Part time liveaboard questions Miami/Fort Lauderdale area

[KrakenASmile]

The story...
Living aboard a sailboat is the dream, right? We can't do that just yet, but my husband is a pilot, and he just got based in Miami. We thought this might be a perfect opportunity to get a sailboat that he can stay on while not working and I can join him for sailing trips! (Hey, part time is better than no time, right?)

The situation...
*He can be scheduled to fly into/out of Miami, Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach for work.
*He would need to occupy the boat for 15 days a month or less. (a couple of days a week would be more realistic) Days would be scattered throughout the month.
*We would probably take the boat out for a week or two at a time a few times a year.

The questions...
*Are there inexpensive docks, preferably with parking available for a car, within a two hour-ish drive of these airports that would allow a part time live aboard?
*How much does boat docking in this area usually run?
* Would having a smaller boat make it easier to find a suitable place?

The disclaimer...
This is, obviously, just a fact finding mission at this point. Feel free to chime in if I'm not asking the right questions or with any words of wisdom!

Thanks

[Ded reckoner]

Unfairly or not, the phrase "liveaboard" has a bad connotation because of association with derelict boats. Marinas prefer catering to "extended cruisers." It sounds like you are in the latter category in that your boat will be operable and you'll sometimes be on the boat and sometimes off.

There are no inexpensive marinas anywhere in the Keys up through Fort Lauderdale. Of course, that is a relative thing. I recommend you call some marinas in Key Largo, Coconut Grove, Crandon Park, and the Miami Beach Marina to get a small sample of rates. Rates tend to be by the foot. Ask each marina what the range is for slip lengths and what their average is to get a feel for the typical boat to which they cater. Small boats can fit in (an overpriced) slip, but big boats need to keep moving on.

[Caribbeachbum]

Your best marina price is probably going to be Hollywood, which fortuitously is also right between the two airports. It still won't be cheap. And there probably are no slips available unless you buy a boat that comes with one. But you should call, anyway. Best of luck.

[krid2000]

A mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor.

HTH
Dirk

[mvweebles]

I used to liveaboard in San Francisco Bay and had a couple pilot neighbors who did variations of OP's theme. Seemed to fit them well, even though they didn't get out as much as they'd have liked.

I agree - would not use the term "Liveaboard" which is fine because that's not really what you're asking about. One tip I can offer is to find the slip first, then the boat. I know that sounds backwards, and it sorta is. But it's the less stressful way of doing it. No sense getting a 45-foot boat if there's a 3-year waiting list for 45-50 foot slips......

Good luck -

[KrakenASmile]

Thank you all so much.
Quick question, if we used a mooring ball (which seems more in our price range) what the heck do you do with the dingy while you're away?
Or do you just swim? Lol

[Shanachie]

Boot Key Harbor rules prohibit leaving a boat unattended overnight. You're required to have someone watching over it if you are going to be away.


You might get away with it once in a while, but they will figure it out after a time. Boot Key Harbor is a small, floating town.



You might as well get used to it. There is no owning a boat on the cheap these days.


Costly boat yard haulouts. Repairs at $120 an hour. Sky-high prices for parts and gear. Insurance. It's not just the cost of a dock. Boat means break out another thousand -- or, in some cases, ten thousand.


Hell, a studio apartment in South Florida can go for a couple of grand, depending on how close to the water it is. By that standard, $1,000 a month for a dock is cheap.

[Fore and Aft]

Krakenasmile a smaller Catalina would suit you guys. The best bit is with a bit of experience there's no reason why you couldn't sail her solo back to the marina if bad weather stops you getting back to Miami on time for your husbands flight.
Cheers
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...78/?ref=search

[SV Confianza]

Ft Lauderdale and Miami are both quite inhospitable places to keep a boat for a reasonable price. You might be best off calling around to various Yacht Clubs. Some are going to be more tailored to status and some are real boating clubs.

We anchored off the Miami Yacht Club for a few days this winter, and found it a welcome respite from the boating chaos there. Could be worth giving them a call.

[SV Confianza]

Originally Posted by Shanachie

Boat means break out another thousand -- or, in some cases, ten thousand.

After a particularly expensive season, my co-captain re-coined the acronym: "Bend Over And Take-it"

[flightlead404]

Originally Posted by krid2000

A mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor.

HTH
Dirk

They don't allow "wet storage" ie you can't be off the boat extended periods

At least, that's what they claim.

[Cheyne]

We spent two months at the Las Olas Moorings back in April and May. $400 a month. We left our dinghy on the ball when we went to pump out and get water. We later moved for a month to the New River Downtown Docks. That was $1900 for a month.

[Susanjc]

Fort Lauderdale is a good in-between location. I second the idea of Las Olas mooring balls or you might try a private dock. Check the Waterfront Times. Cooley's Landing used to have decent monthly rates but I'm guessing that's changed.

[Shanachie]

Just an observation that keeping a boat along the New River is a scary proposition these days.


I used to live in Fort Lauderdale and went up and down the river on many occasions on my sailboat. It was always a little tricky, but not that bad if you knew the situation.



A couple of years ago, we stopped at Cooley Landing for several days while doing a Florida Loop from Tampa Bay to Key West and then up the East Coast.



It was a nightmare.


The river is narrow and has a strong current as well as two car bridges and a railroad bridge in downtown Fort Lauderdale. But now the traffic on the river looks like I-95.


The marinas that serve megayachts are upriver, so you are regularly trying to squeeze by these huge yachts. So are the docks for a lot of smaller powerboats, which buzz by constantly.



If you get caught by a bridge, you are trying to hold your place in a two-knot current amid this mess. No thanks.


There were good reasons why we had no problem finding a dock downtown at a very reasonable price!

[Russ]

Last I knew Ft Pierce (45 min from West Palm) had several "live aboard" places
Telemar Bay in Melbourne (which has a local airport is definitely a liveaboard about an hour + from Ft P) I lived there till a few years ago and my boat is still there.
PM me if you'd like
svascension@yahoo.com