Shipping and Florida marina

ohpp

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Beyond
I am considering shipping my R27 to Florida for the winter. When we bought the boat, we made the decision not to buy a trailer and a truck so now we need to find a shipper to haul the boat to Florida and are also looking for recommendations as to the best marina to have it delivered to. I am not concerned about the area as we plan to travel around the state but would prefer a marina on the central west coast. I know there are web sites that I can go to to bid out the shipping and wonder if anyone has used of these. If any of you are interested in a money making trip to Florida in February!
 
We are having a Rendezvous taking place February 10th at the Palm Island Marina in Placida. It is on the West Coast of Florida about 13 miles south of Venice. Rated 5 star on Active Captain. They have a lift for the boat, pool and restaurant on grounds. There is also a courtesy car and we have a condo nearby so we can always take you for provisions etc. It is a good spot to head south to the Keys or cut across Okeechobee to go to the east coast. If you want more details PM me and we can exchange phone numbers for more information or additional options.

Mike Rizzo
 
Can not help on the shipping but Tarpon Springs, on the west coat of Florida, would be a great place to start your cruise. This is also where the ICW starts up again, making your cruise south very protected. Like Mike, if you have any questions please feel free to PM me.

Jim
 
Make sure you see proof of insurance when you get someone to move your boat. It is very expensive to have proper insurance to haul someone else's boat. That is part of the reason they charge a lot. I tried to help someone out a year ago and had to abort due to the insurance issue. Enjoy your Florida boating
 
Who ever you use make sure they are properly insured and check with your own insurance company as to what they may require for the transport. A few years ago I had my boat transported and the hauler had to increase his coverage in order to satisfy my insurance co.
 
Let me toss in an additional vote along with Mike for Palm Island Marina at Cape Haze, Florida as your shipping destination. Good folks. The lift crane crew is careful with the boats. A good service department. A small but friendly marina - and they see/lift Tugs every year in contrast to most marinas. If you send the boat there well ahead of time they have inside storage available as well as outside.
Take the time to look them up. Call and ask to speak to Tim, the manager, and tell him you are one of the Tugnuts group. 941-697-4356
Now, that is not to say there are not other marinas that are good. But the Tugnuts group has had good experiences with this marina over a number of years.
As always, sar , ymmv, bni
And if you are there in February we will be around to give you a hand with the dock lines - or get in the way at the very least. :mrgreen:
 
I popped over to TheHullTruth.com and did a quick search on transporters and found this fella. He is located about 90 minutes from the Palm Island Marina.
http://www.thehulltruth.com/boat-commer ... vices.html

The crowd on that forum are merciless on anyone who gives poor service, so I would think the odds are good he is reliable.
 
You might investigate Tom Williams of http://www.destinationbound.com
He is on Merritt Island with easy access to the ICW and ocean at Port Canaveral (if that is your interest). It is a great and easy trip over to the west coast via the ICW on the Indian River and then across Florida through the canals and Lake Okeechobee to the West Coast.
A great Marina that can handle your launch on Merritt Island is the Harbortown Marina <www. harbortownmarina.com>

I have no idea what Tom would charge but believe him to be very honest and a serious boat mover. I store my trailer with him.
Bob
 
ohpp,

My R31 is located in Fort Myers Beach, so I'm familiar with that area on the Florida southwest coast. There are several marinas or public launches in Fort Myers or Fort Myers Beach where you can launch from a trailer or have your boat lifted from the trailer into the water:
1. Salty Sam's Marina, Fort Myers Beach. It has a trailer launch ramp, which I have used for my previous R27 and my current R31 (when delivered).
2. Moss Marine, Fort Myers Beach. I know of several Ranger Tugs (R25, R25SC, and R27) that have been launched there from a trailer using their fork lift.
3. Punta Rassa Boat Ramp, Fort Myers. A public trailer launch ramp at the start of the bridge that goes to Sanibel Island from Fort Myers.

There are other nearby marinas where you can launch, but I can't personally give details about them.

All these launch sites are in a great location at/near the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River that goes to Lake Okeechobee and onto the east coast via the ICW, where you can proceed either north or south on the east coast of Florida via the Atlantic ICW.

You can also easily follow the Gulf ICW north from Fort Myers Beach to Port Charlotte, Cape Haze, Inglewood, Sarasota, Tampa, and up to Tarpon Springs. Or you can go south along the coast in The Gulf to Naples and Marco Island. For a more adventurous trip, you can continue on to The Keys.

Send me a PM to discuss this further if you would like more details.
 
Thanks for all the help. We still have to make a final decision to go and if we do, I will be in touch.

Thanks!
 
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