lbjpryan

I have some friends that are vacationing on 30-A for the first time in August. They are wanting to bring their waverunner and party barge for some day fun in the ocean. Is this even done in the area????

Can anyone tell me if their are regs on these activities around the 30-A area...I know you can't dock these toys on the beach...also is their a good dock/marina that they could use for the week...anyone know the costs of launch weekly storage, etc...Thanks

Kimmifunn

Good luck. The 30-A type probably ain't gonna have any of that. Tell them to hit Crab Island. Tell them that Smiley J sent them to the scooter shop as well.

Tell me about this party barge though...sounds funn!

This should be good.

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seagrovelover

Party barge = pontoon right??? sounds like fun, hope you find what your looking for......crab island would be perfect!!!!

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Smiling JOe

It is illegal to lauch personal watercraft from State Land, ie state parks in SoWal. Try Crab Island as Kimmifunn recommends for the Party Barge and Wave Runners. Crab Island is located on the north side of the Destin Bridge, which crosses over to Ft Walton. There are regulations regarding age of operators, speed in close proximity to land, etc.

Also, for the Party Barge, tell them to make sure their motor is okay with salt water, or be prepared to buy a new motor. There is no reason to risk injury and boat loss by taking the Party Barge into the Gulf. Stay out of there.

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Unplugged

You're right Kimmifunn: this should be good

lbjpryan: good luck, you may get some useful replies for facilities near 30-A

... and then there's also the 'forbidden Zone' west of 30-A where SoWalers rarely venture

Crab Island is an excellent suggestion for a great place to relax on that boat.

Smiling JOe

There is no public boat access near 30A for launching boat/wave runners. You can go to the Bay and find many Bay accesses, but if you are not familiar with the water depths there, you are in for a real shocker and possible risk of injuries on personal watercraft. Be careful!

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jessifunn

hi there new buddy! i love party barges.

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aquaticbiology

its a long, long way from just about any real boat launch to say Western Lake

my heavy 28 footer cabin cruiser has even had some scary moments in the Gulf so SJ is very right - if you don't have experience stay out of the Gulf!

and the FMP was all over the Destin Pass yesterday handing out tickets like candy

Florida requires a V (Vessel operator) on your drivers license to operate (drive) any boat with a motor, regardless of what state you live in and whether they have a V for their drivers license or not

if you enter the Gulf at the end of the Pass, prepare to be spot checked by either FWL, FMP or the Coasties for things like seaworthiness, emergency flares (must have non-expired dates), inland-walters-only class PFD's (not ocean-class), stainless steel hooks, a posted license for each boat radio or each GFRS (more than 1-watt or greater than 2 mile) walky-talky pair onboard, and any oil, sludge or residues inside the bottom (bilge) area of your boat, any opened beer or booze, or unidentified or prescripton pills in a unlabeled or expired container without your name on it - any of these things and a whole lot more will either get you ticketed or possibly have your boat impounded or even siezed

just be careful and remember to always keep every head, scrap and backbone of any fish you clean onboard for FWL spot checks (just say you will have to bring a bigger cooler next time), know the exact species of each fish you keep (have an fish identification book or detailed card onboard and easily available to show the officer) and be able to rattle off the exact name, limits and size of each fish you have on board (keep a current regulations printout or the booklet with the fish identifier)

Unplugged

Geez, aquaticbiology: Fishing sounds like more trouble than it's worth

yippie

Even the pontoon boat rental companies in Destin have you sign that you will not take the boat into the Gulf. Pontoon boats are not made to withstand that.

Stay away from the Gulf or we may be reading about you in the paper.

If you want to know where you can launch your boat in Destin for a day at Crab Island, post again. I'm with everyone else, you need to go to Crab Island for activities.

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John R

try boating with non motorized craft instead.

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SlowMovin

If I'm not mistaken, Florida does not allow onboard cleaning. All fish must be landed whole.

Smiling JOe

You are correct.

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aquaticbiology

"yes sir officer, but we ran out of ice/refrigerator room/cooler space since we caught that ________ (fill in largest fish name) - here, officer, here's the guts - i kept them for you so we could prove the lengths if we needed to" (squish)

all they do is take them home and put them on their grill - i've eaten at (unnamed officer)'s house before

Smiling JOe

Isn't that what they do with the confiscated pot? Place it on the fire and stand around the pit?

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aquaticbiology

nothing like a good lung full of Round Up Weed Killer