Where to live?

[Martin J]

My wife and I have had some discussion recently about moving from our home in the mountains @ 10,000ft to sea level. Over the years we've noted some toil in living in 30% less oxygen. Currently we use our boat 6 months a year Spring & Fall to avoid early snow fall and snow melt ( the mud seasons in the mountains.

So we need area recommendations for areas and communities with deep draft canals and homes that have deep draft docks to accomadate our trawler 5ft 6" and sailboat 7ft 6" drafts. Bit of a strange question but Florida would be the answer but finding deeper canal waterside homes particularly on the west coast where hopefully we could afford, seems to be inundated with shallow canals etc.
With all the Florida experience of the forum members, hopefully they could point me in the deeper areas without having to pull charts and spend hours poring over them.

 

[mbevins]

My wife and I have had some discussion recently about moving from our home in the mountains @ 10,000ft to sea level. Over the years we've noted some toil in living in 30% less oxygen. Currently we use our boat 6 months a year Spring & Fall to avoid early snow fall and snow melt ( the mud seasons in the mountains.

So we need area recommendations for areas and communities with deep draft canals and homes that have deep draft docks to accomadate our trawler 5ft 6" and sailboat 7ft 6" drafts. Bit of a strange question but Florida would be the answer but finding deeper canal waterside homes particularly on the west coast where hopefully we could afford, seems to be inundated with shallow canals etc.
With all the Florida experience of the forum members, hopefully they could point me in the deeper areas without having to pull charts and spend hours poring over them.

Check out the Northern section of Charlotte Harbor. Burnt Store Marina Community can handle your sail boat as my brother in law stays there and he has the same draw.

 

[Donsan]

Finding a canal building lot that will support a sailboat with a 7'6" draft in the back yard will be a big problem. Most of the deep water canals have already been built up. If you could sell the sailboat or trade for one with a draft similar to the trawler, you might have better luck but you might need a double lot to keep two boats that size and they are hard to find. My suggestion is you look along the St Johns in north Florida but I am not familiar with what might be available in the Keys.

 

[menzies]

Lock refurbishment complete.

Average depth of the lagoon is 12 feet.

 

[bayview]

There are plenty available. I owned such a location on the north end of treasure Island, FL. A problem s that realtors cant be relied upon regarding depth and neither can charts.

 

[FF]

The key is to understand that with two larger boats you will probably go on vacation , but not day sail.

We are located in Ortona which is inland. Google the Ortona Lock .

7ft 6 inch draft would be a challenge at some locations , but not all.

The big hassle for some is we are 15 min from the nearest traffic light , there are almost no resturiants worth eating at and Ft Myers , the big town is 50+ miles away.

If you like privacy , and quiet , this works.

As a hurricane hole it takes care of the boats well, but its a 50+ mile ride by boat to the gulf.

Prices are quite modest compared to the coast, but if you want ACTION! its not here.

Lake O is 15 miles East , so with a big outboard you could go and kill fish easily.

Vertical clearence is only 55 ft

 

[dhays]

Move the PNW. Buy this house . It is in the community where I live and less than a mile from my office. There is a great restaurant, bait shop, and fuel dock right in the same area. The house is on the back side of a small island so has fantastic wind and wave protection. You just have to figure out how to move both boats across the country and learn do deal with cold water and rain.

If I could afford it, I would buy it myself. Hm.... maybe if I sold my sailboat, sold my house, and sold my condo slip... nah, that would still leave me a few hundred thousand short.

 

[Seevee]

There are plenty available. I owned such a location on the north end of treasure Island, FL. A problem s that realtors cant be relied upon regarding depth and neither can charts.

Yes, there are a few in Pinellas County, but not the norm. 5.5 isn't too back but 7.5 gets tough, especially in low tide. There's some houses with longer docks that get you out into deep water.

It will take a lot of local knowledge in this area, and the whole west coast has shallow water issues. It's doable.

I had a house in Maderia Beach that would have been close.... a lot of sailboats in that neighborhood. Where I live now in the Maderia Beach area would not work. A lot of the canals, or coves have pretty shallow water.

 

[caltexflanc]

Personally, I think you need to find an area where you want to go cruising, and whose cruising waters make the draft a non-issue. If the cruising grounds are too far away time wise, (canals being no wake zones and often circuitous mazes) then the boats gather algae and dust. Might be you have the sailboat at a marina with good open water access, and the trawler behind the house. Where are the boats now? What do like to do with them?

 

[O C Diver]

There are probably some possibilities in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and the Caloosahatchee river up to maybe Alva. What's your budget?

Ted

 

[rwidman]

Assuming your boat is now on the West Coast, have you figured in the cost of moving it to Florida?

If you are serious, you should contact some real estate agents in FL and tell them your requirements. Let them do the research for you.

 

[BandB]

Assuming your boat is now on the West Coast, have you figured in the cost of moving it to Florida?

If you are serious, you should contact some real estate agents in FL and tell them your requirements. Let them do the research for you.

Maybe we shouldn't assume where they are, so I'll ask him, where are your boats now? How do you use them? How much do you boat?

 

[Martin J]

Lots of interesting comments coming back, and some areas I'd not looked into to deeply. Currently my trawlers in the Caribbean laid up for hurricane season in Virgin Gorda (BVI's) where we have cruised the eastern Caribbean the last 4 years. My Frers (sailboat) is in Bermuda where I lived for many years. Whereas both are mechanically pretty good. Both now need interior tlc and the hope was to move them to FL somewhere where hopefully I could keep and finish of my refits at the "bottom of the garden" As a retired boatbuilder/shipwright I like to do all my own work. So would love to move my workshop to a waterside location down south, where I could carry out my work between our Spring and Autumn cruises.

 

[Martin J]

Sorry Dave. Left the U. K. Nearly half a century ago to seek warmer climes. Dank grey days of rain and cold hold no thrills. My current mountain top location at 10000ft is a pleasant low humidity 15-20% and 80 in summer and at worst below 0F in winter but very dry. Awesome skiing. Because of the altitude blue sky days abound, close to 300 a year, just getting long in the tooth and the 25-30% less oxygen up here tells on the body.!!! Time to think of moving!

 

[GoneFarrell]

Learn from the Whales.

Put the trawler in La Conner, the sail boat in Mazatlan.

Summers up north, winters down south.

Hell, i'll help you position all the equipment!

Learn from the Whales!

 

[dhays]

Learn from the Whales.

Put the trawler in La Conner, the sail boat in Mazatlan.

Summers up north, winters down south.

Hell, i'll help you position all the equipment!

Learn from the Whales!

?

I like your thinking.

 

[Gordon J]

Here in Hampton Virginia I believe we have the best of all worlds;. Homes on the water are inexpensive. We are at the confluence of the Chesapeake bay and the Atlantic, so ideal for Ocean or ICW boating. Not all marinas will accommodate the 7.5 foot draft of the sail boat, but many will. IN my neighborhood, $250K will buy you a water front home three minutes walk from your slip. The bay does not freeze and I have never winterized the boat engine. I do drain all water systems and everything above decks or outside.

The boat yard is a five minute drive from the house, making it easy to do all my own work.

 

[O C Diver]

Here in Hampton Virginia I believe we have the best of all worlds;. Homes on the water are inexpensive. We are at the confluence of the Chesapeake bay and the Atlantic, so ideal for Ocean or ICW boating. Not all marinas will accommodate the 7.5 foot draft of the sail boat, but many will. IN my neighborhood, $250K will buy you a water front home three minutes walk from your slip. The bay does not freeze and I have never winterized the boat engine. I do drain all water systems and everything above decks or outside.

The boat yard is a five minute drive from the house, making it easy to do all my own work.

Actually it does. Last time was the winter of 1976-1977.

Chesapeake Bay bridge from Annapolis to Kent Island.


Ted

 

[Gordon J]

Not here

Actually it does. Last time was the winter of 1976-1977.

Chesapeake Bay bridge from Annapolis to Kent Island.
View attachment 56569

Ted

Yes, that is 200 miles north of here. I have lived here since 96 and have never seen ice on the bay. I never winterize the boat engines.

Gordon

 

[Panhandler]

Think about the Florida Panhandle as well. You'll find property is much, much cheaper if that matters. Many houses on Bayou Chico in Pensacola can accommodate those drafts. Cost of living is low and it's still the South with friendly and welcoming people.

 

[O C Diver]

Yes, that is 200 miles north of here. I have lived here since 96 and have never seen ice on the bay. I never winterize the boat engines.

Gordon

Small points, Bay bridges is about 120 nautical miles north of Norfolk. 90+% of the Bay and tributaries were frozen over in 1977. An article describing the frozen rivers and ice flowes in the Hampton Roads area in the winter of '77. I was living in DC at the time, and much of the area around the Bay was a disaster area for about a month.

Just wanted to set the record straight.

Ted