Destination Advice?

[oldiesrocker2001]

This may not be the right forum as it's more of a permanent destination rather than a cruising one, but here goes...
A few years ago we towed our Venture down to Florida, a trip that convinced the Admiral to listen more closely to my thoughts of retirement - still several years ahead - there (we loved sailing near the keys but really liked the west coast). Having always thought pretty far ahead, I planned to have a canal-side home where my boat would be within reach any time I wanted, perhaps in the new Port Ritchy area.
I've begun to re-think this plan and am wondering if a gated community with access to it's own marina is the way to go. I'm trying to avoid an hour drive to the boat while still avoiding problems and costs with waterfront ownership in Fla (if it's not already underwater by then...). I've been trailor-sailing for a couple of decades now, though I use a park-and-launch during the short season here in NJ and am looking to change that now.
Any thoughts from you snowbirds or permament Floridians cost-wise; weather prep-wise?

 

[Ed Schenck]

This should be an interesting and appropriate thread to watch. Especially since my boat is recently docked in Port Richey while we winter six miles away in New Port Richey.

Unfortunately I cannot help because I have not figured it out for myself. I really enjoyed my time with the boat in the Pamlico Sound. I didn't get to spend enough time in the Chesapeake. And I want to see the northeast on my boat. But it might be because I am home in Ohio and missing her. We have only had a couple of months where we were living in Florida and the boat was fifteen minutes away. This next season will tell the tale when we go in November instead of the usual January.

I can say that sailing out of Port Richey when you can only go during high tide is a problem. And there are not nearly the fun places to go like we had in Lake Erie.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

I'm faced with a somewhat similar issue in that we may me moving to the St Pete area and I absolutely refuse to take the boat there and incur the sales tax penalty of paying 7% for a boat I've owned for years. That means our boat will either stay here, 1300 miles away or go to Lake Michigan where our son can maintain it for our occasional use, also over 1000 miles away.
More to the point, there are numerous gated communities throughout that area with slips and/or a boat ramp which obviates the problems with canal living, most of which are littered with fixed bridges, shallow water or too narrow to be practical or various combinations of the above.
Shop wisely

 

[Ron20324]

I'm faced with a somewhat similar issue in that we may me moving to the St Pete area and I absolutely refuse to take the boat there and incur the sales tax penalty of paying 7% for a boat I've owned for years.

Don, you should be able to go online to Florida's DNR or whatever they call it there. Find the boating applications, and you may find that if you can show you paid sales tax to another state, they would waive another payment to FL???

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Don, you should be able to go online to Florida's DNR or whatever they call it there. Find the boating applications, and you may find that if you can show you paid sales tax to another state, they would waive another payment to FL???

Thanks Ron but Rhode Island, CT (where I bought it), and other states excluded boats from sales tax in order to improve the industry sales figures. As a result, many of us who contemplate moving get caught in the abyss of sales tax on a boat we bought years ago. You are correct in that, had I initially paid, FL would credit that tax.

 

[Patrick S/V Shangra-La]

If you are looking for a place for your boat...Don't look north of Tarpon Springs. I had my boat on the Cootie river in Port Richey. Great people, Nice sailing. At low tide however my boat was hard on the bottom. The Port Richey, New Port Richey, Hudson and north are all to shallow for anything but a swing keel.

I moved my boat to the Gulf Port marina on Bocca Ciega Bay in St Pete. It is a longer drive :cry: But I can use my boat any time I want. The people are great,, and there are so many more sailing destinations in this area. I do miss the convenience of having the boat so close. I don't miss being land locked or stuck out till high tide.

 

[SeaRanch]

Look at Northwest Florida... Panama City, Ft Walton, Pensacola.
Good Coastal crusing and many places where you can have your boat close, or in your back yard and prices are great right now.
Bill

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

Thanks for the info so far, everyone. I hadn't thought of sales tax on an old boat, though I planned to step up only as far as a Mac26 C or D model when I finally make the move. If I buy before I move, I'll have to check up on tax implications first. While ANY place could be hit with a hurricane, the northern section of Fla seemed to dodge the bullet most frequently, though I hadn't thought too much about the panhandle section(although closer for a coastal run to New Orleans...). Keep those ideas comin' in! :dance:

 

[Sailm8]

Our story. We loved the keys and would trailer our c22 from Carlyle Il to Key Largo several times a year for a few weeks at a time. We got smarter over the years and found a storage lot were we could keep the boat on the hard for months at a time then rent a uhaul and launch it. Much easier than pulling the suburban down and back. We began to seriously look around and saw that there were some good buys in property but they were in sorry shape or located next to an unpleasant neighbor (like a dump). There seem to be very little in the way of zoning regs in the keys. Also the East Coast seems to demand bigger boats for bigger seas.

We chartered a cat from sailing vacations out of Burnt Store Marina on the west coast on Charlotte Harbor for a trip to the Dry Tortugas. Charlotte harbor has been named one of the 10 best sailing areas in the US. WE looked around loved it, and when the time was right we sold the big house up north, got rid of the junk and now live in Punta Gorda Isles in a condo on a canal. We own our slip and walk out the back door to the boat. The city of Punta Gorda has boomed after hurricane Charlie in 2004. WE have 2 new marinas and plans for a small boat sailing center and 2 mooring fields. This is a sailing town. We have many active cruising an racing clubs in the area. With all you read about sailors being unwelcome in Florida it is the opposite here in Punta Gorda. Google Punta Gorda.

I finally retired (for the second time) just a month ago from teaching (a second career) but my wife is continuing to teach for another year. This has been with out a doubt the best 8 years of our life. I guess I sound like a real estate salesman but our enthusiasm has convinced 14 couples from Carlyle lake to move down here. All were sailors from our club.

Our sister complex is a gated community but the old farts keep wacking the gate so it stays broken 98% of the time.

There is no science to this just my opinion. Tampa seems to be the dividing line for cold weather fronts. Anything north of Tampa can get a freeze. South we get one or two days where the low is 35 but warms up to 60 or 70 by 10am. I wore a jacket 3 days last "winter" Also the panhandle seems to be a magnet for hurricanes, Anything that enters the gulf seems to find it's way the Florida alabama area.

One last thing avoid a property with a septic system or private well. Lee county Cape Coral is forcing owners to hook up to the city sewer system the the tune of 17000.00. This has caused a big stink as you can imagine.

 

[oldiesrocker2001]

Interestingly enough, Sailm8, we sailed first in Charlotte harbor out of punta gorda on our trip to Fla a few years back. I had an acquiantance that had his 30ft-er in a canal behind his house that we rafted up to while in the area. We also loved the area by the Keys and sailed out of a marina south of Homestead on the east coast later that trip. I noticed that my little V21 had to have the keel pulled up frequently while in Charlotte harbor, but that's what it's for.... We weren't sure about prop values vs marina costs in the Punta Gorda area. Being a teacher most of my life means that I haven't been putting large chunks of money aside for retirement until only recent years. Water side property is likely still going to go for a premium but still an option to consider(flood/homeowners insurance sounds like it could be a big chunk of $$$ each year).

 

[Sailm8]

Water is 8 to 12 ft average in the harbor. The canals are kept dredge to 6 ft but most everyone has a boat drawing 4 -4.5 so tides are not an issue. Another friend bought a foreclosed condo with a dock for 170000. It formally sold for 400000. As a retired teacher we got in just before the prices went nuts. There are areas of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda that must be negotiated with shallow draft boats and an eye on the tides. We are lucky to only draw 4 ft and never need worry about the tides in our area.

Seaddadler just moved into the burnt Store area. You might try a message to him about the south end of the harbor.