Diving from your own boat vs. a charter

[Wookie]

Trailer or no trailer.
I think half of the internet could be used to consider this dilemma.

Is not for me my husband, we tried it for a bit and annoyed us to no end. But I'm not blind to the enormous benefits of trailering a boat.

Maybe in California is more expensive than a Marina but in Florida (most parts of FL anyways) isn't.
So with money not being a factor we could go on to the not so bright people you interact in the process of getting the boat in the water;

• boat ramps? No need to get into this. Boat ramps are magnets for let's say "creative" people testing every "Don't" rule for launching vessels.
• marinas? Unlike many may think, not all marinas are equal. Some appear great and you don't realize it until later on when you look at the boat with fresh eye and realize WTF!. Nothing major, just a bunch of little events that on their own don't mean much. Wasn't great for me, and not because I went to a discount place, because of distance to my house I went to the top rated marina in my area
  • On holidays they get additional personnel that is less than qualified to operate the giant fork lifts or even the boats.
  • Depending on who answered the phone when you call, your boat may or may not be in the water when you come in ready to go, the wait would be 20 minutes or 1.5 hours also depending who was the attendant.
  • the boats stored above yours may leak crud right on your vessel.
  • the evening you came late and decided to pay extra for them to wash it and 2 days later when you go onboard realize they didn't even flush the engine, much less rinse the hull or deck.
  • ...and more things that I rather not remember, it didn't feel like a "turnkey" situation.

So yeah ramps may be less than perfect but work very well for some people. My son trailers his boat and he loves it, I have a neighbor down my canal that has his boat on a lift like me, but keeps the trailer too. Every so often he likes to take the boat to the keys or to other states. To me trailering a boat is pure misery, and doesn't even have to do with the actual ramps, it messes with the way I like to drive.

As always it comes down to finding what works for you. I realized that neither trailer nor marinas were good for me, but I wanted a boat, so a lift was my only solution.
There are plenty of houses in Panama City right in the water with access to the pass so the OP can also pick a way for him to enjoy best his vessel.

I pay $17 a foot, but I’m in a crap hole marina. Key West is $42-72 a foot. How you doin up there?

 

[EastEndDiver]

I pay $155. a foot here in Montauk N.Y. and there are marinas that charge up to $400, per foot here and that is just summer does not include winter storage

 

[Ana]

I pay $17 a foot, but I’m in a crap hole marina. Key West is $42-72 a foot. How you doin up there?

I was on the waitlist at the navy base and meanwhile paying $20 a foot in Panama City Beach for dry storage. Don't have a clue what they charge here in Pompano, but after dealing with a lift in the backyard I got spoiled.
The next project is to upgrade it with a remote control, standing up on the dock holding the switches up or down has become a thing.

 

[Ana]

I pay $155. a foot here in Montauk N.Y. and there are marinas that charge up to $400, per foot here and that is just summer does not include winter storage

Wow... yeah, no... cheeeeszzz, I can't wrap my head around those numbers. My mortgage is not that much and the house came with a lift.

 

[USdiver1]

A charter wins hands down for cost efficiency.

Hmm, how to put this...

The Rule of The 3 Fs:

It it Floats, Flies or [ 3rd F left to your sordid imagination].......

RENT IT!!!!

No boat,
No plane,
No spouse

= Contentment

Need I say more?

 

[Wookie]

I was on the waitlist at the navy base and meanwhile paying $20 a foot in Panama City Beach for dry storage. Don't have a clue what they charge here in Pompano, but after dealing with a lift in the backyard I got spoiled.
The next project is to upgrade it with a remote control, standing up on the dock holding the switches up or down has become a thing.

You’ll never get a slip at the navy base here unless you are active duty, or retire here. City marina in Key west is run by the marina mafia, no waiting list, if you haven’t paid the vig (and no one will tell you what the vig is) you must check back every day, which means you will never get a slip. The key west yacht club is reasonable, at $15 a foot, but you must be a member for 2 years ($625 monthly and a $12,000 initiation fee) before you are eligible.

But it’s not as bad as Montauk....

 

[EastEndDiver]

In Montauk they smile as they steal your wallet and then complain that you only have $20's and not $100's....$20's take up to much room in their pocket.

 

[EastEndDiver]

This cost me $30,000. a year in expenses.

 

[Wookie]

This cost me $30,000. a year in expenses.
View attachment 481980

You must have bought a lemon (according to @caruso ). I know how much boats in expensive places cost.

This one ain’t cheap. But I’d cross the ocean in it....

 

[EastEndDiver]

Clearly...…………..