Question about reloacting to So. Florida (east coast)

W

waterlogged

New Member
Oct 3, 2006
238
Boca Raton, FL
Boat Info
2006 340 DA
Engines
8.1s
My wife and I are thinking of relocating down to West Palm Beach. I have a job opportunity in Ft. Lauderdale, and we have a family owned business in Boca that she can work in. We have a house in West Palm available to us, so that part of the equation is all set.

My questions, of course, revolve around boating.

I can get my 340 shipped down for around $4,500, so that "seems" like a no brainer (rather than selling up here and buying down there). I'd rather have diesels, but I've got what I've got :wink: I’ve been in contact with a couple of marinas that offer rack and wet slips. I never really considered racking, but it seems to offer a lot of advantages. I'm on the high end of what they can rack, but both indicated it wasn't an issue.

Questions are:

1 – Can you recommend some marinas in the West Palm area (within 20 minutes or so)

2 – Thoughts on wet vs. rack

3 – What do you think I’ll be looking at in terms of insurance (I’m thinking racking would reduce it)

Thanks for any and all feedback even if I didn't ask :grin:
 
Are you land-locked? I would cruise down.

Insurance will start at $3500. I'm suprised you can find a marina. There's a lot of discussion here about being unable to find one without getting on a waiting list. Consider finding someone with a vacant dock.
 
Yep, I'm landlocked. Between fuel, transport and time, I figured it's going to be cheaper to just ship it.

I got 2 responses from marinas in the Palm Beach area that had both wet and dry available. Right now, based on the way we'd use the boat, I'm leaning towards dry.

I'm paying $1,200 for insurance now (7 month lay-up) so $3,500 doesn't sound too bad.

Any feedback on the Palm Beach Yacht Center in Hypoluxo?
 
If you enjoy "marina life", its non existent with dry storage....no place to "hang out" on the boat. Hell "marina life" is better than 50% of our boating enjoyment. Not sure I would have what I have now if I didn't enjoy just doing "nothing" at the marina. Just my $.02.
 
Hi. I'm in Dania on a dry marina, but they have a good number of slips if you want to spend the night, which I do often. If this is important to you, ask the potential marina what is their slip availability/policy for rack customers.

Most dry marinas will allow one in/out per day. This is of course plenty. Most people call to have the boat put in on Friday and taken out Monday. On mine, if the antenna is up, it means keep it in the water. Antenna down, take it out. They also brush the bottom and if you ask, flush the engine.

If the marina doesn't have much temp slip space, keep in mind you might not be able to put it in ahead of time or stay there long. This varies marina to marina so ask around.

Like another post said, once you get here, consider looking for a private house with dock space for rent. Check Craigslist Ft Lauderdale and you'll find a few. Some may even have a lift included.

Another factor is how close to home do you want the boat. Do you prefer closer to WPB (home) and be on the boat quicker, or go south a bit and be closer to Miami water? Just a thought to consider. This is my first season here and I prefer closer to home. Next year or two I may move the boat to Dade county.

Look at the Loggerhead group of marinas. I think their rates are reasonable and they have a nice dry facility in Riviera Beach near WPB. http://inletharbormarina.com/

I relocated from NoVa last year to the Ft/L area. Feel free to ask any questions. Expect higher rates for marinas and insurance.

Esteban
 
waterlogged said:
2 – Thoughts on wet vs. rackThanks for any and all feedback even if I didn't ask :grin:
Click to expand...

I keep my boat in a "high & dry" rack at our marina. Fortunately, the 2 guys that own & operate it are really great. I call 1 hour before leaving the house and by the time I get there I can park the truck, load the cooler, untie, and go. If I need to clean the boat or do maintenance, I can call and have them put it on a wash rack which gives me access to every square inch of the boat. They have no problem at all if I ask them to launch the boat and then go down there and spend the whole day tied to the dock either lounging, or working on it, as long as we move it away from the immediate launch area. If we return after closing, we dock bow in if we want them to leave it in, or stern in if we want it pulled.

The good: There is less crud accumulatting on the bottom while you are not using the boat. There is no chance of damage by other boats while you are away. The boat, and any belongings left inside are secure while you are away (the whole boat is >15 feet in the air - this also means that no one can steal the props, etc.). There is less chance of corrosion on the sterndrive (and the anodes last longer). You never need to worry about storms, etc. while you are away. There is absolutely no possibility of receiving the dreaded "your boat is sinking at the dock" phone call.

The only "bad" thing is that if I haven't decided to have them launch the boat by 5PM, I need to wait until the next day.

So, in my experience, the rack storage is a big plus. Not to mention that it only costs $1600/yr compared to more than $2K for a slip. My advice is to talk to folks who rack wherever you are looking first. The arrangement only works if the people that run the place are on top of things, and are OK to get along with. You will have to deal with them every time you use your boat. If they are not "customer service oriented", it could make the arrangement very undesireable.

I give :thumbsup: :thumbsup: to rack storage in general, and to Bill's Boats in Miller's Island in particular. I'm a happy customer. (BTW: It's right next to the "Dock of the Bay" bar / restaurant. If you happen to be at the DOTB, and see a blue hull 260DA with a skinny, long haired blonde guy on it, that would be me - stop by and say "Hi". I'm looking forward to meeting some of you CSR folks. I'll be flying the CSR burg.... crud... nevermind....)

Michael
 
I live in Fort Lauderdale (but west off of the New River) and am lucky enough to be able to keep my boat at my dock, but have friends in the WPB area that use a Marina there and have for years, so I'll contact them and let you know..
In the meantime, welcome to SFLA, and let me know if and when you make the move.

Insurance on my 320 is about $32-3300..If you need a name to get a quote, let me know and I'll get that to you..

Barry
 
Thanks guys, at this point more questions than answers, I'm sure I'll have more. I just sold my snowmobiles, so we're getting closer :grin:
 
We've done wet up north and dry down here in Florida.

I like the high and dry much better than I thought I would. Your boat isn't sitting in saltwater all of the time, the marina flushes everything out for you - I think your boat lasts quite a bit longer this way. Especially if your storage facility is enclosed. Your boat won't be subjected to the elements as much.

Yes, you can't hang out at the dock, but we prefer going out, not sitting around the dock. But that's us.

Good luck with your move!

:smt001
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,247
Messages
1,429,237
Members
61,125
Latest member
Bassinbradw
Back
Top