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Boater’s Guide to Florida — East Coast

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Even the state motto, “The Sunshine State,” speaks to glorious beaches and warm winters. As places go, Florida is a little bit wacky and eccentric. There’s a sometimes uncomfortable mix of retirees, snowbirds, college students, working families, and vacationers coming from all over the world. There’s a constant, delicate balance of a fragile ecosystem that has been overpopulated and overdeveloped. There are sleazy backroom politics that benefit neither the environment nor the average citizen. It’s an income-tax-free haven for the wealthy and the end of the road for anyone on the lamb looking to make another score. 

In short, Florida is Florida, and many people absolutely love it. Boaters especially love it, with its miles of coastline and winters spent on the water having fun (instead of on the hard under a snow tent). 

Florida beaches, Ponte Vedra Beach
Florida beaches, Ponte Vedra Beach

This boater’s guide covers Florida’s Atlantic Coast from the St. Marys River south to the Florida Keys. This includes the ICW from the Georgia State line southward and the Atlantic inlets of Florida.

Experienced boaters write these boater’s guides to help introduce and familiarize cruisers with new areas before visiting. What follows is an overview of the cruising conditions, special notes, weather patterns, where to stay, and what to do when visiting. At the bottom, you’ll find a list of resources and references for more information about cruising here. 

Florida Boating Overview

Florida’s Atlantic coastline stretches over 300 miles from the Georgia border at St. Marys River to the Florida Keys. The entire length of the Sunshine State is protected by barrier islands — shifting sand dunes broken by occasional inlets. Behind the barrier islands is the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW). The ICW is little more than a narrow channel for most of the coast, although it opens into the occasional winding saltmarsh creek or wide protected bay.

Florida ICW
Florida ICW

For the most part, Florida’s coastline is densely populated. Beach towns line the barrier islands, and bigger cities have built up on the mainland along the ICW. You’ll never be far from boating services, marinas, or things to see and do when boating in Florida. Dotted along the way, there are a few beautiful areas of nature, too — but these get smaller and less frequent as you continue south. Past West Palm Beach, Florida becomes one big metropolis along the ocean. 

Florida has more registered boats than any other state. It can be crowded, especially during snowbird season when you add boats visiting from northern states. This is especially important to realize when traveling on the ICW. With so much boat and car traffic, transiting the ICW in Florida can be hectic. Add in the numerous draw bridges, many of which are on a schedule, and it can be downright stressful. 

Florida is Boater Unfriendly

While Florida has plenty of boating opportunities and many beautiful places to boat, the state can generally feel unfriendly to visiting boaters. The state’s politicians and residents are in perpetual war with anchored boaters, and there is rarely a distinction between visiting cruisers in yachts and the derelict vessels that cause blight and other problems. 

Many towns have ordinances in place (or are attempting to pass ordinances) to limit overnight anchoring. The state has an undeniable problem with derelict and abandoned vessels, but many locals now associate any anchored vessel as the source of the problem. Furthermore, since every municipality has its own sheriff or police department marine unit to enforce its laws and educate boaters, and they usually make their presence known. That can make it fairly easy for one jurisdiction to roll up the welcome mat.

If you can find a place where there’s space to anchor legally, the next problem is getting ashore. There are very few courtesy docks or dinghy docks in the state. 

All of this is neither here nor there for most law-abiding cruisers who stay a night or two and then move on. There are still plenty of places where you can legally drop the hook, and you will probably not be harassed by law enforcement. If you’re staying at marinas or picking up mooring balls, you are unlikely to ever be bothered by anyone. You’ll have easy access to shore facilities and services in the populated areas. 

🚨 Tips to avoid ‘trouble’ in Florida waters.  

  • Honor all no-wake zones. No-wake speed is often misconstrued, especially by faster vessels. It means “GO SLOW.” Size doesn’t matter; no-wake includes dinghies, too! It doesn’t matter that your dinghy makes an inconsequential wake when you’re on plane — you cannot be on plane in a no-wake zone. 
  • Do not anchor near official mooring fields (usually, the edges will be marked with buoys).
  • Keep all your vessel registrations current, including your dinghy if it has any kind of motor! There are no exceptions in Florida; your dinghy must have state numbers. Even USCG-documented vessels must be state-registered somewhere.
  • If your boat is in Florida for more than 90 days, you are expected to register it in Florida. If you are from out of state and staying longer than 90 days, you can get a “sojourner permit” that allows you to stay up to 6 months. Otherwise, you will have to register in Florida.
  • Make sure the dinghy meets all regulations: registration, life vests, sound-producing device, lights after dark, etc.) In my experience, you are more likely to get pulled over in the dinghy than at any other time. 
  • Lock (physically secure/disable) your head/blackwater discharge thru-hulls. 
  • Record your pump-outs to prove you’ve had one recently. A written log is good, but receipts are better. (This is required in Fort Pierce and the Keys, and more locations will likely require it soon.)
  • Know the Florida fishing laws and purchase a saltwater license from FWC before putting any lines in the water.
  • If you’re traveling to the Florida Keys, make sure you review the special regulations regarding Monroe County and the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary (absolutely no overboard dumping of holding tanks {even beyond 3 miles}, never anchor on coral or sea grass, etc.)

Florida East Coast Cruising Conditions

Navigating the east coast of Florida is about the two different routes you can take: outside or the ICW. Many inlets between the barrier islands allow jumping between the two. 

Outside Route

Along the outside, you have wide open spaces and open ocean. It is a lee shore most of the time, making it important to mind the conditions and ensure you can get to safety should the weather pick up. 

🐋  During the winter, the highly endangered right whales congregate for their calving season off the Georgia/Florida coast as far south as St. Augustine. NOAA has a speed limit of 10 knots through this area for vessels over 65 feet long, but it’s recommended that all vessels travel slowly through these offshore waters. The whales are currently experiencing what NOAA calls an Unusual Mortality Event, with multiple whales getting killed by vessel strikes and fishing gear entanglements annually. The species’ total population is estimated to be less than 400 individuals.   

🚀  Space launches from Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center often include a Notice to Mariners advising of offshore restricted areas. When planning a trip south, check the launch schedule to see if there might be restrictions. During crewed launches, sections of the ICW may also be closed. These closures are usually short and only last for the time of the launch. 

🌊  The Gulf Stream current flows very near shore along the coast of South Florida. If you are trying to make southing between West Palm and Miami, you must do so within a mile of shore lest the Gulf Stream’s relentless push slow your progress to a crawl. Weather in the Stream can pick up quickly, and any wind with a northerly component (i.e., a wind that would otherwise make for good southbound progress) will kick up the nastiest conditions in the Gulf Stream of short, steep, square waves. 

It’s much easier to head north along the Florida coast than to go south.  

Florida ICW Route

Along the ICW, your primary navigational challenges will be other boats, draw bridges on schedules, and shifting shoals. There’s not much to say about the boat traffic other than to keep a sharp lookout at all times and be ready for anything.

Florida bridges
Florida bridges — The 56′ foot Julia Tuttle with a 54′ mast 🙈

The draw bridges are generally timed so that a 5 to 6-knot boat can travel from one bridge to the next. It’s not guaranteed, however, and a strong tidal current can wreak havoc on your carefully planned schedule. It’s almost impossible to time the currents in Florida. You will often pass several small inlets along a route, so the current will keep reversing. But then, on some longer segments like St. Johns River to St. Augustine Inlet, you can aim to be at the midpoint around high tide and ride a fair current the entire trip.

Waiting for a draw bridge with a lot of boat traffic and a raging current is a special skill you’ll need to master in Florida. It’s preferable to know the bridge’s opening time and plan to be there about 5 minutes in advance (call 10 minutes away on the VHF so they know you’re coming and want the opening). Then, you won’t have to spend 30 minutes or more idling and maneuvering in close quarters, in a current, right at the base of the bridge.

Florida bridge tenders do not wait for late boats. Be there on time (a little early is good, so there’s a fudge factor), or just slow down and plan the next opening. TIP: Always program the bridge into your chartplotter so that you can see your arrival time, and then adjust your speed as necessary to arrive at the bridge five minutes before opening. 

Draw bridges in Florida are only a nuisance south of the Jupiter Inlet. Between West Palm and Miami, nearly 40 draw bridges cross the ICW. 

⚠️  ICW South of Fort Lauderdale
56′ Clearance ⚠️ 

Between Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades Inlet) and Miami (Government Cut), there is a single FIXED BRIDGE WITH ONLY 56 FEET OF CLEARANCE.

This bridge is the shortest on the entire ICW, which otherwise has a guaranteed clearance of 64 – 65′. Because of the Julia Tutle Bridge in Miami, many sailboats must exit at Fort Lauderdale and go offshore to get south

Atlantic Inlets

Exiting Lake Worth Inlet for a Bahamas crossing
Exiting Lake Worth Inlet for a Bahamas crossing

Inlets separate the two routes, and you can hop between the two routes as weather dictates. There are enough inlets along the coast of Florida that most boats can make the trip south in day hops alone. 

Not every inlet is navigable. Short fixed bridges cross some, and some are surrounded by shifting shoals. Many are only suitable for high-powered go-fast boats and less than ideal for cruising boats without local knowledge. It’s always better to stick to the big ship and well-traveled inlets. When in doubt, call the local SeaTow or TowBoatUS operators for inlet conditions and shoaling reports. 

The Aquamap app with USACE (US Army Corps of Engineers) surveys is a huge help on these inlets since the good ones are surveyed often. As a general rule, if the ACE doesn’t survey a Florida inlet, it should be considered unsafe for cruising boats.

Weather and tidal current must be factored into any transit of any Atlantic inlet, even big shipping inlets. Currents inside the narrowest parts of inlets, between breakwaters, can exceed 2.5 knots. If an outgoing current meets an onshore wind, waves pile up, and conditions can get dangerous quickly. 

It’s very important to transit cuts when the wind and current align or, in lieu of that, when the current is slack or the wind calm. You’re generally okay if the wind is less than 10 gusting 15. Any onshore winds exceeding that threshold require you to time your transit into the inlet with slack or flood tide. 

Here’s a list of the “safe” Florida inlets for cruisers (north to south). Inlets marked with a † indicate areas that frequently shoal and must be researched carefully before transit. 

  • St. Marys River
  • St. Johns River
  • St. Augustine Inlet †
  • Ponce de Leon Inlet †
  • Port Canaveral (lock-through to get to ICW)
  • Fort Pierce Inlet
  • St. Lucie Inlet †
  • Lake Worth Inlet (Palm Beach)
  • Port Everglades Inlet (Fort Lauderdale)
  • Government Cut (Port of Miami)
  • Biscayne Channel

Florida Marinas and Anchorages

Florida has many marina options, ranging from opulent 5-star resort marinas for superyachts to some of the seediest, dirtiest boatyards you’ll see anywhere. The only caveat with Florida marinas is to make your plans early, especially for long-term stays. If you want to stay in the Keys over winter, you need to make that reservation several months in advance. For a few days’ stay, you can usually find something.

⚓️  Anchoring in Florida, as discussed previously, is a mixed bag. If an area has easy access to town, it will become clogged with long-term liveaboards. This will lead to either the establishment of a mooring field or the removal of the “easy access to town.”

If there’s no shore access or you’re out in nature, anchoring is easy, and options are plentiful. Be ready for reversing currents along some stretches of the ICW. In some situations, a two-anchor Bahamian mooring setup is recommended. Some places (St. Augustine) have terrible holding, strong currents, and very challenging anchoring conditions.

Several municipalities have large, active mooring fields that are popular with cruisers. These fields relieve the stress of anchoring and provide easy access to shore-side amenities (laundry, showers, etc.) and dedicated dinghy docks. Be sure to review how to tie up to a mooring ball properly. 

Florida mooring ball
Florida mooring ball

Here’s a list of towns with mooring fields that are popular with cruisers (north to south): 

  • St. Augustine
  • Titusville
  • Jensen Beach
  • Stuart
  • Miami (Dinner Key Marina and Crandon Marina)
  • Marathon, Florida Keys (Boot Key Harbor)

Florida Tides and Currents 

Tides on the Florida Atlantic coast get larger the farther north you are. The average daily tidal change in Miami is about 3 feet, whereas in Fernandina Beach (on the north end), the tide is more like 7 to 9 feet.

Inside the ICW, the stretch from New Smyrna Beach south to Sabastian is tidally locked, meaning there are negligible tides and no currents inside the Indian and Banana Rivers. The only inlet in the area, Port Canaveral, has a lock to pass through if you want to get offshore.

Currents in Florida are only tidal; there is very little outflow from the rivers to account for their flow. As a result, slack water typically lines up nicely with high and low tides. In North Florida, where the biggest tidal changes are, currents can be strong enough that you need to plan for them during transits of the ICW. Between St. Johns River and St. Augustine, the Pablo Creek bridge experiences 4 to 5 knots of current every tide cycle. Thankfully, there is an accurate current forecasting point to make planning the transit easier.

Generally, the strength of the current will increase the closer you are to an inlet. It can be a surprising change between places like Vero Beach, where there’s hardly any current, and just a few miles south near Fort Pierce Inlet, where the current rages.

Florida Boating Weather

Florida has two seasons: wet and dry.

Wet Season in Florida

Florida’s wet season is marked by high humidity and tropical downpours. It is muggy and swamp-like. The season usually runs from April through May through October through November. This coincides with hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through November 30 (the peak is September 10).

During the wet season, gradient winds are typically light, and the daily weather pattern is as follows.

  • Overnight, a land breeze builds up. 🌬️ 
  • Some mornings, clouds and light showers build up offshore, moving inland in the morning hours. It’s very common to see water spouts in these squall lines. 🌧️ 
  • As the day progresses, the sea breeze picks up. ☀️ The hotter it is, the stronger the breeze will be. 🌬️ The breeze brings pleasant relief from the temperatures if you are on the barrier islands, but inland, it’s usually not enough. 🥵 
  • In the center of the state, the still, rising hot air and humidity creates airmass thunderstorms inland. ☁️ 
  • The thunderstorms will move eastward in the afternoon and rain themselves out by about 4 pm. ⛈️ The storms usually do not make it as far as the ICW and barrier islands, but strong ones can sneak up on you occasionally. ⚡️ 
  • After the downpour, there’s just enough time for another hot, muggy period before sunset. ☀️ 

🌀  The only real break from this pattern occurs with the arrival of a tropical system. Storms hit Florida from the Atlantic, Gulf, or Caribbean. A storm hitting the opposite side of the state will still cause significant damage and hazards to boaters on the other side — the highest point in all of Florida is only 300 feet.

Florida has very limited options in case of a storm, especially for a traveling boater. Your best bet is to get out of the forecast path as early as possible, taking into account possible changes in the forecast. Remember, most insurance policies prohibit being anywhere in Florida during hurricane season if you aren’t a state resident.

Dry Season in Florida

The dry season is dominated by lower humidity and more pleasant temperatures. Gradient winds take over, usually in the form of mild easterlies. It starts around October and lasts until about April.

Approaching cold front squalls
Approaching cold front squalls

The pattern breaks as a cold front approaches from the north. In advance of a cold front, the wind will clock to the south and southwest. It may increase in strength or become calm. As the gradient wind dies, temperatures usually climb a bit. 

A strong winter cold front is usually very noticeable. A line of squalls tracks with the front, usually bringing an extremely sudden gust front with strong west or northwesterly winds. The thunderstorms pass, and the skies clear quickly, leaving a blast of cold air and strong northerly winds. These winds usually last two or three days before conditions settle and the normal easterlies return. 

A cruiser in Florida over winter must keep a continual eye on the weather and watch for advancing cold fronts. They are well forecast and anticipated days in advance. You’ll want to be in a snug harbor for any lively ones. Those at anchor must plan for the west to northwest wind gusts in advance by having a properly set anchor. Don’t rely on your anchor to reset when the wind shifts. 

Radar image of a cold front squall line passes through South Florida
Radar image of a cold front squall line passing through South Florida

Cold fronts can make Florida feel very cold indeed. There’s something biting about lower temperatures when they hit the Sunshine State. Maybe it’s the humidity, or maybe it’s psychological, but 50 or 60 degrees in Florida can feel like 30 or 40 degrees up north. It’s not uncommon for a day or two of freeze/frost warnings as far south as West Palm Beach during the strongest winter cold fronts. Historically, it has snowed as far south as Miami. But we’re talking about flurries of flakes that melt on contact. Accumulation in Florida is limited to barnacle growth on your hull.

Boating and Manatees

Manatee along the Intracoastal Waterway
Manatee Moseying Along

Manatees are the beloved state animal and are nearly everywhere in the Sunshine State. The problems for boaters: they are slow-moving, near the surface, and impossible to see when boating. 

Unfortunately, boaters are a manatee’s worst enemy. Many are killed each year after being struck by boats, both from blunt trauma and from propeller wounds. It’s rare to see a large manatee without one or two propeller knicks along its back. That’s gotta hurt. 

Manatees like warm water, so they congregate in warmer areas during the winter. They prefer the springs around North Florida, especially along the St. Johns River, where the water is a constant 73 degrees year-round. They also like the cooling water exhaust coming out of power plants. 

But they’re everywhere you boat, especially on the ICW and around marinas. They feed on seagrass (hence their nickname, sea cow).

Manatee footprints
Manatee footprints (Courtesy @myfwc/Instagram)

Spotting a manatee is easy on a glassy-calm day but impossible if there’s any kind of chop on the water or you’re going fast. The first giveaway is a distinctive manatee footprint or track, a circular bubble on the water’s surface that appears when they move their tail. When they come up for a breath, they usually only stick the tip of their snout out of the water — again, it is impossible to see. They do not make a spout of water like dolphins do. 

Surrounded by manatees
Surrounded by manatees

Some areas have no-wake zones established during specific times of year to protect manatees. However, most no-wake zones are for safety reasons. It’s a common misconception that they have anything to do with manatees. Still, going slower does help you spot them and gives the animals time to get out of your way.

It’s common to see locals giving freshwater or lettuce to manatees, but it is a very bad idea (in addition to being illegal). Allowing a manatee to associate a boat or boater (their mortal enemies!) with these treats will end terribly for the poor manatee.

If you spot an injured or stranded manatee, call FWC on VHF Channel 16. There’s usually an officer nearby who will know who to call. 

Florida East Coast Lingo

  • FWC — Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission law enforcement
  • Florida Man (or Woman) is a bit of a derogatory term for someone who has done something stupid. It comes from ridiculous (but real) newspaper headlines like “Florida Man Attacked During Selfie With Squirrel,” “Florid Man Charged With Assault With a Deadly Weapon After Throwing Alligator Through Wendy’s Drive-Thru Window,” or “Florida Man Who Tried to “Run” to Bermuda in Inflatable Bubble Rescued by Coast Guard, Again.”
  • Snowbird — Someone who comes to Florida to escape the cold north. Sometimes they go back, and sometimes they stay. Most snowbirds arrive by car or RV, but plenty come by boat, too.
  • Manatee tracks — A ripple on the water that manatees leave when they swim.
  • God’s waiting room — Any retirement community, but it’s also entire towns in South Florida.
  • The Villages — A famous active-retirement, planned community in Florida. 
  • Love bugs — Flying bugs in Central Florida that swarm and can cover the front of your car in bug goop and splatter in no time flat. You’ve never seen anything until you’ve seen a car that just got off the Florida Turnpike during Love Bug season. Yeesh.
  • Noseeum — Tiny, almost invisible biting insects that will drive you mad. 
  • Oye — Miami-ism for ‘hey’ or ‘hello.’
  • Palmetto bug — The biggest cockroach you’ve ever seen. Oh, and they can fly. Welcome to Florida.
  • Pub Sub — Deli sandwiches from Publix supermarket. A little personal opinion: The best sub sandwiches in the world, thanks to the best fresh bread and ingredients. 
  • Skunk Ape — Florida’s version of Big Foot, said to roam the Everglades.
  • Chupacabra — A Latin-American version of the Skunk Ape that has a following in South Florida. The Chupacabra is a little darker and may suck your blood like a vampire, however. Or maybe that’s just all the mosquitoes.
  • Sun shower — When the sun is shining, but it’s also raining; a uniquely Florida experience.
  • Swamp ass — That feeling you get when it’s 95 degrees and 98 percent humidity.
  • Raisins — Retirees who get too much sun and wrinkle up.
  • Q-tip — White-haired automobile drivers. It’s 50/50 whether they’re going 20 over the speed limit or 20 under it.
  • Cracker — Embraced by some as a term for a native-born Floridian. Historically, the crackers were the original Florida cowboys who cracked their whips to herd the cattle. While some dig the term, it’s more equivalent to calling someone a redneck.
  • Parked in Goofy — The Goofy lot is the parking area farthest from the park at Disney World, so the term is used whenever you’re parked out in the boondocks. For boaters, if you anchored too far and the dinghy ride lasts forever, you must’ve parked in Goofy.

Florida East Coast Boating Places of Interest

Here’s a list of popular stops and stops you should try to add to your itinerary.

Miami skyline on New Years Eve
Miami skyline on New Years Eve

Major Ports and Cruiser Hangouts

  • St. Augustine
  • Titusville/Cocoa Beach
  • Vero Beach/Fort Pierce/Stuart
  • West Palm Beach
  • Fort Lauderdale
  • Miami 
  • Marathon
  • Key West

Cute Places You Ought to Visit in Florida

  • Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island (marinas, moorings, anchoring)
  • Canaveral National Seashore and Kennedy Space Center
  • Stuart (moorings and marina options)
  • Clematis Street area of West Palm Beach (free day docks available)
  • Las Olas Blvd area of Fort Lauderdale (marinas)
  • Coconut Grove neighborhood of Miami (Dinner Key Marina and moorings)
  • Key Biscayne (state park, anchoring/docking inside No Name Harbor)

Florida Boater Special Events

Florida has a tourism economy, and almost every community hosts special events that draw visitors in. There’s not really an off season in Florida, since summers attract families on road trips and winters attract northerners looking to escape the cold weather. Any time of year, you’ll find music events, seafood festivals, and loads of other things to enjoy along the coast. Here are two of the things we look out for when traveling through each year.

Rocket Launches From Cape Canaveral

Seeing a space launch from your boat is a very special experience. Most launches, especially night ones, can be seen from anywhere in the state. The best views are of launches just after sunset, when the sun’s angle illuminates the rocket’s contrails as it climbs through the atmosphere. 

Florida rocket launch viewed from St Augustine
Florida rocket launch viewed from St Augustine

Once the home to only NASA and Air Force launches, Kennedy and Cape Canaveral is now a “spaceport” with private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origins making regular flights. This is in addition to the other government contractors like United Launch Alliance.

You can find rocket launch schedules online from various contractors, but space nerd websites like Spaceflight Now do a better job of keeping the information up-to-date. These sites are global, so ensure you’re looking at KSC/Canaveral launches. SpaceX launches more rockets than anyone else, so follow SpaceX on social media for news of upcoming Falcon launches from KSC. 

If you’re looking for a land excursion, a day at the Kennedy Space Center is worth your time. Being close to Disney World, they’ve made it a fun family attraction that’s still very interesting to space nerds like myself. The tram tour that takes you to the launch pads and the old Saturn V command room is especially neat. Space Shuttle Atlantis is on an interior display, along with lots of other neat space memorabilia. If you want to get as close to a launch as possible, KSC sells tickets to get you a great view from various locations inside the facility. Otherwise, anywhere in the New Symerna, Titusville, and Cocoa Beach areas is excellent. 

Holiday Boat Parades

Florida holiday boat parade
Florida holiday boat parade

Most communities in Florida have a holiday boat parade. It’s a fun event and usually a much bigger, community-wide ordeal than similar parades up north. The biggest is the Fort Lauderdale event, which has big corporate sponsors. Parades happen throughout December, so check local community papers and websites beforehand to determine when and where. It’s generally best not to be on the water during one unless you can be safely anchored well away from the melee. 

Of course, some communities have other holiday events worth checking out. The city lights in Old St. Augustines are really nice, and Fernandina hosts a Dickens-themed festival along their waterfront and downtown area that includes a drone show.

Holiday drone show, Fernandina Beach
Holiday drone show, Fernandina Beach

Places to Get Boat Work Done in Florida

Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach are major yachting centers that can service any vessel. These towns are the US’s go-to location for super and megayacht services. As a result, you will find options there, but they will usually be pricy and not designed to allow DIY boaters or living aboard while you’re on the hard. On the other hand, you sometimes get what you pay for, which might include good service with fewer surprises. 

Less expensive, popular DIY yards can be found in some out-of-the-way corners of the state. However, you need to be careful in Florida. Many DIY boatyards have clauses to make it more expansive than you plan. One example is the requirement to buy all your supplies through them (which they then mark up). If they have this clause, some may offer to ‘match prices,’ but you then have to ask whose price they’ll match. Boatyards in Florida can be terrible places run by terrible people — keep your wits about you when shopping around.

  • Green Cove Springs (and farther up the St. Johns, as well)
  • Westland, Titusville
  • Indiantown
  • La Belle (Inside Okeechobee Waterway)
  • Cracker Boys Boatyard, Fort Pierce

Catamaran Boatyards in Florida

Here’s a list of haul-out facilities that can handle catamarans in Florida. Florida has a wide selection; these are simply the most popular and well-known. Many yards that service large motor yachts can also haul cats, thanks to their bigger lifts and wells.  If you shop around based on your beam, many other options will be available. 

  • St Augustine Marine Center
  • Lauderdale Marine Center (Catamaran Company), New River/Fort Lauderdale
  • Harbour Town (Just Catamarans), Dania Beach/Fort Lauderdale

Resources, Guides, and More Information

Rocket Launch Schedule

FWC Fishing Regulations

Boat Life Knowledge Base

Boater’s Guide to The Florida Keys

How to Tie Up to a Mooring

Fishing Gear

Facebook Groups

ICW Cruising Guide by Bob423

Navigating Inlets of the East Coast USA

St Augustine Cruisers Net

Vero Beach Cruisers

Dinner Key Boating and Sailing Community Page


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