Cruisers Forum
 


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Rate Thread Display Modes
Old 22-10-2005, 09:59   #1
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 120
Marina in West Florida

We plan to come to Florida Gulf coast in March/April 06 to fit our boat: watermaker, wind generator, stainless steel work, diving equipment etc.
We are looking for an affordable marina accepting catamarans: 46ftL x 25ft W x 4ftD. Not looking for any fancy amenities, but a reliable address for fedex/UPS, accomodating for work on the boat...
We would be staying about one month.

Any suggestion?

Cheers,
__________________
claire
claire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 22-10-2005, 10:52   #2
Senior Cruiser
 
GordMay's Avatar

Cruisers Forum Supporter

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario - 48-29N x 89-20W
Boat: (Cruiser Living On Dirt)
Posts: 49,142
Images: 241
The way this hurricane season is going, there may not be a Marina in west Florida, or even a West Florida ...
Sorry, sick humor, I suppose.
__________________
Gord May
"If you didn't have the time or money to do it right in the first place, when will you get the time/$ to fix it?"



GordMay is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 23-10-2005, 19:47   #3
Moderator Emeritus
 
Pblais's Avatar

Join Date: Mar 2003
Location: Hayes, VA
Boat: Gozzard 36
Posts: 8,700
Images: 15
Send a message via Skype™ to Pblais
Gord, you are perhaps more accurate than you meant. I wouldn't be putting down deposits just yet to reserve a spot.
__________________
Paul Blais
s/v Bright Eyes Gozzard 36
37 15.7 N 76 28.9 W
Pblais is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-01-2006, 04:49   #4
Registered User

Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Tampa fl
Boat: Alura 30
Posts: 593
marinas

Hi Claire
Tampa Bay was spared by hurricanes last year,there are probably several Marinas that can handle your Cat.JC.
jean1146 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-01-2006, 07:04   #5
Registered User
 
markpj23's Avatar

Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Bradenton FL
Boat: Med Yachts 62 Trawler
Posts: 1,180
Images: 47
Most marinas within Tampa Bay are unavailable due to waiting lists and the condo-conversion of Bahia Beach. Salt Creek yard in St. Petersburg still operates for DIY work if you need haul-out, but no slips.

Your best bet may be just south of the Bay entrance on the Manatee River, Twin Dolphin marina in Bradenton or another directly across the river from Twin Dolphin in Palmetto. No bridges up to that point.

There's another small marina closer to the mouth of the river but I can't recall the name.

Good luck - bring yer checkbook
__________________
Mark
markpj23 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-01-2006, 07:57   #6
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Currently based near Jacksonville FL; WHOOSH's homeport is St. Pete, FL USA
Boat: WHOOSH, Pearson 424 Ketch
Posts: 591
Claire:

There are still a range of marinas in Tampa Bay area, tho' they are steadily dwindling due to waterfront development. When considering your projects, necessary vendors & the desirability of mixing some fun with the boatwork, I'd recommend TB over Ft. Myers, Punta Gorda and Bradenton areas...altho' they all would work. Let me zoom in on the TB area...

If you want inexpensive berthing, I suspect you're only real option is going to be a private dock behind a house or motel. The marinas are full even out of season, so you'll need to plan on paying guest dockage rates for a marina slip. At the N end of the county, I'd suggest you contact Clearwater Muni Marina. Good basics, attractive location across from the beach & along a main drag, and easy access to the Gulf. OTOH this is 'strip mall city', traffic is clogged at times and vendors are spread out. Ross Yacht Yard was a common source of talented boat workers but it recently closed (condos).

At the S end of the peninsula, Isla del Sol & Tierre Verde, the marinas are not well situated and some of them suffer from surge. A better option is the quiet community of Gulfport on Boca Ciega Bay & Gulfport's Muni Marina, tho' again you are in the boonies relatively speaking. Nice marina, well protected...but not sure they could handle your beam.

Inside Tampa Bay, the big player is St. Pete Muni Marina in St. Pete - great location in many respects but starting a dock refurb project now in the N Basin. Give them a call and see if they can work out a temporary berth; advance arrangements are probably critical. Further S in downtown is the Harborage Marina, private and adjacent to the Salt Creek boatyards. If you have a YC membership, perhaps you could arrange berthing with the St. Pete YC tho' their marina is small and popular. Across the
Bay is Ruskin's hole in the wall marina; w-a-y remote and also full last I heard.

Trying to make St. Pete work is worth the effort. The city has a free looping bus service non-stop (easier way to get to the nearby WM Express store than using your car), the venue of parks, concerts, museums (Dali museum & excellent Fine Arts museum plus others immediately available), Cinema-plex and lots more are right at your doorstep. If you want to take a break from marina life & cost, the other side of the Pier is the Vinoy Basin with protected 2-week anchoring permitted - and rarely full. Two large WM stores are nearby and, for your stainless work, JTR is the favorite metal shop to use - huge machines, excellent quality, good value prices but plan to get in line. (JTR is a bike ride from Gulfport's marina, as well).

Fallback options would be Bradenton (second best) and then the Punta Gorda area further S (less best), both with local yachtie infrastructure, WM stores and anchoring options nearby.

Good luck with the research. Where is the boat and where is she headed?

Jack
__________________
WHOOSH, Pearson 424 Ketch
https://www.svsarah.com/Whoosh/WhooshSection.htm
Euro Cruiser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 26-01-2006, 17:05   #7
Registered User
 
Wahoo Sails's Avatar

Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Marathon, Florida
Boat: Cape Dory 28, "Night Wind"
Posts: 353
Images: 16
Claire,
The condo-ization of Fort Myers is nearly complete ... so there is virtually nowhere for you to berth a boat here. If you were looking for a "do-it-yourself" yard, the nearest one is Glades Boatyard, 36 miles upriver in Moore Haven. Uh ... of course they were bought in November, and in an effort to get rid of the riff-raff, they simply doubled the cost of everything!!! If you're looking for quality workmanship from others in the area, I can provide dozens of names to avoid ... gee ... wish I could think of one to recommend ... Hmmm Chris Marek of Ocean rigging is pretty darn good ... uh ... that's it. Glad I do my own work ... really looking forward to leaving the "boating capital" of the USA :-)

Bob & Lynn
Wahoo Sails is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 29-01-2006, 09:47   #8
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 120
Thanks, what about the East coast?

Thank you for this very useful feedback, particularly, thanks to markpj23 and euro cruiser. I am emailing all the marinas you mention for availability and fees.

Should we even consider the East coast as an alternative, or is it much more expensive everywhere?

btw, we are currently on the Rio Dulce, awaiting the end of the worst of the winter cold temperatures and cold fronts, before heading North.

Cheers,

Claire
__________________
claire
claire is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-01-2006, 06:47   #9
Registered User

Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Currently based near Jacksonville FL; WHOOSH's homeport is St. Pete, FL USA
Boat: WHOOSH, Pearson 424 Ketch
Posts: 591
Claire, I'd encourage you to SkypeOut or otherwise telephone the marinas of interest. Rarely are the ones I mentioned diligent (or even adept) at responding via email and, more importantly given your needs, talking thru the opportunities with them personally will probably contribute greatly to meeting your needs.

www.skype.com

You will have many more choices along FL's east coast. Whether to reconsider that option would, for me, depend on whether I was heading further N along that coast or not.

Jack
__________________
WHOOSH, Pearson 424 Ketch
https://www.svsarah.com/Whoosh/WhooshSection.htm
Euro Cruiser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 30-01-2006, 13:58   #10
Registered User

Join Date: Oct 2005
Posts: 120
Euro cruiser,

Unfortunately, our marina, on the Rio Dulce, hasn't yet been able to provide good enough Internet access for an acceptable skype use. This is a pity, as we have happily used skype in most other places in the Caribbean.

On the positive side, I have already received 2 replies: one from Twin Dolphin marina and another from the Clearwater marina.
Same price range: around $1000 base fee, adding up to around $1350 with misc, taxes and live-aboard fees. One wants a one month deposit now to reserve a spot, the other is first come first served.

We are not planning to go further North. As soon as we are done with the chores, we'll head back South. But I have a feeling that marina space will be rare on the West coast.

Cheers,
__________________
claire
claire is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
florida

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes Rate This Thread
Rate This Thread:

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Florida regulations Harriet Liveaboard's Forum 11 27-10-2015 14:24
Live Aboard in Florida Boot Key Harbor lowryjim Liveaboard's Forum 15 15-12-2008 06:53
S. Florida Clear-In GordMay Rules of the Road, Regulations & Red Tape 1 23-07-2004 03:40
Boot Key Harbor, Marathon Florida lowryjim Atlantic & the Caribbean 1 05-05-2004 17:00
Living Aboard St. Petersburg, Florida Pisces Liveaboard's Forum 0 07-03-2003 19:40

Advertise Here


All times are GMT -7. The time now is 05:00.


Google+
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Social Knowledge Networks
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.

ShowCase vBulletin Plugins by Drive Thru Online, Inc.