Florida Dock Rant

[DotDun]

Originally Posted by HopCar

Whoa Fellas! Lay off the tourists. I love tourists, especially tourists in boats. Ready2go has a point, floating docks are very nice. Take a look at the docks at Bahia Mar. Those are really nice. Notice how tall the concrete pilings are? That's so the dock won't float off the piling in a hurricane. Of course $600 wouldn't last very long at Bahia Mar.

The problem with floating docks are hurricane winds. Comparing floating vs. fixed, the ratio of pilings per foot of deck or boat is what 12 to 1? In a hurricane, I'd much rather have 12 pilings to tie off to than 1 holding both boats and dock. In big winds, it's all about how many 'anchors' you have.

[Noname]

Floating docks would have been nice here, especially when the water was higher. My boat was here for several years and floated through this 2003 Hurricane Isabel event.

[Kettlewell]

You think that's bad--you should visit parts of Canada and Maine with 20, 30, even 50 feet of tide and no floating dock! A lot of Canadian harbors have a big fixed wharf and you need some really long spring lines when you have 50 feet of tide. And sometimes it is easier to leap from the dock into the rigging and shinny down the mast than it is to climb down a long, slimy ladder. Been there done that.

Dockage rates may seem high in Florida to you, but they are very low compared to New England, where we do have a lot of floating docks, but not all the time. A lot of mooring balls are as much as $40-$65 per night in southern New England. I personally prefer to anchor--safer, cheaper, quieter, easier, and a lot more fun than being tied up in a floating ghetto, which is what most marinas resemble.

[skipmac]

Originally Posted by READY2GO

As far people in Florida not liking tourists, if it weren't for tourists Florida would probably have 60% unemployement and be begging to borrow money from California.

Okay let the civil war resume.

Oh, don't get us wrong. We looooovvvve tourists in FL. Come on down, leave all your money and go home happy, sunburned and broke.

[Vasco]

The Floridians love it in the spring when the New Yorkers go home, with a Canadian under each arm!

Here's another variation:

A Floridian, a New Yorker and a Canadian are in a bar one night having a beer.

The New Yorker drinks his beer and suddenly throws his glass in the air, pulls out a gun and shoots the glass to pieces. He says, "In New York, our glasses are so cheap that we don't need to drink from the same ones twice."

The Canadian (obviously impressed by this) drinks his beer, throws his glass into the air, pulls out his gun and shoots the glass to pieces. He says, "In Canada, we have so much sand to make the glasses that we don't need to drink out of the same glass twice either."

The Floridian, cool as a cucumber, picks up his beer and drinks it, throws his glass into the air, pulls out his gun and shoots the New Yorker and the Canadian. He says ,"In Florida, we have so many New Yorkers and Canadians that we don't need to drink with the same ones twice."

[Steve W]

Location, location, location: $1,000/year = KENTUCKY. On a lake.

Sounds like the deal of the century. If you love sailing. On a lake. In KENTUCKY.

[tropicalescape]

Originally Posted by Vasco

The Floridians love it in the spring when the New Yorkers go home, with a Canadian under each arm!

Here's another variation:

A Floridian, a New Yorker and a Canadian are in a bar one night having a beer.

The New Yorker drinks his beer and suddenly throws his glass in the air, pulls out a gun and shoots the glass to pieces. He says, "In New York, our glasses are so cheap that we don't need to drink from the same ones twice."

The Canadian (obviously impressed by this) drinks his beer, throws his glass into the air, pulls out his gun and shoots the glass to pieces. He says, "In Canada, we have so much sand to make the glasses that we don't need to drink out of the same glass twice either."

The Floridian, cool as a cucumber, picks up his beer and drinks it, throws his glass into the air, pulls out his gun and shoots the New Yorker and the Canadian. He says ,"In Florida, we have so many New Yorkers and Canadians that we don't need to drink with the same ones twice."

Everybody knows New Yorkers and Canadians dont have no guns,even Bubba knows that..

[bella]

Originally Posted by READY2GO

.

As far people in Florida not liking tourists, if it weren't for tourists Florida would probably have 60% unemployement and be begging to borrow money from California.

Actually the premise that the largest money maker in Fla is toursim is a misnomer. Agriculture is.. We are or were #4 in Cattle production in the US, or were. Citrus/winter vegies/fruit trees like Mango and Avocados are huge moneymakers.
Unemployment is at a healty 10% statewide and 14% here in Pinellas.
I am sure, however, that no one will object to you visiting and leaving $$$ behind.

[Noname]

Hey! At least the Northerners and Military retirees that land in florida bring $$ and a good tax base and for the most part are not a burden on the State. The same cannot be said for the residents of the state that "jumped" the border in a non-legal fashion. Whats this got to do with dockage, anyway???

[Geoduck]

I loved doing business in Florida! DO DA, DO DA, OH DO DA DAY!
I also loved my dock at Summerfields during the hurricane when it was 3 ft under water during the tidal surge!
I had my boat hauled and left it in the slings on the travel lift during H David in 79. Not much of a hurricane - only hit 85 knts. I didnt think any hurricane could knock over a travel lift and I DIDNT GET MY FEET WET WALKING DOWN THE DOCK!
What a party! Summerfields boat yard - what a great yard! I ran the welding shop there for a season - had a bawl!
I wonder if Fred & Charlie are still around?

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Vasco

pulls out his gun and shoots

Gotta love CF, the only forum on the net where a dock rant can transmogrify into a gun thread.

[travler37]

Originally Posted by READY2GO

First off, I'm not saying the docks here are wrong. I'm saying you don't get much for your money. We were at one of the finest marinas on Kentucky Lake for two years, floating docks, had to be the lake had about a 20' differnce in low and high levels. We paid $1,000 a YEAR. You can't tell me for the money that is charged here that the docks could not be better.

I also didn't say I couldn't deal with it. Agin just don't think you get much for the amount of money you are paying. But it all goes back to supply and demand. When the demand is great you can charge alot and give a little, when the demand is low, you charge less and give more.

As far people in Florida not liking tourists, if it weren't for tourists Florida would probably have 60% unemployement and be begging to borrow money from California.

Okay let the civil war resume.

Looks to the bow,
Something there that is free to drop in the right place that should keep your boat in place till you grt back to it.

Looks to the stern,
something floating there hopefully with those paddle things that cost nothing to use.......

Yup,Is a rant
Mark

[Noname]

Originally Posted by Bash

Gotta love CF, the only forum on the net where a dock rant can transmogrify into a gun thread.

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by smj

We paid a little over $200 per month for floating docks in Texas.....guess that says a lot about the quality of cruising here!

Texas has its flaws...

[Rakuflames]

Originally Posted by READY2GO

First off, I'm not saying the docks here are wrong. I'm saying you don't get much for your money. We were at one of the finest marinas on Kentucky Lake for two years, floating docks, had to be the lake had about a 20' differnce in low and high levels. We paid $1,000 a YEAR. You can't tell me for the money that is charged here that the docks could not be better.

I also didn't say I couldn't deal with it. Agin just don't think you get much for the amount of money you are paying. But it all goes back to supply and demand. When the demand is great you can charge alot and give a little, when the demand is low, you charge less and give more.

As far people in Florida not liking tourists, if it weren't for tourists Florida would probably have 60% unemployement and be begging to borrow money from California.

Okay let the civil war resume.

What you get for your money is ... FLORIDA. If you don't want that, don't come here. I've never said I don't like tourists.

Clearly we can't tell you (explain) anything. If you feel you're being cheated, find a cheaper place to visit.