Ten Best Places to Boat and Live

That article misses the boat!
Seattle, Arkansas, Tennessee. Even the Finger Lakes in upstate New York - it's beautiful, but really cold over the long winter. No wonder Boating Days was rated a 2.

They missed all of the great Atlantic coast boating. Maine, Cape Cod, Marthas Vinyard etc. How about Long Island, both North and South Shore - Long Island Sound to Connecticut, Montauk, The Hamptons, Fire Island and Jones Beach, The Great South Bay and the approach to New York Harbor - extending more than 100 miles up the Hudson River. The great Jersey Shore and all those inlets down to Cape May and the Delaware Bay. The Chessapeak! The Outer Banks of North and South Carolina, plus the bays inside the barrier islands. Oh well, they did touch the Atlantic with Fort Lauderdale.

Aside from the great boating, the living in most of these places is far better than most of those mentioned - unless maybe you're an early Microsoft employee in Seatle.

Anyway, that's how I feel. They can keep that article.
 
You ain't kidding about the Finger Lakes - I grew up there (Auburn, on Owasco Lake). Sure the lakes are great, plus you have the barge canal...but winter comes early, stays late and is damn cold. And lots and lots of snow...

Maryland is as far North as I'll ever live now.

Can't believe nowhere on the Chesapeake Bay made that list.

-CJ
 
Yeah, I get this magazine, and was kinda surprised at the places they picked. Seriously, half of Florida could have been on that list. Although, there is some great baoting in Arkansas.
 
proud to see Seattle on the list.

Not knowing the places you have listed they missed, or never boating and/or seeing where you boat, I feel confident that most days here you can boat, rain-clouds or shine; in any type of water that you wish to point the bow towards. :cool:
 
I can see it's nice. But boating in the rain regularly doesn't qualify for the 10 best list!
 
We was Robbed! SoFla is a Boater's Mecca!

Ft Lauderdale is Nirvanna for boaters!

The down grading over "ease" is tilted thinking I think, look there are so many people from all over the world that keep yachts here has to speak positively for access. This community is built around and for boating and boaters. Boaters with all size vessels from 12 ft to 300' have a place in Lauderdale. We have tremendous access to the ICW and the Ocean, or storage, marinas and safety infrastructure is fantastic. . Our ICW is lined with marinas, eating and drinking establishments, clubs, anchorages, shopping, entertainment and marine supplies all easily at hand. Heck, our Border's Book store even has a dock for boaters to come alongside and shop! You can arrive by jet into Laduerdale and be on your boat at one of our ICW marinas in minutes, it don't get any easier! We have public launch ramps all over the city with loads of parking. The problem we have is so many people from all over the US keep boat here they suck up so much facility it drives up the prices for marina slips, pidgeon parks and storage lots. Our locals have to suffer higher prices as a result. We have such a tremendous enviroment for boating the entire boating world wants to be here, and many come here for the 1st and 2nd largest in water boat shows in the world each year! That alone must speak for the impressive boating enviroment we enjoy here.

I think our year round boating, and the sheer volume of boating facilities and service businesses catering principally to boaters speaks for itself. Our diving community is incredibly active in contributing to creating good moorings on the ocean seabed to protect our reefs for the generations to come. Our boating community is enviromentally sensitive and the waters are clean and safe.

Ft. Lauderdale ROCKS!


FORT LAUDERDALE, FLORIDA
Popularly called the "Venice of America," Fort Lauderdale has the Venetian feel of a floating city. Its 165 miles of canals and waterways weave all around and through the city. And combined with Florida's year-round boating weather, that means boaters of all types can easily spend entire days without setting foot on land.

"We even have our own bus system on the water," says Mike Driver, dockmaster of Lauderdale Marina. "It started out as a water taxi service using 26-foot boats. Now they can carry up to 46 people around the canals."

The water is such a vital part of the Fort Lauderdale area that it's no surprise that marina and boat-related business is a driving force in the city, topping $5 billion annually. Perhaps fittingly, the world's largest in-water boat show takes place here every October.

Scorecard (scale of 1-5)
Waterfront Availability: 5
Ease for Boaters: 4
Strong Boat-Related Business: 5
Number of Good Boating Days: 5
Click to expand...
 
I'm near New York City - just north on the Hudson River. The river is beautiful, but well short of a best contender, lacking too much in many other categories - including length of season.

Previously boated East of NYC, on Long Island. No adjacent mountains there, but additional features include access to the Ocean, sandy beaches, cleaner water, more diverse and better fishing, much more waterfront including canals and waterfront homes, plus commuter access to NYC - and the season is even longer, just 50 miles away. That perhaps, should be on the list.
 
It looks like they're just trying to cover every base geographically speaking. I can name 10 places within 100 miles of my house that I consider as good as, or better than any of those. I guess it all depends on what you enjoy. No offense to Ft. Lauderdale, I'm sure it's awesome, but I can do that stuff on land. Give me the tidal creeks of SC or GA any day.
 
I am amazed that California's Delta with 1100 miles of navigable fresh water was not considered. Not to mentiont that a two hour breathtaking run to the west brings you to the San Francisco Bay and a whole new experience. And we can boat for 12 months, 11 if you do not like the rain.

Bill
 
Knoxville is in the house :smt038 I have boated in a quite a few places and none particularily bad but there is pretty good boating around here, almost year round
 
Cap10Pat said:
I'm near New York City - just north on the Hudson River. The river is beautiful, but well short of a best contender, lacking too much in many other categories - including length of season.

Previously boated East of NYC, on Long Island. No adjacent mountains there, but additional features include access to the Ocean, sandy beaches, cleaner water, more diverse and better fishing, much more waterfront including canals and waterfront homes, plus commuter access to NYC - and the season is even longer, just 50 miles away. That perhaps, should be on the list.
Click to expand...

You're right no-one wants to boat in the rain and comparitively may knock it off the list but, in our area, we can usually boat year 'round. We will freeze occasionally, and have the aforementioned rain, but for the most part it's mild enough to run about.
+'s = Very few bugs, tons of destinations, beautiful terrain, scenery, whales, eagles, other marine wildlife, close to the Canadian boating scene, protected waters

-'s = The Prime season is shorter than the southern states (April - Oct), some rain, that's all the downsides I can think of :huh:
 
SR360Aft - How is that Knoxville boating? Looks like we are going to be in your area again with the MM getaway, end of August. Just got the TN river trip info. Looks like we will be spending the night at your marina again :thumbsup:
 
chuck1, we have not missed a weekend on the water yet. The river came up to full pool very early and the flotsam is long gone. We have had a great season so far and expect to be at Aquapalooza which is being held up river near Concord on the 21st.
If you do the MM trip up this way, stop on by A12 and I'll buy you a cold adult beverage :grin:
 
Will do :thumbsup: Hope it is not as late as it was last year, we did not get tied up in the slip until after dark. :smt021
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,120
Messages
1,426,612
Members
61,037
Latest member
wojozobl
Back
Top