Snowbird my tug?

[idratherbeboating]

In about a month I lose access to my seasonal slip in Boston. Typically, at this point I have the boat hauled, winterized, and stored until April. But this year, I was tossing around the (harebrained?!) notion of 'sending it south', say the Florida Keys.

The thought is... storage costs are probably the same or cheaper down there, so for the cost of boat shipping and some flights I could do some boating during the New England winter. Unfortunately I still work full-time, so total winter usage would only be ~6-8 days, but it would be a) an adventure and b) nicer than renting a different boat for a winter vacation.

I'm curious if anyone else has 'snowbirded' their boat? And would you say it was worth it for only a week or two of boating or is this something I should only do when I'm retired? Any cautions/recommendations of marinas or destinations? Other thoughts?

I know this group has lots of wisdom, so let it fly! 😀

 

[lproulx]

I think a very rough estimate of boat shipping is $2/mile. That's a lot of money to the Florida keys round trip. I suggest you let your boat sleep in Boston for the winter and maybe charter somethings down there for your brief stay(s).

Larry

 

[scross]

You didn't say if you had a truck and trailer for your R25 Classic. If you do, it's about 1,600 miles each way to the Keys.
At 7 mpg for your truck while towing and $3/gallon for fuel that works out to about $700 each way.
It's probably a 3 day trip down to the Keys then a flight back so you could leave the truck with the boat. You can sleep and eat in the boat going down. Multiply all that by 2 for bring the boat back to Boston in the spring. Storage in the Keys on a trailer when not in use may not be much different than storage in Boston.
If you have a truck and trailer I guess it depends on if you have 8 days total round trip to get it to the Keys and then bring it home and don't mind spending the $1,400 in truck's fuel costs plus a round trip flight and with keeping the truck with the boat for the winter....
PS: We trailered about 1,400 miles this year with our R25 Classic which is about average for us each year. That's the fun of having a trailerable boat!

 

[idratherbeboating]

Thanks for the thoughts so far... I don't have a truck/trailer, so would be paying for transport. Yes, it's $$, but I'm sure arranging a few half-week charters would also be a bunch of money and complication.

Anyone have a charter company they'd recommend for southern Florida or the Keys? Ideally chartering tugs or other cool boats? 😀

 

[JMC]

I moved from Hyannis MA to Naples FL so naturally my boat moved too, it cost $4,000 1-way on my trailer. You will find it much more reasonable to hire a hauler from FL to come and get your boat in MA and drive it down to FL. I found the MA haulers want to charge for 2-way even though they return empty. The FL hauler charges 1-way. My boat lives in a slip in Naples FL and Key West is ~5hrs at 18kts. My boat is a USCG documented boat. In MA a boat that is documented does not require registration. In Florida, you must have a Florida Certificate of Registration and validation decal to operate a vessel legally on public waters in Florida. It doesn't matter if you are a resident or non-resident. Law enforcement does patrol the waters in FL diligently unlike MA so beware. I would recommend a USCG inspection as well. Lastly, boater behavior is much different in FL vs. MA. Don't expect the same boater courtesy; "slow" speed is 30MPH in the intercoastal and channels and drops to idle speed in Manatee zones. In MA coming in/out of harbors or channels are no wake areas. In FL expect wide open throttle with boats throwing full wake a mere few feet away.

 

[plewis]

I have had my R29 shipped to/from NY/FL 3 times and have shopped around for the best price each time. I could never do better than $3.50/mi all inclusive with a company I could trust. If you find a better price I would want to see the companies insurance certificate to make sure it includes cargo insurance. (The way I understand this is your boat is insured no matter who is at fault) I would also check with boat insurance company for there approval of the move and to see if an additional premium is required for winter time use of your boat.

BTW its a great way to beat the winter weather!