Thanks everyone for the valuable input. A lot of good points were made that we didn't think of and would definitely need to be considered before moving forward. The overall attitude seems to lean toward the Yes or good idea side, but the other make good points and obstacles to consider. I will hopefully have some updates as we explore this idea in the coming weeks. Thanks to all who have commented, I have spent a good amount of time on the water and in different ports through the gulf coast, rivers, great lakes, and east coast and I know what I like and dislike, but that does me no good when it comes to starting something like this because we need feedback from everyone we can get it from, good and bad. Our biggest obstacles right now are getting it started and which direction to go with it based on if this is something that would be popular or should be take it in a different direction, then there's the location; we would be close to three of the most popular marinas on the Alabama coast.
Just a few notes to clarify, when guests rent a room that arrived by boat, the cost of the slip rental would be covered by the room rental, which would not be outrageous or anything more than a typical B&B for the area. Pricing would be close to that stated earlier, $10 or so for breakfast and no more than $20 for dinner which would be no small breakfast or dinner. We would put a good bit of effort into the marina portion to make it just as inviting to stay there as any other place; laundry, showers, courtesy car, courtesy bicycles, supplies, pump out, etc. There is an old bait shop next door that would make for a great bar/lounge somewhere down the line.
If anyone wants to get an idea of its proposed location, it's in Bon Secour, AL on the Bon Secour River near Billy's and Aquillia Seafood. No matter what the wind direction, there is no raw seafood or fish smell, my wife wouldn't even consider this an option if there was. Again, still plenty of consideration needs to be done given its somewhat remote location (15 minutes to Foley shopping centers and Gulf Shores Beaches). The close proximity to LuLu's and The Wharf has definitely been on my mind, those traveling west would have no reason to stop so our best chance is to catch the ones coming down the bay and from the west, if they haven't stayed on the Mobile side.
