Where to Keep a Boat in South Florida, Area by Area, and What It Costs
September 10, 2026
Roughly $2,000 to $3,500 a month for a wet slip. Almost no marina publishes a rate anymore, so here is what each area actually costs.
Journal
Notes from the dock
How to tell if a boat has taken on water
September 10, 2026
Salt crystals, waterlines and mismatched parts. The tells I found on two boats before my buyers signed, and the questions I put in writing.
What a marine survey covers, and the four things it does not
September 10, 2026
What the survey includes, what it leaves out, and which specialists you need beyond the general surveyor. Plus the broker lines that should make you slow down.
How many hours is too many on a boat engine
September 10, 2026
Answered for 35 to 60 ft diesels rather than wake boats. Why idle hours cost more than the meter shows, and why low hours are often the worse problem.
Boat sea trial checklist
September 10, 2026
The checklist I run, in order, with the reasons attached. The two numbers that matter most, and the rules I do not bend.
US tariffs on boats, September 2026
September 10, 2026
The rules changed twice in 2026. Where the rates sit now by country of build, the refund process running at Customs, and the one document that settles it on any boat.
Foreign flagged vessel: when it makes sense and when it does not
September 10, 2026
Offshore registry is right at one end of the market and wrong at the other. Where the line sits, what you give up, and what the registries changed in 2026.
Florida boat sales tax, and what closing actually costs
September 10, 2026
Six percent, capped at $18,000. The full closing cost line by line, the registration schedule by length, and the out of state use tax trap that catches buyers.
Who pays the yacht broker commission
September 10, 2026
The seller does, customarily 10%, split with the buyer’s broker under co-brokerage. What that covers, what Florida requires, and why your own broker costs you nothing.
Best time of year to sell a boat in Florida
September 10, 2026
Late September through March, and the strongest weeks sit either side of the Fort Lauderdale show. The calendar, the insurance problem, and what to fix first.
The Journal
What I learn on the boats, once a week
Buying and selling notes, what surveys actually turn up, and what South Florida yards are quoting. One email a week. No listing blasts.
