Historically, sailboat waterfront accessible lots in Port Charlotte are much cheaper than in other areas.  In 21 years of selling sailboat waterfront I have had hundreds of calls on these lots because they look like such a good deal.  Often they are not!

There are many factors to consider.  Lets start with the easiest lot to consider for purchase:  A lot with an existing seawall.

Existing seawall lots with sailboat accessible water

Many lots in Port Charlotte are in poor condition because of their age.  Most realtors and property owners don’t recognize the warning signs of old seawalls.  They are quite obvious if you know what to look for.  Replacing an old seawall will cost you upwards of $50,000 so be careful.

Is a lot being sold in Port Charlotte as a Sailboat Waterfront lot really what it claims to be?  Not always is the short answer.  In our area, if there are no bridges then a realtor will often advertise that is sailboat accessible because of no mast height restrictions.  Of course, equally as important is draft of your keel and many PC canals are shallow or have shallow areas on the way out to the harbor.  Contact me for canal depths of dig deeper into this website for more information.

Unimproved lots with sailboat accessible water

Be very cautious with your investment money here.  Most undeveloped lots have mangroves and removing them is costly at best and may take more than a year to get an approval.  There is a mangrove mitigation process and it is not guaranteed that your lot will be approved for development and removal.  Thank the government agencies that decided the small tooth Sawfish likes to spawn in Port Charlotte canals.

Before buying a lot you need to establish if the soil can support a house and possibly a pool.  Two different criteria for load bearing structure on waterfront land.  This is an expensive test to determine soil compaction.  If its bad soil the remediation can run from $30,000 to much higher numbers.

Gopher Tortoises and Burrowing Owls:  Yes they live around here and can cause development issues.

Low lying land which is typical on the sailboat lots in Port Charlotte will require hundreds of truckloads of dirt, worst case.  Very expensive!

Adding a seawall is another expensive proposition.  There are many seawall options from concrete to synthetic corregated panels.

Lastly, Port Charlotte does not have a plan for routine maintenance of canal depths or the common connecting canals that take you to open water.  Please understand the water depths if you are a sailor before making a purchase.

Finally, know your boat ride times out from the lot.  I know all the boat ride times as I have put the time in myself.  Many realtors will tell you it’s a short ride out when it might be 45 minutes.  There are canal lots that are over an hour to get out to Alligator Bay and then you have another 10-15 minutes at idle speed to get into the Peace River.

And one of the most common questions about sailboat waterfront lots in Port Charlotte.  Can I live on my sailboat at the lot with no home on the land.  The answer is no.  A residential neighborhood does not want transient boaters camping on vacant land and the county has ordinances against it.

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Normal considerations like size of lot, actual waterfrontage and distance to open water are commonly the main things to think of.  Most think that a large water view near the end of a canal might be the ultimate lot.  Lots in the old sailboat section, often called the original sailboat section have many streets that end in the Peace River.  The open waters of the Peace bring amazing views.  They also bring wave action.  In the winter months you can expect north winds between 10 to 25 mph on a daily basis.  These winds create significant waves into the ends of the canals and standing wave heights in the 2-3 feet can be experienced!  I have seen it first hand many times in my career.

What does this mean?  Lots of turbulence and wave action, some air aspiration and if your boat is moored in the water (not on a boat lift) you need to factor the wave action in your mooring lines and boat fenders.  These are mainly a winter occurrence but you should be mindful of any lot facing north that has open water influences.  Deploying your boat from its lift and taking off on stiff wave action could be daunting as well.

On the opposite end of the canal, meaning the dead end of canal systems there are some considerations to be mindful of.  There is a possibility of debri, yard trimmings, coconuts and worst case dead fish carcasses piling up creating an eyesore and possible smelly situation.  Honestly, this can happen but for the most part it should not present a problem.  A nearby neighbor can comment on these types of worries.  It also is a function of which way the wind is blowing.  Normally, we do not have aquatic grasses piling up in our canals (a big problem in the Florida Keys).  In my 21 years I only remember a fish kill once in PGI canals so a dead fish pile up would be an extreme situation.

You won’t find a better place to invest your money than this top neighborhood or to build your dream home.  If you need canal depth information or boat ride times to open water I have recorded this information on this website so you can make intelligent decisions.

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