New York Times
Steve Bailey
- Columnist
May 23, 2008
Keep It Near? Keep It Safe?
It's striking how often the idea of having a second home revolves around water. And a home on a Florida canal or on the Great Peconic Bay just isn't complete without a boat at the dock.
But is keeping your boat at your private dock a good idea? Wouldn't it be safer in a marina?
As far as the marine insurance industry is concerned, you're an “absentee” owner if you live in a state other than the one where you keep the boat, and that means more cost for less coverage, said Scott Croft, assistant vice president for public relations of the Boat Owners Association of the United States, known as BoatU.S. Insurers may give you a break on premiums if your boat is stored indoors, he said, but simply keeping it at a marina, and in the water, isn't enough to lower insurance costs.
You won't be alone if you decide to keep your boat at your own dock. Andy Weiser, an agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., is used to dealing with boat-minded vacation-home shoppers. “People often buy houses here with the intention of also buying a boat,” he said.
Referring to Fort Lauderdale's many properties on canals, he said: “Some people will buy a house just for the dockage. Buying a house with enough canal frontage for a 75-foot boat can be cheaper than renting a marina slip for that 75-foot or longer boat.” And what about the house on the property? “Sometimes they use it for crew housing,” he said.
He offers a warning: be certain that you have proper water depth. “Not all canals accommodate sailboats,” he said, “but they can take motorboats.” Water depth isn't the only thing to think about. What if you're not there and a hurricane hits? What if the boat is vandalized? Stolen? Struck by another boat?
Perhaps you have a neighbor who can keep an eye on your boat. Or you can hire a professional caretaker to check on the boat periodically and to have it ready when you want to use it. The caretaker, whom you should remember to address as “captain,” can also move your boat to safer harbor when necessary. Prices of services like this vary, but expect to pay $30 to $50 for each visit for a small open boat, more for larger boats and much more if the boat has to be moved.
Bob Adriance, editor of Seaworthy, a BoatU.S. magazine, sees advantages in keeping a boat at a full-service marina. “You can call them and have them do anything,” he said. “I recently called my marina and arranged for them to realign the engine.”
Jeff Strong, owner of Strong's Marine in Mattituck, N.Y., operates three marinas on Long Island. All are full-service marinas, he said, and his employees get calls from boat owners who phone from Manhattan to say that they're on their way to the marina and they want their boats fueled and ready to go when they arrive. Mr. Strong, whose company also offers maintenance and other services performed at the boat owners' private docks, said that a slip for a 30-foot boat at his marina in Southampton is about $4,000 for the season and $1,230 more for winter out-of-water storage.
Winter storage is not a concern in South Florida, but weather can still be a problem. River Forest Yachting Center in Stuart, about a half-hour north of West Palm Beach, offers a range of services, including what it calls its Hurricane Club. Boat owners buy memberships for a season, starting at $2,000 for boats up to 40 feet long and up to $5,000 for boats longer than 75 feet. What they're buying is a place inland to take their boats.
For somewhat more money, you can simply let River Forest take care of your boat full time. It has an air-conditioned, hurricane-resistant 45,000-square-foot building for indoor storage of boats up to 65 feet long and 50 tons. John L. Smith, the general manager, said that storage for a 40-foot boat with a 13-foot beam is about $1,600 a month and includes pumping out all the tanks and washing the boat. “We have boats that the owners never take out,” Mr. Smith said, adding that he recently had a call from someone in England wanting to arrange storage for 11 months a year; the caller would use the boat only in July.
Unfortunately for you and for that caller, the Stuart boathouse, which opened in 2005, is full. But River Forest is building other hurricane-resistant buildings in LaBelle, east of Fort Myers. That complex is expected to open in September — “unless a hurricane slows things down,” Mr. Smith said — and will have 200,000 square feet of air-conditioned storage for boats up to 82 tons and 80 feet long. Mr. Smith said he already had three dozen cash deposits for spaces there.
RFYC Press Release
February 5, 2008
RIVER FOREST YACHTING CENTER BREAKS GROUND ON NEW ORTONA LOCATION
River Forest Yachting Center held a ground breaking ceremony for its new West Coast facility on Monday, with many prominent Floridians in attendance. Joseph Charles, owner and developer of River Forest Yachting Center, gave a welcome speech and overview of the building site and boat basin, located on the Caloosahatchee River at 12385 Williams Road, Ortona.
Charles then recognized many local business and government dignitaries in attendance. Distinguished guests included Kim Hamilton, assistant to State Rep Denise Grimsley; Wendell Taylor, Glades County Manager; Lynn Topel, Executive Director of FHREDI; Joe Flint, Clerk of the Circuit Court; Tracy Whirls, Executive Director of the Glades County Development Council; Tommy Perry, President of the Glades County Economic Development Council; Janice Groves, Executive Director of Hendry County Economic Development Council; and John L. Smith, General Manager of River Forest Yachting Centers. Also in attendance were Economic Development board members and County Commissioners. Lunch was served for guests in the newly constructed office and clubhouse located on the premises.
Following the overwhelming success of the first River Forest Yachting Center location opened in 2005 in Stuart, Florida; owner Joseph Charles chose Ortona for his second location. River Forest Yachting Center's West Coast facility will feature Florida's largest (at 200,000 square feet) indoor, climate controlled boat and motorcoach storage space, as well as a 10,000 square foot covered service and maintenance building. All buildings are specially designed to withstand hurricane force winds. When completed this second facility, located on the freshwater Okeechobee Waterway, will serve West Coast boaters with convenient access to Fort Myers, Naples and the Gulf Coast.
River Forest Yachting Centers are long-term storage facilities notable for both the comfort and safety they provide to area boat owners. Climate-controlled storage buildings, on-site service and repair, Clean Marina certification from the Florida DEP, and an exclusive members only Hurricane Club ® boat storage plan are all hallmarks of the River Forest Yachting Center experience, which has lead to over 98% occupancy at the Stuart site and heavy demand for advanced reservations at the Ortona site.
Glades County Economic Development Council
August 2007
RIVER FOREST YACHTING CENTER FILLS MARINA VOID
RFYC was featured as the cover story of the August E-Newsletter of the Glades County Economic Development Council. View a .PDF copy of the article.
RFYC Press Release
November 21, 2006
WHO
SAID A MARINA CAN'T BE CLEAN?
The Clean Marina Certification is the most prestigious and demanding
recognition a Florida Marina can achieve. On Friday, November
17, River Forest Yachting Center received the Florida Clean Marina
Certification.
River Forest is only the eighth marina in Martin County, and
the 34th in the Southeast District, to win this award.
.
Bill Richards, Environmental Engineer Southeast District, and
Tim Rach, Assistant Director of the Florida Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP) presented the award to Joe Charles, Developer,
and John Smith, General Manager, during a catered Open House attended
by more than 150 customers, friends, and suppliers.
In his welcoming comments, Joe Charles drew attention to several
photographs on display, showing the site formerly operated as
a barge scrap yard by Maritime Tug and Barge. He said, “I
have to admit the project, now looking more like a condo building
in a park setting, pushed the limits.”
Charles confirmed River Forest’s Clean Marina commitment
by explaining the “Eco Wash” system, and the use of
water based bottom paint products. Vessels are transported to
the “Eco Wash” down pad area where the pressure cleaned
boat bottom residue runs down a drain where it is collected in
a screen. The remaining water is then pumped through a series
of filters and reused. The water based bottom paint used at River
Forest carries the same guarantees as solvent based paint, but
is environmentally friendly.
The Florida DEP, through the Clean Marina Program, awards grants
to qualified marinas, and River Forest received such a grant for
the installation of the “Eco Waste System” for black
water.
Bill Richards highlighted the stringent guidelines, which must
be followed in order for a marina to qualify for the Clean Marina
Certification. The facility has met all Marina Environmental Measures,
including environmental emergency training for staff and establishing
a hazardous spill protection plan.
Vera Locke, of the Marine Industries Association, praised River
Forest on it’s high standard of cleanliness, not just in
environmentally sensitive areas, but also in the overall appearance
of the building and grounds.
River Forest is a long-term storage facility, with a Hurricane
Club, and offers limited services including bottom painting, running
gear maintenance, zinc and battery replacement, and gel coat restoration.
Miami Herald
Lori Becker - Palm Beach Post Columnist
May 23, 2006
CLIMATE CONTROL ... FOR BOATS?
Touted as the first of its kind in Florida, the River Forest Yachting
Center in Martin County boasts a climate-controlled warehouse
for long-term storage of boats.
As South Florida's snowbirds head north for the summer, Joe Charles
is offering a place for boaters to leave their vessels in air-conditioned
comfort.
Touted as the first of its kind in Florida, the River Forest
Yachting Center boasts a 45,000-square-foot, climate-controlled
warehouse for long-term storage of boats up to 65 feet long.
It's aimed at ''discriminating boat owners'' who want to protect
their vessels from the summer heat, humidity and hurricanes.
''This Florida weather just kills a boat,'' said Charles, 65.
``With our climate control, when you pick up your boat, it'll
be just like it was when you dropped it off.''
The nine-acre marina in western Martin County, off the St. Lucie
Canal on Pennsylvania Avenue just north of State Road 76A, also
bills itself as a hurricane haven.
River Forest officially opens for its first summer season this
year and is nearly sold out, drawing customers from across the
Treasure Coast, Palm Beach County and even Southwest Florida.
It also has 100 members in its Hurricane Club who pay for a guaranteed
spot at the inland marina if a storm threatens.
FILLING UP
The marina began filling the storage building in April, as boaters
prepared to leave for the summer. Most will return for their vessels
in October and November.
Among them is Les Frankenthal, who dropped off his 29-foot Tiara
before heading to Chicago for the summer. He'll return to his
Palm City home in November but said he won't worry about ''Pipsqueak''
while he's away.
''When I come back, it'll be clean, with a new bottom painted
and hull waxed,'' said Frankenthal, 77.
Construction on the $5 million project began in February 2005
and took about a year to transform the former salvage yard into
a park-like marina peppered with picnic tables. It includes two
smaller buildings for storage and maintenance and a one-acre concrete
pad for repairs and hurricane storage.
The channel also has about 35 wet slips for seasonal renters,
hurricane storage and overnight stays for passing boaters. But
the marina's highlight is the main storage building.
The tan facility with green faux shutters resembles a condominium
building more than a boat barn.
It has a dozen 6-ton air conditioners, 400 sprinklers and 4 to
6 inches of insulation. It will hold about 50 vessels, depending
on their sizes, all lined in rows.
SAFE FROM ELEMENTS
The air-conditioned building protects boats from damage often
caused when left in the sun, water or humidity, such as bleaching,
cracking and mold.
''It's peace of mind,'' said John Smith, River Forest's general
manager. ''Your boat's not outside. It's not subject to hurricanes.
The humidity and the UVs don't beat it up.'' River Forest grew
out of Charles' hunt for a better place to store his boat.
Chief executive of Rolling Meadows, Ill.-based Charles Industries,
which makes electronic equipment for the telecommunications and
marine industries, Charles splits time between Chicago and Jupiter.
He used to leave his 56-foot Neptunus at a boat yard in Fort Lauderdale,
only to come back in the fall and find the vessel covered with
debris.
''People are fed up with going to a boatyard, storing their boat
and then coming back, finding paint spray and all kinds of fiberglass
junk all over it,'' he said.
River Forest does not allow boaters to work on their vessels
while they're stored in the main building. The marina handles
only minor maintenance and repairs for boat owners -- all done
outside, Charles said.
Rates are about $3 per square foot a month, with a five-month
minimum. For example, a 40-foot boat with a 13-foot beam would
cost $1,560 a month.
Charles estimates that his rates are about 30 percent higher
than storage barns that are not climate-controlled.
''All everybody does is worry about their boat,'' Charles said.
``We want you to leave your boat here and forget about it.''
Some marinas in Northern states offer heated warehouses to protect
boats from freezing winters. But marina leaders said it's a new
concept to protect boats from Florida's summers.
''I've never heard of any long-term storage area being air-conditioned,''
said David Ray, executive director of the Miami-based Marine Industries
Association of Florida. ``It certainly would prevent mildew and
all kinds of things.''
The popularity of the new marina has prompted Charles to start
making plans to build a second facility. He has made an offer
on 20 acres west of Lake Okeechobee.
Stuart News
Kate Grusich - Staff Writer
August 17, 2005
UPSCALE YACHTING CENTER RESISTS 'MARINA' LABEL
A former junkyard near Stuart is about to become a multimillion-dollar
sanctuary for yachts.
But whatever you do, don't call the soon-to-open River Forest
Yachting Center a boatyard or marina.
The correct phrase is "long-term boat storage facility."
"We are not going to look or act like a boatyard,"
said owner Joe Charles. "There's nothing like this around.
It's going to look nice and be nice...We're taking the hassle
out of owning a boat."
Workers have put in long sweaty days to ensure the upscale boating
center is up and running by month's end.
Located at 9150 S.W. Pennsylvania Ave., River Forest is nestled
in a 9-acre freshwater lagoon area connected to the St. Lucie
Canal by a 700-foot channel.
The project, valued at about $5 million, features a 45,000-square-foot,
climate-controlled building for larger boats, decorated with green
awnings and balcony railings. Two smaller buildings will be used
for boat storage and maintenance work.
Detailed landscaping and a picnic area near the canal also are
included in project plans.
Previously a junkyard, the property was purchased in 2003 for
$1.25 million, property records show. Construction began in mid-February.
Although it has yet to open, about a dozen boats already have
been dropped off at the facility. Between indoor, outdoor and
on-the-water spots, River Forest soon will have the space to accommodate
about 200 boats, Charles said.
For those hoping to join the center's "Hurricane Club,"
the clock is ticking. About 60 have already signed up, and will
pay annual dues ranging from $1,000 to $5,000. Membership ensures
wet or dry boat storage on-site in case of a hurricane.
River Forest services include boat detailing, bottom painting,
fueling and propeller work. Other assistance also will be available
by arrangement, such as boat pickup and delivery and transportation
to and from the yachting facility.
"We can pick people up from the airport if need be,"
said general manager John Smith, adding a staff of about 10 to
12 employees eventually will help run the day-to-day operation.
"We really want to accommodate our customers."
For information on rentals or general facilities operations,
call (772) 225-5250 or visit www.riverforestyc.com.
Joe
Charles always struggled to find a storage spot for his boat during
the summer months. The lack of local options meant the boat wound
up spending summers in the back yard of his Jupiter home —
a less-than-ideal location.