Boating season

JC290

Where could a person live to have an all around boating season not a sorching place and not freezing and be able to retire ?  Our son is graduating and we are thinking of relocating, my only condition was we would have to be able to boat year around? Any thoughts or suggestions?

aero3113

Charleston South Carolina! We were thinking (Still are) about moving there.

212rowboat

coastal NC... taxes are reasonable (compared to other places) and places like oriental, beaufort... even places around Wilmington like south port are awesome...

second choice would be south carolina, especially if you're a golfer.

Black_Diamond

Of course you get hurricanes in all those fine east coast places too.  lol 

212rowboat

Black_Diamond said:

Of course you get hurricanes in all those fine east coast places too.  lol 

those things are way over rated.... I've only seen one that was concerning here- Floyd, and it wasn't the blow, it was the flooding from inland that followed in week or so after coming down river.  Fran and Bertha were bad, but not life threatening bad, and nothing insurance didn't cover...

serious ones are few and far between, and this particular region (south of Ocracoke and north of Charleston SC) has historically been pretty protected.

JC290

The admiral hates the cold and I don't like hot humid what pair we are lol

JC290

Cost of living high I assume?

JC290

You sound like the wife lol . Like the Carolina's we talked about Florida gulf side going to take her down there early next year see what she thinks. I can do humid better then she can the cold. Leaving it up to her figured that's my safest choice lol

MarkB

NC gets cold in the winter! Drew my wife is from Wilmington - I wouldn't say that is a year round boat friendly place.  I would think you need to be as far south as SC and maybe even Georgia before you get to some good all-round weather on the east coast.

My vote would be for gulf side FL.  Speak to Tiki, although he will tell you he hates the hot humidity in the summer. He's pretty far south, you could look at the panhandle - say Pensacola or something, but the further up you go, the less protected you are from hurricanes. St. Petes and Sarasota are real nice places, yes get hot, but hurricanes would have to make a 90 degree turn to hit those places.  Plus the intercoastal water is amazing, lots to see, lots to do, really clean.

TikiHut2

As a rather tough old native Floridian from SW Fl and an active boater my entire life I'll say that I've used the boat for a total of 6 days since mid June when the broiler went full on. Heat, humidity and an unlimited amount of ferocious afternoon lightning has me looking forward (usually prematurely) to the beginning of our upcoming boating season that will finally RE-START any day. 

We don't do day boating, but really only take off if we can stay aboard for a few days at a time. It's just almost too brutally hot for my aging carcass to do that until around Oct 1st.

San Diego would be my recommendation only because summer down here won't appeal to anybody moving from Mich. Don't come in April and expect it be anything like August/September when even the toughest boater will be put to the test.

On the other hand we are considering relocating the boat to a marina in N Ga next june/july/august/sept to serve as a vacation home for a few days/week at a time to escape the broiler. Until then.....
Mike

TikiHut2

RY, I know a great charity that will be happy to let you GIVE your house away if it's all that bad. Just sayin'.

Black_Diamond

Season II approaching for me (skiing!)...just the lull bewteen fall and winter / winter and summer I have to get through.  lol  Time to catch up on all the home stuff I neglected all summer now.  :P   My wife hates the cold but will agree the spring-fall here in MI is pretty darned nice.

JC290

Lighting I can pass on been down there in July August and early September and it's freaking humid and hot. The admiral loves it anything below 80 and she's not so happy. On the up side if we do move somewhere of her choice I get to buy one more boat a little newer and a little bigger and I can sweat all day and night for that. LOL . BD you are correct nothing better then spring and fall in Michigan

212rowboat

Mark, it's a matter of perspective, I guess... Cold, that is.. you lose maybe three months (and that's stretching it) boating a year.... Unless it's like last year... Last year was weird. 

MarkB

BD, here is my schedule

May - Sep: Boating
Sep - Dec: River Fishing
Dec - March: Skiing & Kids Hockey
April - May: River Fishing

You need to find a fall & early spring hobby!

212rowboat

BD: my wife and I are entertaining the idea of buying a chalet at ski brule... Ever go there? this would be for our sparing use and for investment... 

Black_Diamond

My insurance has me out of the water from Dec 1 to April 1 for sure, or no coverage.  So with luck I get a ski season from mid-Nov through April, boat back in the water latter part of May.  So somewhere I have to fit in the yardly duties and home upkeep stuff on the outside, thus my fall/spring hobby.  lol

JoeStang

Sounds like the general consensus is to winter down south and summer in the great lakes.

Thats tough if you have a 30+ footer for trailering, but maybe just have two boats and two houses......

rinker312

Being originally from NE PA. Kept my boat on c and d canal.  Boating season felt pretty short there. Moved to Middle TN about 4 years ago.  Boat in northern AL now. Season is much longer but I miss the saltwater fishing.  This year going to keep boat on water all year and only pull next spring for service. We've met several others in our marina that party on the dock all year round and say they spend more nights on the water in the off season. We have vacationed and taken spring and fall breaks down around orange beach AL. I am leaning toward that area as a possible retirement move.  Has anybody had any boating experience around that area?  If so. Thoughts?   One of these years I'd like to pull the boat down there and leave it for a couple months to check the place out.  

Michael T

Steve, and that's bad? MT

Dream_Inn

So, in that case RY you only use your boat from June thru August?? I have swam the bay in April and October.  But I'll be boating the first weekend in March.  Was a beautiful morning today on the boat.  I do like the fall weather, but I just don't like what I know is coming.

Black_Diamond

Just for giggles...sleet/snow here today. It was 80F last sat, 43F today. 

Black_Diamond

Love it here!

Dream_Inn

RY, I say that because you so your only boating is when you can fish, swim, snorkel, and party....well, all of those together is June thru August....Just picking on you man!Gotta when you are leaving one of the best boating places in the world to go somewhere you believe is better.

Dream_Inn

Hey, when the hair turns grey, that is the place to go!

Black_Diamond

Always Grecian Formula!  lol

rasbury

Has to be SW Fl. hands done for over all pleasure- you have the gulf for fishing if you like, you have islands all up and down the west coast for over night or day beaching and hanging out. We boat all year round, it's mid 70';s here today. Jan and Feb will be iffy but the warm days are real nice.  The afternoon thunder boomers can be a bit scary in the summer but that's why we have a 270 now and not a bow rider. Drop the anchor, turn on the air and the TV and ride it out if need be. The inner coastal offers nice scenery and shelter from the really bad stuff. Hurricanes we have ample warning  to move the boat if need be and I'm in the Orlando area so pretty far inland so typically not concerned about flooding or the winds for that matter, tornadoes are more the main worry and that's a factor of which side of the storm your on. I would much rather sweat my a@& off than frieze it any day plus we don't have to winterize the boat! No state income tax is still appealing and sales tax is 6%.