. Came home one Feb night after being there about 3 months to see my boat perfectly centered in the slip. "Dang, I'm getting good at this!" I thought.

No. The boat was aground in her slip. With my mild coordination problems it wasn't safe for me to try to climb on under the circumstances. I knew the cats had food and water, and ... I went to a motel.

Couldn't sleep ... the "boat" wasn't moving!

So then I learned to tie my boat up on the loose side. Then as she swayed around in the slip she dug herself a little hole, and I never ran aground in the slip again. Getting in and out can be tricky, and if you run aground in the water around the marina you're going to have a time of it getting off -- I call the bottom there "God's superglue."

But it's nice marina and they're selective about who they let in.
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Old 06-09-2013, 16:53   #36
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Re: Friendliest marinas in Florida?

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Dinner Key Marina in Coconut Grove

I'll second that one too. They have a complementary water taxi you can take in and out to your boat -- unless it's stormy. Then it's their choice whether they run or not. But nice, helpful people, and the boat my friend had there held its mooring through all the squalls both Isaac and Debby brought last year. They were also really good about providing us with anti-chafe for the lines going to the mooring (yes I know they have a name but it's escaped me for the moment).
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Old 06-09-2013, 17:05   #37
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Re: Friendliest marinas in Florida?

thanks for starting this thread, i was going to ask in about 2 months.
what are the FL monthly rates like? i will be there 3 or 4 months this winter most likely.
i would like to be by tampa, busch gardens is right there!
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Old 06-09-2013, 17:21   #38
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Re: Friendliest marinas in Florida?

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.
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Old 06-09-2013, 22:47   #39
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At Pasadena Marina it is $10 a foot and liveaboard fee is $170 per month, includes ice, water, and so so wifi.
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Old 07-09-2013, 01:57   #40
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Re: Friendliest marinas in Florida?

wow, $170 is a hack of a liveaboard fee. i wonder, do they offer metered electric instead?
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Old 07-09-2013, 02:00   #41
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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, we have stayed at TD several times very nice place made some great friends there. Dinked across to Regatta Pointe seemed run down and had an area with more than one sunk vessel.
Prices though at TD are nearly as high as in the keys. We pay the same rate as in Tavernier yet have beautiful water all around us and lobsters and snapper right at the boat.
Another option is Calusa Marina in Goodland (marco) Fl. Great rates half of anywhere else and everyone is super nice.
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Old 07-09-2013, 05:34   #42
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Re: Friendliest marinas in Florida?

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I have lived at Pasadena Marina and Twin Dolphin in Bradenton. Of the two, both are very good and about the same price for what you get, but I prefer TD.

First of all -- no bridges to get where you want. The sail out the Manatee River is beautiful.

But the marina itself is very nice. Heated pool and jacuzzi, bbq grill. If you want to have friends over they'll set a table up for you at the pool. At the marina across the river, food isn't allowed around the pool.

The staff are knowledgeable and tremendously helpful. You get what you pay for and then some.

It's located right at the heart of downtown Bradenton, which is quite nice, lots of good restaurants near by, public library, theater and museum all within easy walking distance.

Gated access to each main dock, and they change the codes often. As a single female I feel very safe here. There was no security at Pasadena.

Only drawback is that it's right on the Riverwalk. So if you don't like jazz, too bad, because you will hear it during the jazz festival. There is no reserved parking; you park on a public street, so you are not guaranteed a parking space. When I came home on July 4 the police let me use their lot (right across the street from the marina) only because my driver's license listed the marina as my address. But we all had a spectacular view of the fireworks behind those gates.

The shower rooms are spacious and clean. I just like it here very much.
We stayed at Twin Dolphin back in 2010 on the way to the Bahamas and loved it. It was really hard to leave. If we went live aboard, that's where we would go do it.
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Old 07-09-2013, 10:54   #43
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Re: Friendliest marinas in Florida?

If you join a yacht club that belongs to the Florida Council of Yacht Clubs, you will have reciprocal benefits at your disposal that will allow you one night free dockage per month at each of the other member clubs. Since there are 35 member clubs & no more than 31 days per month, that means that it would be theoretically possible for you to have a free place to tie up every night & try them all out, if you don't mind moving around all the time. After you do the loop, you can then choose your favorite for a longer stay.

http://www.floridacouncilofyachtclubs.com/
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Old 07-09-2013, 20:57   #44
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Re: Friendliest marinas in Florida?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Rakuflames View Post
Also, some of the slips are shallow. Mine was. Came home one Feb night after being there about 3 months to see my boat perfectly centered in the slip. "Dang, I'm getting good at this!" I thought.

No. The boat was aground in her slip. With my mild coordination problems it wasn't safe for me to try to climb on under the circumstances. I knew the cats had food and water, and ... I went to a motel.

Couldn't sleep ... the "boat" wasn't moving!

So then I learned to tie my boat up on the loose side. Then as she swayed around in the slip she dug herself a little hole, and I never ran aground in the slip again. Getting in and out can be tricky, and if you run aground in the water around the marina you're going to have a time of it getting off -- I call the bottom there "God's superglue."
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.
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Old 07-09-2013, 21:08   #45
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I've been living aboard in Pensacola for 13 yrs. The downtown marinas are right in the heart of everything. My now ex wife and current girlfriend both felt/feel safe on the streets/docks by themselves.

There are DIY yards in the area that let you live aboard while on the hard.

And to top it off, the National Sea Shore is your backyard/playground with countless anchorages, no anchoring ordinances, and the FWC leaves you alone.

Later,
NJ
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?
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