Colorado to Marathon ... 2 weeks with our boat.

[Where2Next]

Absolutely - I agree, no to Dry Tortugas! Thanks for the App info - I will download it - perfect! A 100 foot Commercial dive boat, sounds like you know your stuff!

Thanks Rocketman for the good suggestions. I'll make sure those are on the 'list.'

Thanks T.C. for making some great points. It is one wheel on each side and we are pulling it with our new Grand Cherokee. We took a boater safety course in order to rent a house boat a few years back and recently pulled that course back up to review some basics. But a specific ocean one might be a wise idea. Having the boat inspected probably not a bad idea; we reviewed the requirements for what we need to have on board, but never a bad idea to have a professional give us the thumbs up. Thanks for the tips!

We will not have a cb/radio on board - however we both have nautilus lifelines for diving (and cell phones) so I figured that would be good enough. Do you agree Wookie?

 

[T.C.]

We will not have a cb/radio on board - however we both have nautilus lifelines for diving (and cell phones) so I figured that would be good enough. Do you agree Wookie?

Eee....I'm not an ocean expert...But I think that a wise investment would be the largest and most powerful marine-grade radio you can afford with the highest/tallest antenna you can afford. The nautilus lifeline isn't much better than a walkie-talkie and a cellphone might not fare well in a storm. You need more transmitting power, and the antenna needs to reach higher over the water to reach further. Lifelines don't have much more range than about 5 miles on a good day.

I'd want something to be able to talk to the Coast Guard in Islamorada, which is roughly 32 miles away. I have no way to judge a good brand or not, but this seems reasonable:
https://www.amazon.com/Standard-Hor..._1_16?s=marine&ie=UTF8&qid=1520461798&sr=1-16

Wookie would know this probably; but a locating beacon registered to you may be a wise investment. Don't know how many rec. boaters carry one, but it seems like something I'd want.

 

[Where2Next]

Well I'm no expert either! My understanding is the lifeline is good for 25 miles. I don't want to be the idiot, but I also don't really want to buy a radio if it is overkill. We'll use it for two weeks and then maybe never again or possibly not again for years. I guess forum consensus is going to help me decide on this one ...

 

[bladder]

Don't forget the drain plug.

 

[Bratface]

I used to live in Key West. Be aware that US1 is two lanes once you get in the Keys. The going is slow and use care when passing.

You can take the Card Sound road at the beginning which is a nice ride through Florida wilderness. $1/Car plus your boat trailer. You get back on US1 in time to visit the History of Diving Museum in Islamorada. Once you get to Marathon, visit the Turtle Hospital. You need reservations and there is an entrance fee but worth every dime and it helps the turtles. Take a ride over the Seven Mile Bridge, my favorite bridge ever. Big Pine Key is over the bridge and a sanctuary for the little Key deer.

 

[Johnoly]

...We are draggin' our 20 ft powerboat, 2 dogs, dive gear, UW Photo equipment,... !

Who's gonna stay on the boat topside while you both are diving?

....Any advice you can provide is much appreciated!......!

You can order Top Spot charts for the keys now to be sent to your home. This way you can pre-load up some dive GPS site numbers in advance and have an plan for what you want to see and dive. Once you get down here, you will be either too rushed or too tired to pre-load them.
Top Spot Fishing Maps - Offshore Mapping

Also you need a 24 x 24 dive flag for the boat.

 

[buckled plates]

Bring the boat to the Keys if you like but why? Unless the weather (wind and seas) are unusually calm, you'll get little use of your 20' boat on the open ocean simply because a 2' - 3' chop is common in the Keys and water like that will beat you and your boat to death at anything more than trolling speeds (and even then the ride out to the reef will be unpleasant. Also (and someone mentioned this already), but who's going to remain on board whole you and your party is below? If your plan is to anchor the boat and take off on a dive, then you're taking a grave risk. Call the USCG in Key West and ask them about the number of searches they do for missing divers in the Keys every year in situations just like this. Btw, I've towed a 21' boat to the Keys from Virginia every year for the past 20 and I've finally quit doing it simply because it isnt worth the bother or the expense with so many good dive operators available to take you out to the best spots and with an appropriate boat and all the requisite safety gear (including emergency O2 and first aid kit, not to mention radios). Happy to discuss further if you like. Contact me personally and happy to relay my long experience with towing a small boat to the Keys for fishing and diving.

 

[Where2Next]

Got the flag!

Got the plug - Ha! Funny you should mention that, as it has happened ...

Bratface thanks for the driving tip - we will definitely go that route. And a visit to the Marathon turtle sanctuary is on the list. I would be interested in the diving museum too, never heard of it - thanks!

As for top side - I've got it covered - I rented a multi bedroom home and invited family members to stay with us with the understanding they will be topside when we dive. The dogs would literally give the boat away to anyway with treats.

 

[tekkydiver]

I'm going to wish you good luck, but remember only one good thing that can happen; that is you make it safely, but I can think of a dozen things that can go wrong trailering on the highway. (Bearings, hubs, axel, tires all can result in losing your vessel, and when you get there you're clueless on local knowledge. My advice, budget a little more and leave your boat home and charter when you need to go out on the water. A local captain will be worth time, trouble and possible catastrophes of trailering cross country. Not to mention law enforcement in the keys feeds on out-of-towners both on and off the water. Run a ground in the keys and it's not just a wait for the tide, but a huge fine.

 

[Where2Next]

buckled plates - I understand where you are coming from with towing our boat that far. However we have the time, like the romantic idea of jumping in our own boat and heading out from the dock to watch the sunset; honestly even if we are going around the gulf side of the keys to stop for lunch at a tiki bar or stuck at home due to bad weather - we are up for the adventure. Having our own boat was actually the driving force to stay domestic and go to the Keys for this vacation. It'll be an adventure! Maybe afterward we say I'll never do that again! lol