"On the Hard" Sailboat Storage Marinas in Southern Florida, key west?

[smitrock63]

I'm looking for a marina I can store my 30 ft O'day sailboat "on the hard" with mast "up", who can also drop (wet slip) and pick on occasions (three, four, five times a year) when I would travel from Illinois to Fl to do some intercoastal sailing.

I'm not stuck on any particular area, however, the Keys, or, Southern Eastern or Western side of FL would work.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Regards,

Smitrock

 

[31seahorse]

Hello Smitrock63,
All American Boat Storage and Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage are both at the upper end of Charlotte Harbor on the peninsula off the Myaka River (SW coast of FL). They both are capable of doing what you are considering. We used All American for about 6 summers and found them very skillful and punctual for haul out, storage, and launch. They offer tie down for hurricane protection and included pictures we could send to our insurance company. They allow work on your boat by the owner if certain rules are followed. You need to leave the storage yard by 8PM (if I remember correctly), and you may not stay on your boat until after it is launched. The down side of that location is the two hour motor through the canals after the self service lock from the Myaka River. Something to get used to doing. Low tide depth is about 3.5 to 4 feet in the channel approach outside the lock. Once in the canal the depth is usually6 ft or more.

Up the Caloosahatchee River is Glades and others, but that is a trip too when leaving or returning. Fort Myers and south to the keys gets into fairly pricey real estate. Maybe Goodland in SW Florida has storage facilities. We never looked for storage north of Charlotte Harbor due to our regular cruising choices.