Tell me about the best location to liveaboard

[Julsburd]

Yes, I visited Marina Jacks the other day and was very disappointed. That was my take on it, good for a week or 2 but would not want to spend 4 months there. I am going to look at Regatta Pointe in Palmetto tomorrow. It sounds like a nice compromise between resort and regular marina... it is like finding a neighborhood to buy a house only the neighborhoods are not very abundant! Thanks for your help!

 

[Star0210]

I pretty much echo everything WifeyB said.
I would have no problem staying on our boat alone. But if I’m going to for any extended period of time, I would want to be at a resort type marina and I would want a vehicle. Otherwise, it would get very boring.

We live in South Louisiana. It gets REALLY hot and humid here in the summer. But yes, we still sit out and visit with our friends at our marina. We grill on the weekends and stuff or we take the boat out to our swim hole and spend the day in the water.

As for storms, our marina is pretty protected so I have no trouble staying on our boat during a storm.

And lastly, I also agree with Wifey B about marina jacks. We just stayed there overnight last week. We liked it a lot. I don’t think I’d want to stay there alone for an extended period of time though.

 

[FF]

"As for storms, our marina is pretty protected so I have no trouble staying on our boat during a storm."

There may be a danger to the boats electric toys but a lightning storm is no big deal .

I lived aboard oir decades in NYC , and a great big winter storm was usually a delight.

Raw nature , just outside the port , 50K of breeze, 10deg F and snow whiteouts , reality, far better than TV.

 

[Crazymonkey]

It boils down to cost and what you want to do when you are off the boat. We are in Palmetto, the marina is beautiful and one of the safest in Florida from weather. But not much around outside and since we work M-F it doesnt make much difference. Cost is great too. I would love to live down in the keys but the cost of what we have would be double....but the water would be so much nicer

 

[geezee]

Hey Julsburd , hope your plans for 'wintering' in FL are coming together.....! I've been in Central (ORL, sucks), South (Palm Beach Gardens, nice), and now East Central FL (Melbourne) for almost 40 years. I can speak to the weather, not live-aboarding (never done it). FL is the lightning strike capitol of the US yes, maybe the world ?! Winter is not thunderstorm season though. January through April will be pretty nice temperature wise,and relatively dry (rain wise) and also the lowest humidity we get here (still quite humid). You do get cold (ok, cool) fronts marching through fairly regularly all winter long, a squall line with heavy winds and rain, followed by a fairly dramatic (for FL) temperature drop- you will enjoy the temperature drop. Nestled in a marina amongst other large-ish boats I'd think you would be impervious to the winds. For the lightning, IDK I have been motoring in Jupiter inlet during a nasty squall and saw lightning hit the mast of the sailing yacht a couple hundred yards ahead of me- and they continued motoring along. Now IDK if other electronics were injured/killed but the occupants and the engine, were not. I'd think scattered among some sailing vessels in your marina- they will be the 'lightning rods' - not you..... Also as you ease into warmer weather from Jan to April- you won't notice its getting quite a bit warmer day by day- versus someone who comes from the N and gets hit with the heat all at once. We are fast approaching the ability to become 'snow birds' -get the heck OUT of FL for 8 hottest months, and back for a 4 month 'winter' - be that on a yacht or RV, not really sure yet !

 

[Bigsfish]

GZ

I’m always amazed how different people can come up with almost 100% opposite opinions. Lightning, I’ve boated all mt life and have never been damaged by a lightning hit (I do prefer to have a sailboat next to me at a marina). Heat, yeah if you don’t like heat go to Alaska for the winter not south Florida of have AC installed in your boat. Winds in a marina, just tie your boat up properly and have insurance, is anyplace safe from severe weather?

Needless to say I’m in south Florida (Miami River, safe from hurricanes and brackish water) and after 40 years on the river I’m staying. Carpetbaggers can go north.

 

[geezee]

Bigsfish ;
Ya, you can't beat brackish- or even fresh water for keeping all things corrosive in better shape. I've boated and kayaked for decades in the brackish Indian River here (Melbourne) and the salinity difference versus the ocean is really noticeable. Heck, gators venture out into the River here from the creeks feeding it ! A 10-15yr old fresh water boat can often be in better shape than a 5yo salt water one..... Notwithstanding mechanical engine wear/hours. On other lightning myths, my dad flew Super Constellations (C-121s) in the Navy. In storms they saw lightning pass right through the wing on several occasions. No issues.

 

[Bigsfish]

We all hear Second, third hand stories about lightning, my brother in law knows the girlfriends cousin who knows the captain who’s brothers boat was hit by lightning and snuck in an hour after losing all the electronics.

How many of us have ever had a direct strike from lightning and what damage did it do? After the strike did you live?

 

[Donsan]

While lightning strikes can hit anywhere in FL, the lightning belt is a phenomena experienced mainly in Central FL.



Roger Russell's Central Florida Lightning page

 

[Molly]

Just dreaming here. But, if I was in my 40's and could work from my boat and remain single and wanted to stay in the mid west, this is what I would do. I love city life. Summer in Chicago. Move south down the Mississippi as the weather gets colder. Hang a left at the Tennessee River visit Biloxi and end up in New Orleans for the winter. (You could also stay on the Mississippi) Then work my way back up north when the weather starts heating up. Do this until I find the perfect spot. The trick would be to be able to work from your boat and STAY single. Once you hook up, your traveling days are over. Of course, I have never actually done anything like this. I'm married 42 years! Just pipe dreaming.

 

[Mkeller]

We all hear Second, third hand stories about lightning, my brother in law knows the girlfriends cousin who knows the captain who’s brothers boat was hit by lightning and snuck in an hour after losing all the electronics.



How many of us have ever had a direct strike from lightning and what damage did it do? After the strike did you live?

I had a cousin killed by lightning on the Potomac in DC on a clear day. He was clearing weeds from an outboard when the outboard was struck.

I had lighting enter a bay window of the house I lived in growing up enter a wall switch and burn out 50 ft of wiring before exiting a ceiling fan. Cracked the window and smoke poured from the switch.

I Had a secretary experience a near miss when it struck a chain link fence she was walking along. Her hair was standing straight up when she walked in the office.

I respect lightning.

 

[BandB]

I had a cousin killed by lightning on the Potomac in DC on a clear day. He was clearing weeds from an outboard when the outboard was struck.

I had lighting enter a bay window of the house I lived in growing up enter a wall switch and burn out 50 ft of wiring before exiting a ceiling fan. Cracked the window and smoke poured from the switch.

I Had a secretary experience a near miss when it struck a chain link fence she was walking along. Her hair was standing straight up when she walked in the office.

I respect lightning.

I had a cousin killed by lighting on the shore of Smith Mountain Lake in VA when it wasn't raining. She was hit as was the tree she was standing under. Instant death as it got her in the head.

 

[Ernie]

Mikeg......My wife and myself live aboard. We are at Fort Pierce, Fl. It is raining right now and we are sitting on the "sundeck" on the rear of our boat. We have full enclosures we put/roll down for this. When it is sunny or just not raining we roll them up and we are outide, except ours has a hard top overhead. Solid roof. Sometimes we will run a smallish fan to circulate air. We are from North East Texas so this climate is not hot to us. Wife has said she will not go back to living in a house. Y'all will like it down here. We presently have this 40ft boat for sale.......to buy another boat. Kinda like you said way back, we bought this one , did a ton of things to improve it, then decided to go trawler. I have this in the classified here. Y'all might have found one by now. Someone else said it also, we double our lines(ropes) for any major storm. Have had several hurricane come through, even close ones kick up wind and tidal surge. We are on a floating pier so safe from that. After removing all canvas, wind not a factor. But we have only had to do that when one was coming over us and marina would not let us stay in boat. Not that often.
Anyways, you will enjoy boat life.

 

[Bigsfish]

Ernie

Will we see you at the outing in February at Ft. Pierce City Marina?

 

[Ernie]

If still in this boat. When we get this one sold, gonna take next one back to Texas coast. When, that's the big question. Got a 42ft trawler picked out but will not have two boats at same time. Just gotta wait on selling this one. 1995 Cruisers 3950 aft cabin right now.

 

[Ernie]

This is what we have now in Fort Pierce , Fl.



Yea, finger in top pic.

 

[Bigsfish]

Ernie

Best of luck in selling. We bought our current and still owned a 43 GB, took about six months to sell while insurance, dockage, maintenance,, ect. Finally found a buyer who was serious and could afford it. Happy days.

What marina are you in now?

 

[Ernie]

Fort Pierce City Marina, Fl.

 

[Ernie]

Looking at time above post, where is it 05:39PM to be 1:42PM here right now? I am on East coast.

 

[Bigsfish]

Ernie

Don’t worry about the time stamp, I can’t even tell time.

Well if you don’t sell your boat you won’t have far to go the the Trawler Forum party, we try to get on the floating dock (not too close to Very Slow Hand).