The Boating Life in Florida's Canalfront Communities
Waterfront properties in Florida include a wide variety of different types of properties, including canal communities. Buyers who are not familiar with a canal community may be bewildered by the
range of prices for what appear to be similar buildable waterfront lots and
waterfront homes. The differences usually have everything to do with the
water and boating, with some emphasis on street frontage factors.
There are many aspects to how a florida waterfront property relates to the adjacent water.
- How is the view?
Looking down a canal is nicer than looking directly across at neighbors.
- How far out is it to open water?
A 45 minute ride through canals to reach the open water will seriously curtail casual boat trips.
- Are there bridges that restrict access?
If so, do they open for tall boats, and on what schedule? The ability to dock a sailboat behind a
waterfront home will drive up the value over comparable lots that are limited to powerboats because of bridges.
- How many feet of seawall does the property have?
More is always better. Waterfront property in Florida with a long seawall frontage offers more room for docks, lifts, and davits, and makes it easier to maneuver your boat to and from the dock.
- Is the property located up at the end of a canal
At the end of the canal, building a dock or a boatlift will be restricted by the proximity of neighboring property lines, and getting in and out with a boat will be difficult.
The ends of canals are not just restricted for boats and docks, they also
tend to silt up over time more than the areas with substantial water flow.
On the plus side, the more stagnant water at the ends of canal systems does
not carry needed nutrients to barnacles and other critters which grow on the
hulls of boats, so they grow much more slowly.
The Same Waterfront Community Can Have a Variety of Different Limitations
Some areas of the same waterfront community are served by different channels
of differing depths. In Punta Gorda, FL, for example, the Punta Gorda Isles
waterfront community consists of a fairly large network of canals with
several different entrances from Charlotte Harbor. The maximum vessel draft
that can be brought in to a Punta Gorda Isles canal depends on which channel
is used to reach the lot, as well as depth at the lot itself.
Other nearby waterfront communities can only be accessed by the channel up
Alligator Creek, which is fairly shallow. Boats drawing 3.5 feet or more
will be restricted to using the channel on positive tides. This can be a
real problem in the winter, when the irregular Gulf tides combined with a
North wind from a cold front can mean the tide does not come up for a couple
of days at times. If you bought a waterfront property so that you could use
your boat any time, it is frustrating to watch it floating at the dock,
knowing you can't get out the channel. Those lots and houses are obviously
going to be quite a bit less expensive than nearby lots that are served by
a deep channel.
It is nice to have waterfront property in Florida on a canal near the entrance to
open water, but not too near. Chop and boat wakes from the open water can
easily reach into the canal network in the right conditions, and the waves
will erode docks and seawalls and make it necessary to secure boats that
are left in the water with more lines and fenders to guard against the
constant pounding. It's best to be around the corner from open water so
that the water in your canal is always calm.
Some waterfront communities enjoy private access to facilities such as boat
ramps, and that can be a very nice thing on weekends when the public ramps
are crowded.
Buying waterfront property in the canal communities of Florida is all about
buying the access to the water and the ability to go boating with ease — not
to mention saving money on boat storage and the ability to pay more attention to boat maintenance. If you see large price differences in what seems to be the same neighborhood geographically, check to see that the neighborhood looks the same from a boat. It probably does not. The boating
opportunities and assets will be different.
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