Is attempting a charter service to Bimini or the Bahamas in any way feasible?

[johnjen50]

Wow!Thats insane! What are you going to do? And actually where was that, or around what area? I always thought I would like to spend a month here and there in S Fl but that seems prohibitive.

[Bob Quinn]

insane is an understatement. I am discovering that the marinas have such high winter demand that they don't even offer monthly rates for live aboards, received $5/ft/day quote last week and that was with a Nov1-Dec 31 request= $18,000 for 2 months

Can you elaborate exactly were that was at?

We stopped at a place somewhere in the keys, can't remember the name and it was "I think" around $1000 or $1200 a month.

[Retired1]

Can you elaborate exactly were that was at?

We stopped at a place somewhere in the keys, can't remember the name and it was "I think" around $1000 or $1200 a month.

Sure that wasn’t a weekly charge? We left Miami for Fort Pierce in 2014 because the cheapest monthly rated for a 4788 was $1400.00 a month for dead storage. Here it was only $9.00 a foot per month at Harbor Town for liveaboard, and they have a pool and a nice restaurant. Sold the boat but I bet it’s not that cheap anymore. Prices have gone crazy high on everything these days.

[ageless]

Wow!Thats insane! What are you going to do? And actually where was that, or around what area? I always thought I would like to spend a month here and there in S Fl but that seems prohibitive.

We're still looking, have to be savvy to know where to look for availability.

Can you elaborate exactly were that was at?

We stopped at a place somewhere in the keys, can't remember the name and it was "I think" around $1000 or $1200 a month.

This quote was at Lauderdale Marina Nov 1- Dec 31. Mind you, FLIBS is the first week of Nov but that doesn't account for a month and a half at $15k

[Retired1]

[QUOTE=ageless;420180]We're still looking, have to be savvy to know where to look for availability.


This quote was at Lauderdale Marina Nov 1- Dec 31. Mind you, FLIBS is the first week of Nov but that doesn't account for a month and a half at $15k[/QUOTE

FLIBS is now from October 26 -October 30th. It used to go later. It seems to be either crazy hot with no breeze, or crazy storming. I used to just go to New Orleans for for Halloween to avoid the weather and hull thumpers. On Tuesday I was over on State Road 84 at dinner time, and Li’l Reds was empty, and Lesters was light. They both said that they were hoping on the Boat Show to bring in customers. Personally I think their AC was too damn LOW and prices now too damn high! Wanna save money? Turn up the thermostats where us outdoors folks who’ve been happily sweating (acclimated) don’t have to wear a coat!

Oh, in ‘a sorta related’ to my off subject rambling, my son who’s a Captain on a 119’ er that charters in the Bahamas told me “that the average electric bill for a apt in Nassau is $1800.00 a month” . I can personally do without AC once past $135.00 a month! We didn’t have ac in our houses in Miami til the 70’s. Heck, my condo here in Fort Pierce has no heat, which is perfectly fine. Keeps one thin.

The outdoor restaurant at Marina Bay is where we will all rendezvous the next time I’m down there.

[jmooney]

Bob , if you’re not going to retire for a couple of years, you might be in luck . There’s nothing like a good recession to clear out the marinas in South Florida. I never needed it , but I was on the wait list at Dinner Key marina, after the last recession. I made it to the top of the list in less than six months three times. This is the city marina which is cheap and in demand. In good times, I was told that there was no wait list available. I suspect that with a couple of hundred dollars l would have been on the list , this being Miami and all that that implies.

[Pascal]

Not sure about electrical coat ashore in Nassau but $1800 for an apartment sound very high, are you sure he wasn’t taking about the boat? In the Bahamas Marinas charge between $0.50 and $0.65 per KW…. Dockage is often cheaper than power although we ve never spent more than a few days at the dock over there.

My 53 uses on average 2000 kw a month here in Miami… the 116 I run uses 13000 kw a month. Amazing how inefficient boats can be.