Buying livaboard in Florida....

[rustybarge]

You take as many precautions as you can. We are up the St Lucie canal through a 13' lock and 10 miles along and we have 4 big stakes in the ground the boat is strapped down to. So far so good. It you get a direct bit maybe bad but we know Canadians that have been there for at least 15 years. Just the luck of the draw. Cap Hatteras has always been the cut off point north for hurricane season from June to November, yet look where the last. It one hit, New York!!!

Ah ha, you actually tie down the boat to stakes driven into the ground; it's not just resting on blocks like in the UK.

 

[Chatelaine60]

Looks good but sold. They don't stay on the market very long at all!!

 

[TQA]

Looks good but sold. They don't stay on the market very long at all!!

Well not to worry, the one thing Florida has in good supply is old power boats.

 

[longjohnsilver]

The annual cruising permit could be a problem, you have to leave US waters for a week or more before applying for another year.

 

[rustybarge]

removed....

 

[rustybarge]

Regarding mooring in Florida here are some thoughts from another forum:

Called one Ft. Lauderdale marina and received a $24k quote for my 41' Mainship Grand Salon whereupon I almost dropped dead. The guy said there are many private residences that rent out slips for considerably less.

About the lowest you will find on this coast is $12/ft plus electric and other goodies. West coast you can get closer to $9.

We spent some time in Ortega Landing, just outside of Jacksonville. It had been recently renovated was first class in every way (pool, clubhouse, etc.) and a few years back was about $500/month for our 62’ sailboat.

I agree, I love South Florida but it is expensive.. I keep my Mainship in Charleston SC and was paying $250 per month until recently when I decided to purchase my slip for $20,000.

With a few exceptions, the price drops like a rock north of Stewart. I live aboard at Harbortown in Fort Pierce. The climate is to kill for, one of the better places to live in the world. Real estate is dirt cheap, lots of nice places for less than $100k. They are offering $8.50 a foot with a 1 year contract and $100 month live aboard+electricty. Lovely full service Marina with a fine cafe-bar. Even new big laundry with a granite folding counter. Excellent grocery (Publix) 1/4 mile away. Lots of security with manned gate. Well kept. No extraordinarily long walks to your car from any slip. Easy to get around. Excellent medical, Dr's and such. 3 miles max to open ocean. I tried to go the Ft Lauderdale route, found a slip for $300 more and that was the deal, the rest was in the $1000 range +. The traffic was HORRIBLE and parking opportunities even worse. Like Miami, nice place to visit. Tuesday I went to LaBell, just kinda traveling around and saw lots of places on the Florida Waterway, nice places, for less than $100k where you can sit on your back porch and watch the yachts drive by all day. Cannot tie your boat up behind your house though, it might end up in your back yard when the Rodney Dangerfield super yacht driver throwing a 6 foot wake...... Still safe boat stowage is real, real cheap, say 2--3$ a foot. Fresh water, easy on the equipment.

 

[TQA]

The climate is to kill for, one of the better places to live in the world.

Florida is waaaaay to hot in summer. A/C is needed to sleep at night.

IMHO the only place in the USA with a good year round climate is San Diego.

 

[rustybarge]

Florida is waaaaay to hot in summer. A/C is needed to sleep at night.

IMHO the only place in the USA with a good year round climate is San Diego.

My son went to visit a friend in San Fransico, and he said the climate was lovely.
But it's a long long way from Europe!

Florida just for the winter was the plan, 'sort of'. 7 or 8 hours flight ain't so bad to Miami, and would work out much cheaper for the kids [4] to come visiting.

The west coast would definitely be the ultimate destination, no doubt about it.

 

[TQA]

My son went to visit a friend in San Fransico, and he said the climate was lovely.
But it's a long long way from Europe!

Florida just for the winter was the plan, 'sort of'. 7 or 8 hours flight ain't so bad to Miami, and would work out much cheaper for the kids [4] to come visiting.

The west coast would definitely be the ultimate destination, no doubt about it.

Florida in winter certainly makes sense, the odd cold snap that only lasts a day or so in the south when the fronts come through. The rest of the time s very pleasant.

I have west coast friends who lived around SF when they worked and they said that there were just to many cold and foggy days there. They now live in Carlsbad just to the north of San Diego.

 

[rustybarge]

Florida in winter certainly makes sense, the odd cold snap that only lasts a day or so in the south when the fronts come through. The rest of the time s very pleasant.

I have west coast friends who lived around SF when they worked and they said that there were just to many cold and foggy days there. They now live in Carlsbad just to the north of San Diego.

I think you may well be right about San Diego, that extra 500 miles further south makes all the difference to the winter weather.

.....but i guess that the summer temperature would be a bit higher too.