I think you will find it difficult to have a 60'+ boat on an inland lake.....there are some lakes large enough in the SE but finding docking and access to diesel/pump out docks could be challenging.....I would suggest either a coastal location or on the eastern intracoastal waterway.....

there are many very nice coastal cities in the SE that have excellent boating year round.....I am sure some members that live in those areas will chime in....

good luck.......and I am very jealous..........

cliff

 

Agreed inland lakes are off the list. Options are SE coast, East coast of FL, or southern part of the river system. We don't know much about the west side of FL but are open to learning more.

 

If I were going to live aboard, just my wife and I, with that kind of budget I'd be looking at a single stateroom Sport Fish / Convertible in the 50' range. Wide open, big galley, huge cockpit and fewer stairs to deal with on a daily basis.

 

I would think n '08 47DB would do the job!

 

+1 - Having a hard time understanding why you would dump the boat you have - it has a great master stateroom/head - I have not spent a ton of time on a 60DA, But I know the 47 pretty well and it seems like a great liveaboard for a couple.....plus yours seams in great shape and you already own it - move it to Ft Lauderdale (great weather year round and a very accessible airport with direct flights to just about anywhere) and enjoy!

 

It is an option and not off the table. For my work flights would be important. We will keep FT Lauderdale on the list. The east side of FL appeals to me due to proximity to the Bahamas

 

Chattanooga TN is a great city to live aboard.

There's a few marinas around that you could use.

https://www.erwinmarinesales.com/come-and-discover--gold-point-yacht-harbor

I'm across the river at their other property for smaller boats. Great owners and a full service SeaRay dealer.

 

I'm with Ducky on that. If you wanna be in the south, Chattanooga or even a little further up river like Chicamaugua would be Ideal. There are a pantload of Marinas there. Also there is Watts Bar Lake. There are a couple of Nice Marinas on Guntersville Lake, but I don't know what the live aboard rules are. Alred, Guntersville Marina, and down river to Ditto or Lucy's Branch are some of the major players.
I really like the boat you currently have now, looks like plenty of boat to live on, and has a great layout.
Gotta warn you though, some of us Southern Boys will just come over uninvited and bring Beer, Whiskey, and steaks...Just to see how y'all are..

 

Gotta warn you though, some of us Southern Boys will just come over uninvited and bring Beer, Whiskey, and steaks...Just to see how y'all are..

Can't forget the banjos.

 

First consideration for me would be a place where you don’t have to winterize.
Second woul be a place that hurricanes aren’t a frequent occurrence.
Can’t imagine it being a lot of fun living on a winterized boat or worrying about losing all your belongings a couple of times a year if a hurricane rips through your marina.
Proximity to a decent sized airport with frequent flights back to where family is would be on the list.
A state with either no income tax, or very low income or personal tax would be most desirable for me. Especially a place that doesn’t beat you over the head in tax for your boat and cars every year.
Lastly, I’d look for a place that has some good destinations within a few hours cruise radius so you’d be able to have a nice change of scenery on selected long weekends or vacations. That would probably be good for you and the boat. Even living on a 60’ Boat might feel a bit monotonous if you don’ do something to change things up a bit every once in a while.

 

Yes, We don't want to be winterizing and accept that if we are in FL or other hurricane areas we will have an emergency budget prepared to handle secure boat storage and getting us out of the path.

Any place we can find a tax advantage would be great. I know FL doesn't have state income tax but I am not sure about any specific taxes on boats/cars. For some reason Jacksonville, FL seems to meet a lot of these requirements. I want to get a long weekend there to check it out. Seems like there would be decent cruising options for north and south via ICW and the option to hit the bahamas? I could be totally off but just a guess... but if i had all the answers I wouldn't have asked the question

 

New Bern, NC

 

St. Petersburg FL, Harborage Marina handles mega yachts and I know of at least one 60’ Sea Ray already there. Hurricanes are really no big deal, and granted we just had the one the direct hit was way down in Key West, full 5 hours from here) but literally no damage to any boats of any significance. My boat survived on a rack, in a building with just a roof. We have had basically zero direct hits. Hard for hurricanes to go around the tip of FL, then circle up and go back east to hit St. Petersburg directly, No taxes, no winterization, year round boating, trips to local destinations like longboat Key, Anna Maria island, Venice, Ft Meyers, key west (one captain told me he just goes out a 5 miles into the gulf, turns on auto pilot, and in the morning he is nearing key west, sounds crazy to me, but maybe the bigger boats can do this). Tons of live aboards here as well, there are other marinas nearby that do live aboards as well, most would handle 60’, none that handle mega yachts.
Harborage is protected as well, it is on the east side of the peninsula, so there is at least some land between you and a hurricane, but again, just not a big deal.
You are also right near downtown st pete, so easy access to whatever you would need business wise, and a great nightlife.

 

St. Petersburg FL, Harborage Marina handles mega yachts and I know of at least one 60’ Sea Ray already there. Hurricanes are really no big deal, and granted we just had the one the direct hit was way down in Key West, full 5 hours from here) but literally no damage to any boats of any significance. My boat survived on a rack, in a building with just a roof. We have had basically zero direct hits. Hard for hurricanes to go around the tip of FL, then circle up and go back east to hit St. Petersburg directly, No taxes, no winterization, year round boating, trips to local destinations like longboat Key, Anna Maria island, Venice, Ft Meyers, key west (one captain told me he just goes out a 5 miles into the gulf, turns on auto pilot, and in the morning he is nearing key west, sounds crazy to me, but maybe the bigger boats can do this). Tons of live aboards here as well, there are other marinas nearby that do live aboards as well, most would handle 60’, none that handle mega yachts.
Harborage is protected as well, it is on the east side of the peninsula, so there is at least some land between you and a hurricane, but again, just not a big deal.
You are also right near downtown st pete, so easy access to whatever you would need business wise, and a great nightlife.

That's one heck of an ad! Great info. I will discuss with the wife. I think we are going to have to make some trips.

 

As far as taxes on boats/cars/etc, I am not aware of anything specifically. My registration is peanuts. My wife is a CPA tax accountant, I can ask her, but pretty sure there is not much. Property taxes? Absolutely, but you will not have any land, so you should be golden. Jacksonville is nice, but the Atlantic is pretty rough, but the inter coastal, if not busy, would be great. In Tampa/st pete, the bay provides great protection, and we have ICW as well.

 

Thanks this is obviously one reason a FL location keeps coming back to the top of the list

 

Frank and some other members have always raved about Panama City and the surrounding area which includes a barrier with tons of ICWW and inner and outer beaches?

 

BTW, Love the 47DB.

 

Kicking around the idea of relocating to an area we could live aboard full time.

So for those of you who are doing it or live in the southern part of the country

1. Suggestions for good citys/towns/marinas/location to live aboard. We will be working full time at least to start. I have been thinking FL, Carolina's, maybe even TN rivers?

2. Boat suggestions? We have the 610 sundancer on our short list.

Stay away from Gulfport Florida I was a liveaboard there and experienced hardships imposed by the municipality . No dingies parked more than 4 hours in beach or dingy dock to deter luceaboard. Big fines . The city workers stole my canoe even .

 

If I were to consider living on a boat it would HAVE to be a sedan type boat and not an express. For my current lifestyle I love my big open cockpit and few stairs to get into the cabin but we spend very little time in the cabin because you're so isolated down there. Even with the newer bigger side windows it's still very enclosed. And when tied to a pier or next to another large boat those windows will be blocked anyway. When it's raining, and it does rain in FL, or when it's super hot and humid, you'll enjoy being able to sit in your open salon and watch the world go by in comfort.

As far as where to go, I have no clue but am enjoying hearing everyone else's opinions.

 

Have you seen the express the OP is talking about.....a 61DA has a lot of "above grade" space that is enclosed and A/C'd

 

In my opion:

Jacksonville is a good choice. We live an hour south in between St. Augustine and Daytona. This area has, historically, a lower incidence of hurricanes. Though the last two years have been active. Jacksonville is colder than other places farther south or west in Florida. It also has the St. Johns River which is the longest in FL and very much liked by some boaters. Georgia and some fun port cities is just a short hop north. Unlike the west coast, though, there are not many anchorages outside of the Intracoastal. Some nice marinas, though. St. Augustine is a nice destination, as are New Smyrna Beach and the Canaveral/Cocoa area farther south.

Jacksonville is HUGE. It is the largest land area of any city in the US and lots of jobs. Traffic is not so bad. Lots of active duty and retired military. NE FL has been sort of a backwater and as a result, outside of Jacksonville, is not very built up. The swamps and lowlands are still there. They were not drained for housing like other areas of FL. Lots of big parklands.

The entire NE FL is pretty right wing. Other parts of FL are more left wing.

Tampa and the Gulf Coast are much more humid, warmer and the Gulf water is saltier. It is also calmer than the Atlantic, and there are very nice islands right off the Intracoastal. From Tampa southward it is very congested on land, and nearly wall-to-wall stripmalls. Very nice marinas, and the cruising destinations are better than NE FL. The calmer water helps, too.

From time to time there is red tide in areas of the Gulf Coast. It can cause respiratory problems in some. It has not been a problem on the Atlantic coast that I'm aware of.

Good luck with your choice. If you come to Jacksonville (abbreviated JAX) we'd love to show you around on a weekend.

Eric

 

Our 47DB was on the east coast of FL, between Fort Lauderdale and Miami.

This boat is on the west coast, Clearwater area. Going north in a couple of weeks, but will return to same area.

Couple of observations.

We definitely prefer the west coast. Yes Bahamas take an extra couple of days. But the amount to destinations that you can bounce to with 20-40 mile moves is outstanding. So much to see.

Winter time is not good boating in south of Florida unless you only stay in the ICW. Weather is great, but many days from November to March you don't want to go outside. Prime time boating in this area starts around the end of march and goes into the warm months.

The culture, people, and overall environment are night and day between South Florida and the west coast. Everyone has their preference - just when evaluating - visit both.

On the west coast slips for a 60' boat are much tougher to find than on the east coast. St Pete has a few options - Clearwater very limited.

Anna Maria island, Long boat Key, Marina Jack's has options.

Further south, options around Ft Meyers area.

Live aboard - my personal preference would be a fly bridge boat.

Mark

 

If it were me I would consider even farther south. Pretty much all air travel is available in the islands. St Croix or St Thomas. Slip fees will be 50% more but well worth it. Go big or go home I say!!!

 

You have already discovered mostly positive Florida considerations. Here are some on the other side of the coin:

Slips in some locations for a boat like the 60/610DA are scarce due to the beam. Some Florida locations are declared no discharge areas. Not that you would dump a holding tank in the harbor, but No-Discharge also gives the water cops, DEP, local sheriff, etc. the right to board and inspect your plumbing, when they choose. Sailboats and live-aboards get "special attention." Some of the higer end marinas don't allow full time live-aboards.....you just have to be sure you read the slip's lease carefully. Most marinas on the Florida coast have a hurricane plan, but it general puts the responsibility for your boat and their docks on the slip lessee.....again, read all the dociuments.

I also think that the proximity of your live-aboard to various services, restaurants, airports, shopping, etc. is an important consideration. The Corrp of Engineers and TVA lakes along the Tennessee River Valley affords some of the best inlnd boating in the world. The lakes are not puddles either, some are 100 miles long and have huge shore lines. The problem is that the Chattanooga area is the only part of the system tht is near a major city and while there is an airpost there, it is small with limited flight schedules.

We are Florida residents, but also live part time about 50 miles outside of Nashville TN. An interesting area because Nashville is near 4 major lakes that are clean and managed by the Corp Of Engineers. There are a fairly large number of boats over 50ft in the area. Nashville has excellent local services, lots of shopping, an international airport that is a hub for Southwest, American and Delta. Boats that stay in the water don't winterize if they can run their heat. One gotcha, however, is that Tennessee is also a no income tax state, but they have the "Hall Tax" which is a 6% tax on dividends and interest paid by non-Tennessee sources. There is taalk of repealing it, but for now the Hall Tax is just an income tax on the yield from your invested capital.

 

You have already discovered mostly positive Florida considerations. Here are some on the other side of the coin:

Slips in some locations for a boat like the 60/610DA are scarce due to the beam. Some Florida locations are declared no discharge areas. Not that you would dump a holding tank in the harbor, but No-Discharge also gives the water cops, DEP, local sheriff, etc. the right to board and inspect your plumbing, when they choose. Sailboats and live-aboards get "special attention." Some of the higer end marinas don't allow full time live-aboards.....you just have to be sure you read the slip's lease carefully. Most marinas on the Florida coast have a hurricane plan, but it general puts the responsibility for your boat and their docks on the slip lessee.....again, read all the dociuments.

I also think that the proximity of your live-aboard to various services, restaurants, airports, shopping, etc. is an important consideration. The Corrp of Engineers and TVA lakes along the Tennessee River Valley affords some of the best inlnd boating in the world. The lakes are not puddles either, some are 100 miles long and have huge shore lines. The problem is that the Chattanooga area is the only part of the system tht is near a major city and while there is an airpost there, it is small with limited flight schedules.

We are Florida residents, but also live part time about 50 miles outside of Nashville TN. An interesting area because Nashville is near 4 major lakes that are clean and managed by the Corp Of Engineers. There are a fairly large number of boats over 50ft in the area. Nashville has excellent local services, lots of shopping, an international airport that is a hub for Southwest, American and Delta. Boats that stay in the water don't winterize if they can run their heat. One gotcha, however, is that Tennessee is also a no income tax state, but they have the "Hall Tax" which is a 6% tax on dividends and interest paid by non-Tennessee sources. There is taalk of repealing it, but for now the Hall Tax is just an income tax on the yield from your invested capital.

Frank the TN area is by no means out of the question. I agree we will need to be in relative close proximity to a decent sized air port and would like to be close to other services as well. We have some time and are just starting to research. Are they are city's/Marina's that you would suggest we put on the list? We would like to start visiting some over the next year in preparation.

 

West coast would put you close to Tampa and Fort Meyers airports. Of the two, Tampa will have more flight options. Either will work, just not as many options out of Fort Meyers.

Now, I may be biased about airport traffic based my Airline preference.

Mark

 

Mark,

Where are you keeping your boat?

 

Mark,

Where are you keeping your boat?

In a private slip I found, Clearwater, FL. Different than keeping it in a marina. But has worked well.

Current plans are to return there when we get back to FL in the fall from the trip north.

Mark