LA, MS, Al, FL panhandle DIY yards

[NoShoes]

Ahoy
I am looking for recommendations for a diy yard in the states listed in title. I need actual experiences not hearsay, as things/people/business change in time. Need a diy that has a lift, work area that allows liveaboard so long as work is being done, has clean bathroom shower facilities, wifi, security and friendly community & staff, with reasonable pricing of course. Need info for a good rigger in the area who knows his stuff, him I expect to pay extra for skill set.

Of course I can google boatyards and find them all, but to get good info from ppl who have actual experience is priceless.

Pretty much a boatyard anywhere between St Marks, Fl to Lake Charles, La.

[CLASSEA]

Pensacola Shipyard . . . Had a near complete refit done on our trawler last year . . . Plenty of room, many other boats being worked on and having worked done . . . Plenty of “for hire” help available if more expertise is needed. Good people and facilities.

[Capt JJ]

Down the gulf coast a bit, but shell point marina Ruskin Fl.

Doin a refit here so far so good, minimal problems...

Cheap!!! $1 a foot a day, DIY status, $359 for pull out/splash w/blocking..$35 one time trash fee, few other misc est $887 for 14 days on 32’ Sailboat.

Small, DIY people can liveaboard during refit, small liveaboard community in docks (maybe 10-20?) mainly power boat rack yard, few if any pretentious trophy wives or egomaniacs/deep pocket power boaters, no bar but a pavilion (which is a ghosttown in itself) no social scene, yard boss lives on site/on land, security gate has parking (they’re really personable here, be cool get treated cool, I park my car next to boat, BBQ on grill nightly next to my boat/car with car stereo low...I don’t drink and there is no drunks here/creepers so are people are pretty quite and keep to themselves...

Smaller travel lift, Gemini is about widest Cat they can lift...but do pull huge (50+ft motor-cruisers on occasion...

Home Depot & Walmart within 5 miles...smaller west marine 10 miles, otherwise 1.5 hrs to St Pete and flagship west marine.

Contractors galore if you want help...

Here’s why I think this place is a hidden gem, semi difficult to get to for keel boats?

Small challenging channel off Tampa Bay grounding quite common for inexp/naive/deep draft....I bumped 3+ times and I’m 5.4ft draft...muddy silt bottom no problems motoring off, then again I did it on sunny mid afternoon 5knot wind, + 1.20 high tide, 30 min after high tide (tide just started going out so as I could have resistance pushing me away if I bottomed/resistance slowing my approach instead of inertia forcing me in)

Note-Some guys heeled over a 8ft draft boat here, towed/resistance vessel following..skiff alongside using mainhalyard tensioning mast to beam to a point of toe rail in water... well heeled over!!!

Again, so far so great!

[LEOCAT66]

We only have first hand experience with two yards in your designated area.

1. Al- Turner Marine on Dog River off of Mobile Bay.

2. LA - Island Marina, off of the Rigolets near the east end of Lake Pontchartrain, at Fort Pike.

I hear there are others in MS, not sure.

[carlabunga]

Turner Marine can't haul out anything wider than 20'. We stay there, but we have a Catamaran that has a 25' beam. We are looking for the same thing you are looking for but along the Gulf Coast. Preferably Alabama or Mississippi. Our trouble is the beam. Most boatyards don't have the equipment to haul us out.

[CLASSEA]

Pensacola Shipyard, Saunders Yacht Works (Orange Beach, AL) and/or Barber’s Marina should give you some options . . . Good luck!

Jim Ward
MVCLASSEA

[tkeithlu]

MS Dockside in Carrabelle. 100,000 lb lift, great harbor, pros on staff or immediately available as contractors. DIY friendly. Community (across harbor or 2 miles by road) has hardware/building supply, groceries, restaurants, two bars, laundromat. A dinghy across puts you in easy walking distance of everything you need. We lived on the hard for awhile. We used our own showers; a garden hose hookup was easy.

Website is -

Number is 850 697-3337. If you've got a complicated need, discuss it with Eric Pfeufer, who is the owner. He is a font of great wisdom and very accommodating.

[tkeithlu]

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[Group9]

Bay Marine, in Biloxi, MS is where we do our haul outs. It's an old family owned business and DIY is allowed with the caveat that you buy your paint and supplies from them. Their prices are reasonable, especially when they do the work.

The last job they did for me, the estimate was $3400. When I went in to pay, they said, "Our estimate was off by $200." I'm thinking, $3600 isn't bad for what they did. Then I looked at the bill. $3200.

[carlabunga]

MS Dockside - Widest beam 17.5. Damn - we are having the hardest time...Need to haul out a 25' beam, 43' Cat.