Frustrated...Marina costs in FL?

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

We were impressed with the 5 to 10 X pricing in the Ft Lauderdale to Miami; Gold Coast pricing. Our experience is to stay away. We were roundly and frequently frisked at River Bend Marina while trying to get our boat trucked out. I will never go near again.

Nick,
We hauled our boat for the Summer at River Bend in Ft. Lauderdale in the 90's. It was the worst experience we have ever had in a boatyard and the owner/operators were, in my opinion, crooks. They kept deposits, charged for work you performed although they were a self-service yard, encouraged laborers to stall jobs to increase lay-over fees and had a yard manager that had his hand out at every opportunity. It seems that although the management/ownership has changed several times since our experience, it's still the same apple. We found Hurricane Cove on the Miami River to be decent and later moved to a very nice yard on Tampa Bay--Bahia Beach in Ruskin. Good luck and safe sailing.

[seaclone]

In Melbourne Florida the rates are 10$ per foot per month so 450$ per month

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by rognvald

"I never said there weren't people who anchor out all the time. I was correcting your statement that most people do that. As I stated, your assumption that most people anchor out is more likley due to you being anchored out, so you are exposed to a specific subset of cruisers who anchor out." Valhalla,


Valhalla,
Please provide my quote in this discussion that most people anchor out all the time. I suggest you re-read my comments.

To quote: Most seasoned, long-term cruisers I know rarely patronize marinas.

(or did I misunderstand and you are assuming they beach their boats at night?)

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by powsmias

60 ft Slip at Ocean Club at Port Canaveral

Followed the link. Want a laugh? read the Prohibited Items.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Perhaps it's already been mentioned, but have you tried ActiveCaptain.com?
active captain marinas - Bing

[rognvald]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

To quote: Most seasoned, long-term cruisers I know rarely patronize marinas.

(or did I misunderstand and you are assuming they beach their boats at night?)

Valhalla,
It is always interesting in these discussions how some people interpret a statement to fit their argument. I never said anywhere in this discussion that "most people anchor out all of the time," but rather that most "seasoned, long-term cruisers I know rarely patronize marinas. These are two completely different statements. The first is a definitive statement with no qualifiers--they anchor out "all of the time." My actual remark states that they "rarely" patronize marinas. This does not mean that they anchor out all of the time but rather that, on occasion, most seasoned cruisers will use a marina to reprovision, effect repairs, or find a safe harbor but "rarely patronize marinas". However, the majority of the time they will anchor out. When we cruised full-time, we also used this strategy and, at times, we spent more time in a marina than we planned. But, it was never our first choice and we "rarely" used them. So, if your definition of a cruiser is someone who plans his passages from one marina to the next, it is not my concept of a cruiser. You will always be relegated to destinations that have a marina and will forgo some of the most beautiful cruising destinations in the world. I can assure you that in the time we have spent in marinas over the last 25 years, the majority of slip holders we met were either live-aboards that worked in the area and rarely, if ever, moved their boats from the dock, local daysailers, or cruisers on holiday that established their Winter residence and went by the name of Captain No-Go with power hungry sea palaces and demanding wives who didn't like boats that rolled and needed a daily fix of shopping for cutsey trinkets to be spiritually fulfilled. In conclusion, I always find it interesting when people, like yourself, who contribute to these discussions have no personal biographical information about themselves and the type of boat, if any, that they sail. Are you a mystery blogger? A troll? A secret agent? I believe this information gives our readers some idea of your perspectives and comments. Do you sail a 50 foot monohull in the Far East or a 10 foot pram in your local park pond? Of course, I know you will adhere to the highest levels of honesty and integrity and I anxiously await your revelation. Good luck and good "cruising???" P.S. I have also provided a useful definition for your continuing quest for proper communicative skills. The term is "Adverb." We learned this term in 3rd grade. Here's a refresher for you: Adverb | Definition of Adverb by Merriam-Webster

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by rognvald

Valhalla,
It is always interesting in these discussions how some people interpret a statement to fit their argument.

Oh, so True!

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by Infatuation

St Petersburg Municipal Marina is a great marina and as reasonably priced as any you will find...and you can live aboard, but that costs more. It is also more expensive if you are not a resident of the city but still reasonably. ...........

If you live aboard a boat at the Municipal Marina, wouldn't you then be a "resident of the city"?

[tikirawker]

Slightly south of st pete is Apollo.
Very affordable marina's.
We pay $10/ft/mo. flat - as long as you aren't running a/c everyday there are not any utility bills.
We are allowed to stay during the weekends no issue.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by rognvald

Valhalla,
It is always interesting in these discussions how some people interpret a statement to fit their argument. I never said anywhere in this discussion that "most people anchor out all of the time," but rather that most "seasoned, long-term cruisers I know rarely patronize marinas. These are two completely different statements. The first is a definitive statement with no qualifiers--they anchor out "all of the time." My actual remark states that they "rarely" patronize marinas. This does not mean that they anchor out all of the time but rather that, on occasion, most seasoned cruisers will use a marina to reprovision, effect repairs, or find a safe harbor but "rarely patronize marinas". However, the majority of the time they will anchor out. When we cruised full-time, we also used this strategy and, at times, we spent more time in a marina than we planned. But, it was never our first choice and we "rarely" used them. So, if your definition of a cruiser is someone who plans his passages from one marina to the next, it is not my concept of a cruiser. You will always be relegated to destinations that have a marina and will forgo some of the most beautiful cruising destinations in the world. I can assure you that in the time we have spent in marinas over the last 25 years, the majority of slip holders about themselves and the type of boat, if any, that they sail. Are you a mystery blogger? A troll? A secret agent? I believe this information gives our readers some idea of your we met were either live-aboards that worked in the area and rarely, if ever, moved their boats from the dock, local daysailers, or cruisers on holiday that established their Winter residence and went by the name of Captain No-Go with power hungry sea palaces and demanding wives who didn't like boats that rolled and needed a daily fix of shopping for cutsey trinkets to be spiritually fulfilled. In conclusion, I always find it interesting when people, like yourself, who contribute to these discussions have no personal biographical information perspectives and comments. Do you sail a 50 foot monohull in the Far East or a 10 foot pram in your local park pond? Of course, I know you will adhere to the highest levels of honesty and integrity and I anxiously await your revelation. Good luck and good "cruising???" P.S. I have also provided a useful definition for your continuing quest for proper communicative skills. The term is "Adverb." We learned this term in 3rd grade. Here's a refresher for you: Adverb | Definition of Adverb by Merriam-Webster

Wow, someone is in a tizzy over what constitutes a REAL cruiser.

You can parse words and play semantics if you like, but I stand by my statement. Your assessment that most seasoned cruiser (all, many, lots, pick an adjective you like as the underlying meaning is the same) avoid marinas is not true based on my experience. I'd say it' closer to 50/50 though that will vary by cruising ground (some higher some lower). You added another flaw in your assessment. In addition to spending most of your time with cruisers who prefer anchoring out, you presume that since most boats in marinas are not long term cruisers, that most cruisers stay at anchor. That's false logic. The vast majority of 30-50' boats stay in marinas most of the time. Along the eastern seaboard, there are probably 10 times as many boats in slips as at anchor. So even if only 5% of the boats you see in a marina on a given day are seasoned long term cruisers, that translates to around 30-50% of seasoned long term cruisers in marinas.

PS: You also make the false assumption that cruisers who frequent marinas can't or won't anchor out and thus can't enjoy the benefits. Again, while a significant percentage of seasoned cruisers do frequent marinas, most will anchor out when the situation suits them.

To the OP: There are lots of options available to manage marina costs. In real life (as opposed to the internet), people don't get in your face because you aren't cruising the right way. If you enjoy marinas and the easy access they provide, don't feel bad about it.

[FSMike]

Originally Posted by rwidman

If you live aboard a boat at the Municipal Marina, wouldn't you then be a "resident of the city"?

Not exactly, you also need things like a drivers license with a St. Pete address. Kind of eliminates a lot of mail forwarding service addresses.

[reed1v]

Originally Posted by FSMike

Not exactly, you also need things like a drivers license with a St. Pete address. Kind of eliminates a lot of mail forwarding service addresses.

Not true. Many mail collection and forwarding services have residential addresses so it would be impossible to tell if you lived there or just used it as a mail drop. Works with the IRS, should would with local governments in Florida. Works everywhere else. Heck, even the CIA uses residential address drops.

But why hang around St. Pete with all the crime? Go south to Tampa or Naples where crime is lower, costs are less, and a lot more boat slips are available, primarily due to all the old farts who have slips with their condos but are too decrepit to sail.

[geoleo]

Originally Posted by KeepInTune

I am having a horrible time searching and finding info on marinas.
I'm looking in both Ft Lauderdale and St Pete as a possibility.

For example, I was looking and calling around Ft Lauderdale and I was floored by the costs (average looking marinas wanting anywhere from $1k to $2.5k for a 45' monohull!!).
I then called up a respected yacht broker in the heart of Ft Lauderdale and he told me that Ft Lauderdale is one of the less expensive areas in FL. He said I should easily find $10/ft/mo pricing for a wet-slip (not a yacht club, but an adequate slip). He also said "watch out...there are pirates taking your money everywhere!".

Is anyone else running into high quoted prices and then having trouble finding marinas which are competitively priced? Any help you can provide? Are there any "marina brokers" who take a fee to find and negotiate a slip rate?

I'm just frustrated...

Try Clearwater City Marina downtown location or City of St Pete Marina

[CCR2580]

Eliminate your frustrations and simply use Active Captain...it's a free website with all the marina and anchoring sites all along the coast! You can't go wrong!!!!

[skipgundlach]

Originally Posted by CCR2580

Eliminate your frustrations and simply use Active Captain...it's a free website with all the marina and anchoring sites all along the coast! You can't go wrong!!!!

Unless you ignore that crowd-sourcing is a great way to get bad advice.

If everyone had accurate information, you're golden. Otherwise you're relying on the lowest common denominator.

There's a bit of a dust-up involving Jeffrey WRT the charting in the Bahamas, for example, wherein his (let alone the hoi-polloi which populate AC) citations were in great proportion altogether wrong. Even Navionics (which Bahamas charts are simply horrible) doesn't trash Explorer charts...

That said, AC has a great deal to offer, in general. I haven't used it so can't speak to the negatives, but there are reams of them seen in real-life reports from folks relying on it.