Thinking of buying a sailboat in Indiantown FL

[jackiemelni]

Ahoy Sailors.
Im going on my boat hunt and thinking of buying one in FL.
May I ask for your knowledge about the Indiantown Boatyard?
How is the place for inspection?
Is it a good boat yard for DYI work? Or there is a cheaper boatyard around, and more comfortable to get tools and stuff for the projects?⚒️
How can I know who is a good surveyor to inspect my boat and not a friend of the owner?🤔

Thanks 😬

[Rocinante33]

Indiantown is a place where most of the boats are stored on the hard. The whole place is pretty low key and the staff is very helpful. There is a little continuous community living there and working on boats that can provide advice and assistance. It’s a friendly place.

Storage is separate from DIY and you have to be in the DIY yard in order to do any work, but I’m pretty sure that any boat dan be inspected wherever it is lying. You pay for he time you spend in the yard (price sheet on website). There is a mechanic on site if you need one. You can rent tools.

The main constraint is the travel lift, which is limited to a fixed number of moves per day and can get booked up far in advance du[ring busy season. It’s also a little remote if you don’t have a car. There is a hardware store in Indiantown, and a small chandelery at the marina and the marina will accept packages for you, but WM is 1/2 hour away. There is a local taxi that will take you to WPB airport for about $40.00 each way.

I have used it twice and I will use it again. One other thing to know is that it is 20 miles inland from the sea and is so hot in the summer that it is hard to work at all during the day.

[jackiemelni]

Originally Posted by Rocinante33

Indiantown is a place where most of the boats are stored on the hard. The whole place is pretty low key and the staff is very helpful. There is a little continuous community living there and working on boats that can provide advice and assistance. It’s a friendly place.

Storage is separate from DIY and you have to be in the DIY yard in order to do any work, but I’m pretty sure that any boat dan be inspected wherever it is lying. You pay for he time you spend in the yard (price sheet on website). There is a mechanic on site if you need one. You can rent tools.

The main constraint is the travel lift, which is limited to a fixed number of moves per day and can get booked up far in advance du[ring busy season. It’s also a little remote if you don’t have a car. There is a hardware store in Indiantown, and a small chandelery at the marina and the marina will accept packages for you, but WM is 1/2 hour away. There is a local taxi that will take you to WPB airport for about $40.00 each way.

I have used it twice and I will use it again. One other thing to know is that it is 20 miles inland from the sea and is so hot in the summer that it is hard to work at all during the day.

Thank you for this awesome reply!!
I will come and check the place out, and I plan to stay there as short as I can and hit the sea to the carib and enjoy what is left of the season.

[MicHughV]

Don't be under any illusions here. Many of the boats at Indiantown have been there for some time and will require some (probably a lot of) work and $$$ to get ready for anything.

[jackiemelni]

Originally Posted by MicHughV

Don't be under any illusions here. Many of the boats at Indiantown have been there for some time and will require some (probably a lot of) work and $$$ to get ready for anything.

Yeah when I was trying to buy one before Covid the boats always in worse condition than on the photos and the info...
I hope it will be not to deep hole 😅

[MicHughV]

I've looked at boats at Indiantown myself. Many are in deplorable condition, that I would not buy under any circumstances.
Viewing boats there in the summer time will take some fortitude as the insides are typically blazing hot, many have a lot of water in the bilge from rain, etc. Rot and mildew, dead batteries, inoperable engine and electronics, and the list goes on.

[AnsleyS]

Jackie,


I have been in and out of Indiantown Marina many times over the years and have lived on boats for months in the work yard. Check it out on Google Maps earth view. The stored boats are in the big field on the west and around the entrance road. The work yard is in the middle with the blue tarps all over. The shop building is in the middle with the bathroom/shower building just south of that among the RV's. The office/lounge building is by the water.



No work is allowed in the storage yards, the boat must be moved to the work yard where live aboard is allowed. There are two distinct societies here. The folks who are working on their boats and the marina folks, They often come together at cocktail time on the terrace where there are BBQ's available for use.


If you are going to go look at boats, do it now. Do not wait for the hot weather. No one wants to be there in the summer.


What kind of boat are you going to see?

[MicHughV]

Most boat surveyors have websites....easy to check references on there....just check online

Indiantown marina management can probably suggest a few as well. Folks at the marina can likely suggest some names...