The proposed site of Lantana Landing is located approximately 3 nautical miles north of the Boynton Beach (South Lake Worth) Inlet and approximately 11 nautical miles south of the Palm Beach (Lake Worth) Inlet.  Boca Raton Inlet is approximately 15 nautical miles south of the site.

 

The vast majority of boaters in the Lantana area use the Boynton Beach Inlet to access the ocean.  In order to reach the ocean via the Boynton Beach Inlet one must pass through a fixed bridge with a vertical clearance of 18 feet.  The inlet is somewhat narrow with strong currents on both incoming and outgoing tides.  The NOAA nautical chart contains the following note regarding this inlet: “BOYNTON INLET CAUTION: Passage through the inlet is not recommended without local knowledge of all hazardous conditions affecting this area.”

 

Typical boat types observed at each marina in the area as well as boats observed entering and exiting the Boynton Beach Inlet include the following:  Day cruisers ranging in size from thirty to fifty feet, Trawlers up to 45 feet, Sport fishing boats from thirty- two to fifty- five feet, Commercial fishing and dive boats up to sixty feet, Sailboats from twenty to forty feet, and center console boats and runabouts from twenty to thirty-six feet.

to the Boca Raton Inlet.

Overview of Marinas in the Project Area

The four major marinas in the Lantana/Hypoluxo area are Gundlach’s Marina, Murrelle Marine, Palm Beach Yacht Center, and Gateway Marina. These marinas are located within two and a half miles of each other on North Dixie Highway and U.S. Highway One. Each marina differs in the services offered to customers. For comparison purposes, included in this overview is one marina outside the immediate Lantana/Hypoluxo area. Palm Harbor Marina is located in downtown West Palm Beach,  The following is a detailed description of each marina.

Gundlach’s Marina, located approximately one tenth of a mile north of the proposed site,  is mainly a dry storage facility with approximately thirty wet slips. There is a waiting list for the wet slips at the marina. This marina has recently been purchased by the Seven Kings Corporation, which owns and operates other marinas in the county. They have plans to remodel the facility and expand their dry storage area. Adding more wet slips may be difficult, as it could interfere with the in/out service for the boats in dry storage.

This is a clean, well-maintained marina with ample parking for the customers. The slips range in size from approximately thirty to fifty feet. The boats in the wet slips range in size from approximately twenty-five to thirty-eight feet. The types of boats vary from open fishing boats to small trawlers. Gas is sold at this marina, but no diesel fuel.

Murrelle Marine is located adjacent to the north side of the proposed site. It is primarily a boat yard with approximately thirty-five wet slips. The slips range in size from approximately thirty to fifty feet. The slips are full and contain mostly fishing boats. There are approximately five commercial fishing boats and a few small sail boats, and the remaining boats are day cruisers and fishing boats of thirty- two to thirty- eight feet. No fuel is sold.

This marina is cluttered due to the nature of a boatyard. There appears to be little parking for the customers. To get to the boat slips from the parking area one must pass through boats on jack stands, travel lifts, and mechanics’ vehicles.

Palm Beach Yacht Center is located approximately two miles south of the proposed site. This marina has ninety wet slips, dry storage, a boat yard and a boat sales showroom. The slips range in size from approximately thirty to fifty feet. The marina was nearly full on the day of observation. There is an assortment of boats such as day cruisers, larger sport fishing boats, center consoles, trawlers and runabouts. The boats range in size from approximately thirty to fifty- five feet. Gas and diesel fuel are sold at this marina.

This is the largest marina in the area and offers the widest range of services to its customers including what appears to be ample parking. When posing the question to local boaters, “What is the nicest marina in the area?” the answer was always, “Palm Beach Yacht Center.” It is approximately 1 mile from the Boynton Beach Inlet.

Gateway Marina is located approximately 2.5 miles south of the proposed site. This marina is strictly an in/out service with no wet slips. Gas is sold at this marina, but no diesel fuel.

Palm Harbor Marina was chosen for this study due to its proximity to downtown West Palm Beach. It is close to two major shopping areas (Clematis Street and City Place), the business district, waterfront condominiums, and the nightlife of downtown.

This marina is strictly a wet slip marina with approximately 160 wet slips. The slips range in size from approximately thirty to eighty feet. It can also accommodate mega yachts up to one hundred and seventy-five feet on its four T docks. There is an assortment of vessels such as mega yachts, motor yachts, catamarans, day cruisers, trawlers, sport fishing boats, larger sailboats, center consoles, and runabouts. The boats range in size from approximately thirty feet to one hundred and sixty feet. Gas and diesel fuel are sold at this marina.

This marina appears to be attentive to the needs of its customers. Unlike the marinas in Lantana and Boynton Beach, live-aboards are allowed at this marina. Showers, storage lockers, and laundry facilities are provided as well as a complimentary newspaper.

Fuel Sales

 

In the Lantana/Hypoluxo area three of the four marinas offer some type of fuel to their customers and the boating public. Gundlach’s and Gateway marinas offer only gasoline and the Palm Beach Yacht Center offers gasoline and diesel fuel. However, the fuel pumps at each of these marinas are located near the bulkhead. Access to the fuel docks appears rather inconvenient and time consuming for a boat navigating the Intracoastal Waterway and searching for fuel.

It should be noted that south of the proposed site in Boynton Beach there is a marina of approximately forty slips being constructed. Information at the construction site indicates that there are plans for a restaurant as well. The marina is north of the Ocean Avenue Bridge in Boynton Beach and immediately north of the Two Georges Marina. This marina is installing a fuel station with two fuel pumps. Information regarding the type of fuel at these pumps was not available. However, it appears likely that one pump is for gasoline and the other for diesel fuel.

Based on local experience, sometimes the price at the pump is adjusted quickly to account for a change in the price of fuel. Other times, the price at the pump will remain more constant, resulting in lower or higher profit margins as the price of fuel fluctuates. Obviously, the total profit depends on the volume sold, as well as the profit margin per unit volume. The volume sold can be dependent on price, particularly price relative to competitors.

The cost of fuel varies on a daily basis and may fluctuate widely over the fiscal year. The selling price of the fuel is determined by the cost of fuel and the profit margin desired or obtainable per gallon of fuel. The profit margin and hence, the selling price, is generally a function of the local marketplace, convenience of fuel dock, marina location relative to major traffic areas, and the competition’s price of fuel. Fuel is considered an amenity to the marina’s customers, as well as a potential profit source from both the marina’s customers and other boaters. If fuel is to be marketed to other boaters, the convenience of the fuel dock is an important factor in attracting outside customers. Generally speaking, floating fuel docks are preferred, and they should be in an easily accessible location, away from excessive current or boat wake. The proposed Lantana Landing site is located in a no-wake zone, without excessive currents.

It is important to understand that petroleum products near waterways are heavily regulated. These regulations change from time to time and updating facilities to keep current can be costly.

Amenities

 

One of the most basic “amenities” for a wet slip marina is parking. The parking lot should be large enough to accommodate the slip customers. In mixed use facilities, slip customers, like apartment tenants or condominium residents, feel strongly that when they come to access the slip they pay for, they should not have to compete for parking spaces with shoppers and diners.

Another consideration is the ability to drop off gear close to the docks. Boaters typically transport heavy gear, such as coolers and fishing rods, to and from their boats.

Finally, consideration should be given to service access. Whether it is an oil change or a prop change, boats need to be serviced on a regular basis. Parking should be close enough to the docks to allow reasonable access for service vehicles. The boating community includes owners, captains, and service workers. Marina reputations depend on such issues as parking and accessibility to the docks.

A ships store is a convenience appreciated and used by many boaters. The ability to stock the cooler right at the marina with sodas, beer, chips, and sandwiches is a time saving amenity for the customer. The items in the store could range from a mix of bait and tackle to designer jewelry and clothing depending on the demographics of the customers.

A pump out station is designed to empty the holding tanks of boats that have heads on board their vessel. This is convenient for the boater if the marina allows people to live on board their boat. Otherwise, it could prove to be an added expense that does not warrant the expenditure.

Fish cleaning tables could prove to be a necessary feature at a marina where the customers are interested in fishing. Also, a board in which to hang the fish, which also shows the marina name, could possibly help market the marina to other boaters. This is also an important feature to charter boat operators.

Telephone and cable television or satellite television hook-ups are items that are initially installed by the marina and offered to the customer. This seems to be a standard item at most of the wet slip marinas in the northern end of Palm Beach County.

Amenities are important considerations to the boater, and the trend in the industry is toward more services and amenities. We have listed the typical amenities available at various local marinas in the table above. However, the nature of the upland development at the project site lends itself to a different type of marina than is currently seen in the Lantana/Hypoluxo area. For example, marina customers could avail themselves of the shopping and dining amenities. A shuttle or rental car service could provide transport to the airport, local hotels, or attractions. Weekend stays could be encouraged, if allowed by local ordinance, by such amenities as a bathhouse, newspaper delivery, picnic area, and swimming pool. Marina customers could be encouraged to entertain on the docks, with the provision of catering service. A bathhouse containing restrooms and shower facilities is a very accommodating feature, even for day boaters staying on-site for dining at the restaurant.

Another amenity that has become more popular is Internet access, either at the slip, or in a central facility. Again, this would be important to the transient boater. A “weather room” has also become more standard. This generally consists of an air-conditioned space containing a computer that is connected to various near real-time Internet weather resources.

Lockers are an amenity that adds convenience, especially to small boat owners, and especially if parking and drop off convenience are slightly less than ideal. This does not reduce the importance of available and convenient parking and drop-off. 24-hour security is an important amenity to some boaters, particularly if overnight stays are encouraged.

Consideration could also be given to making provisions for a charter reservations desk. Again, a mixed-use facility, such as the proposed site, should provide a source of customers to charter fishermen or other excursion vessels. Encouraging this business may attract charter vessels as customers in the marina. Providing upland office space for a yacht brokerage would create another potential source of marina customers. Brokerage boats, as well as charter boats, attract customers not just to the marina, but to other businesses on the property as well.

Consideration could also be given to offering marina customers access to some of the amenities that would be made available to the condominium residents.

Conclusions

 

Currently, there seems to be no marina in the Lantana/Hypoluxo area that is strictly a wet slip marina. All four marinas in this area offer other services such as boat yard services or in/out (dry storage) service, in addition to some wet slips. Consequently, there does not appear to be a marina in the area that focuses their undivided attention on the needs of the wet slip customer.

Access to the ocean from the Boynton Beach Inlet and the18 foot vertical clearance of the fixed bridge should be taken into account when deciding what size slips to put into the marina. Observations indicate that the wet slips at the marinas as well as the majority of boats observed in the area range in size from thirty to fifty feet. This appears to be a logical extension of the type of boat that is able to navigate through the vertical clearance of the fixed bridge at the Boynton Beach Inlet. Also, given the fact that no other marina seems to be able to accommodate boats larger than fifty feet, it would appear to be beneficial to have a designated number of slips able to accommodate a boat of sixty feet or above. Upon examining the bathymetric survey for the proposed marina, it appears that some dredging may be necessary to accommodate some larger boats.

Based on the plans for the uplands at the project site, and the research presented above, it appears that the marina should include significant amenities, including adequate parking and drop-off for marina customers.

We have modified the concept plan of dockage to reflect a reasonable slip mix for the site. We have replaced the row of 30-foot slips on the north side of the north dock with 40-foot slips, and replaced the row of 60-foot slips along the north side of the south dock with 50-foot slips. We have retained some larger slips in other areas. We have also reserved the outside of the south T-head for a fuel dock. This eliminated (7) slips. The conversion of the 30-foot slips to 40-foot slips required widening of the slips, resulting in the loss of an additional (2) slips. This results in a total of 74 slips, 10 of which are over privately owned submerged land, and 64 of which are in the sovereign submerged land lease area. This meets our target of an increase of 4 slips over the 60 slips approved in the lease.

Consideration should be given to constructing the entire marina with floating docks. These have become increasingly popular, both locally and nationally. If interested, we can obtain preliminary pricing for a concrete floating dock system. Floating docks are typically preferred by transient boaters, and are increasingly preferred by long-term slip occupants. They have the advantage of being somewhat modular and adjustable. We believe they may be slightly more expensive, and would not have as long of a lifespan, compared to a fixed concrete dock.

We trust this report has been helpful for your planning purposes. Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.