Indiantown Marina | A Laid Back Place For Boat Work & Storage In Florida

Since we bought our new-to-us boat in mid-April, we've been working hard on a number of boat projects at Indiantown Marina in Florida. Someone told us that it is one of the most laid back boat yards and marinas on the eastern side of Florida, not to mention cheaper than others. I've no idea if that's true, but it really is a chilled out place with a friendly and helpful folks running the office, travelift and boat yard. 

The previous owners have been storing the boat at Indiantown for years. They would come down from Canada each season, get the boat ready for cruising and head on off to the Bahamas and Caribbean. During hurricane season, they put the boat up on the hard and headed back home, knowing that she was in safe hands and tucked away in one of the best hurricane holes in Florida. 

When we bought the boat, the owners had taken her Indiantown, as per their usual practice, so we decided to do the work we needed to there. To be honest, other then the good things that the previous owners had said about the marina, we really didn't know much about it, but I think we lucked out. If you're going to slog away on boat projects in unbearable heat and humidity, then you might as well do it someplace laid back, right?

So how about if I take you on a little tour of the marina? Let's start at the office.

There are two nice ladies who run the office. They manage all of the scheduling, accounts and will happily sell you supplies you need for your boat (like paint rollers and boat was) and stuff you need for yourself (like an icy cold coke on a hot, hot, hot day). 

Things were crazy when we were there with lots of boats coming back from the season, needing to get hauled out and put in storage for the summer. The ladies had to constantly juggle things around. There was a mix-up with our splash date (fancy sailor talk for putting your boat in the water), but they sorted out the mistake and squeezed us in. Flexibility makes me happy. 

Right next to the office are toilets, showers, washing machines and dryers. When you live on a boat, trust me, having toilets, showers, washing machines and dryers are very important things. Especially clean toilets and showers. 

Do you see all of those boxes by the washing machine? Every day, new packages come in full of goodies. Usually, very expensive goodies. I should know. We had a lot of packages delivered to us while we were there. Cha-ching! Outfitting a new boat sure costs a lot of money. I keep track of all of our costs on a nifty spreadsheet, but I can't bring myself to look at it lately. I think I might faint from how much we've spent.

Across from the office is the boat broker's office - Dennis Dodge of Advantage Yacht Sales. While our boat was a private sale by the previous owner, we had Dennis do the transfer process. That way we knew all of the paperwork and documentation was all taken care of properly, there weren't any liens on the boat, we were able to put the money into escrow with him etc. 

It seems like a lot of boats come to Indiantown to die, but a number of them do find new owners through Dennis. He actually showed us a few boats before we ended up purchasing our Moody 346.

Next to the office is a really nice patio area. It is probably the best part of the marina, especially after a long, hot day. The perfect place to unwind, sip a cold beer and chat with fellow cruisers. 



If the bugs get to you, then you can always head into the screen room and watch some TV. Of course, when in Florida, don't the bugs get to you? I constantly look like I have a case of the measles with all of the bug bites on me. But I digress. The screen room is nice, but I do prefer the patio.

Of course if the heat gets to you, you can slip into the kitchen area. It has air conditioning. Lovely, icy cold air blowing on you and cooling down the sting of all of your insect bites. Bliss. Only problem. Everyone else has the same idea and there is very limited seating.

But if it's air conditioning you're after, then you can always head up to the shower block up by the work yard. There are more toilets, showers and a laundry room up there. And they're all air conditioned! When it is 98F outside with 98% humidity, nothing beats a cold shower in an air conditioned room.

The shower block is near the RV park. I think many of the people who stay there are folks who split their time between their boat and their RV. It's a handy place to stay while you get your boat ready for storage and then prep it again for cruising the next season. It does look like there are a few people who stay there long-term as well. It has full hook-ups, but probably not the nicest RV park I've ever seen. Of course, if you're into boats, then this would be the place to stay.

But let's move on to the work yard where we spent close to two weeks working on Tickety Boo. 

The place is a DIY yard. You can do work yourself there without lots of restrictions and regulations. Or, if you prefer, you can have the guys in the shop do some or part of the work for you. You can even act as extra labor on a project, saving money and learning in the process. 

This was the view from our boat. It's always good to know other people have as many boat projects on as you do.

After spending time on the hard, there is nothing better than splashing and taking a slip. Not only is it cooler as your boat is in the water, but it is also a lot easier to get on and off the boat.

Now, hopefully, by the time you're reading this, we're no longer in a slip, but have left Indiantown Marina for our shakedown cruise to the Bahamas!

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