East Coast US - best shoreside location for a US base?

[timbenner]

Originally Posted by aquadreams

Thanks everyone for the feedback. Keep it coming. Lots of great places for us to check out.

I know $400k-$500k won't get much in pricey areas. Could budget more, just depends whether we sell a house or finance this one out of pocket.

So LI Sound, Rhode Island and north of Boston are what we'll check out first.

One question - How difficult is it to get insurance, for example for named storms, in Florida, South Carolina, etc. I've seen folks mention that some companies won't insure south of Cape Hatteras. We're going to want to insure - I know many folks chose not to and I respect that, just not my path.


Thanks,
Joe

Guess you missed my post above. There is NO PROBLEM getting insurance in Florida!!!!! That is a myth!!! I outlined for you above, that BoatUS and many more companies write insurance in Florida, with NO RESTRICTIONS regarding where you are.

I'm from up north as well, but have been in Florida for 50 years. Not sure why you would want to stay up north, unless of course Trump builds another wall between us and Canada to stop all of that cold air from coming down. Short of that, I'll stay where it doesn't freeze.

Another thought. Florida has primarily sand bottoms, up north it's all rocks!! I have side scan sonar, but still try to stay away from rocks.

[captlloyd]

Ever think about the Great Lakes? A spot there could provide everything you are looking for. And you can still head south in the fall.

[wcrosby]

Originally Posted by aquadreams

Thanks for all the great feedback! Pretty much confirmed what I thought. I plan to check out Rhode Island north through Maine. We'll give NC another look - currently have a rental property in Raleigh and friends in Wilmington so we'll be back out that way soon anyway. We were there for the 4th of July and my gosh it was too hot!

I really do like the thought of Maine so definitely want to check it out.

We have a couple of years to look so that area may be our next charter.

Thanks again!

Joe

If you are going to look at Rhode Island, take a look at Warwick -- it's 6nm up from Newport, but a lot cheaper. You should be able to get something on Warwick Neck, and Brewer has a ton of boatyards in the area you can dock at.

[savoir]

Originally Posted by aquadreams

Thanks for all the great feedback! Pretty much confirmed what I thought. I plan to check out Rhode Island north through Maine. We'll give NC another look - currently have a rental property in Raleigh and friends in Wilmington so we'll be back out that way soon anyway. We were there for the 4th of July and my gosh it was too hot!

I really do like the thought of Maine so definitely want to check it out.

We have a couple of years to look so that area may be our next charter.

Thanks again!

Joe

I can't think of anywhere in RI or CT that will have a house with dock for 500 or less. Would you settle for a 2BR town home with a mooring close by ?

A quality house with dock will cost you $2m plus but you might find an old and run down Cape Cod for $1m.

[aquadreams]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

Ever think about the Great Lakes?

Not since I left Michigan at the tender age of 19

I started looking and there is plenty around Penobscot Bay for under $600k but do I really want to live that far north? Between NC and ME the budget doesn't work. Looks like I'll suck it up and continue to explore around NC/SC/FL.

Thanks again for all the suggestions!

- Joe

[savoir]

Here's what I meant by an old Cape Cod. Chances are work will be needed. Stand on your toes and you can see my mast in the background.

147 Grand View Dr, Warwick, RI 02886 - realtor.com®

Here's what I mean by a quality property - pay $1m but you won't get a dock. It is too shallow to build one.
http://www.realtor.com/realestateand...-37959#photo25

[savoir]

This is my favorite building in EG where you get water views and are still right there in the middle of town. There are around 100 moorings right out front and two marinas 1/2 mile away.

Nice

152 Crompton Ave Apt 8, East Greenwich, RI 02818 - realtor.com®

[Dave22q]

Having sent 2 kids to schools in Maine I strongly suggest you rent before buying. Maine winters get real serious and your dock will not be much use for 7-8 months. Portland is pretty rural compared to RI or Ma, fewer indoor activities for those long winter evenings. Nice people and good sailing for a few months a year.

[sailing_gal]

Annapolis has several water privileged communities, where you are close to, but not on top of your dock. You could find houses in those areas within your price range plus you don't have to maintain the dock. The community dockage fees are almost negligible.

[Cheechako]

Florida. Carolinas >>> down to Florida are an option too. Freezing weather further north would deter me. Why be up there? There are many many boats in FL so they must be getting insurance. So many backwaters that are protected. I looked and considered it for a while. You need minimal draft for many place.... keep that in mind though. Can be pretty reasonable for the $ compared with the West coast that's for sure. Some good possibilities further North in Fl also.... away from SE.

[Island Time O25]

If you compare apples to apples anything you find that fits all of your criteria in Florida will cost at least twice as much if not considerably more in Northeast. Or conversely whatever you find in NE to your liking will cost 1/2 in FL.

So you should have more than enough left on the table to apply these savings to add'l insurance premiums, occasional hurricane haulout costs, etc. And as an additional (and very important IMO) upside you will be sailing 12 months a year as opposed to 4-7. So your "per sail" cost will be significantly lower in Florida.

Just my 2c worth.

[Painted Skies]

An area of the Chesapeake Bay that is often overlooked as an ideal East Coast base for sailors/cruisers is the Northern Neck of Virginia (the region on the western shore south of the Potomac River and north of the Rappahannock River). The region provides plenty of local cruising opportunities with numerous scenic creeks (Carters, Antipoison, Dymer, Dividing, Mill and Cockrell Creeks), plus the major rivers themselves (Little Wicomico, Wicomico, Corrotoman). We purchased one acre of waterfront property on deep water (10 feet at the end of the dock) on Horn Harbor, off the Great Wicomico River in 2001; it sits on a local 'hurricane hole' and is well protected from cyclonic storms as they rarely come up the Chesapeake - and if they do, the main effects are super-high tides rather than damaging winds. For us, the decision to purchase here was based on several criteria:

1) Affordability to Purchase. Waterfront property here is cheap, compared to elsewhere on the East Coast. You can still buy deep-water land for less than $100K and $400-500K will get you a very nice ready-built place, including dock. During the 2008-09 global financial meltdown, property values in the area plunged (most of the houses are vacation homes for the DC and Richmond gang) and we have noted that the prices have yet to bounce back in this region. So, you can still get a good deal here.

2) Protection. Most of the waterfront properties on the Chesapeake Bay have docks, but due to the long fetch, it is not possible to actually leave your boat tied at the dock. That is why you will see that many folks have a boat lift (for their power boats). So if you want to keep a sailboat at your property, you need to select the site carefully - at least it needs to be on a protected creek rather than facing directly onto the bay or even the rivers.

3) Low Taxes. Property. Our land is located in Northumberland County; the mill rate for property taxes here is unbelievably low (~.37% of fair market value; hence, a $500K place pays $1850/year) . Lancaster County (on the south side of the Northern Neck) has higher property taxes (~.54% of fair market value, plus if you live within Kilmarnock's city boundaries - there is an additional rate of .10%; so your $500K property here pays $3200/year - still reasonable, but significantly more). Personal Property. Counties in Virginia also assesses personal property tax on vehicles, trailers and boats. If you own a Ferrari, this might be issue for you; for most cars, the yearly taxes are pretty reasonable (e.g. we pay a total of ~$400/yr on a van, RV and boat trailer). Boats, though, used to be pricey to keep here. However, Lancaster Country has waived the taxes on boats over 5T in order to promote marine businesses in the area; Northumberland County this year is moving to also waive any personal property taxes on large boats. If your boat is not in the county on January 1st of the year, no personal property taxes are due for the entire year anyway - so if you are taking the boat south each winter; this is a non-issue, regardless. Some of the people we know, sail their boat out into the Chesapeake for a few days at the end of the year to avoid paying these taxes (typically, the ones who keep their boats in Middlesex County, outside of the Northern Neck). Sales. State sales tax is 5.3%.

4) Ability to Liveaboard. There are no restrictions on living aboard your boat in Northumberland County on your own property; we did so for several years until we built a garage with an apartment above it - and then sailed away. Crime. The area is very safe, with very little property crime to worry about. We lock the doors and leave it - knowing it is safe to do so. I recently saw a news article that rated violent and non-violent crime in various counties across the US; Northumberland was rated a '1' (best) out of a possible '10' (worst).

5) Accessibility. Accessibility is a complex issue. We wanted a place from which we could easily cruise the entire East Coast - and found this central location to be ideal. When there, we sailed between Maine and the Bahamas, and found plenty of new-to-us-places to explore in between. On the other hand, this part of the Chesapeake Bay is remote - which for us, is one of its main attractions. Northumberland County has a population of less than 12,000 and only two traffic lights. Yet, we can be at the Richmond or Newport News airports in 1-1/2 hours (which doesn't bother us but could be problematic for some). Healthcare here is probably the weakest link; there is a hospital in Kilmarnock (12 miles) but any complex medical issues require a drive to either Richmond or Newport News/Hampton/Norfolk for specialists. Marine services are excellent - Deltaville (with West Marine) is a 45-minute drive away; there are several marinas and repair specialists right in the Great Wicomico River area - most services will travel to your boat and there are two haul-out places less than an hour away by slow boat.

6) Environment. The area is pristine and unspoiled. More than half of the trees and vegetation in this area are evergreens (pines, holly, mountain laurel, magnolia, etc.) so even in winter, the area is not stark and barren. There is a family of otters that live on our creek (Horn Harbor); they are often seen romping/sliding down the snowy embankments in winter. We can gather oysters whenever we want them from our own shoreline (we used to have an oyster garden, and these are the escapees). Blue crabs are easily caught by baiting the trap and leaving it in place for a day on our own dock. Our neighbor takes his canoe out each evening and catches dinner from it. Bald eagles and ospreys are regular visitors, as well as, trumpeter swans. Reedville is 10 minutes away - and offers a step back into history to when it had the highest per-capita income in the US (due to the menhaden fishing fleets there); the main street is lined with historic gingerbread-laden mansions, a fishermen's museum and excellent restaurants. Three of the first five US presidents were born in this area; history abounds for those who wish to explore the region: by car, by boat, by bicycle, by foot... all great options. Yorktown and Williamsburg are just 1-1/2 hours away; we go there regularly for shopping and entertainment.

Anyone interested in searching for their piece of paradise in the Northern Neck should go to zillow.com and type in zip code 22432 - and start exploring from there. No, I'm not a realtor, and I'm not offering this information in order to sell you anything. This forum is a great source of information, and I only hope this small contribution to the body of knowledge helps.

Cheers, Katherine

[Pelagic]

IF your retirement plan has you in the Caribbean for winter and you are looking at Maine as well as Tax benefits,...., why not consider a waterfront residence in Canada ?
Nova Scotia is a great summer cruising area and your exchange rate is strong.

[crabcake]

Originally Posted by dennismenace111

Don't rule out Florida so quickly. Insurance is bad but not totally unbearable. Remember, Florida has no state income tax!

I live near Ft. Lauderdale. Waterfront, hurricane protected houses can be had for just a little more than your budget dictates. Travel over to the west coast to Punta Gorda, Ft. Myers, or Port Charlottesville and you can find beautiful waterfront home in your price range. Those with no fixed bridges will be slightly higher priced than those on canals with fixed bridges to open water.

Don't forget the Keys. If you want simple, Marathon has good buys of smaller waterfront homes in your price range.

[aquadreams]

Thank you Katherine. That's just the type of area I'm looking for. Need some land to store the RV when we've gone sailing :-)