Key West

kevinwburke

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Dec 18, 2013
Messages
76
Not sure if this it the right area but some of the others areas on the forums have no recent posts.

Thinking of towing my 176 Bowrider to the Keys. I have not found a ton of information about navigating that area. Looking to do a little snorkeling on the reefs. Some of my questions are

Is a 17.6 bowrider big enough?
Best time of the year to visit
I have read navigating can be tough with all the shallow water...
How rough is the water generally?

If you can point me to any good resources I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks.
 
Joined
Sep 23, 2010
Messages
1,058
There are bunches of places to snorkel in the Keys. Shallow water is a BIG concern if you are bay side and it will get shallow very quickly. Nav maps are your friend as is having a GPS. Summer usually has smooth seas, sometimes flat as a fritter but it will be hot. Winter is nice but cooler. Spring is awesome and usually fair weather. One of my boats is a 17' and I take it ocean side all the time but not more than a couple of miles out. Reefs can be closer than that.The Dry Tortugas is well worth the trip but you will need to charter...it's 70 miles out of KW. Also check Hen & Chickens and Cheeca Rocks patch reefs near Islamorada and Looe Key Reef (NOAA Navigational Chart 11445) south of Big Pine (Closest to KW).

You need to eat also... Try Bob's Buns in Islamorada for lunch/breakfast about MM81.Made to Order about MM90 for lunch/breakfast. A&B Lobster house in KW...killer lobster roll. Islamorada Fish House at Sportsman's World - lunch dinner...sunsets!!!

Have fun!! And by the way...everything is slower.
 
Last edited:

agallant80

Commander
Joined
Oct 25, 2010
Messages
2,328
I looked in to this. It looks like lots and lots of fun. I did read quite a bit about how shallow it can get and the fines you run in to if you damage the protected grass.
 
Top