Punta Gorda and the city itself have guidelines in place that are loosely enforced as to how far your vessel can enter the canal when moored.  The first consideration when looking for a home is to know which canal systems will accommodate which sailboats.  Water depth concerns are a lesser concern for sailors in Punta Gorda Isles or Burnt Store Isles especially for a catamaran or tri-maran hull.  Generally, 6 feet mean low water is the mitigating water depths but having sufficient canal width without entering the navigable area of the canal center is the real concern.

The general rule of thumb (not always) is that 50% of the canal system must be open for navigation.  There are many different canal scenarios that sometimes bring in a city guideline to be aware of but this is the golden rule.  So, with a 100 foot wide canal which is quite typical in Punta Gorda you can protrude into the canal 25 feet from the seawall.  This includes the dock and vessel.

As an example lets look at a home buyer I worked with that was purchasing a Lagoon 46 with a 4’ maximum draft and 26’ of beam.  With a dock of 5’ to 10’ wide you can see that you will need an especially wide canal system to accommodate your catamaran sailing vessel in Punta Gorda waters.  Rest assured there are plenty of locations to accommodate this type of vessel.  If you have a 5 foot dock and a 26 foot beam you are at 31 feet of protrusion from seawalls edge.

So, if you were considering a home on a particular street I would first look at an aerial view.  I have the ability to measure canal widths which is easily done and fairly accurate.  By example, if you were looking at a sailboat water front home on Suzi Street in Punta Gorda Isles, I measured this at 112 feet wide.  Divide 112 by 4 which gives you 28 feet from seawall to canal center which would be 3 feet over the standard rule of 25% for a Lagoon 46.  Is anyone really keeping an eye on such things?  I don’t think so and have never heard of anyone measuring for a few feet.  In fact, one customer that bought a Lagoon 40 with 22 feet of beam on a standard canal and put it behind his house entering the center more than the standard distance.  He called the city to see if there would be problems and got bounced around from many departments with no one willing to take ownership on his questions and concerns about his vessel entering the canal.  They verified the city guidelines that were in place but it appeared they never get that question and my customer decided there was nothing to worry about and that was the end of it.  I am not suggesting putting caution into the wind but we usually can find a home for your boat and you that fits the bill without worry.

Many canal systems have wide and standard widths such as Osprey Street has 130’ of width in some locations or Ryan with 200’ in some locations.  Trawlers and Sportfisherman also have to consider the canal systems when looking for a house and I can help you make the right decision.

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Fortunately, there is no better place for a catamaran sailboat skipper to dock his boat than southwest Florida.  Here we have great weather, reasonable prices on homes and land and waterways that will accommodate your craft with reasonable proximity to blue water.

The biggest concerns in this order are 1) having adequate canal width for safe navigation and also meeting the city or county ordinances of how far your boat can protrude into the canal system from your dock.  2) having sufficient mast height clearance from 45 feet to maybe 80 some depending on the vessel and 3) having adequate water depth at all tide phases, in particular, low tides in the worst of conditions (full moon, northeast winds).

The above constraints narrow the available waterfront homes considerably however there will still be plenty of great options.  In regards to the first point being “her beam”.  Larger vessels will have 25 feet and more in beam.  The general guideline but not always is that your vessel cannot protrude into the canal system more than 25% from the seawall.  There are variances depending on the configuration of the canal, location on the canal and a handful of other variables.  But overall we start by thinking about the 25% rule.  By example, a typical canal in Charlotte County, Punta Gorda Florida is 100 feet.  The City of Punta Gorda in this case specifies in their codes that from the centerline of the canal, 25% from that to either side must be left open for navigation.  A catamaran with 25 feet of beam will need a dock and if the dock is 5 feet wide then you are now at 30 feet of exposure into the canal and over the specified limit.

In the real world you might get by with this depending on your location, neighbors and vessels moored on your canal, but I will always guide you to a location where there is no worry.  Fortunately, there are canal systems that are 110 feet wide and wider.  There are ends of canals that are perfect, tip lots with larger water frontage with a radius that allows for a cat and other intersecting canal scenarios that will make a nice home for you boat.  I have a list of canal widths that I have measured myself and will be happy to guide you to the right home with no surprises!

Onto the mast height issue, point number 2.  For Charlotte County the neighborhood of Punta Gorda Isles has no bridge restrictions.  There are neighborhoods on the Peace River that are advertised as sailboat waterfront neighborhoods but have a limiting bridge restriction of 45 feet at mean low tide.

Point number 3 is water depth concerns.  For the most part, this is a minor concern for a catamaran hull even if loaded down with water, fuel and provisions heading for a long adventure.  The Punta Gorda area has plenty of water in their canals and exit systems to Charlotte Harbor which leads to the Gulf of Mexico.  Mono hulls have to be more mindful of depth of course, and a general guideline for a mono hull is not to exceed 6’ in draft and less is better.  The mitigating water depth is in the exit systems:  Ponce de Leon Inlet and Buckley’s Pass (currently under construction).  The city maintains these water ways to 6 feet mean low water.  I have sold homes to sailors that had sailing craft with 6.5 feet of draft and they would depart on higher tide phases and never had a problem.  Even if you bumped bottom, our bottoms are soft mud, not coral or rock like the islands, so no worries.

One catamaran customer of mine looking to buy a home was concerned that just plain navigation in the canal systems themselves would be a daunting task.  When viewing an aerial view of the canal systems in Punta Gorda they look narrow and concerns with getting by docks and moored boats would be a challenge especially with an approaching vessel.  First, an aerial view does make things look tight but the reality is different.  Something to realize is that despite plenty of homes, more than 50% have no boat at their dock.  Of the remaining 50%, 25% are used only on holidays and when company comes to town.  Of the remaining 25%, 15% is for show and never used, leaving 10% of us that boat frequently.  The summation is that boating traffic is extremely light and folks in our friendly town work together on land and sea.  No worries on navigation in canal systems!

The last thing I wanted to point out is there is a huge sailing fraternity in our area.  There are many clubs or organizations and some just for catamaran sailors.  It’s a great resource and easy to make friends when you have the same interests.  These same sailors can share a wealth of knowledge in getting around the islands, where to go or not go, navigational considerations, the best restaurants, shelling beaches and mooring sites.

Call The Captain! if you are thinking about buying a home for your boat 😊

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In short you need a canal width that is wider than a standard 100 foot canal, an intersecting canal situation or a tip lot situation that almost always coincides with a wider basin or intersecting canals.  Punta Gorda Isles has plenty of cat hull owners and a few yachts as well.  We have a home for you!

I keep a running list of home and vacant lot locations that are extra wide or provide options for boat owners with wide beam vessels.  Below are two samples of situations where a cat hull vessel is moored.  These are aerial views.  The one is an intersecting canal with a cat hull docked (ignore the yellow location) and the other is a tip lot situation.

Punta Gorda Isles is actually one of the few places in south Florida that offers canal widths that offer options like this.  Also, some canals are extra deep and most have adequate draft, 6 feet and sometimes deeper on mean low water.  Check out the photos below.  Call me if I can be of help 941-628-8040.

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Southwest Florida offers a different boating and sailing aspect than other places in the U.S.  Many sailors accustomed to deep water sailing have to adjust their thoughts on what constitutes deep water in south Florida.  The waterways themselves are largely “keel friendly” as long as you pay attention to basic navigational charts.  The sail boat homes and the canals that exit from them are an important aspect when choosing a home here.  In general, 6 feet of water at Mean Low Water (MLW) is about the best you can hope for.  With a little higher tide phase you easily have 7 feet in some places.  Punta Gorda in Charlotte County is one of the few places in southwest Florida that generally accommodates sailing vessels with a draft of 5 to 6 feet plus.

For the catamaran sailor a bigger consideration is canal width that will accommodate your beam, often 25 feet and more with draft less of a concern.  Fortunately, Punta Gorda and Port Charlotte have plenty of locations for the multi-hull boater.  Catamaran sailors in Punta Gorda have to be sure they abide by the guidelines that the city of Punta Gorda has in place.  The goal of the city is to be sure there is an adequate channel in the center of the canal. There are guidelines for most every type of canal situation with variations such as an end of a canal versus the middle of a canal or even an intersecting canal situation.  The end or near end of the canal presents different angular formats to determine how far your boat can enter into the water way.  An intersecting canal has much less restriction for how far your boat can come off your dock/seawall.

Many of the canals in Punta Gorda Isles for instance are 100 feet wide.  If your boat comes off the seawall more than 25 feet than you would be compromising the 50% center channel.  For example, let’s say you own or are wanting to own a Lagoon 450.  This vessel has a 25’9” beam and 45’10” length.  To find the right sailboat access home for you we would need to look at wider canals so we adhere to the city’s guidelines.  I can certainly identify which canals are wider for you.

Port Charlottes canal systems largely have 110’ to 120’ in widths and make things just a little easier when looking for a home for your boat.  Port Charlotte is also not as restrictive with guidelines on mooring your boat either.

A very obvious consideration when looking for a home to accommodate your sailboat is the length of the waterfront property and seawall length.  Docks are not much of a consideration for worry as adding docks or out-pilings is easily done and permitting is generally easy.

Other bonuses for a home choice is when there is a turning basin near your home or an intersecting canal.  You will see that there are plenty of large vessels both sail and power that are on average width canals that still manage to get their boat safely in and out of their dock.  The canal systems themselves offer considerable protection from high winds which always makes things challenging in open water situations.

For multi-hull sailboaters it is good for you to know you have lots of company in Charlotte County Florida!  There is a friendly group known as the Charlotte Harbor Multi-hull Association that sailors enjoy sailing with and sharing information with others on the sport they love.  They can be contacted at their website:  https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/CHMA/info

Another fantastic group is the Punta Gorda Sailing Club.  The web address is: http://www.pgscweb.com/  You will be amazed at the local information that you can find here!

If you are looking for a home for your boat you want to be sure there are no surprises after you move in.  I keep a running list of homes that will suit most types of catamarans and will be happy to help you come live the dream!

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