"*JimH*" wrote in message
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"NOYB" wrote in message
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"*JimH*" wrote in message
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We are considering renting a 41 foot twin diesel houseboat in the
Captiva/Sanibel/Cape Coral area for a spring vacation. Not a bad
deal.....around $2,300 for a full week, 41 foot (14 foot beam) with twin
diesels, 2 staterooms, 2 full baths, genny, AC, full kitchen, gas grill,
dual helms, linens.....etc.. Some rental places even throw in a full
tank of diesel. We figure we can pull an inflatable.

We vacationed in Sanibel several years back and love the area.

Has anyone done this before? If so, what advice can you offer?

What sort of protected transient dockage does the area offer in the
event of bad weather?


You need to be careful in the waters around here with a twin diesel boat.
There are lots of shallow areas. Stick to the channels in Pine Island
Sound. There are several marinas along Captiva with protected
harborage, but a couple of them might still not be open from Hurricane
Charley last year. Up on the bay side of Cayo Costa, there's some
deeper, protected anchorage. I'm sure that the boat has a generator and
A/C, so you could hang there overnight. Make sure you stop into Cabbage
Key for lunch. Also, you can cruise up to Boca Grande.

Since you said a "spring vacation" I assume you're planning it for
April/May of next year? If so, you'll be fine. Late April through all
of May is the best weather and fishing all year round. If you're
planning it this summer, just remember that we're in our hurricane
season...and it's predicted to be a busy one (5 named storms already in
the middle of July! A new record.)




Thanks for the feedback. We are actually planning for spring 2007.

These boats apparently have a shallow draft and hopefully come with depth
sounders. I assume we will be without the luxury of a chart plotter so I
would plan to purchase and study a nautical chart of the area well before
this (possible) vacation.

We will most likely plan to explore the western shores during the day and
spend evenings docked at available transient docks in the Sanibel and
Captiva areas. In the event of strong storms I just wanted to make sure
we could make our way into a protected area on the Caloosahatchee River
and find protected transient dockage.

Can you (or others) provide any other personal comments on houseboating in
the area?

No. No personal experience in a houseboat. I've only been up that way a
half dozen times by boat for day trips to fish or eat on Captiva. See if
you can send a ping to Wayne B. He travels these waters in a trawler and
can be of better help to you.