St. Petersburg marina recommendations?

Greetings everyone,

We're thinking of possibly moving to St. Petersburg Florida to continue our retirement (and buy boat #14). I would greatly appreciate any thoughts and recommendations anyone might have for marinas in the area. We'll check them out on our next visit there - good boating is a requirement if we're going to move.

Thank you!

There are many. can you give some idea what you plan. Boat size, liveaboard? near stuff or dont care. ICW or bay. etc,

Thanks bayview. It would be for a 40-45 ft boat (currently shopping for it). Non liveaboard. Am flexible for Bay or ICW, don't know the area well enough to choose yet. Priorities are security (both from weather and theft) and decent docks, more than being close to stuff (though that would be nice). A covered slip is much preferred.

Any and all thoughts are gratefully appreciated! Thank you!

St Pete is a nice town but real estate prices have sky rocketed there. If you have real good reason for wanting to live there and a deep pocket, by all means find a home there but you can find lot better values down south of Venice and north of Naples and Gulf boating is just as good if not better.

Look here for a few suggestions:
https://www.google.com/search?q=st.....69i57j0l5.20639j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

There aren't many with covered slips and they don't come available often. Loggerhead has some and is very protected, the muni also but less protected.

Sounds like you are in the exploration stage. That's good as there is a lot to consider. Including the fact that marinas are pretty full and you might have to start at one then move as space comes available. Security varies but Loggerhead is in a hurricane hole but has little physical security.

Come and look. There are boats and marinas on both sides of the county and most people are happy with where they are located.


Here is a link containing the city marina web cam. A bit slow but it does move.
Webcam - St. Petersburg

Have fun.

Thank you Donsan. We're going to expand our search. We liked what we saw in St. Petersburg on our first visit. But, when we looked into houses, both the prices, and the speed at which they sell (many are sold in a day or two!) took our breath away. It's crazy!

Thank you bayview. We're still very much in the exploration stage, and haven't even definitively decided to move to St. Petersburg (though we are leaving where we are now, and so far the St. Pete area (Pinellas county?) is at the top of the list).

Good boating and marinas are a must-have for wherever we move, so it's one of the first things I investigate (my wife has other priorities...). It's one thing to read about places on the internet, but there's no substitute for personal experience. Just in the first few phone calls I've made, I've gotten the message that demand for slips exceeds the supply in St. Petersburg. You're absolutely right, we'd probably have to grab a slip wherever it's available, and then hope to hop to more preferred marinas.

Oh well... the coming inevitable correction in the stock market may cool off a bit the over-heated demand for slips (and houses and boats as well) around St. Petersburg.

Thanks again!

I am in St Pete at the moment. Plenty transient slips available at the Municipal Marina. I enquired about long term and the said they had openings. Price was reasonable for the area. I don't have a rate sheet though. Sent it to friends in Texas who are coming over in the fall.

We have stayed at the Municipal Marina a few times and really enjoyed it, it is very close to stores, restaurants, and Museums. I don't have experience with any other marinas there so can't compare.
Are you familiar with the Active Captain website? There are lots of user reviews, pricing, etc there.
Good luck

A recent TF thread on this topic might interest you: http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s58/moving-east-coast-fl-west-coast-32427.html

Often I have thought that living aboard in St. Petersburg wouldn't be too bad, and one likely spot would be the Maximo Marina, formerly known as Maximo Moorings. It's just off the ICW in Boca Ciega Bay, and is convenient to many shoreside amenities. Publix, the ne plus ultra of grocery stores (in the Southeastern U.S., at least) is a short walk. They have deep covered as well as open slips. Maximo Marina Overview | Maximo Marina

We have been in a covered slip at Maximo for four years and just signed a new lease for a covered slip when the renovation is complete. Maximo is undergoing a 25M upgrade. Currently the marina has no amenities but the new construction promises resteraunts and other goodies. Their travel lift can handle large boats and the location is well protected. It's very close to shopping but the high life of downtown is a few miles away. We find the marina quiet and everyone is very respectful.

I had an extended stay at Maximo in 2006. The covered slip was great. I also had some work done with a haul out. It was a very satisfactory stay. The other two times I visited by water we stayed at SPYC. It's a great yacht club right down town, but they have an outpost at Pass a Grille. The municipal marina is next door, and in a great location.

In St. Pete you will be dealing with a lot of vehicle traffic. I like the Bradenton/Sarasota area. Good boating available from there.

Waterfront houses with a wide water view in Pinellas have always been expensive relative to non waterfront. canal front much less so.

The barrier beach towns have most of the canal houses. Road traffic is much worse in some areas and towns where lots of people want to go to the beach.. e.g. Clearwater beach, Anna Maria island. parts of Sarasota, Sanibel etc.

from a price point of view you get what you pay for. Southern Pinellas is unique in that it is a peninsula so there is less traffic at the south end.
I lived in Treasure island with the boat behind the house for a long time and loved it now

Donsan said:

St Pete is a nice town but real estate prices have sky rocketed there. If you have real good reason for wanting to live there and a deep pocket, by all means find a home there but you can find lot better values down south of Venice and north of Naples and Gulf boating is just as good if not better.

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Not sure that Venice is much cheaper. It's a really nice quaint town, a LOT smaller ICW boating area and going north or south it's pretty narrow. As opposed to St. Pete area, there are a lot more bays and open areas and a ton more place to boat to in a short distance.

But just south of Venice into the Ft. Myers area there's a LOT of boating to do. I'd probably put Ft Myers on a higher list than Venice for boating, but both fine towns. Naples is a zoo, traffic as bad as St. Pete area.

The water is clearer further south.

I live on the Land side of Madeira Beach and happy with my location excepting some tide issues. Having the boat behind the house is the ONLY way to go (for me), unless you like the social life at the marina (and the price to go with it).

For covered slips, Homeport Marina has some, just north of Dunedin. Nice place with good restaurant and pool. There's a few downtown St. Pete, but can't remember where they are.

You might want to rent for a bit to get the lay of the land, and figure out what works for you. Lots of good choices, from Bradenton up to Tarpon. Generally, the further north you go toward Tarpon, the cheaper it is and up into Hudson, gets quite reasonable.

A lot of the state is going thru a real estate boom, with prices going up and hard to buy. But there's always a deal out there. If you can't afford one, buy two and sell one with a profit to support the other... works!

Thank you! Reading on-line is one thing, but there's no substitute for experiences of people actually in the area. I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions!

It seems getting either a house, or a slip, are going to be a bit difficult. I've heard back from a few marinas. There seem to be some open slips available, but not covered, with 1 year+ waiting lists. Housing is even tougher. It seems like many houses sell literally within days, before we even have time to see them. I'd love to have a house with a dock, but those are both expensive, and brings flooding risk. Makes us a little uneasy, thinking of buying into a market that appears to be a rapidly inflating bubble. But then, at our age, time to wait isn't exactly on our side...

We have friends who were living the RV life and decided to sell the RV and buy a house. They ended up building a new house near Punta Gorda not too far from the Burnt Store Marina. The builder was very good. 2000sq ft house, 3 car garage, 1/2 acre lot, pool, pavers, etc for $400K or so. I think it took 9 months for the construction. They are about 10ft above sea level which is fairly good for the west coast of FL. We were very impressed.

You might want to check that area.

We keep Sherpa at Loggerhead Marina, which is north of the Sunshine Skyway. We have been very pleased. There is a fixed bridge that limits sailboats, but I've seen larger trawlers such as a Defever 44 make it through. What I like best about the location is the relatively protected waters.

Chris

Seevee said:

For covered slips, Homeport Marina has some, just north of Dunedin. Nice place with good restaurant and pool. There's a few downtown St. Pete, but can't remember where they are.

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We love Homeport Marina and its restaurant Ozana Blue. The marina provides easy access to Anclote Island, Three Rooker Bar, and Caladesi. St. Joseph's Sound is probably my favorite boating location in Florida!

Agree on SPYC. Very nice people, superb dining and a great location. I used a reciprocal membership for access. I have no idea what the dues might be, but it's one of the nicest yacht clubs I've visited.

I live in the Municipal Marina on forth avenue northeast
Great great location. Waiting list was eight months for my slip when I moved here May 2015.

Nick14 said:

T There seem to be some open slips available, but not covered, with 1 year+ waiting lists.

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Covered slips are in the minority in Florida.

BandB said:

Covered slips are in the minority in Florida.

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So true! Expect a very long waiting list for a covered slip at most marinas in the area. I called around and most were many months long.

I would hate to have a covered slip in Fl, live aboard or not.

Sailor of Fortune said:

I would hate to have a covered slip in Fl, live aboard or not.

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I'd LOVE to have one. Did have one, but too small and code didn't allow me to enlarge it.

Nick14 said:

Thank you! Reading on-line is one thing, but there's no substitute for experiences of people actually in the area. I appreciate your thoughts and suggestions!

It seems getting either a house, or a slip, are going to be a bit difficult. I've heard back from a few marinas. There seem to be some open slips available, but not covered, with 1 year+ waiting lists. Housing is even tougher. It seems like many houses sell literally within days, before we even have time to see them. I'd love to have a house with a dock, but those are both expensive, and brings flooding risk. Makes us a little uneasy, thinking of buying into a market that appears to be a rapidly inflating bubble. But then, at our age, time to wait isn't exactly on our side...

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St Pete is nice, however you may want to expand your search south and not box yourself only into only one area. Many nice areas and friendly for boaters on the West coast, spent the last 15+ years cruising these waters. Tampa bay all the way down to Naples. Now after the recent storm, your options may increase and be more than you think.
Good hunting.

IntervaleII said:

St Pete is nice, however you may want to expand your search south and not box yourself only into only one area. Many nice areas and friendly for boaters on the West coast, spent the last 15+ years cruising these waters. Tampa bay all the way down to Naples. Now after the recent storm, your options may increase and be more than you think.
Good hunting.

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That's a good point, and there's lots of choices.

If I were starting over, I'd probably look further south, to get a bit more out of the crowds. St. Pete is still largely working class folks, unlike it was years ago. Not bad but increases the crowds and make rush hour nasty.

Sarasota is a bit better, but still busy, and more expensive... but a WONDERFUL inter coastal area... and huge.

Venice is really neat, but a very small ICW area. A bit more of a quaint tourist area kinda like Tarpon Springs, but would be high on my list.

Ft. Myers is another great area. Also busy but not as bad as St. Pete. And a lot of choices. Not up to speed with house prices, but a bit off the beaten path, like up Charlotte Harbor and Cape Coral offered nice waterfront homes less than St. Pete.

Naples is too expensive for me, but a nice harbor. Marco is awful crowded but not big. Between the two is pretty neat and came close to buying a waterfront home there a few years back, but didn't happen.

I'm staying in St. Pete for a number of reasons. For boating there's a LOT of neat places to go within a few hours.... from Tarpon to Sarasota, Bradenton, Tampa and just up and down the ICW. And "generally" waterfront homes are a bit lower priced than elsewhere along the west coast of FL. And get pretty reasonable going a bit north.

And, yes, we are in an inflationary bubble.. but not significant compared to 2008. But, there could be a correction and a few folks could get hurt.

Tossing in a couple of more pluses for St. Pete on top of Seavee's. It's convenient to a major airport. If you're doing much traveling at all, a huge plus to me. We will cruise, leave our boat, fly home, fly back.

Also, and this may be a negative to many, but other advantages of a big city and a tourist area are entertainment from sports to arts plus restaurants and amenities. In St. Pete, convenient to Disney and can take advantage of it's less crowded periods.

Then, convenience to services from boat related to home related, to decent medical care and other advantages.

St. Pete sort of like a medium sized city connected to larger.

Now, we love Ft. Myers, have good friends how love Sarasota and Venice and Naples are great towns for visiting. Seavee mentioned being able to go either way from St. Pete. The reality is it's more like four directions. Run across to the northern gulf shore, south to the towns mentioned and the keys, east through the Okeechobee to the east coast of FL from which you can also run North or South.

We are decidedly South Florida and East Coast fans and wouldn't live anywhere else, but St. Pete is a very nice area.

BandB,

Thanks for the nice comments on my town. Overall, I'm happy with it. If there were two things I'd change:

I'd get rid of all the people
And I'd put the airport next to my house.
<g>


....... regarding crowds, often, where ever one lives, if they can get a spot on the water, just getting out into the boat seems to feel like an escape from the busy town and into a different world.

Heading out, now.

Ft Meyers has a great little international airport, Southwest Florida international airport. Flown in and out of there over the past 6 years, it's pretty convenient and easy to use.

IntervaleII said:

Ft Meyers has a great little international airport, Southwest Florida international airport. Flown in and out of there over the past 6 years, it's pretty convenient and easy to use.

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Depends on where you're flying to and from but it it does fly to a few major cities nonstop.

I usually fly there from Tokyo via a connection from DC or Chicago. Pretty convenient since the boat is near there for the winters.