How far away is your boat?

[markpierce]

Taken from someone's backyard. Not mine, unfortunately.

 

[FlyWright]

Taken from someone's backyard. Not mine, unfortunately.

Mark, I was out fishing by the fleet with the homeowners, Doug and Linda, today. We got skunked but had a great time telling stories about the Coot!

I'm 1:15 / 78 miles from the boat. If I'm not there every week, I feel like I'm ignoring the boat!

 

[O C Diver]

During the summer it's 33 miles, 45 minutes to the boat in Crisfield, MD. During the winter it's 16 miles, 35 minutes to the boat in Cape Coral, FL. Just far enough to make sure you have everything before you leave home.

Looked at different options for dockage in FL include buying property with a dock closer to home. After much thought, decided it was better to keep the boat in a marina where employees walk the docks several times a day and there is enough activity (people overnighting on their boats) to discourage theft and vandalism.

Ted

 

[Great Laker]

Closer is better

Just 30 steps down and 50 ft to the dock in the summer.

Just 3 miles away and inside heated storage in the winter.

 

[n36511]

Thing one to keep in mind. The use of a boat declines proportionally to it's distance from you. You think you'll be the exception, but you won't. Now partly this does depend on your use. Do you have weeks or months at a time or is most of it weekends? If the former, perhaps. If the latter, no way.



I have to correct a couple of pieces of information. Insurance doesn't require a captain, but they do look at experience. If you're already insured, that's not likely an issue. However, you may well have to change insurance carriers to get the right insurance for the coast and then your experience comes into play. As to hurricanes, there are more boats in Florida than any other state and they don't all leave for hurricanes, so know that you can get insured and you can find some reasonable protection or care.



Currently I'm guessing your drive is about 45 minutes to an hour. I'm going to toss another idea your way, in the opposite direction. The Tennessee River. Chattanooga is a two hour drive for you. Wonderful area. Good marinas, great cruising and the distances you're looking for. You have the perfect boat for the Tennessee River. I'd really consider it strongly.



As to checks on the boat, alarms are a good start, but I'd also engage someone locally to check regularly, unless I found a place to keep my boat in dry storage. It can be a management company, a marina that provides the service, or even a liveaboard you befriend. The other thing I'd do is cameras. That way you can visually check and be alerted to problems.



Someone asked why not Georgia. I love Savannah, but it doesn't make your drive that much better. Still it cuts off some time, so I'd consider the Georgia coast. Don't get mislead though as the Marinas are quite a bit beyond Savannah. Thunderbolt is a nice area for keeping a boat. Then there's St. Simons, Jekyll, and all the other islands. You might even look at Charleston. Even if you're able to save one or two hours of your drive, you've improved the situation. Obviously climate changes slightly too though so there is an offset.



Still, my personal choice from Atlanta would be the Tennessee River. Second would be something in the Savannah area.

-------
Great feedback! Thank you. A little more background on my situation......we have been boating on Lanier for 13 years and are considering a change of boating scenery. My goal is to retire in 7-10 years and my wife and I plan on spend a few months out of the year exploring the Fl coast. We like Fl as you have access to some beautiful water and the keys. We have considered chattanooga (grew up 20 min from downtown) and that is not out of the question..... However, with Fl being our end goal, not sure I want to go through the expense of moving the boat to chatt. I have roughly 5 weeks of vacation a year. On average we spend 3 of those in hotels on the east or west coast of FL. With my parents roughly 2000ft from Telemar marina, it seemed to make some sense to move it there as I know I could count on them to keep an eye on Miller Time (last name is Miller). Telemar is about 130 miles by boat to No Name Harbor and Biscayne bay. It is less than 10 miles from Melbourne Airport and is a direct flight from ATL so that makes logistics a little easier. Will I use the boat as much as I do now...no way. That is not an expected outcome of the move.

I really appreciate the great feedback from everyone. Some perspectives I had not considered.... Which is exactly what I was hoping for with this thread.

Scott Miller

 

[n36511]

We live just outside Atlanta and right now our boat is in Punta Gorda. We generally make it down every other week from Wednesday to Sunday. As bad as I hate the drive, I love the area so much we keep going back.



We moved her to Jacksonville for a while, and then to Jekyll Island last summer and the drive was easier, but the boating was a lot harder. Had to time everything around the tides and it just seemed like too much work. And it was so much hotter than South Florida ... we didn't expect that. Loved Jekyll itself though, the island grows on you.



We've talked a lot about taking her to Chattanooga, but I just don't think it would be the same. We've been lake boaters our entire life and we're having so much fun on the gulf coast we'll just put up with the inconvenience. Might go to Sarasota or St. Pete for a month or two this summer.



I'm working towards a week at the boat, and then a week at the house.

If you don't mind me asking, are you retired or does your job just allow that frequency of travel? Also, where outside of ATL are you? We are in Alpharetta.

 

[timjet]

I'm kind of in the same situation as n36511 but only temporarily. We also have the same boat!

We live in Tampa and the boat has been in winter storage on the Chesapeake since October. We plan on returning her to Tampa this fall but will use her on the Chessie from our splash date of late April until we return her to Tampa in October.
Our plan is to use the boat once or twice a month before returning to Florida. I have not planned on anyone looking after the boat but we will not be gone more than 3 weeks at a time.

Not sure how BoatUS insurance looks at this, probably should talk to them.

 

[BlueSky]

If you don't mind me asking, are you retired or does your job just allow that frequency of travel? Also, where outside of ATL are you? We are in Alpharetta.

No, we aren't retired just yet although we're getting close. I own my own company and on a limited basis, I'm able to work from the boat. It's a combination of work, kids and grandkids that keep us from going more often. I hope that will wind down a bit after this year. Our youngest will graduate from college next month.

We live in Woodstock on Lake Allatoona. On a good day I can make it to the marina in 8 hours from the office in Marietta.

 

[BandB]

We live in Woodstock on Lake Allatoona. On a good day I can make it to the marina in 8 hours from the office in Marietta.

That sounds about right for 20 miles in Atlanta.

 

[gotfw]

How far

300 feet

 

[ARoss]

Less than a mile. The marina is located in our development.

 

[stubones99]

To all of you boaters who are far away from your boat, have you seen a product called Spot Hug for your boat? It is a tracking system that will send info about your boat, where it is, and the state of 4 sensors, DC voltage, bilge water level, etc. I know it is another monthly expense but for what it does, it's fairly cheap. Also, since it is satellite based, it can act as an SOS message system, or let others track your progress while you're on the water.

SPOT HUG

 

[BandB]

To all of you boaters who are far away from your boat, have you seen a product called Spot Hug for your boat? It is a tracking system that will send info about your boat, where it is, and the state of 4 sensors, DC voltage, bilge water level, etc. I know it is another monthly expense but for what it does, it's fairly cheap. Also, since it is satellite based, it can act as an SOS message system, or let others track your progress while you're on the water.

SPOT HUG

There are many different type systems. Some are well integrated into your existing systems. For instance, MTU has their own systems. Basically what we have is two fold. We have alarms on all the crucial elements, like shore power, water in bilge, etc. These send text messages. We also have cameras on key areas of the boat that we can pull up at any time. Now we don't leave out boats far from home without someone there watching but we use this even when we leave the boat while getting out and about for the day. In the ideal world if your bilge alarm goes off, you can pull the camera up and look in the bilge. Regardless though if you have water in the bilge you'll want to get someone from the marina looking at it immediately.

While water in the bilge and subsequent sinking might be the most serious issue people think about at first, the most common issues are electrical. They may lead to spoiled food, toasted batteries, bilge pumps out of commission, damaged equipment, and fire. Add to this the real possibility of stray current in the marina. But things happen. Shore power gets disconnected, flips breaker, cable gets knocked into water.

All these things are uncommon, but they are worth having an eye on things, whether electronically or through a human.

And the test for the day: You're in Atlanta as a hurricane heads toward the shore where your boat is six hours away. What do you do?

Well, if it's three days away, you might go check on your boat, but if it's made a sudden turn and less than 24 hours away, you do nothing. And do not agree to any insurance policy that requires you to do something.

Our policy requires us to provide a hurricane plan. But it's very clear that there is absolutely no assumption or obligation that we will actually be able to execute that plan or even try. Actually the marina you're looking at is relatively well protected. But don't put yourself in a position to risk a life over a boat. I only mention this as the reality while some will want you to move the boat north half the year and others will be very concerned, there's really no problem getting insurance for boats in Florida. And, for the record, New York and New Jersey have encountered more hurricanes the last five years than South Florida and just as many the past ten years. NC and Texas as well. Hurricanes aren't a Florida thing, they're a coastal thing. But then I recall considerable damage more than once to marinas near Chattanooga from storms and tornadoes.

 

[raindr]

about ten hours, kept on the hard and used about 5 weeks a year

 

[CPseudonym]

about ten hours, kept on the hard and used about 5 weeks a year

5 posts since 2011?
Gotta watch out for you quiet ones

 

[markpierce]

5 posts since 2011?
Gotta watch out for you quiet ones

Especially those with dark hulls.

 

[Sortie]

Just about four miles from our house to the boat. We had the same situation when we lived up north. Before my wife got sick, we frequently spent evenings in the cockpit with a cocktail.


John

 

[Lollipop]

Green Cove Springs Marina is very reasonable, semi freshwater, south of Jax on the St. Johns River and 40 mile inland. It is at the old Navy shipyard. Great people run it... Check it out online...

 

[Boathooked]

I am 25 minutes. I know that life is life, but there is no way I could imagine being hours away from my boat. I just spend waaayyyyy too much time on it!

 

[Scout]

Less than a mile. We can see the boat from our house that is on a bluff overlooking the marina. I'm usually at the boat each afternoon. Nothing like propinquity to stimulate use.

 

[ragin cajun]

Our boat is 2 1/2hrs from home in New Orleans. Too far for me. However, the admiral loves N. O., we're 10 minutes from Bourbon St. and St. Charles. The good news is Seabrook Marine is almost next door to the boat with quick service whenever I need it. Bad news is Seabrook marina is next door to my boat!
I really would like to bring the boat to Vermilion Bay which is 20 minutes from home where I can do most repairs and maintenance myself. The Bay is not what I consider cruising paradise. But 2 years close to home will get me where I want to be with projects to complete along with more usage of boat. Now I just need to convince the admiral....

 

[sbu22]

1.2 miles from the house, connected by levee bike path. Nice. Previously lived about 1/2 hour away - proximity to the boat was a big factor in selecting the present home.