# Good marinas for living aboard and fixing up a boat?



## gtsail (Sep 14, 2017)

I'm in the process of relocating to either Florida or South Carolina, and trying to find a marina where I can live aboard cheaply and also work on my 27 footer so I can prep it for an eventual cruise through the bahamas and caribbean. I'm single and work remotely for my job, so I can pretty much go where I want. But I've narrowed it down to FL and SC due to weather and being able to live aboard during the winter, and I have some relatives in SC.

I'm going to do as much as I can on my own, and I'm not really on a tight schedule or anything so I can take my time and learn as I go. The things I'll slowly be adding or replacing will mainly be electrical (batteries, solar, rewiring, standard instruments), rigging (probably all of it), minor woodwork, some interior work. The diesel is stuck and needs fixing. Needs a bottom job, but nothing structural about the boat is compromised so I don't need any "heavy" hull or deck work. Bulkheads look great etc.

So anyways, I thought I'd see if anyone had any suggestions on a good place to do this? I assume some marinas are more suited for this type of thing and have greater availability of parts (and labor, when there's something I can't do myself). Or maybe slips that are more conducive for working on a boat.

Any suggestions?


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## hpeer (May 14, 2005)

Saint Mary's Marina in St Marys, Georgia.


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## smitrock63 (Jul 20, 2017)

I've heard sunset in Keywest is reasonable. BTW, are you guys hiring? I need a good remote job!! 

smitrock


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

First and foremost, there are not a lot of marinas that currently allow live aboards. Too many problems with insurance, etc... And, mos of the live aboard marinas I found ranged about $700 a month for a 27 footer, which is cheaper than an apartment, but the vast majority did not have facilities for you to work on your boat or dry storage, which you may require to do some of the work. Consequently, most of the live aboards that did their own work did it at a nearby boatyard. 

Now, lets look at climate. Unless you have a heat pump, you will be hard pressed to spend the winter in south Carolina, or even northern Florida - just too damned cold during winter. I was at Myrtle Beach a few years ago and the nighttime temperature dropped down to 17 degrees. Thought I would freeze my ass off. This happens every winter. I spent a few 32 degree days in northern Florida, so from my perspective, the lower Florida Keys is your best bet.

Good luck on your search and endeavors,

Gary


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## dwedeking (Jan 28, 2007)

In Jacksonville I found a $20 space heater works enough for the 2 months it's cold. Since I'm in a slip power isn't an issue. 

Beach Marine in Jacksonville (my 36' was $700 a month) allows live aboards and a number are doing minor work on their boats without issue. St Johns Boat Company is just up the ICW for when you have to haul out for larger jobs. Or Green Cove Springs up the St Johns River.


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## gtsail (Sep 14, 2017)

Good point with the temps dipping down at night. Although, I'm also the type of person who has spent a few weeks sleeping out of a minivan in single digit temperatures and no heat (just a thick cold-weather camping sleeping bag).

Don't engines get damaged if there's water inside and temps dip below freezing?

I did check out the website for Green Cove Springs Marina, but some of the google reviews sort of scared me off. Some people are saying it's strewn with trash, bathrooms are disgusting, and mixed opinions on the staff.


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## RegisteredUser (Aug 16, 2010)

Green Cove might be a good place for you.
You get good prices thru them ordering from Port Supply. They take a small tip - you'll save a lot.
Bottom Dave does the bottom jobs, unless there's been a change. He can use 16 grit and take off a lot of your fg hull...that really don't want removed...be careful.
If you're going to be there a while, bring some land transportation. 
Stay your mission and don't let yourself become one of the 'locals'.
Really, a scooter would work well there for for transportation.


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## hpeer (May 14, 2005)

Our boats in GCS at the moment. Accurate description.

St Marys allows limited live aboard and you need a scooter or something.


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

Nice thing about a scooter or Moped is you can carry it on the boat fairly easy because they usually don't weigh very much. I used a bicycle in the keys for transportation, which is find on an island that is just 5 miles long and a quarter mile wide.

Good luck,

Gary


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## capta (Jun 27, 2011)

Charleston City Marina is a premier liveaboard marina. Lots of services (golf carts if you have a lot of stuff to move, etc), a very friendly and helpful staff and a great location: walking distance to down town Charleston, and easy access to the freeway out of town.
I think it's pretty reasonably priced considering it's location and the cleanliness and care taken of the property. They have wifi, etc included and the staff do not hassle the liveaboards with stupid rules like no hanging laundry on the boat, which way you must dock your boat (bow in or out) or anything else that so many marinas fret over.
Many liveaboard marinas are real holes, with lousy maintenance, poor electricity and services and often tons of _stupid_ rules. Basically run by slumlords to rake in the maximum amount of cash with as little outlay possible.
There is nothing convenient about living in the Keys. It's not even a very good place to sail, unless you like sailing in the Gulfstream. It is fishing/diving heaven though, if those are your things. I'd not liveaboard in the Keys, especially Key West. You are a hundred miles on a two lane road, often filled with tourists and sightseers, which can make a simple trip out and back, a whole day affair. The road is often closed for hours (with the appropriate traffic back up) when there is an accident! The powers that be couldn't care less how long folks sit in their car in the sweltering summer heat! LEO's are out in force to ticket the unwary.


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## cdy (Nov 10, 2013)

Is Bottom Paint Dave still alive at GCS Marina? - I have not seen him in years, yea the bathrooms suck there , but quite the livaeboard community especially in the winter - people from all over the world working on their boat - the Monkey Fist store thats on property has lots of used bits and pieces, but just a warning - with Irma a lot of docks were destroyed on the St Johns - slips will be very limited as far as availability - GCS does have moorings. Anything along the Intra-coastal is going to be pricey - $12 foot and up + liveaboard fees


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

I thoroughly enjoyed living aboard in Marathon Key, Florida's Marathon City Marina. I was tied to the bulkhead of the marina, had 50 amp electricity and water, plus free wi-fi. Every Friday night we had a musician's jam session at the marina tiki hut, there was a great park with a fantastic baseball field just 500 yards from the marina, which also had a huge bandshell for concerts. The field was lighted for night games and a lot of the live aboards played softball there regularly and had a marina team.

It was just over 1.5 miles to Public's grocery store and there was a K-Mart and Wynn Dixie right next door. The post office and liquor store were a half mile away, and there was a Home Depot within short walking distance. Just before you got to Home Depot there was a great American Legion that served the most incredible Sunday morning breakfast you ever had and at the time it was only $5 - wow!

The entire island was loaded with restaurants, ranging from greasy spoons to 5-star rated places. Most had weekend music, and some had music on weekdays. Finding live musing on Marathon was pretty easy and the prices for drinks was not nearly as bad as I thought they would be. 

It was a short bike ride to the old 7 Mile Bridge, which allows bikes out to the first island, which used to be owned by the Navy, but they since moved to another location. Lots of other touristy things to see such as the Turtle Hospital, and dolphin research lab. If you are in good physical condition, a bicycle is all you need to get around in the keys.

There is a small hospital on the island and a couple small clinics manned by nurse practitioners. Medical care is not a problem there. However, if it's something real serious, they will fly you to Miami.

Snorkeling at Sombrero Light is OK, with underwater visibility usually about 30 feet, and there are a dozen or more free mooring balls there for divers to use. You cannot fish in that area because it is a marina sanctuary, however, you don't have to venture far from the sanctuary to enjoy fantastic fishing. I've caught cobia, grouper, red snapper, mangrove snapper, grunts, porgy, yellowtail snapper and clawless lobster within just a few miles of the marina, and all from the deck of my sailboat. If you cannot catch supper in the Florida Keys, you should probably give up fishing and take up golf. 

My cost per month to be tied to the bulkhead was $835 including water and electricity. There were loads of showers, all of which were cleaned at least three times a day by the marina staff, a huge day room with three TV viewing areas, a free library, laundry room with a half dozen washers and dryers, picnic area with great charcoal grills, huge dinghy docks with enough space for more than 100 dinghies, a neat nature trail, bicycle parking area where you could lock the bike to a special rack, and parking for folks that had cars. The price of a mooring ball was about 300 a month, which also included free pumpouts every week by two pumpout boats owned and managed by the marina. 

South of the marina, down Boot Key Harbor, is where you find West Marine and you could dinghy there if you wished and tie up to a dinghy dock at the marina right behind WM at no charge. You can also dinghy to the Public's which is north of the marina. When you get back, there are dozens of marina carts to make it easier to haul your groceries and booze to the dinghy, or in my case, right to the boat.

Oh, there are three work shops where you could perform small to large projects and rental lockers for tools and other stuff you might not have room for on the boat. There was no charge for using the shops, and the guy behind me actually constructed a huge, fiberglass, hard-top Bimini in the shop right next to his boat. 

I think the best part was the people I met, including most of the marina staff. The vast majority were wonderful folks that were enjoying life the same way I was. Some lived there year round, while others sailed from as far away as Montreal. They loved to party, and Friday night was party time at the Tiki Hut. There were three to five musicians there, including myself to provide the entertainment, and everyone brought a lot of food and drinks and shared it. It proved to be a wonderful atmosphere, at least from my perspective, and I really didn't want to leave and return to Maryland. However, if I had stayed any longer, I would no longer be married - yep, she didn't want to live aboard the boat and stayed here in the snow, freezing rain and bitter cold. 

Good luck,

Gary


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## cdy (Nov 10, 2013)

You might want to check out Boot Key Harbor's FB page - it was basically destroyed in Irma - along with many other marinas in the Keys - Dinner Key marina took a big hit too in Miami - especially the slips behind Monty's. South Florida marina situation is going to be a mess - I would not count on being able to find a slip anywhere between WPB and Key West - anchoring out - possibly but lots of the dinghy docks have been destroyed also.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

Beside the marinas, look into some other things that will affect you: Residency and taxes.
Once your boat is in Florida for 90 days, you are in trouble unless you've gone to the tax man, transferred your title and registration, and paid applicable sales taxes. (If you can't prove you paid them up to the state and county combined level before, you'll owe the balance to the state.) And, you'll be expected to provide proper documentation and convert your driver's license to a Florida SecureID driver's license. South Carolina may be the same way.
In Florida you won't owe state income tax, in SC I think you will. In both states, once you convert your DL you will join the list for jury duty, exemptions vary in both.
Little things like that. Sometimes, lots of stuff evens out. Sometimes you get a rude surprise. Just check into it first.
If your boat is insured, your insurer might also have something to say about being in Florida during hurricane season. (June1 to November 30.)


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## travlin-easy (Dec 24, 2010)

You can avoid the Florida residency problem just by sailing offshore, outside state waters, for a couple days, then return and continue to enjoy living aboard for another 89 days. That 90 day rule is 90 days continuous. Now, while I know that law is on the books in most states, it is rarely enforced on boaters. Most of the times I have heard of it being enforced is when someone rents a home and has a car parked in the driveway with out of state plates. That's a gotcha!

Gary


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