OK – so we did a piece about the cost of living here. We got a lot of questions from our sailing friends about the cost of marina services. We figured we’d post some figures for you. Here’s a comparison of slip fees from where we left (Key Largo), and where we are currently (San Carlos), and some numbers from Key West thrown in just for the heck of it. The figures are taken off marina websites. We’ll not name the marinas but I think the figures are pretty typical. Here goes:

Key Largo Dockage Rates:

Daily Rates: $3.00 per foot + $9.00 facility service fee. Dockage fees for slips 36-50 are a 30ft minimum charge (90.00 per night minimum)

Weekly Rates: 
45ft or less: $450.00 + $50.00 facility service fee
46ft and larger: $10.00 per foot + $50.00 facility service fee

Monthly Rates:
$22.00 – $25.00 per foot
Minimum facility service fee: $160.00 for single 30 amp
$225.00 for Double 30 amp and Single 50 amp

Key West Dockage Rates

January – April

59ft and under $75.00 per foot per month
60ft–84ft $85.00 per foot per month
85ft + $95.00 per foot per month

May – December

59ft and under $60.00 per foot per month
60ft–84ft $70.00 per foot per month
85ft + $80.00 per foot per month

San Carlos Dockage Rates (USD)

DAILY RATES:	With power and water Minimum charge $14.00 per day	Up to 45′ $ 0.66 X Ft per day Over 45′ $ 0.70 X Ft per day
	Without power Minimum charge $12 per day	$ 0.58 X ft. X day
MONTHLY RATES:	With power and water	Up to 45′ $ 10.00 X Ft per Month Over 45′ $ 10.50 X Ft per Month
	Without power Minimum Charge: $130/month	$8.00 X ft per month
YEARLY RATES:	With power and water	Up to 45′ $ 10.00 X Ft X 11 months Over 45′ $ 10.50 X Ft X 11 months

 

So let’s assume a 36’ boat. Transient daily fees would look like this:

Key Largo – 36’ X $3.00 = $108 + $9.00 Junk fee service fee= $117.00 per night

Key West – No transient fees posted

San Carlos – (with power and water) 36’ X $.66 = $23.76 per night.

Monthly Rates:

Key Largo – (low end) 36’ X $22 = $792 + $160 min service fee = $952.00

Key West – (off season) 36’ X $60 = $2160.

San Carlos – (with power & water) 36’ X $10 = $360.

It would seem San Carlos is the overall bargain. Is it a nice marina? Very. The docks are gated and only accessible to owners via RFID access card. They have a yard and you can still DIY here. Compared to Marinas in the U.S., it’s better than some, not as nice as others, but, overall, pretty good. The pic attached to this post is the marina in question. Email us if you want the name. We picked these three marinas because of the similar climate and length of the sailing season (basically year round).

Hey, you say, that sounds like a deal, but I don’t want to sail all the way down there. Can I buy a boat there? Are there deals to be had? Why, yes, Sinbad, there are. But there’s a big HOWEVER. There are a lot of paperless boats down here. A lot of people sail down here and for as many reasons as there are people, go back north without their boats. There are some folks here that will lay claim to those boats, not like through a court or anything, just kinda finders keepers, and offer the boat for sale. Thus, there are boats with no papers, and, worse, boats with bogus papers. If you plan to buy here, we strongly recommend you do so through a reputable broker. There are California licensed brokerages with satellite offices here. Go see one of them and be safe. Like any place else, use your head.

Fair Winds,

g.