Boats for Sale in Fort Lauderdale

What boats are best for Fort Lauderdale?

When you look at a map of Fort Lauderdale, you will note that the area is actually an accumulation of a few different areas. While they may not specifically fall into the zoning of Ft. Lauderdale, they are clearly within the proximity of its boundaries.  These areas include Sea Ranch Lakes, Pompano Park, Oakland Park, Rock Island, Melrose Park, River land, and Broadview Park. For the boat purchaser, it is important to understand these areas as it will give a better clarification as to the type of vessels which will be available in the area from locals.

Typical Boats for sale in Fort Lauderdale

Due to Fort Lauderdale’s location, the selection of boats for sale is quite extensive. If looking for a boat around 15th Street, close to Lauderdale Harbors and Lake Mabel, you will find a great deal of Hydras, Benetti, Condecasa, and Trinity Tri Deck boats. This area boarders the intercostal Waterway and so the boats will be a bit more luxurious than if you were to go up to Dolphin Isles or the Bay Colony area. This is not to say that you cannot find these boats in those areas, but rather that you should expect to find boats more along the lines of a Glastron GX, a Cobia 191, Sea Ray Boats, Checkmate 229s, Crownlines, and Chaparral 227 SSSX Stuarts.

Those seeking sailboats for sale in Fort Lauderdale, will have more success when looking to ports closer to the top tourist’s locations. As sailboats are generally considered a leisure vessel and are not intended to go too far out into the Atlantic, you are more apt to find a quality sailboat closer to Sea Ranch Lakes, though there are quite a few to be found in Melrose park area as well.

Boats for sale in Fort Lauderdale are generally lower sitting in the water than lake or gulf boats for sale. As the Atlantic tends to be free from shallow waters where a boat could run upon a sandbank or such (once out at sea), boats with higher speeds will also be offered.

Boats in Fort Lauderdale are typically recreational

Tourism in Fort Lauderdale is rather high. Per Florida’s statistics, the number per year averages around 90 to 93 million visitors. As such, local businesses and residences are more oriented to revenue from the tourist crowd. Most of the boats which you will find will be either retirees from tourist oriented businesses, boats which have been docked by private owners for recreational purposes, or custom luxury boats who wish to free up their docking, storage, harbor space for another vessel. Boat buyers should use caution when looking at recreational boats. Wear and Tear from use is to be expected, but one must take due diligence to inspect key areas of the boats. As you get more into the luxury boats for sale in Fort Lauderdale, you are less prone to see any issues with the motors, the aesthetics, and such. Still, a proper inspection should be conducted prior to purchasing.

What is the ideal time to shop boats for sale in Fort Lauderdale?

Fort Lauderdale also has many boating shows throughout the year. Perhaps the largest event is the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. While these shows are great to give a buyer a starting point on what to purchase, it is not the most beneficial time to purchase a non-luxury boat, as the seller will have a higher price tag on the boat during this event. On the other hand, those seeking gigayachts, Blue Coat, Sun Ark, and custom luxurious yachts are more apt to find a seller to negotiate at such events.

In terms of the season in which to buy a boat, it is more beneficial for the purchaser to looking to buy a boat in Fort Lauderdale, to pick an off seasonal time to buy. Again, the town is recreational and tourist oriented, and so the summer months will have higher prices. Those seeking recreational boats should try to purchase such before April or after July.

Important Docking information

In the past few years, the Fort Lauderdale area has made stipulations to the method in which a boat can be docked, specifically on personal property. Those which are considering purchasing a boat for sale in Fort Lauderdale are encouraged to contact the Fort Lauderdale Marine Facilities website or contact the local zoning. It is not advised that you dock a boat behind someone’s personal property, even with written permission, unless you understand the zoning and docking regulations for that section of Fort Lauderdale.

At a glance, the docking of a boat requires that the boat not extend the property line of the adjacent property, that the vessel docked cannot extend into the waterway more than 33% of the width of the waterway, that the vessel cannot extend more than 30% or 25 feet beyond the property line. This being stated, those which seek larger boats may find that a professional docking area is more idealistic for such vessels.

When shopping boats for sale in Fort Lauderdale, or even listing your boat for sale in Fort Lauderdale, Vessel Vendor is the website you need. Vessel Vendor is an online boat classifieds website connecting boat sellers with qualified boat buyers. Shop boats for sale or list boats for sale online here!