Wintering in SE Florida

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buzzk

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Joined
Feb 5, 2006
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20162
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I'm interested in moving my boat to Florida for the winter anywhere from Ft. pierce south to Ft. Lauderdale. I own a 33 Bertram and would be staying on the boat for long weekends. Does anyone have any suggestions and know how much dockage would be. Thanks Buzz
 
Make sure you're not hit with the a local boat tax for staying too long in the area or state? I can't tell where you're from?
 
taxwise, under 6 months, you're fine in florida

Dockage can run anywhere between $15 a ft per month to $30...

if you're going to move the boat south, you may as well consider an area with blue water, not brown and murky, so take a look at Miami and Biscayne Bay, you wont' regret it.
 
problem with Hollywood and Dania is that you dont' have anywhere to go unless you want to spend 3 hours in NWZ or get beat up in the ocean...
 
We decided to stay in Hollywood this year, we are at Loggerhead between the Hollywood and Hallandale Bridges. We have to raise the Dania and Sheridan bridges; they are on a schedule so I can time it. I'd guess a 33 Bertram if you can lower the outriggers would fit under all of them. Anyway it was just about 45 minutes from the ICW/Port Everglades intersection to here (5 NM) in my slow boat, again because of bridge waits more than anything; a good deal of that stretch is a 25MPH zone. This marina is tucked in from the ICW down a canal, very nice, heavily staffed and very secure, set in upscale development with manned gated entry and lots of security. We're paying $26 a foot/mo ($27.55 w/tax etc) for a three month lease; five months I think it is about 10% less. We had looked into the City of Hollywood marina, but they were sold out, at least for our size.. Not nearly as deluxe but nice folks and overall set up. Right on the ICW though. The Ft. Lauderdale marinas, even the city, are $$$ or way up the New River.
I looked at some place in the West Palm area as well; New Port Cove is deluxe, for something more moderate, I liked the Lake Park town marina, though the area around it is somewhat modest, the docks are gated and people I talked to that had boats there were happy.

Ft. Pierce is a good consideration; I've heard good things about the City Marina there as well as Harbortown. Great inlet right there. I had to be near the big airports, and Ann has a good friend down this way, so here we are.

George
"Incentive" Hatteras 56MY
 
Thanks for the information. The reason I wanted to come to SE Florida is for the Sailfishing and it's not a bad drive down from NC. Buzz
 
the timing of the bridges isn't bad there, if you time the first one right (Hollywood), you get the other two with no delays at 5 to 6 kts. southbound, Hallandale is higher so most boats should be able to pass under (I do with both my Hatt and Charmer)

it's still almost a two hours round trip to the inlet though.

If you're bringing the boat down for fishing then being further north is fine but if you also enjoy day or week end trips to anchor out and enjoy the water then you want to be further south. what i love about Miami is that you have very few NWZ to deal with (jsut around downtown) and you have a bunch of place to anchor within 3 to 15 miles.
 
My boat has a half tower and I need about 20 feet to clear my radar. What about the area around Haulover Inlet? Thanks Buzz
 
I assumed you were interested in fishing with a 33 Bertram. Fort Lauderdale being your southern cutoff point you are about a half hour from port Everglades as it is all no wake zones. You should be fine with the bridges as I can make it under all those bridges with my outriggers down and I need about 18 feet to clear the radar arch. I make it up New River without any bridge openings but do have 2 railroad bridges, but they stay in the open position most of the time. Haulover Inlet is a fixed bridge but shouldn’t be any problems for you. Compare prices and catch a few sails. IMO sail fishing is best from Fort Lauderdale north to Palm Beach.
 
Yep, you're cool with that height. There is a public marina near Haulover, but I've never walked the docks there. Not sure about the security. There are some nice marinas just inside Lake Worth Inlet geared to the fishy set: Cannonsport and Sailfish in particular.

All that being said, if you are driving down from NC, Ft. Pierce and Stuart should get serious look sees, followed by Palm Beach. The drive further south from there on 95, even the Turnpike, is not something I'd volunteer for if I had the choice.

Pascal, I'm going to guess in his boat it's 30 minutes each way to Port Everglades Inlet from where I am; I will test that theory with the Whaler sometime in the coming week. There is very little "idle speed", mostly "slow speed" and a bit of 25mph. We took the Whaler down that way a few times from Turnberry last year to check out the cruise ships and general "scene" and it wasn't an epic expedition. Regardless, the more I think of what Buzz' objectives are, I think he is better off up north.

George
 
well... slow speed depends on the water cops feeling, mood, moon phase, and marriage satisfaction! :-) I've been asked to slow down in Slow Speed zone when i was running 7kts with no wake... there are 2 short unrestricted stretches between hollywood/hallandale and port everglade, maybe 1/2 mile long each. the rest is slow or idle, and there are quite a few docks along the way, so going much over 6kts isnt' an option anyway

the stretch along PE is heavily patroled, doing more than 6 to 7 kts is asking for it. I've seen boats being pulled over even though they were not doing more than 8 or 9 kts.

the bridge schedule is 15' apart and i don't see making it faster anyway, at most you can save a couple of minutes. so when you get Hollywood, you have 30' to the last one, then at least 20 minutes along port everglade.
 
I agree different water cops have diferent ideas.Many cops seem to think slow means idle speed. The Vinice FL water nazi stopped everybody not going idle in a slow speed zone. IIRC there was an explaination somewhere in FL law that idle was lowest possible speed to maintain steering and slow was no bow rise with minimum wake.
 
We've hijacked the the thread a bit, but boy Pascal you are right about WTF "Slow Speed Minimum Wake" is vs "Idle Speed No Wake". The "Maximum Wake: 15"", that I can figure out. I had a Sheriff yell at me at damn near idle at the Slow Speed Zone coming out of the no wake zone near the Hillsboro Bridge; I had barely touched the throttles. This same speed or more seemed fine to other water cops and is much slower and much less wake than all the boats that subsequently passed me. but I wasn't going to have that guy circle back around and tag me just for sport. I was irked because I am extremely sensitive the effect my wake has on surrounding boats and docks. I suppose no good deed goes unpunished!

On the topic of bridges and speed it always amazes me the guys who rush from one timed bridge to another, then mill about jamming the channel waiting for the next one to open. I have tried to explain how it works on the radio, but some people never learn. I had one guy in a sail boat, of all things, who'd keep passing me as I dawdled along after going through bridges I didn't need opened, timing my speed for the ones that I do. I'd inevitably get around the corner, and there he'd be, circling around in front of the bridge. Then there's the guys who pass everyone waiting, snaking through, then sitting in the middle of the channel at the front of the line, and then there's the guys who..... aw the heck with it. You know what I mean.

George
 
I've never bought a boat down to Ft. Lauderdale but I really like the area. We usually come down to that area a couple of times a year. Randy, can you go all the way up the New River without raising the bridge and how long does it take to go from I95 to the inlet? Thanks Buzz
 
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