Best marina around central Florida to walk around looking at peoples Catamarans?

[Lance]

Regards buying overseas , one thing to consider is you would be jumping in at the deep end so to speak .
You say you want to get some experience sailing then it might be best to charter a boat for a week with some one to show you the ROPES.
If you buy locally with the boat handy to home or in familiar waters when living on board then the learning curve might be easier to handle .
When buying any Cat you can sometimes get caught up in all the lovely conveniences that have a hidden net work of wires and pipes that depending on the builder and design can at sometime go wrong .
Why I mention this if you are just starting your Yachting research you are going to be met with lists of Must Haves , becareful keep your list as simple as possible by calculating what you really need , once again to your personal circumstances .
Three bathrooms for example all need maintenance and are best on a charter boat .
If you want to share your lifestyle with family and friends two bathrooms, still being a luxury can be very convenient .
On this theme an important hint here is to develop a system where you Never place any thing, paper included, into the toilet that has not passed through your mouth first.(sorry about that,we keep paper bags handy to take waste that then goes into garbage or over the side at sea).
Off track here a little .
My most hated job is fixing blocked toilets and second is working in cramped engine compartments .
Remember this every item could one day fail and it is you who needs to understand how to fix it or else you will be endebted to the maintenance guy .
Back to buying overseas Australia there is no tax when buying or leaving the country only when arriving .
NZ no tax but tricky to meet their safety requirement to check out ( only applicable nowadays to locals or maybe Kiwi boats ?.)
Thailand there is a purchase tax 7% unless you are leaving straight away , this can be negotiated with customs ???
Malaysia tax free , the most yacht friendly country I have visited .
Dont be daunted by this journey you are embarking on it will most probably be the best decision you have ever made and you have mentioned WE so you are half way there by having a partner willing to share the future experiences.

[LeeV]

Originally Posted by krashx6

Thanks for all the replies so far guys!

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The boat show suggestion is perfect. We may not be able to go to the Annapolis one because it's difficult to find someone to watch our dogs. But the Miami one is perfect. 6 months away and we can drive there.

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I thought I missed something - "...our dogs."

I know you're following the Wynns, but here's where I would definitely do a bunch of Youtube research. Animals of any kind bring issues of their own (potty training, exercise...), and don't let anybody tell you that it's negligible! There's been a recent flurry of discussion on the forum http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ts-205209.html and most agree that RUFFWEAR is top of the line. Go look https://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-...=22CG4BZCL83IR

Your selection of a boat must also include consideration of your pets' movement. Like I said, go slow! :-)

Lee

[krashx6]

Appreciate the feedback and that link! We had tried one dog life vest that was too large.

Our dogs are Brussels Griffons that are about 7lb's each, so the 42ft catamaran is massive to them.

Originally Posted by LeeV

I thought I missed something - "...our dogs."

I know you're following the Wynns, but here's where I would definitely do a bunch of Youtube research. Animals of any kind bring issues of their own (potty training, exercise...), and don't let anybody tell you that it's negligible! There's been a recent flurry of discussion on the forum http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ts-205209.html and most agree that RUFFWEAR is top of the line. Go look https://www.amazon.com/s?url=search-...=22CG4BZCL83IR

Your selection of a boat must also include consideration of your pets' movement. Like I said, go slow! :-)

Lee