Winter houseboat rental

September 2, 2010 7:10 AM

Houseboat rental for the winter in the USA. NC, SC, GA, or maybe FLA.

Where should I look? How should I look (online, in person, or?)? Will my bearded, liberal, Yankee self be ostracized? All thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

posted by Hobgoblin to Grab Bag (4 answers total)

Best answer: Addressing the bearded, liberal part of the query: No gentler way to put this. If you are white, you will be fine in coastal Florida, as long as you are not a big in-your-face arguer (especially with drunk people) of liberal politics. Obama stickers, polite discussion, neutral expressions of liberalism - these are generally tolerated as one's personal eccentricities. The more passionately expressive you are, the further south (in South Florida, that is) you'd be better off.

Beards, btw, are no problem - Beards and hats are how fishermen avoid getting sunburnt without the candy-ass application of sunscreen ;-)

So, coastal North Florida is where the hard-core nature lovers generally want to go, because it's still relatively underdeveloped. However, underdeveloped is the operative word. If what you want to do every day is swim, fish, kayak, snorkel, birdwatch, explore islands, drink beer and eat seafood, then I strongly recommend the Nature Coast (Lower Suwannee River area). It is crazy pretty here, and much of the coastal area/islands is preserved in the Lower Suwannee National Wildlife Refuge.

If you want to do other things, like shop or go to movies or clubs, well, better look elsewhere. Most everything in this area is 60+ miles from Gainesville, and that's the biggest town around here.

If I wanted to rent a houseboat for the winter in the Lower Big Bend region, here's where I'd look:
Cedar Key
Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee
Yankeetown - Yes, Yankeetown - founded by Yankees, a little town to put up with their Yankee peculiarities in the midst of the rural South.

Once you find a likely-ish place online, start calling. Face-to-face is generally the best way to do business here, but the driving distances are prohibitive. If no answer, call back. Many people and businesses out here still don't use answering machines.
posted by toodleydoodley at 7:49 AM on September 2, 2010

Best answer: NC is not very warm in the winter. Even the warmer coastal areas have nighttime lows below freezing throughout December and January. I can't imagine living on a houseboat would be very much fun. I would look farther south if you want to actually be comfortable all winter.

And most of the South contains a plethora of bearded, liberal types. It's the Yankee part that's going to be an issue. Seriously, there are very few places in the South that fit whatever stereotype you're worried about. And the coastal communities (where I'm assuming you would find houseboat rentals) are more than used to tourists.
posted by hydropsyche at 8:46 AM on September 2, 2010

Best answer: http://www.charternet.com/powerboa/miller/
Located in Suwannee, Florida at Miller's Marina.
posted by misspat at 5:35 PM on September 2, 2010

Response by poster: Update: Renting a houseboat is too expensive for more than one week (for me), which is what I did, at the above suggested Marina. The Suwanee is a wonderful river, but it can get very cold in December. The owner wants out of the business and seems not to care about upkeep on the boat. I want to return in a canoe. Thanks for your very helpful replies.
posted by Hobgoblin at 4:28 AM on December 17, 2010