How Do You Like Living Aboard In Florida?

[kelldog]

Carpediem1;
Thank you for the reply. With my centerboard raised up abit I would draw between 3 and 4 feet. My mast is 40ft roughly. (36ft on deck) I can raise and lower it.

Kelly.

[Mechsmith]

Marathon FL, Boot Key Harbor on the hook with or without dinghy. Mooring balls are available with a pretty long wait. There is a water taxi service. Pumpout service. A really boating friendly town.

My next reccomendation is Fort Myers. Mooring field, no taxi service. Anchoring is allowed in most of the river. (City Marina) Lots of interesting places within a days sail or motor. The Okeechobee Waterway is a pretty good hurricane hole for the most part.

Even only a couple hundred feet off shore I never wanted AC. Do make sure that you will be safe in thunderstorms. There are a lot of them in the summertime.

[Melrna]

To sum up what most of us here has said plus my own personal observations on live aboard in FL.
Location Location Location.
1. Marina's - great for security, fellow sailors to have friends with and help out with boat projects.
A. East coast - pricey, but I have a multi million dollar view of Downtown Miami. I won't trade it for anything. Since I don't pay income tax nor real estate tax I believe it is a bargain. The Miami/Fort Lauderdale area gives you access to great cruising grounds, fishing and scuba diving places: Keys and the Bahamas. And this is year long. Air Conditioning is a must as well as bug screens. Second is a 3/4-full boat tarp to help keep the sun off the deck. I made mine for 150 dollars using sunbrella I bought off of Ebay.
I looked at living off of someones backyard or Hotel. Not for me. Privacy from the owners of the house, plus you lose the convenience of washer/dryers and restrooms a marina offers. Furthermore, security can be an issue. The other thing is distance to go sailing can take up to an hour each trip just to raise sails due to distance and bridges.
B. West Coast - Great places to sail and live. Dock spaces are cheaper. I think the sail community is 100% better on the west coast vs the east coast. Not sure why that is, just is. Most marinas on the east coast are about 80-90% power boaters vs 50-60% on the west coast.
C. Hurricane Plan - Have to have one. The biggest negative. This can get expensive very fast. Average cost for haul-out and tie down $1000-$1500. This is if you can find a yard to haul out. Most insurances will cover half the cost. If you can find a hidey-hole up a river that is great. You still have to have the ground tackle and docklines to ride out a storm. This alone can cost up to $1500-$2000. We are talking about buying cordage buy the spool to run line to the shore, great snubbers for each dockline and anchors. One idea that some folks at my marina considered is sinking a mooring anchor in a bay, mark the position to use during a hurricane. If done with 4 or more anchors the dive company gives a great discount in placing them down. Don't attach the mooring lines until needed. Average depth in most areas on the east coast is 7-10"
D. Other negatives - Summer bugs, daily thunderstorms and rain showers. The no-see ums, mosquitoes and other pest can be a problem during sunrise and sunsets especially when the wind dies. Bug screens, centrella candles, full cockpit enclosures, and bug spray helps.
Thunderstorms. Have to have a plan. I got hit twice this year with minimal damage: battery charger, and fans as my only causality. I won't get into the whether to fully bond or not. I am not fully bonded nor do I have static wick on top of my mast. Those that do when I got hit took a greater lost than me. Enough said. I do keep all of my handheld in the microwave or oven. When a storm threatens, I disconnect everything off the boat and turn all the power off. I was on the boat the first time I got hit. Scary is all I can say. Two bottles of wine later I was still shaking.
E. Bottom line is what your lifestyle, job and sailing area you are looking for. Like most places you can be a hermit to full blown party animal. For most of us your job will dictate the area and the placement of the boat based on your lifestyle.

[kelldog]

Hello again
Well, since I last posted about relocating to Florida some things have changed. I sold my 30ft Trimaran and am buying a 41ft Trimaran with a 24ft beam. Mast height is roughly 55 feet from waterline.
I am leaning now towards relocating to the FT. Lauderdale area so I would like to get info on mooring or long term anchoring spots in the area. Up to one hour driving time to get to boat would be ok.
Any ideas would be most helpful. I will probably leave boat in Cali for a period of time and just rent a place for awhile until I get things sorted.
Kelly.

[hellosailor]

Kelly, if you moe somewhat north of FLL you might find mooring at the Vero Beach municipal marina. Further south than that--it's gonna cost you dearly as you get into the Gold Coast.

Down by Miami, I think the Dinner Key mooring area just opened up a new section, but long term anchoring...That's a political hot button in Florida and I doubt you'll find it possible there.

And speaking of which, a tri with a 24' beam probably will have to be $ailed from Cali to FLL via the Panama Canal. Unless you're looking forward to that trip and have the resources to take it, you might want to hold off and buy the new boat after you move.

[kelldog]

Hellosailor;
Yes I am considering the logistics of sailing over and throught the canal. Certainly would be a lifetime adventure and I would have to bring the boat up to a good standard for that I know. I have sailed some of the channel islands on the boat but that is nothing to compare. Still it is in very good condition and would not take all that much to make her ready...except time and money... both of which are in short supply
As you mentioned; it may be better or easier to find a boat in Florida. The issue is I would want a Trimaran I have seen some deals in Fl so I know it is possible to find one. I am 90% sure of my move. One foot is already there...will spend the next 2 months firming things up.

Kelly.

[eryka]

Hellosailer is correct about the new section at Dinner Key - its very large and with a lot of shoreside conveniences. It's also very exposed to winds from the (south?) so could be uncomfortable in those conditions.

Vero Beach is extremely sheltered and extremely boater-friendly. There is a rule (I'm not sure how stringently enforced) that you can't leave your boat more than a couple of nights - kinda like having a curfew.

[CaptainForce]

Originally Posted by kelldog

......... Mast height is roughly 55 feet from waterline.
I am leaning now towards relocating to the FT. Lauderdale area so I would like to get info.................Kelly.

Your best price for a slip in Lauderdale is likely Marina Bay Resort, but it is up the New River beyond a 55' mean high water fixed bridge. So, you'll need something definitive about that "roughly 55". Take care and joy, Aythya crew