Which Florida property or not?

[Privleoplag]

I've been looking at Florida properties on the west side.. From Marco to Port Charlotte and have been having a real hard time finding single family homes that have sailboat access. Now I'm wondering if buying something inland and renting marina space near by is the better option. Not really what I want. I want my catamaran parked in my back yard. Where is that possible? I don't do well with rules and regulations so condos are pretty much out of the question. Maybe for that matter, so is Florida. It's my wife more so considering a house... of course, I'm fine with just the boat and an anchor. It would be a few years before we get the boat up here, maybe in the meantime I'd have space to rent.
I should add that I'm doing this from a long way away from Florida, so adds to the difficulty.

[skipmac]

Don't know why you can't find a single family home with sailboat access. There are literally thousands and thousands. Maybe not as many in the area you specified but if you look at google maps you can see them lined up along every bit of water front in FL that isn't a swamp, protected mangroves or a park.

Now that doesn't mean that they are all for sale, but certainly some will be. However, one problem will be finding a house with a dock that will take a catamaran. Lots of these waterfront homes are on canals or narrow waterways and a cat would block the whole channel if it fit at all. Might make you very unpopular with the neighbors further upstream. You will have to look for houses on a lagoon or something with more clearance.

Also, be prepared to spend upwards of seven figures to find a house with a deepwater dock in S FL.

[Privleoplag]

Thanks for the reply. Google earth has been real helpful.. Then I check the bridge heights and find that 64' mast just doesn't quite make it under some of the 53' (or 10') so bridges, I've also been able to see the narrowness of the channels and estimate where and where not a catamaran may go. I notice some nice marina/developments east of Marco but seems what is for sale is condos and not so interested. For sure, I've been doing a lot of homework on this, and finding the type of property I'm looking for ain't so easy.

[hgd137]

Have you looked at Marco Island? You certainly can find what you are looking for here

Herman

[Kettlewell]

Have you looked at Cape Coral? Tons of canals there, and a lot of them are deep enough for bigger boats. I've seen some pretty big cats in there. There is a 55-foot bridge upriver a bit towards Ft. Myers, but you don't have to go that far to be able to enter a lot of the canals. However, communities in that area are rather notorious for lots of rules and regulations, so you may just have to put up with some of that.

[haw1961]

I spent a couple winters in Cape Coral. Surely, there are plenty of sailboat access properties for sale. Hell, seems like half the town is for sale.

[AfterHoursNLCT]

I looked in Port Charlotte two years ago and the houses were being given away, but the partner said no and she IS the Boss...(guys never get their way)....LL

[S/V Illusion]

There are loads of properties for sale with sufficient water and unrestricted access for sailboats. Since the OP didn't mention it, this may be an issue of price as such properties don't come cheap.

[Privleoplag]

You bet it's an issue of price, of course..isn't everything? We want the best deal. Start at the bottom and work our way up.. so far.. at our bottom, we're not seeing anything.. at our top, there is little that interests us, mostly because of all the rules and regulations that are associated with them. Seriously I don't do well with rules.. I'm a guy who's lived in the county all my life.. rules didn't exist.. I can step off the back porch and shoot the guns anytime. I realize, that I may have to give that up, but I haven't been shooting near as much these days.. so may not be to difficult. But to tell me how many vehicles can be parked out front after 4:00 p.m. or that none can be a pickup truck, or that visitors can only stay so long... Ain't going to cut it for this farm boy.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Privleoplag

You bet it's an issue of price, of course..isn't everything? We want the best deal. Start at the bottom and work our way up.. so far.. at our bottom, we're not seeing anything.. at our top, there is little that interests us, mostly because of all the rules and regulations that are associated with them. Seriously I don't do well with rules.. I'm a guy who's lived in the county all my life.. rules didn't exist.. I can step off the back porch and shoot the guns anytime. I realize, that I may have to give that up, but I haven't been shooting near as much these days.. so may not be to difficult. But to tell me how many vehicles can be parked out front after 4:00 p.m. or that none can be a pickup truck, or that visitors can only stay so long... Ain't going to cut it for this farm boy.

This ain't the farm and when someone spends millions for a waterfront deep water access you seem to want for cheap, don't get too upset when your neighbors frown on certain behaviors you might be used to.

[Privleoplag]

Originally Posted by S/V Illusion

This ain't the farm and when someone spends millions for a waterfront deep water access you seem to want for cheap, don't get too upset when your neighbors frown on certain behaviors you might be used to.

I really do get along just fine with people.. and if a neighbor came over and asked me if I could please put the car in the garage after 4:00 it would be no problem to do that for the neighbor.. but if there was a rule that that had to happen.. I can't do it. I won't live like that, never have, never will. Here in my original post.. it's been difficult to find the type of property I'm looking for.. but I'm appreciating all the help and advice.

[sy_gilana]

PS, the reason I put you on to my friends who want to sell their house with a dock is, if they sell it they come cruising as our buddy boat!

[Kettlewell]

Seriously I don't do well with rules.. I'm a guy who's lived in the county all my life.. rules didn't exist.. I can step off the back porch and shoot the guns anytime. I realize, that I may have to give that up, but I haven't been shooting near as much these days.. so may not be to difficult. But to tell me how many vehicles can be parked out front after 4:00 p.m. or that none can be a pickup truck, or that visitors can only stay so long... Ain't going to cut it for this farm boy.

You might do better looking in the Carolinas or Georgia. There are some pretty nice opportunities in the Neuse River-Pamlico-Albemarle Sound area, and the bridges up there are mostly 65 feet along the ICW.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by Privleoplag

I really do get along just fine with people.. and if a neighbor came over and asked me if I could please put the car in the garage after 4:00 it would be no problem to do that for the neighbor.. but if there was a rule that that had to happen.. I can't do it. I won't live like that, never have, never will. Here in my original post.. it's been difficult to find the type of property I'm looking for.. but I'm appreciating all the help and advice.

In the spirit of being constructive, depending on your price range and requirements for bedrooms/baths, etc and I'm sure we can find you a laundry-list of places to park a pickup truck. Conversely, if you want such a place cheap, I'll not waste more time.

[sww914]

It sounds like Louisiana or Alabama might be more what you're looking for. Maybe not what the wife is looking for but they're less crowded and crowded = rules.
I really couldn't believe the difference between Northern California and Southern California as we cruised down the coast. Right at Santa Barbara we went from totally relaxed and affordable to super expensive and a bunch of pricks running things.