Shell Key / Shell Island Camping; Tampa, FL

Our Campsite on Shell Key
Shell Key, Tampa, FL

I had the awesome opportunity to camp on Shell Key (Shell Island) this weekend, and wanted to share some information about the trip for anyone looking to do the same.  Before I went I searched for information about the island, and there was very little available, so hopefully this will help anyone thinking of putting together a similar trip! 

Shell Key is a 195-acre County Preserve located just North of the mouth of Tampa Bay.  It is a sanctuary for migratory birds, so most of the island is closed off to visitors to protect the wildlife.  The North end is open to day visits, and the South end is open for overnight camping.  Because of the ongoing compromise between protecting the wildlife and keeping the island open to visitors, there are a specific list of regulations that must be followed on the island.

A list of these regulations can be found at this link: ShellKey.org

To camp, you'll also need a permit, which can be applied for on the Pinellas County website: PinellasCounty.org

There is no "approval" for the permit, you just fill it out and print it.  We were never visited by FWC or PCSO, but if they do stop by, they'll ask to see your printed permit.

Overview of the Island:

Overview of the Shell Key Area, Fort Desoto, and surrounding area.
Shell Key, Tampa, FL

Close-up of Shell Key Preserve
Shell Key, Tampa, FL

Southernmost Tip of Shell Key, Camping Permitted
Shell Key, Tampa, FL

Where to set up camp:

The best place to set up is right along Bunces Pass, on the Southernmost shore of the key.  We set up on the SE tip, but there were other campers all along that strip of beach.  You'll end up staying close to shore, because the grass inland is thick and there are sand spurs everywhere.  The only exception I noticed was a small patch of short grass just around the SE corner of the island.  There was another one on the inland side, which might be accessibly by kayak, but would be tough in anything other than a flats or bay boat.

Anchoring the Boat:

When you anchor the boat off of the beach, keep in mind that Bunces pass has quite a bit of tidal movement and boat traffic.  You'll want to double anchor from both the bow and stern to keep the boat in place.  The water gets deep pretty quickly off of the beach, so it's fairly easy to anchor close to shore while still being in enough water to float at low tide.

Wildlife:

Shell Key is a bird sanctuary, so naturally there were birds around.  We also saw hermit crabs, sand dollars, horseshoe crabs, dolphins, and one night the water was filled with phosphorescent plankton.

The campers down the beach from us had a raccoon try to get into their garbage one night, so come prepared to close up all food and trash to keep critters out.

We also had a fellow camper report seeing a rattlesnake on the island, so if you do go walking around, pay attention!  I walked around through the brush quite a bit and didn't have any problems.

Tips/Comments:

The scenery is awesome, there's nothing like waking up right on the beach in the morning.  The view of the stars at night was the best I've seen in Tampa.

There are sand-spurs everywhere when you get into the grassy area inland, so bring shoes if you want to go exploring.

When the wind is high, there's very little protection on the island.  We had gusts of 20 MPH+ and had a tough time the first night getting things to stay put!

Bring enough firewood if it's chilly!  Grab what you think you'll need, and then grab more!  We burned through 3/4 of our wood the first night, but thankfully there was leftover wood available on the island.  It's only around until the supply runs out from some Australian Pines that they cut down, so I wouldn't plan on this being an option for long.

The regulations require that you bring a portable toilet, but the "real" facilities on Fort Desoto might be a better option than actually using your portable.

If you're planning a trip and have questions about anything I didn't cover, please feel free to call or email me for more info!  Shell Key is another great area for Tampa boaters to enjoy, and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for an adventure.

Tampa Bay Redfish ; Lifetime Best

Last weekend my friend Andrew and I took off from the Tampa Harbor Marina in search of some big 40# black drum that I had heard were being caught around some of the local bridges here in Tampa Bay.  We took my little Action Craft 18' away from the THM around sunset, and set off in search of fish.

After catching a few hand-sized pinfish, and with a cooler already full of blue crabs, we anchored up underneath the bridge so that the current would take our bait back toward the bridge pilings.  Once we got set, we put out a chum block, put a few large blue crab on the bottom with a 2oz lead, and started fishing the pilings for smaller snapper or pompano while we waited for the big rods to go off.

About 10 minutes in I heard a few slow clicks, then the telltale *ZZZZZZZZZZZZ* that we all know and love. I picked up the rod and assumed it was one of the big black drum we had been after.  It was dark, so as the fish came to the surface I still wasn't sure what it was, but as we got it closer to the boat I realized it was one of the biggest redfish I had ever seen!

40" RedFish; Rob Buscaino
Tampa, FL

At 40" it was the biggest red I had ever caught, and definitely a "bucket list" fish for me.  We put another blue crab down and shortly after, Andrew hooked up and landed a 40" of his own!

40" RedFish; Andrew Watson
Tampa, FL

We fished for about 5 hours, hooked 8 more monster reds, and landed 5 total.  Fish measured from 33" to 40", with two 40" being caught back-to-back.  Definitely one of the best nights fishing I've had in Tampa Bay, and the biggest redfish I had caught anywhere! Here are two of the others at 33" and 37" respectively:

RedFish; Andrew Watson
Tampa, FL

RedFish; Rob Buscaino
Tampa, FL

If you're looking to chase some inshore monsters of your own, check out a few of my inshore or near-shore fishing boat listings: 

2007 Cobia 211 Bay; Tampa,FL
Click Here for Listing!

2004 Action Craft 1802; Tampa, FL
Click Here for Listing!

Exuma Boats - Photo Blog

Yesterday I was running around St. Pete photographing a few new listings that I'm representing, and I ran into Dave Travis of Exuma Boats at his headquarters at Bay Pines Marina.  I've been admiring one of their boats that's stored at our office at the Tampa Harbor Marina, so it was great to meet the builder and see one of his latest creations.

Exuma builds one model, a versatile inshore / near-shore bay boat that's perfect for our Florida coasts.  The boat is 22'2" overall, with an 8'2" beam, and weighs approximately 1800lbs.  Custom rigging and options are available, just talk to Dave and his team and they can put together the perfect package!

I've heard a lot of people interested in seeing some detailed photos of the Exuma, so here are the photos I took yesterday of the green-hulled 22' powered by twin 70HP Yamahas.

Click the photos to enlarge or view in a gallery layout.

Exuma 22, Bay Pines Marina
Port Profile

Exuma 22, Bay Pines Marina
Port Profile

Exuma 22, Bay Pines Marina
Stern View

Exuma 22, Bay Pines Marina
Twin Yamaha 70s

Exuma 22, Bay Pines Marina
Deck Layout Detail

Exuma 22, Bay Pines Marina
The sprayed nonskid pattern adds a really nice look to the decks.

Exuma 22, Bay Pines Marina
Console & Nonskid

Exuma 22, Bay Pines Marina
Bow Lockers

Exuma 22, Bay Pines Marina
Controls & Helm Features

Exuma 22, Bay Pines Marina
Switch Panel & Battery Switches

Exuma 22, Bay Pines Marina
Bow Detail

Line-X Protective Coating; Marine Application - 36 Yellowfin

As a broker, selling a boat often involves helping a new owner manage repairs, upgrades, or customizations to the boat after the purchase is made.  As a result, I try to keep in touch with a multitude of contractors and service companies so that I'm up to date on what the options are for tweaking a boat to suit a particular owner's needs.  I recently had the opportunity to get an up-close look at a really unique process for enhancing the look and durability of a boat:  using Line-X protective coating.

Line-X is widely known for their pickup truck bed and commercial applications, but our local Line-X dealer has been developing new processes and techniques specifically for marine use.  Some of the most common uses are coating decks, gunwales, fishboxes, and bilges, but they've even started doing more unique projects like motor cowlings, trolling motors, leaning posts and t-tops, and fuel tanks.  The guys from Line-X recently did a 36 Yellowfin for us, and I wanted to show off their results:

First we hauled the boat at the yard next to our office in Tampa and the guys got ready to go!

36 YELLOWFIN HAULED - TAMPA, FL

The process starts with masking off the entire boat, and removing all hardware from the areas where the coating is going to be applied.  Proper preparation of the decks before hand is very important for getting proper adhesion when the coating is sprayed later.

PREPARATION / MASKING FOR LINE-X; 36 YELLOWFIN

PREPARATION / MASKING FOR LINE-X; 36 YELLOWFIN

PREPARATION / MASKING FOR LINE-X; 36 YELLOWFIN 

After the prep work was done, they did the inside of the forward fish-boxes first:

PHOTO COURTESY OF LINE-X; FORWARD FISH BOXES - 36 YELLOWFIN 

Then special attention is taken to make sure hatches are properly coated, and that they still have the proper clearance to open and close after the coating is applied:

PHOTO COURTESY OF LINE-X; COCKPIT - 36 YELLOWFIN

Here are a few photos of the guys in action:

PHOTO COURTESY OF LINE-X; 36 YELLOWFIN

PHOTO COURTESY OF LINE-X; 36 YELLOWFIN

The finished product really looks nice, the cockpit sole and interior bulkheads were done, along with the inside of the forward fishboxes and helm footrest:

FORWARD COCKPIT; 36 YELLOWFIN

DECKS AND HELM FOOTREST; 36 YELLOWFIN

COCKPIT SOLE; 36 YELLOWFIN

Using Line-X to protect the boat has enormous benefits to typical gelcoat nonskid.  First, it's much easier to keep clean, with most dirt and debris (including fish blood) coming right off with a water hose.  It's also incredibly durable, with dings and stress cracks becoming virtually nonexistent.  If it's applied to a deck that has stress cracking already, they won't show up again through the Line-X once it's applied.  While being a firm coating, Line-X is also flexible enough to keep from cracking under the stresses of this type of application.

They have also started coating pipe-work like t-tops and towers, bow rails, grab rails, and leaning posts.  The Line-X is just as durable in this application, and in many ways better than the powder coat that's being used by a lot of dealers and manufacturers.  It's tougher in most cases and can be repaired if it does happen to chip or ding over time.

You have your choice of almost any color from Line-X, and they can even computer-match existing colors from other parts of the boat (like hull or canvas colors).  The aggressiveness of the nonskid can be varied depending on your application, in our case we used a medium roughness for the decks:

LINE-X DECK TEXTURE DETAIL; 36 YELLOWFIN

They spray two coats of whatever color you choose, along with a top clear coat.  Thickness is between 1/16" and 1/8" which is slightly thinner than the typical truck-bed application, which they do in order to reduce the weight a little while still maintaining a very durable protective coating.

LINE-X DECK THICKNESS DETAIL; 36 YELLOWFIN

The project was finished last week, and the boat is now back in the water and ready to go fishing!  For more information about the project, or how to get in touch with the guys at Line-X, give us a call - 727-422-3914

Tampa Boat Show - 2011

This weekend marks the 46th annual Tampa Boat Show at the Tampa Convention Center.  I had the opportunity to visit the show yesterday with the rest of the Savage Yachts team, and went back today to snap a few photos and see how the turnout was on the first day of the weekend.  The Tampa show gets mixed reviews every year from both exhibitors and attendees, but if you're looking for an inexpensive, local show with a pretty good lineup of boats to see, it's a great way to spend a few hours.

The show takes place at the Tampa Convention Center in downtown Tampa each year.  The venue is split between the indoor portion, and the in-water / dockside portion.  The indoor portion always features a nice variety of boat dealers and manufacturers, along with displays from local vendors and service providers.

SHOW FLOOR; TBS 2011

The show does a good job of exhibiting boat models of many different varieties:  Ski boats, kayaks, flats boats, technical skiffs, offshore boats, bowriders, and cruisers.  I tend to favor the bigger boats, so here's my highlight reel:

JUPITER 38' CC

CONTENDER 28' TOURNAMENT

Everglades had a few boats at the show this year, including their biggest model, the 350EX:

EVERGLADES 350EX

EVERGLADES 320 CC

The local Sea Hunt dealer had a new 27' Gamefish here this year, and I have to admit I'm impressed with their new lineup.  In the past few years, they've really dialed up their fit and finish, but still offer the boat at an attractive price point.  The "Show Price" on this 27 center was just under $90,000.

SEA HUNT GAMEFISH 27

SEA HUNT GAMEFISH 27

Gulf-coast manufacturers like Andros and Intrepid always stir up a good amount of interest from local attendees.  Andros Boatworks had a few different models here this year, including a few of their Panga style boats, and one 32' offshore that was really impressive.  The level of fit and finish on this boat is top notch, and the thoughtful design is exactly what you'd expect from the guys at Andros.  They've been making it for a few years now, but if you haven't seen the 32' in person yet, it's definitely a "must see" this year.

ANDROS 32 OFFSHORE

ANDROS 32 OFFSHORE

Intrepid boats had their 327 center console here this year, which was a great representative of the Intrepid fleet.   Their center console lineup features boats from 24 to 40', all of which are second-to-none in quality and design.  They're built right here in Largo, FL, which is only half an hour from the show venue.

INTREPID 327 CC

Out on the docks, there was a nice mix of brokerage offerings this year.  My trip was cut short by the rain today, but we did get the opportunity to walk around yesterday and see what they had to offer.  Plenty of 30-50' cruisers lined the docks, along with some of the larger center consoles.  Contender had their new 39LS there, which was an interesting new model for Contender with more "comfort" features than most of the other boats in their fleet.

TAMPA BOAT SHOW 2011 - TAMPA, FL

IN-WATER EXHIBIT; TAMPA BOAT SHOW 2011

The highest-dollar piece on the dock this year was a 2011 Marlow 97E called "Irish Rover".  At 100'11" LOA, this is the largest of the Marlow fleet.

MARLOW 97E; Irish Rover

Overall the visitor turnout for the show wasn't that impressive, but it was still early and the threat of bad weather might have scared off the Saturday crowd.  It's good to see a number of manufacturers represented at the show this year, and there is enough to see to make the trip well worth the price of admission.  The NMMA also does a good job of putting on seminars for new boaters about safety, operation, and ownership.  If you're new to boating, or just enjoy spending the day checking out some of the new models, the Tampa show is definitely worth a look!

On our way back across the bridge to lunch at Jackson's, I saw my personal favorite boat of the day, which wasn't even part of the show!  A 1983 Rybovich 55'...what a beauty. 

1983 RYBOVICH AND SONS 55'

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words...

"Can you send me more pictures?"

"Got any better photos?"

"Do you have any pictures of the...?"

If you've ever tried to sell something online, I'm sure you've heard some variation of the above questions.  In the global boat market, these are common questions as buyers in other states, and sometimes other countries, try to make major purchase decisions based largely on photographs.  The ability to reach buyers across the world is one of the biggest advantages to using a yacht broker, and it's the broker's job to make sure your boat is as attractive as possible.

When looking at dozens of possibilities, buyers are much more apt to be drawn toward a nicely photographed listing as opposed to one that's carelessly snapped with a point-and-shoot.  When poor photos are taken, it can make even the nicest boats look dingy or dirty.  A good quality photograph will show more detail, better color, and give the buyer something to get excited about!

I've taken a few photos showing the difference between a Nikon DSLR and a Nikon point-and-shoot.  The DSLR is even one of Nikon's more basic models, but the jump in quality is amazing.  The boat is one of my newest listings, a 2004 Meridian 381 Sedan.

DSLR  /  P+S

DSLR  /  P+S

DSLR  /  P+S

The photos on the left were taken with the DSLR, and the photos on the right were taken with a point-and-shoot.  The first thing you should notice is how much better the color quality is.  In the photos on the left, the wood looks brighter, the lighting is good, and the upholstery looks much nicer.  You'll also notice how much wider the field of view is in the DSLR photos.  This gives the buyer a much better idea of the space inside the boat, as opposed to narrowly-focused pictures of key areas.  It's nearly impossible to photograph some of the tight spaces on boats, like head compartments or engine rooms, with a point-and-shoot camera.


They say there's no second chance at a first impression, and it's important to have your boat represented by a broker who understands that.  Take a look at my listings to see other examples of how a nicely built ad can help make that first impression a good one!