Hello, from NE Tennessee!

[Poggly57]

Well, my hubby finally convinced me to buy a boat. We have a contract on a 42' Hatteras. Don't get me wrong. I love being on the water and Trawlers are awesome. Just such a big monetary commitment to buy one. I am so full of questions it is unbelievable. First questions are about insurance and marinas of course? Can someone tell me which insurance companies are ok with leaving the boat farther south than the Chesapeake during hurricane season? After I know how far north we have to take her we can figure out which marina to stay in. I'd love it if we didn't have to go farther north than South Carolina. Not that I don't want to go farther north. I do! I'm pretty d***ed excited about going to the Chesapeake. It sounds beautiful. I just don't want to have to rush around when we have time to go move her from Florida. Oh, I'm prattling again. Anyway, Hi! and Suggestions?
Patsy

 

[LaBomba]

Welcome to the forum Poggly57, nothing from Canada would be relevant but I'm sure you will get lots of responses. Enjoy. Attach some pictures of your boat, we all love pictures.

 

[Poggly57]

Picture

I've attached 2 pics. We don't have a lot of pictures yet. We hope to get sea trial and survey done in a by end of April.
Patsy

 

[LaBomba]

I've attached 2 pics. We don't have a lot of pictures yet. We hope to get sea trial and survey done in a by end of April.
Patsy

Very nice Patsy, good luck!!

 

[River Cruiser]

If your home is Tennessee how about keeping it on one of the rivers? You can cruise south to the gulf and spend the winter months in a warmer climate. i've thought about heading south in October to the Tennessee river or the TennTom till April then head back to the upper Mississippi river. Good luck with your new boat.

 

[jwnall]

Welcome aboard! And congratulations on the new boat. Beautiful pictures.

John

 

[Poggly57]

SC Marinas

I've gotten the insurance worked out I think. Next is the "home" marina where it'll be during hurricane season.
Any recommendation on marinas around Beaufort or Hilton Head, SC? Do most marinas have Hurricane plans you can give your insurance company? We'll also need someone to "caretake" the boat while we're not there. Any information ya'll want to share would be appreciated.
Patsy

 

[jwnall]

If it were me, I would not get too terribly excited about hurricanes. We have a lot of them here in Florida, but in the almost 20 years that I have had a large boat I have yet to lose anything other than a new jib on the sailboat (near Beaufort, N.C.) You will have a gracious plenty of warning before a hurricane, so you just take the proper precautions. I will give this piece of advice, though -- do not depend on a marina to take care of your boat during a hurricane. Secure it yourself. Marina people have other fish to fry before an oncoming storm hits.

John

 

[Moonstruck]

The good thing about that area of SC is that they have not had a hurricane in years. The coast line cuts in so far that it is out of the normal storm track.

We like Shelter Cove at Hilton Head. It is up Broad Creek, and it's called shelter cove for a reason. A great Harbor with restaurants and stores in walking and biking distance. You can make arrangements for haul outs at Palmetto Bay also on Broad Creek. They could probably recommend a capt. to look after your boat and move for haul outs. I think the max sales tax in SC is $300 on boats. However, watch out for the property tax if you are there Dec. 31.

Are you getting the 90 cruise permit for Florida? After having the boat out of Florida for 6 mos. you can take it back to FL, register it with no sales tax due. Double check this, but that is how it used to work.

Come on over to Ft. Pierce City Marina for awhile. Great Farmers Market on Saturday mornings.

 

[Poggly57]

John: I'm not all that worried about hurricanes, but the insurance folks sure are! The premiums are quite a bit higher if we stay in Florida during hurricane season. We go to Hilton Head every summer so it'll be cool to have the boat around. Once my hubby cuts back at work in a couple of years, then maybe we'll pay the extra $$$ to stay in FL as much as we want.
Don: We just got back from the Stuart area on Friday. Really, really like it. We'll be back.
Thanks for the feedback!

 

[Poggly57]

We're leaning towards Skull Creek Marina on Hilton Head Island. Anyone out there have first hand knowledge of it?
Patsy

 

[Moonstruck]

We're leaning towards Skull Creek Marina on Hilton Head Island. Anyone out there have first hand knowledge of it?
Patsy

Nothing really wrong with Skull Creek. It's fairly remote out there, and a little exposed to weather.

Almost a second home to us is Shelter Cove. Take a look at the website. There is some kind of live music going on somewhere. Great restaurants. Beach, tennis, and golf available at the Palmetto Dunes. A shuttle bus to the beach. Good biking and shopping. A great sheltered harbor.

Hilton Head Island Harbour | Palmetto Dunes - Shelter Cove Harbour | Shelter Cove Marina

Sounds like I am selling. We have had four extended stays there, and will go back. Probably in 2014.

 

[Poggly57]

Thanks, Don! I did look at Shelter Cove this morning. It is a little pricey for us. It is a very nice area though. We will have our car with us to get where we want to go. We know parts of Hilton Head Island very well but not much about the marinas.
I gotta figure out how ya'll are doing the signature lines...
Patsy

 

[Moonstruck]

Thanks, Don! I did look at Shelter Cove this morning. It is a little pricey for us. It is a very nice area though. We will have our car with us to get where we want to go. We know parts of Hilton Head Island very well but not much about the marinas.
I gotta figure out how ya'll are doing the signature lines...
Patsy

Patsy, in the top red bar click on User CP. Go to settings and options, and click on signature. CP is your control panel. Look around in there for Avatar editing, etc.

 

[Poggly57]

Boat Owner!

Well we closed on the boat mid May. My husband is the proud owner of a 42' Hatteras! There was some work to be done before we could leave Ft. Pierce, so we were delayed 2 days leaving to take her out of FL. With him still working we have tight schedules. Leaving late made the trip to Brunswick have one really long day, 12.5 hours. One thing I've noticed is that after a long trip our meager docking skills go out the window! Something about being really tired makes my mind kind of shut down! I think we gave the folks at the last 2 marinas we stayed at quite a laugh.
We have renamed the boat to Ohana and are gong to get someone in Brunswick to change the name on it. Or maybe we'll wait till we get to Hilton Head. We go back in a couple of weeks to finish the move.
Arriving at Brunswick around 6:30 or 7 trying to get there before the storm that was threatening in the distance was a bit too exciting for me. The storm didn't actually hit Brunswick after all.

Thanks!
Patsy:

 

[jwnall]

Ft, Pierce to Brunswick in one day? Wow! You covered some ground! Glad it went safely. As you say, when you are tired mistakes seem to magnify. So far as giving the folks at the marinas a laugh, just remember that boating is a spectator sport.

John

 

[Poggly57]

Not in one day!

Geez, I need to drink more coffee before I post. I wasn't clear.
Thursday: Ft. Pierce to Melbourne
Friday: Melbourne to New Smyrna Beach
Saturday: New Smyrna Beach to St. Augustine
Sunday: St. Augustine to Brunswick (This was the longest day)
We don't have a fast Trawler!

Patsy

 

[jwnall]

Geez, I need to drink more coffee before I post. I wasn't clear.
Thursday: Ft. Pierce to Melbourne
Friday: Melbourne to New Smyrna Beach
Saturday: New Smyrna Beach to St. Augustine
Sunday: St. Augustine to Brunswick (This was the longest day)
We don't have a fast Trawler!

Patsy

I HAD wondered about that.