Southeast FL Marinas Recommendation

Tom,

Being 15NM away and paying 1/2 the price is some serious incentive. Is the ICW from Fort Pierce to Hooker Cove all no wake zone?

A quick question on the cruising guides. I wanted to get Embassy Cruising Guide: Florida 4th Edition, but have learned that this is 2012 publication and the next one will be out in 2014. On the other hand, Dozier's Waterway Cruising Guide Southern 2013 is the most current. Do you guys think that there's much that I'll be missing if I go with 2012 ECG? Or should I just go with DWCGS 2013? It just appears to me that ECG covers a bit more than DWCG.
 
Tom, are you at Harbortown? Alex, like anything, check these areas out - there is a reason its 1/2 the price - I was in Canaveral on the barge canal and its even cheaper.....If you want to be in a "resort" area with "high end" stuff nearby, you will pay a lot more than if those things are not important to you....
 
Harbortown yes. Just replaced all the wood on the docks and are doing 2 million in renovations to the marina. New showers, bathrooms (although I don't use them) and they are putting some type of security gate at the front, not done yet but working on it every week. I agree, check them out. We did and it was more than worth is especially with all the improvements they are making.

Harbortown is trying to get boats in the marina. It is bank owned and once you sign the contract, you are locked in for the year. If they change in a year, ok, well just move someplace else. Take advantage while you can, if the economy is getting better as that jackass in washington keeps telling us, these prices will not be here long.
 
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Alex F said:
Tom,

Being 15NM away and paying 1/2 the price is some serious incentive. Is the ICW from Fort Pierce to Hooker Cove all no wake zone?

A quick question on the cruising guides. I wanted to get Embassy Cruising Guide: Florida 4th Edition, but have learned that this is 2012 publication and the next one will be out in 2014. On the other hand, Dozier's Waterway Cruising Guide Southern 2013 is the most current. Do you guys think that there's much that I'll be missing if I go with 2012 ECG? Or should I just go with DWCGS 2013? It just appears to me that ECG covers a bit more than DWCG.
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I like the embassy guides too - I have an older one, I dont think you'd be miising much pickin up the 2012 embassy guide.....As for Ft. Pierce, I am strongly considering it - I store on the hard when I'm not there (cheaper ins. and my boat has outdrives) does harbortown have a forklift and racks or is it a travellift/block it type deal (sorry for the Hi-jack Alex)
 
Harbortown does not, but just across the canal there is indoor storage with a lift, Taylor Creek Marina, I think the name of it is.

Oh yeah, one other really great thing about this area is that Taylor Creek ,which is fresh water from what I am told, runs out and fills the marina with mostly fresh water, so lets call it brackish. Very little salt (haven't tasted and won't) but from the long timers on the dock very little growth, no barnacles, etc.

EDIT: Harbortown is right next to Witicars marine yard and I think they have the on land storage with lift, etc. But not sure how all that works.
 
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I totally agree with you guys and we'll be stopping by Tom's place as well. I see no problem setting an autopilot and go for 2hrs slow cruise down the ICW to area like Stuart in exchange of saving good money.

The main goal is to cruise and explore the area while we're on the boat. For this reason alone it doesn't make sense to pay top dollar for a resort type of marina. I rather put it in the fuel tank and go on a trip.

Yea, I think that 2012 ECG should be ok. I have both DWCG and ECG for other regions and I liked the ECG format a little better. So, I guess I'll just get it for FL region.

trit21 said:
....Oh yeah, one other really great thing about this area is that Taylor Creek ,which is fresh water from what I am told, runs out and fills the marina with mostly fresh water, so lets call it brackish. Very little salt (haven't tasted and won't) but from the long timers on the dock very little growth, no barnacles, etc...
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Not that it's a deal maker or breaker, but it's always a plus to be in a brackish water instead of salt.
 
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Alex F said:
Since our focus is to use the boat for the winter months (Dec-Mar/Apr) we want to be in the warmest climate. One of my primary goals is to take a trip to Bahamas during spring break, so for that reason I don't want to be too far from Bimini.
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The good news is that by December the hurricane season will be over, the bad news as has been mentioned, in the winter winds are generally out of the north and the GS can be very rough. That doesn't mean a trip to the Bahamas is out of the question, but if you're planning around the school holiday it could be problematic. Therefore, I think the decision might focus more on family lifestyle than finding a "Winter Shelter". I believe you have a young family, so I assume you're not going to be living on board for the season, but rather flying down for extended visits. If that's the case proximity to airports and convenient and reasonable flight schedules might be important factors.

I think your approach of driving around checking out marinas first-hand is excellent. There is a lot of great boating weather in the winter, and even if the Gulfstream is snotty, running north/south 1/2 mile offshore is generally no problem. This pretty much opens all south Florida and the Keys.

I don't have any specific marina recommendations, but if you have questions please contact me.

Best of luck, Art
 
I keep my boat at the Delray Harbor Club Marina. Its a nice quiet marina next to the DHC Condo. The building itself gives great weather protection. Also, Yacht Management, Inc. is actually on-site (they run the marina and the fuel docks), and they can not only watch the boat, they can coordinate repairs, bottom cleanings - everything. They are great - highly recommended!

Finally, DHC is only about a mile south of Atlantic Ave., which of course is where all the action is in Delray Beach.

If you dock there, you'd big the third big Sea Ray there! :)
 
Art said:
The good news is that by December the hurricane season will be over, the bad news as has been mentioned, in the winter winds are generally out of the north and the GS can be very rough. That doesn't mean a trip to the Bahamas is out of the question, but if you're planning around the school holiday it could be problematic. Therefore, I think the decision might focus more on family lifestyle than finding a "Winter Shelter". I believe you have a young family, so I assume you're not going to be living on board for the season, but rather flying down for extended visits. If that's the case proximity to airports and convenient and reasonable flight schedules might be important factors.

I think your approach of driving around checking out marinas first-hand is excellent. There is a lot of great boating weather in the winter, and even if the Gulfstream is snotty, running north/south 1/2 mile offshore is generally no problem. This pretty much opens all south Florida and the Keys.

I don't have any specific marina recommendations, but if you have questions please contact me.

Best of luck, Art
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Thanks Art. You're absolutely right, having both of us working and kids in school our schedule will be around kids breaks and holidays. So, we will be at the mercy of the weather Gods when we come to stay on the boat for limited time. We'll be mixing our transportation methods between driving by car on longer breaks and flying for short getaways. As you said, being not too far from an airport is something to consider.

If the seas are too rough for the crossing, then going to the Keys would be a great plan B. This is the area we haven't explore and it has always been on my wish list as well.

joelkoz said:
I keep my boat at the Delray Harbor Club Marina. Its a nice quiet marina next to the DHC Condo. The building itself gives great weather protection. Also, Yacht Management, Inc. is actually on-site (they run the marina and the fuel docks), and they can not only watch the boat, they can coordinate repairs, bottom cleanings - everything. They are great - highly recommended!

Finally, DHC is only about a mile south of Atlantic Ave., which of course is where all the action is in Delray Beach.

If you dock there, you'd big the third big Sea Ray there! :)
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Thanks for the info, Joel. Too bad they don't have a website (at least the one I found doesn't work), but I'll add it to my list and will do more research on it.
 
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Ididntdoit said:
Bathtub Beach!!!!!
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Found good review here: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attracti...1652-Reviews-Bathtub_Reef-Stuart_Florida.html

I hope it won't take too long to get it fixed from Sandy damage.

floriduramax1 said:
We keep the big boat in Marina Bay Marina. It's way up the New River and is the most cost effective place for insurance. Real nice gated community directly beside I-95 and minutes to Ft Lauderdale Airport. It's on exit 25.
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Great! Another vote for Marina Bay Marina. I guess it's definitely worth visiting.
 
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Art said:
The good news is that by December the hurricane season will be over, the bad news as has been mentioned, in the winter winds are generally out of the north and the GS can be very rough.
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I concur...last weekend the winds were out of the NE, and here is what the Hillsboro inlet looked like:

get-attachment.jpg
 
Alex F said:
Thanks for the info, Joel. Too bad they don't have a website (at least the one I found doesn't work), but I'll add it to my list and will do more research on it.
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Both of these web sites work for me:

http://dhcmarina.com/

http://ymisf.com/home

Just FYI - it sounds like you're wanting to do the same thing I am. My primary residence is in Indianapolis IN, but I "commute" down to Florida to visit the boat, thus I need someone else to take care of it while I'm not there.

The DHC Condo is a nice, gated/guarded condo in a great area of town. My wife loves it there when we visit. She feels very safe. The Publix grocery and a lot of other convenient shops are right across the street, so provisioning is easy. And, if you keep a car down there, they will let you park it in the condo's long term parking lot for free, and the YMI guys will come pick you up at the airport in your car :)
 
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