Florida St John's River to Tampa area?

[zimbu]

Hello,
I have a general navigation question up for perusal or advice.
There is a V-Hull Houseboat I am interested in.
Its in the Sanford/Deland area of Florida on a lake in the St John's chain.
She's in the 45-50' length range, and I would need to get it to the Tampa Bay area.
So the question is.
Anyone have anything to contribute about the possible route?
St John's to east coast then Okeechobee waterway?
Or is a ground route the best choice, or even feasible for a boat of this size?

Any info, insight or ideas are welcome.
Thanks a bunch.
Zim

[fgd3]

Originally Posted by zimbu

Hello,
I have a general navigation question up for perusal or advice.
There is a V-Hull Houseboat I am interested in.
Its in the Sanford/Deland area of Florida on a lake in the St John's chain.
She's in the 45-50' length range, and I would need to get it to the Tampa Bay area.
So the question is.
Anyone have anything to contribute about the possible route?
St John's to east coast then Okeechobee waterway?
Or is a ground route the best choice, or even feasible for a boat of this size?

Any info, insight or ideas are welcome.
Thanks a bunch.
Zim

St. John's River to East Coast ICW to Okeechobee water to West Coast ICW to Tampa Bay seems the logical route. It's well protected most of the way. The stretches of open water (Lake Okeechobee, Charlotte Harbor, Tampa Bay) are small enough that you can transit them safely by waiting for a weather window. It's a very pleasant trip.

There are transport companies which haul boats that size over the road. Joule Yacht Transport (http://www.jouleyacht.com/) operates out of Clearwater and will give you an estimate.

Fabbian

[zimbu]

Holy expeditious response Batman !

Thank you, very much, I stop by and read the forum almost every day.
The people and posts are most informative, and not to say the least,
funny on occasion.

Again thank you fgd3,
Zimmer

[opsailor]

Take the water route if you have time. Great route to do a shakedown, with anchorages and marinas and boatyards galore. With TowBoatUS, you'll enjoy yourself.