Keeping a boat on the eastern seaboard

[JordanH]

Originally Posted by Tortuga's Lie

Would you be flying to and from Canada or driving? This could make a bit of difference as the location to airports could be a fairly long drive to sailing areas. If driving, a close proximity to I-95 would be better.
Certain areas of the Chesapeake has both proximities within reason but other areas of the Bay can be a 2-3 hour drive to an international airport or a route to I-95. South Carolina has decent proximity but the sailing grounds are limited as is Georgia. North Carolina isn't too bad but the distance to an airport can be far and the sailing is OK but the water gets real skinny in a large part of the sounds. Florida's East coast has only ocean sailing for day sails but it's close to the Bahamas which is great and then there's the hurricanes.
Given the factors, the Chesapeake may offer what you are looking for.

That's a good question. If I had a crystal ball, I would think that I would drive down at the start of the spring season to get the boat setup. Chances are my wife and daughter would either fly to meet me, or I'd drive back to pick them up for the summer months and reverse that for school in September. If the boat is north, I'd probably stay on the boat for 4 months in the summer, if the boat is in the south, I'd be escaping to it through the winter.
Since I'll be "semi-retired" and "working from home", I can physically be where ever... but my wife and daughter are tethered up north for the school year. It would make the most sense for me to have my vehicle with me.

That's a second vote for the Chesapeake... I guess I know where my search for marinas should start.

[JordanH]

Originally Posted by Tortuga's Lie

Another thing to consider is that some states may have personal property taxes on boats, which is paid annually based on a percentage of the boats valuation. Virginia allows for this but some counties do not tax boats, so it's location dependent in Virginia.
Also, Virginia has a 5% sales tax with a maximum of $2000 (or at least it was this way a couple of years ago)

Yikes, and I thought Canada was bad for taxes.

[JordanH]

Originally Posted by Reeve21

Long Island sound and southern New England are great cruising grounds. Lots of well protected harbors and anchoring is still possible in many of them. The season is short, but you don’t need air-conditioning like areas further to the south. It’s not cheap. A slip would run you $100-$150 a foot per season, and winter storage on the hard is approaching $60 a foot. You can decrease those cost substantially by going on a mooring and/or joining a yacht club.

This, unfortunately, was what i was seeing in my first bunch of research. I was coming up with $7-12k usd/year for storing a 53' vessel in the states. Today, I pay under $2k usd/year for a 26' vessel, so that just sounds too high...

[JordanH]

Originally Posted by chris mac

I'm Canadian as well, but pretty much live aboard 8-10 months a year. So I can offer advice on some of your questions.
You didn't mention what time of year you plan to use the boat. If summer, I would recommend long island sound and north, with the option of going to Nova Scotia to reset your cruising permit.
If spring and fall, I would suggest the Chesapeake. Great cruising, lots of back creek anchorages and towns to explore. The Norfolk CBP office would be your best bet on finding out legalities of keeping the boat stateside for more than a year.
If winter will be your time on the boat then Florida or Georgia would be best. I'm sitting aboard in green cove springs right now, and there are many many other Canadian boats here. Great winter weather and Bahamas is very close.
I would look into gulf of mexico too, but I have no first hand experience there.
As for insurance, the only two real options that I have found(as an Albertan) are skippers plan from Gallagher, and dolphin insurance out of BC. Once you have an idea on where you will base, call both and ask for rates in that area.
Your idea is very doable and many Canadians do it. There will be hoops to jump through, and a lot of your time aboard will be maintenance and especially cleaning. For 4 months aboard, I would say it's worthwhile. For 2 months aboard, I would suggest looking into doing charters on similar size boats. Less maintenance, more fun. And similar cost through the year (as storage, docking, maintenance)

Thanks for that Chris. So yes, what you described sounds typical. Where it falls down for me is that if I could bring the boat to Halifax, I'd just leave it in Halifax. I love Nova Scotia. The problem is the moment you 'pop up' to Nova Scotia to reset the permit, then you are screwed having to pay the HST and Tariffs. I believe NS is 15% and Tariffs are 9.x%. so you're looking at 25% tax the first time you do that. :/

My usage will basically use the next 2-4 years to outfit the boat for an ocean crossing, get the family comfortable living aboard and to "try it out" before they leap off across the pond. I would be spending 4-6 months aboard, the family would be spending their 2-months of summer vacation onboard. So yes... up north makes the most sense to start, since that's where I'll be looking to get out and cruise for 2 months with the family. The rest of the time will not be big adventures since I'd be alone and partially working.


No... chartering doesn't meet the goals. I already have a boat that I know and love. My Contessa 26 is amazing for the Great Lakes but it's not suitable for the family to do the Atlantic Circle on. So... bigger boat is necessary, and I'll need time to get familiar with it, make sure it, I and my family are all comfortable in it take it abroad. No sense doing that on a charter. ;-)

[JordanH]

Originally Posted by shimari

You'll have to pay an excise tax of 5% of the market value capped at $15,800 if you keep the boat in Maryland OR if Maryland is the state of principal use. It is a one time fee.

I'd think about Rhode Island. No taxes and excellent tradesmen.

Coincidentally, one of the boats I'm looking at is in Maryland so thanks! That's helpful. Would you recommend keeping it in Maryland? Where's the best spot there to keep a 53' boat?

[flyingfin]

Fly or drive to the US. Charter a boat when and where you want. Give back the keys and walk away when your cruise is done. I cannot imagine the anxiety of having a boat in the water, either at dock or on a mooring, that I could not get back to by car in less than one hour.

[MicHughV]

That's a tough question. There are many marina's/haulout facilities in Florida on both coasts. I'd be here for a long time to summarize them all.

While hurricanes are a potential threat every year, there is no telling when or where the next one will hit. Florida had a pretty quiet year this year, but not always the case.
Other States along the eastern seaboard are equally in the bullseye when it comes to hurricanes so moving the boat north of Florida is no guarantee you'll be spared

In my opinion, leaving a boat on the hard for an extended period of time is frought with problems. For sure, it will take some time (and lotsa money) to get everything ship shape again before splashing it again and leaving it on the hard does not mean your boat is any safer than if in the water.

I don't see any reasonable way for you here. You could leave it in the water and hire someone to come and visit the boat from time to time to check the bilges, etc, but even that is no assurance everything will be okay.

As above, I'd consider chartering. All things considered, it will be less expensive and certainly less stressful.

[shimari]

Originally Posted by JordanH

Coincidentally, one of the boats I'm looking at is in Maryland so thanks! That's helpful. Would you recommend keeping it in Maryland? Where's the best spot there to keep a 53' boat?

You can certainly buy in Maryland, and then move out of state to avoid the taxes. You have 90 days after purchase to avoid MD taxes.

There are a number of great marinas on the Chesapeake. But, given your plans I'd suggest Annapolis for two reasons. 1) BWI airport is about 30min away, and DCA (Reagan National) is about 50min away. Dulles (IAD) is about 1'20min away. All times are traffic dependent it's DC! The point is that it's easy to fly in when you need to do so. 2) Access to great tradesmen. The marinas outside of Annapolis are excellent, but the tradesmen may be hit or miss depending on the marina. This presumes you're going to be refitting the first few years.

The downsides to Annapolis are: 1) the slips and tradesmen are expensive. At Bert Jabins, you're looking at $12k/yr if Rod has a slip. Most of the 50'+ boats are kept on the floating docks. I know Annapolis Landing has a number of large slips (probably more than Jabins). 2) The tradesmen are excellent, but also crazy crazy busy. The good tradesmen are $100+/hr.

A negative of the Chesapeake, in general, is that unless you have a shoal draft boat, there are many places you can't go with a draft over 5'.

I'm local to Annapolis. Just PM me if you have any specific questions.

I think your best bets are Newport RI (no taxes but shorter season), Annapolis (one time excise tax), and perhaps Norfolk VA area (VA also has a sales tax and some counties have an annual property tax). You will need to winterize in all of those locations. Further south you may not need to winterize, but then you will need a hurricane plan.

Good luck!

[Tin Tin]

I have not read all the above posts, so may already be mentioned. But if you are happy with the Chesapeake and winterization then check out the Marina on the tax free Delaware side of the C&D canal https://www.summitnorthmarina.com/

[Kettlewell]

Personally, I think the best sailing on the East Coast is in New England from Rhode Island north. RI has no state sales tax on boats, but does have a hefty annual registration fee. There are many boat brokers, boatyards, marinas, and mooring fields in RI. I have never rented a dock space, but moorings can rent from $1000 per 6-month season and up to $3,000 (May-Oct). Even if your boat is based in RI and that's where you store it for the winter you can cruise all you want in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine without any tax consequences unless you start to stay someplace for more than a month or two. It is a great area to learn your new boat and get the family used to sailing and cruising. There is no crime on the water. Your boat will not be robbed. Your dinghy will be safe at a dock or on a beach. There are many fascinating towns to visit, wild beaches to explore, quiet anchorages, plentiful wind for sailing, friendly people, etc. I have cruised the entire East Coast from Labrador to Florida, and done a bunch in the Caribbean, and New England is still my favorite cruising ground. Many people never cruise anywhere else. Major airports include Boston, Providence, Hartford and Portland. Yes, the rare hurricane impacts New England, but many harbors are sheltered and offer good protection. There are not many places you can't walk a block or two inland and be safe from any storm surge. Any hurricane we do get moves by very quickly, which can be bad as it catches people off guard, but is good once the storm comes because it is only a few hours in duration and then gone.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by JordanH

Coincidentally, one of the boats I'm looking at is in Maryland so thanks! That's helpful. Would you recommend keeping it in Maryland? Where's the best spot there to keep a 53' boat?

Originally Posted by shimari

You can certainly buy in Maryland, and then move out of state to avoid the taxes. You have 90 days after purchase to avoid MD taxes.

There are a number of great marinas on the Chesapeake. But, given your plans I'd suggest Annapolis for two reasons. 1) BWI airport is about 30min away, and DCA (Reagan National) is about 50min away. Dulles (IAD) is about 1'20min away. All times are traffic dependent it's DC! The point is that it's easy to fly in when you need to do so. 2) Access to great tradesmen. The marinas outside of Annapolis are excellent, but the tradesmen may be hit or miss depending on the marina. This presumes you're going to be refitting the first few years.

The downsides to Annapolis are: 1) the slips and tradesmen are expensive. At Bert Jabins, you're looking at $12k/yr if Rod has a slip. Most of the 50'+ boats are kept on the floating docks. I know Annapolis Landing has a number of large slips (probably more than Jabins). 2) The tradesmen are excellent, but also crazy crazy busy. The good tradesmen are $100+/hr.

A negative of the Chesapeake, in general, is that unless you have a shoal draft boat, there are many places you can't go with a draft over 5'.

I'm local to Annapolis. Just PM me if you have any specific questions.

Lots to recommend the Chesapeake. At least the MD sales tax is a one-time shot, not an annually recurring thing.

I'd add Herrington Harbor North in Deale to the local Annapolis suggestions. Good docks, good marina management, decent amenities, many onsite services (also often with busy schedules). Decent commute from DCA, not horrible from BWI.

Maybe Shipwright Harbor, also in Deale, same ownership. Not sure about their haul-out capabilities.

Neither with semi-huge surrounding town like Annapolis, though.

-Chris

[5BTM]

Quite a few people I know keep their boats "In Bond" on Lake Champlain, in Chazy, Vermont.
Canadian registered and flagged but not taxed in Canada, don't know about VT.

http://www.hebertmaritime.com/conten.../lang,english/

[donradcliffe]

I spent one July working on the boat in Annapolis. Headed up to New England in August, and said I would never again be on the Chesapeake in the summer months.

Note that the New Englanders talk about the boating "season". If you go south to southern Florida in November, then back north in May, the season never ends.

[hlev00]

My wife and I think that the waters between Martha's Vineyard and Block Island, including Buzzards Bay and Narragansett Bay are some of the best in the US if not the world for cruising, of course with limit of 5-6 months of sailing season.

We have been based in both Jamestown RI (5 years) and Marion MA (7 years) on Buzzards Bay. Either are great bases as are others in the same vincinities. Buzzards Bay gives you a bit more access to Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket, Boston and Maine. Narragansett Bay gives you more access to Block Island and Long Island Sound. If you will be doing extended cruises of 10-14 days either are great as a base. If your sailing trips will be primarily shorter 2-4 days you should think a bit about what areas appeal to you the most. Or start with a couple of years in one and a couple of more in the other. The majority of space is moorings. Docks are fewer and so harder to come by with longer waitlists. Narragansett Bay has more docks. There are fewer and fewer yards allowing DIY, but they do exist in all these areas. Don't count on mooring your boat in the same location as where you haul and store. That will free up a lot more options.

[JordanH]

Originally Posted by 5BTM

Quite a few people I know keep their boats "In Bond" on Lake Champlain, in Chazy, Vermont.
Canadian registered and flagged but not taxed in Canada, don't know about VT.

H?bert et Associ?s Conseillers Maritime - "In bond" vessels

Thanks... I'm aware of Lake Champlain... but that's not really a good spot to store a 53' boat that is about to jump off for an Atlantic circle... Or perhaps it is? I just can't see that being an easy spot to outfit a boat for an Atlantic trek.