Boats

A Florida Sea Grant census in 1992 counted 4552 boats (excluding dinghies) berthed and anchored at facilities in Sarasota Bay (table 3.2). The boat population is diverse and includes sailboats, speed boats, and various types of power boats; it is overwhelmingly recreational (more than 95%). Among the commercial boats, more than half cater to recreational activities such as fishing, boat rental, or tours; the other portion consists of commercial fishing boats which have been drastically reduced in number due to the recently enacted net ban regulation. In this context there is justification to consider non-recreational boat traffic as a negligible portion of the total boating activies in the bay.

 

 

|t:=t=t=t=t=t=t=:t| 4c||Draft (ft.)

Boats Number 1c|Percent 1cAverage

||-|-|-|-|-|-|-|| Row 179 3.9 1.01

Sail 1248 27.4 2.93

Speed 720 15.8 2.15

Power 947 20.8 2.89

Recreational Fish 1165 25.6 1.70

Commercial Fish 211 4.6 2.06

Other 82 1.8 2.24

||-|-|-|-|-|-|-|| Total 4552 100.0 |b:=b=b=b=b=b=b=:b|

The recreational boat population can be divided into four roughly equal segments of sail, speed, power, and fishing boats. Table 3.2 shows the numbers and relative proportions of the various boat types, as well as some indication of the variabilities in boat drafts. The average drafts of boats are relatively similar, but sailboats and commercial fishing boats have a wider range (up to nine feet) in drafts than the other categories.