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Liveaboard in Key West?

56K views 37 replies 21 participants last post by  MikeSartin 
#1 ·
Thinking of retiring. Want to live aboard my Pearson 303 in Key West. Any ideas? Thanks!
 
#2 ·
I spoke with Terri at the Key West City Marina at Garrison Bight. She tells me that there are no liveaboard slips available (at $11 and change per foot per month), there's no wait list, they open up rarely, and you just need to be lucky. They do have "transient" slips available at $34 plus per foot per month (!!), and you must leave for at least one day every four months. This compares to about $650 per month for liveaboard here in Sausalito (just north of the GG Bridge) with no reqt of moving every four months. I'd rather retire in Key West, though, and avoid the cold, foggy winters (and colder, foggier summers!).
 
#4 ·
Check Safe Harbor Marina in Stock Island. My has his Pearson 36-2 there and is $650 a month live aboard. Very eclectic funky place and there's the Hogfish Bar and grill at the top of the dock Just fabulous. He'll be there till the end of April and the we will be moving the boat north for the summer.
 
#5 ·
A friend of mine bought a 28' sailboat on Marathon and lived aboard for several months this winter. The boat was at a marina down Coco Plum Drive, at the end of Ave I and the slip cost @ $450/month (likely + electric). I can't find a web page for that marina or club but there are a bunch of places down there.
Florida Keys Marinas - Marathon Marina, Key Largo Marinas, Key West Marinas
It ain't no Key West but KW is only a long day sail from Marathon. You can anchor in KW. It gets pretty darn hot down there at times. You may find you miss some of the cold, foggy days.
Good luck.
 
#6 · (Edited)
Pretty darned hot in Key West is about 90-degrees, but keep in mind that most of the time the humidity is relatively low. I've been there in June and July and the hottest days were in the mid 80s--I loved it! I've always found it interesting when folks from Maryland talk about how hot and humid Florida is, when most of them have never been there in mid summer. In Baltimore, mid August usually brings temperatures from the upper 90s to low 100s, with equal humidity numbers. I've never encountered those conditions along Florida's east coast, and especially in the lower keys. And, when winter arrives here, which is just 5 months after spring arrives, everyone is scrambling to put the boat on the hard and have it winterized. There ain't no winter in Key West! ;)

Stock Island is a lot less expensive, and if you're willing to do some on-site searching you can sometimes find a private dock for a lot less. You just have to be ready to do some extensive legwork, but they can be found.

There's some great locations where you can anchor up safely, and if you don't have a high demand for electricity or water, these locations are quite secluded, and safe from most weather conditions shy of a full blown hurricane. Mule Key Basin is just west of Key West on the west side of the Northwest Channel. Been there several times, fairly deep water, and completely surrounded by flats. Even in a 30 knot breeze the water is pretty flat.

Getting in and out of Garrison Bight may be a stretch. Some pretty tight turns, plus a couple bridges, and during peak tidal flows the current between the bridge pilings can be treacherous. Flemming Key Bridge only has a vertical clearance of 18 feet and a very narrow opening. During a hard, outgoing tide the water resembles a waterfall beneath the bridge.

There is a deepwater channel around Flemming Key that will get you into Garrison Bight, but I don't remember if the Palm Avenue Bridge is a draw bridge or not. If my memory serves me correctly, this was a fixed bridge the last time I was there.

As for hurricanes, Key West tends to be one of those locations that is often skirted. If you look back through the hurricane archives you'll find some solid information on this. Keep in mind, however, that if one does hit Key West, there's really no great hurricane hole to duck into other than Garrison Bight, and it will be jammed solid with other boats if there's a bad one on the way.

Good Luck, and I envy your retirement plans.

Gary :cool:
 
#8 ·
I agree, Marathon, at least for those of us that have surpassed our 60th birthday, is a much better choice. Lots of great restaurants, Tiki bars, protected anchorage inside Boot Key Harbor, and the price is lower than Key West by a wide margin. However, it's still not cheap. In comparison to many locations along the shores of Chesapeake Bay, the cost of mooring and slip rents is much higher at Marathon. And, even in this economy, for some unexplained reason, the cost seems to be increasing.

Good Luck,

Gary :cool:
 
#9 ·
So I'm actually IN Key West now so I wanted to add to my previous comment. A SLIP in Key West is pretty pricey, but you can get a mooring from the city in Garrison Bight for about $300/month. From the gate-protected dinghy dock it is a bit more than a mile to Old Town and about the same distance to supermarkets, etc. in the other direction. Bus stop is right by the dinghy dock, and buses run about an hour apart.
 
#10 ·
The mooring ball rental in Marathon and Key West are the same on a month by month basis, $300. The Key West dinghy ride is a bit long although you can dinghy right downtown and there's a free dinghy dock there. To go shopping dinghy past the Garrison Bight dinghy dock to a small creek which is almost across the street from the local Winn-Dixie and Home Depot. Lots to see and do in Key West.
 
#12 ·
Jane Joy-

AAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh your killing me with all the Key West talk !!!
Please , tell me more !!
I've wanted to spend a winter in key west for some time.
We're heading back to the frozen north from Fl. in the next couple days .
The past few months have been great in NE Fl. but I have been eyeing Key West for too long.
I'd love to hear more about anchoring locations and dinghy access, from folks that are there now or have been in the last 2-3 months to keep the information current and accurate.

Thanks in advance and I'll keep looking/reading.

- fall 2012-spring- 2013 Kew West or "bust" -
 
#13 · (Edited)
Jane Joy-

AAAHhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh your killing me with all the Key West talk !!!
Please , tell me more !!
I've wanted to spend a winter in key west for some time.
We're heading back to the frozen north from Fl. in the next couple days .
The past few months have been great in NE Fl. but I have been eyeing Key West for too long.
I'd love to hear more about anchoring locations and dinghy access, from folks that are there now or have been in the last 2-3 months to keep the information current and accurate.

Thanks in advance and I'll keep looking/reading.

- fall 2012-spring- 2013 Kew West or "bust" -
I know this is an old post, But, I've lived aboard in key west for most of my life and have never needed a slip or payed for a mooring. Good anchors and a great dinghy, under 15 feet ( dinghy dock max.) is all you need. The moorings are super rough in the winter, an elderly couple were stranded on their boat for day's last winter. Flemming Key is the best place to anchor in the winter and If you have a good dingy the farther north on the lee side the better. You may not want to leave. My boat is in a very special creek between Stock Island and Boca Chica that is protected all year, but I have a whaler with 40 horse that I use to get out to it. it's a good mile and a half, from shore and 6 miles to Old Town. Flemming Key is right down town and all you need is a bike. The dinghy dock comes with a shower key but they are nasty. The moorings have new showers and a better dingy dock. Marathon has a great mooring and dinghy dock with a fantastic club house for live aboards. I've never seen anything like it, but your in Marathon, no charm, just strip malls on the side of the road. People in Key West are the good kind of weird, Marathon has strange, kind of creepy weird people. The cruisres are cool there though. In Key West You can anchor off Christmas tree ( Wisteria) island. The side near town is bombarded by boat wakes.The north side can be nice. The east side close to Frankfurt Bank has the best protection from the northers. It's a little closer than North Flemming, but Flemming is better. Hope that helped
 
#17 ·
The thing about Boot Key Harbor is, it's in Marathon. Having spent the past six weeks here in Marathon, I think I am qualified to say: You'd rather be in Key West. OK, let's say MOST PEOPLE would rather be in KW. But it's true that Marathon's cruiser and live aboard community is friendly and active.
 
#16 · (Edited)
$315 a month now in Key West. Typical gov't service...rising at a price that exceeds inflation. Now that those mooring balls are in, you will eventually get priced out.

On principal alone, I avoid city/gov't run mooring fields and will anchor out. I understand that this is hardly possible in Key West or Marathon as the fields cover the entirety of the viable anchorage areas.
 
#18 ·
On principal alone, I avoid city/gov't run mooring fields and will anchor out. I understand that this is hardly possible in Key West or Marathon as the fields cover the entirety of the viable anchorage areas.
As noted by capt.aaron earlier in this thread, there's plenty of room to anchor out in Key West - also lots of boats are anchored in Marathon.
 
#22 ·
From my perspective, the only tenable year round anchorage in Key West is Garrison Bight...which they have turned into a mooring field @ $315 a month.

Dont get me started about Marathon...
Tell me about Marathon - I have a big investment of time and money coming up this winter in that area and really would like any and all input on the area.

Thanks in advance,

Gary :cool:
 
#23 ·
Tell me about Marathon - I have a big investment of time and money coming up this winter in that area and really would like any and all input on the area.

Thanks in advance,

Gary :cool:
My frustration is that the only good place to be in Marathon (all weather) is Boot Key harbor, and that is one massive mooring field with some scraps left by the old bridge to anchor in. Mooring fields *THIS* big are a disgrace and an end-around to banning anchoring out.
 
#20 ·
There a tons of gunk holes between Marathon and Key west, Niles Channel between Sumerland and Ramrod, New Found Harbour off Big Pine are places I've lived in the past. Good bus system to Key West from here. Shallow Drafters can go around the back side of Big Pine by No Nome key and No Name Pub. People are anchoring off Stock Island on the south side, west of the channel into safe harbour marina and useing Robbies Boatyard as a dingy dock. There's the whole Boca Chica area but I would'nt suggest that. lot of boat bums and controversy in that area. North West Flemming hands down the best all around.
 
#24 ·
Yep, can't argue with that. And, of course, when a city government gets involved you know it's just going to be expensive. I was worried that there was something about being in Marathon that was bad that I should know about, crime, etc... I have a tentative job lined up there for next winter, and I'm hoping to work out a deal with one of the marinas with a Tiki Bar to do some horse trading. While I could spend some time on a mooring ball or at anchor, the problem I have is transporting thousands of dollars worth of musical equipment to the dock without getting it wet, something that's nearly impossible in a dink.

The way I look at these city-owned mooring fields that are situated in resort areas is they figure they have the rich, boat owner by the short-hair and can extort huge sums of money for tying up an a 1,000-pound anchor with a float and chain. And, if they eventually make it so you can no longer anchor in the area, you will be limited to pay them or go somewhere else, such as Key West, which has recently jumped on that band wagon.

Thanks again,

Gary :cool:
 
#25 ·
Gary - thats exactly my concern with these "well run" city mooring fields. Cities, counties, and other municipalities should *NOT* be using their natural resources as profit centers to cover for profligate spending in other areas, or subsidizing their citizens in other ways. Its not the city of Marathon citizens that own the waterways...its the STATE OF FLORIDA.

This is bordering on a political thread now...but I've always wondered why people get so wound up about gov't waste at a national level. The worst offenders and the most corruption is local. The worst is "legal" corruption like some of these cities can get away with. 24 hour obscene parking charges on public beaches or areas of attraction...mooring fields where you used to be able to anchor, ridiculous fees to enter county or city parks...lexus lanes on public interstate systems! Sheesh...you gotta be rich to leave your hovel nowadays.
 
#26 ·
No argument from me, Owl. This kind of thing began in Maryland three decades ago, it is significantly worse at this point and all those miniscule fees have escalated at 10 times the rate of inflation. Some states now have undertaken measures to tax live-aboards in the same manner as someone living ashore. Like I said earlier, this will only get worse. Governments have screwed up every enterprise they've become involved in. Recreational boating will soon be something that the average person can no longer afford.

Thanks again,

Gary :cool:
 
#28 ·
This is just a thought for everyone to consider when using a mooring ball ... when was the last time it was inspected? ...

Personally I never use a mooring ball unless I know how and when it was set. My vessel means that much to me and I do hope yours does too
 
#36 ·
The only changes I know of is the one small anchorage area in the harbor no longer is available. However, there are loads of mooring balls controlled by the city, plus the city marina that provide a great place to stay. Across the Northwest Channel, you can enter Mule Key Basin and anchor there in comfort. The basin is 5 to 7 feet deep and surrounded by shallow bars that provide excellent protection from waves in all directions as long as the winds are under 40 knots.

There are only a handful of live aboard marinas in the Florida Keys, the largest of which are city operated in Marathon and Key West. You can google them to find the current rates, which are not really that high considering you will be staying in the most expensive vacation resort in the contental United States.

Unfortunately, Captain Aaron has moved to South America and we no longer have his input. I got to meet him in person while I was in Marathon and he is a great guy, lots of experience, and loves being on the water. Sure miss him.

Hope this helps,

Gary :cool:
 
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