Sea Ray Sundancer 37037'8" (11.48 m)
View Specs & ReviewBoot Key Harbor and the heart of the Keys
Yachting in Middle Keys
A Minted Location · Middle Keys, Florida
If your idea of ownership is a boat that works every day — reef mornings, bay evenings, and a harbor that takes cruising seriously — the Middle Keys are built around you. Marathon is, in NOAA's own words, the second largest town on the Florida Keys, and the City of Marathon calls its water plainly what it is: a cruiser's paradise. Boot Key Harbor's 226 engineered city moorings make it the liveaboard capital of the island chain, Sombrero Reef sits minutes offshore, and the Seven Mile Bridge opens the run west.
Minted Yachts covers this water from Duck Key to the bridge, and everything below comes from each facility's or agency's own published information — the same standard behind every yacht review on this site.
For an owner, the appeal is completeness in one small town: fuel and haul-out on Boot Key Channel, a protected city harbor, a reef you can anchor-free dive off sanctuary buoys, and a working waterfront where the restaurant dock and the lobster boat dock are the same dock.
Where to keep a yacht in Middle Keys
Marathon's dockage splits by shore. Oceanside, Boot Key Channel and its harbor hold the serious infrastructure — Safe Harbor Marathon's slips to 122 feet with the yard behind them, the City Marina's mooring field, and the resort basins at Skipjack and Sombrero. Gulfside is quieter: Faro Blanco's lighthouse basin, Marlin Bay's modern concrete slips, Banana Bay and the Keys Fisheries working dock. Duck Key holds the resort flagship at Hawks Cay. Figures below are what each facility publishes about itself.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hawks Cay Resort MarinaThe Middle Keys' resort-marina flagship: 66 slips with a ship's store, live bait and a Slip & Stay program that folds the dockage into the resort. | Duck Key — oceanside, via Duck Key Inlet Channel | 92 ft | 66 | 90-octane non-ethanol & diesel, 7–5 |
| Safe Harbor MarathonMarathon's do-everything oceanside stop: marina plus working yard with an 82.5-ton lift, dry storage to 65 ft, hurricane haul-out and a pool behind the docks. | Marathon — oceanside on Boot Key Channel | 122 ft | — | Gas & diesel, high-speed pumps, daily 7–5 |
| Faro Blanco MarinaThe lighthouse basin on the gulf side — deep-draft slips, a captains lounge and the Lighthouse Grill, under the Suntex flag (its own page cites both 120 and 140 ft as the top end). | Marathon — gulfside at the Faro Blanco lighthouse | 120 ft | 74 | Non-ethanol gas & diesel |
| Boot Key Harbor City MarinaThe Keys' liveaboard capital: 226 engineered city moorings (211 to 45 ft, 15 to 60 ft) with dinghy dock, showers and weekly pump-out — the reason cruisers winter in Marathon. | Marathon — Boot Key Harbor, 800 35th St Ocean | 60 ft | — | — |
| Sombrero MarinaThe salty liveaboard community inside Boot Key Harbor, with the Dockside bar and grill between the A and B docks and live music every night of the week. | Marathon — Boot Key Harbor, 35 Sombrero Blvd | 85 ft | — | — |
| Skipjack Resort & MarinaFifty-four protected slips inside the harbor with a pool, lounge and in-slip pump-out — sized for the trailerable-to-60-foot crowd. | Marathon — Boot Key Harbor, 19 Sombrero Blvd | 60 ft | 54 | — |
| Marlin Bay Resort & MarinaMarathon's newest-feeling basin: 74 modern concrete slips (24–72 ft) and two dozen boat lifts, backed by rental homes and a heated pool — mind the 4'10" inner-basin draft. | Marathon — gulfside on Florida Bay | 72 ft | 74 | — |
| Banana Bay Resort & MarinaA quiet 10-acre gulfside resort with 34 slips, its own ramp and pump-outs — Marathon without the harbor bustle (nearest fuel 1.5 miles, by its own page). | Marathon — gulfside, 4590 Overseas Hwy | 56 ft | 34 | — |
| Keys Fisheries MarinaDock where the lobster boats do — the working marina behind the Keys Fisheries market (its own pages cite 55 and 60 ft as the max; the marina page's 55 governs), 5 ft mean draft at low tide. | Marathon — gulfside on Florida Bay, 35th Street | 55 ft | — | Fuel next door, east of the restaurant |
| 15th Street MarinaTwenty-eight no-bridge slips on the ocean side with a bait-and-tackle shop on the dock and wharf space that still works commercial boats. | Marathon — oceanside at 15th Street | 45 ft | 28 | — |
| Duck Key MarinaDuck Key's working alternative to the resort docks — ten deep-water slips, dry storage and a fish-cleaning station for owners who keep it simple. | Duck Key — 1149 Greenbriar Rd | 40 ft | 10 | Fuel & ice access noted on its wet-slips page |
| Marina Marathon at Tarpon CreekPart marina, part watersports hub — slips share the docks with snorkel boats, sandbar runs and jet ski tours at Tarpon Creek. | Marathon — Grassy Key side, 13205 Overseas Hwy | — | — | — |
| The Boat House MarinaA secure dry-slip condominium in a protected Marathon basin — for owners who want the boat stored, not slipped. | Marathon — hurricane-protected basin, 5 minutes to ocean or gulf | — | — | — |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marathon Yacht ClubMarathon's private club on the gulf side — slips, dining and a reciprocity welcome for traveling burgees, arrangements by inquiry. | Marathon — gulfside, 825 33rd St Gulf | — | — | — |
Fuel docks
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Burdines WaterfrontThe classic fuel-and-key-lime-pie stop at the harbor mouth — non-ethanol gas, diesel, bait, and the chunky burger upstairs that boaters detour for. | Marathon — MM 47.5 oceanside, mouth of Boot Key Harbor | — | — | Non-ethanol 90 octane & diesel |
Figures are as each facility publishes them on its own site; blank cells mean the facility doesn't state a number. Confirm slip availability and current rates directly — or ask us to make the calls.
Cruising from Middle Keys
The harbor. Boot Key Harbor is the Middle Keys' anchor fact — the Coast Pilot calls it a secure refuge with excellent small-craft facilities. The City of Marathon runs 226 engineered moorings inside it (211 rated to 45 feet, 15 to 60 feet), first-come with no reservations: hail VHF 16, take a mooring assignment during business hours, anchor off if you arrive late. In heavy weather, Sister Creek's mangrove arms south of the harbor are the traditional hurricane holes — the Coast Pilot notes vessels tie to the mangroves, with a reported 5 feet (1983) through the creek.
The passes. Two fixed 65-foot spans connect the ocean to Florida Bay through this stretch: Channel Five, southwest of Islamorada (reported 7 feet, 1978, with a strong current at times), and Moser Channel at the Seven Mile Bridge — where the Coast Pilot warns of 1.4-to-1.8-knot currents and overfalls near the bridge on big tides. Boot Key Harbor's own entrance carried a reported 7 feet with shoaling noted on the south side; Vaca Cut's bridge clearance is published nowhere official, so treat it as local-knowledge water. All controlling depths here are dated "reported" figures — run them with current knowledge and the chart.
The reef. Sombrero Key Sanctuary Preservation Area spreads 208 acres of classic spur-and-groove four miles off Boot Key, all under 30 feet — one of the most dived sites in the Keys. SPA rules are strict: no fishing or collecting, no touching or anchoring on coral, and no anchoring at all when a mooring buoy is available. The sanctuary maintains more than 600 free first-come mooring buoys (standard buoys serve vessels to 59 feet) — and NOAA has announced that in 2027 anchoring of any kind becomes prohibited inside SPAs, with limited exceptions.
Know before you go. The entire Florida Keys are a designated No Discharge Zone — seal the through-hull before you enter and use the city's pump-out instead. The state parks bracket the run for the shallow-water days: Curry Hammock's mangrove-tunnel paddling loop and Long Key's bonefish flats (no boat ramps at Long Key — the park says so itself).
- Sombrero Key Reef (Sanctuary Preservation Area) — 4 miles seaward of Boot Key208 acres of classic spur-and-groove under 30 feet of water at the historic Sombrero Key Light — dive it off the sanctuary's buoys, and note NOAA's announced 2027 prohibition on SPA anchoring of any kind.
- Sister Creek — Between Boot Key and Vaca Key — Hawk Channel to the harborThe traditional hurricane holes of the Middle Keys — 5 ft reported (1983) through the creek, rocks awash off the east side at the entrance.
- Boot Key Harbor anchorage — South of the main harbor channel, Sister Creek to the Boot Key BridgeThe city's own pages map the harbor anchorage plus four transient anchorages around Marathon — Bone Fish Bay (6 ft controlling), Boot Key West, Tranquility Bay and Vaca Cut gulfside, each with its stated wind protection.
- Knight Key anchorage — Northward of Sombrero Key Light, off Knight KeyThe staging anchorage at the foot of the Seven Mile Bridge — good sticky holding about 0.6 mile south of Knight Key, by the Coast Pilot's own note.
Service, refit & supplies
Chandleries & specialty suppliers
- West Marine — Marathon — Marathon — 2109 Overseas HwyThe Middle Keys' chain chandlery — boat supplies, fishing gear and safety equipment mid-island.
On the Middle Keys calendar
Original Marathon Seafood Festival — March at Marathon Community Park, fifty years running. Co-organized by the Organized Fishermen of Florida's Marathon chapter and the Greater Marathon Chamber since 1976, it's the real thing: fresh Keys lobster and stone crab straight off the boats, 200-plus vendors, live music and a boat show, with proceeds — over $60,000 a year by the organizers' own count — returned to the community.
The winter circuit is a day's cruise in either direction: Islamorada's tournament season to the northeast, Key West's regattas and race weeks to the southwest, and the sanctuary's reef between them.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Middle Keys
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Marathon a good place to keep a boat?
For a boat that actually gets used, it's one of the best arguments in Florida: a protected harbor with a real city-run mooring field, haul-out and fuel on the same channel, Sombrero Reef minutes offshore, and both the bay and the Atlantic within a bridge span. The town is built around cruisers — marine retailers, groceries and a hospital, as the city itself puts it. Tell us how you'll use the water and we'll tell you what to buy: TS@MintedYachts.com or +1 (404) 805-9819.
Which Middle Keys restaurants can I reach by boat?
From each venue's own published welcome: Keys Fisheries (visit by water, first-come slips), Burdines Waterfront (slips for rent at the fuel dock), Dockside at Sombrero Marina (dinghy dockage stated on the marina's site), Angler & Ale at Hawks Cay (pull into the marina), and The Island Fish Co. at MM 54 (arrive from bay or ocean — it publishes its own GPS coordinates). Sunset Grille, Lazy Days South and Castaway are the landmark exceptions — famous water-adjacent rooms whose sites state no dockage, so check local dockage options first.
How does the Boot Key Harbor mooring field work?
It's the City of Marathon's own operation: 226 permanently engineered moorings — 211 rated for vessels to 45 feet and 15 for vessels to 60 feet — assigned strictly first-come, first-served with no reservations. Hail the marina on VHF 16; moorings are assigned during business hours, so late arrivals anchor off until morning. The city publishes its rates plainly ($25 a day or $394 a month, plus tax), and the fee includes dinghy dockage, showers and a weekly pump-out.
Where do boats shelter in heavy weather around Marathon?
Boot Key Harbor itself — the Coast Pilot calls it a secure refuge with excellent small-craft facilities — and, in the serious cases, Sister Creek's mangrove arms south of the harbor, where the Coast Pilot notes vessels tie directly to the mangroves. The city also lists four transient anchorages with their wind exposures: Bone Fish Bay, Boot Key West, Tranquility Bay and Vaca Cut gulfside. Pick by forecast quadrant, not by habit.
What are the bridge clearances through the Middle Keys?
Two fixed 65-foot spans, both confirmed in the current NOAA Coast Pilot: Channel Five southwest of Islamorada, and Moser Channel at the Seven Mile Bridge — where the Coast Pilot also warns of 1.4-to-1.8-knot currents and overfalls near the bridge on large tides. Vaca Cut's clearance is published in no official document we could find, so treat it as local-knowledge water. Knight Key Channel's fixed spans carry a least clearance of 19 feet.
Where can I dock a large yacht in Marathon?
Three basins publish serious numbers. Safe Harbor Marathon on Boot Key Channel takes transient vessels from 25 to 122 feet and pairs the slips with an 82.5-ton-lift boatyard. Faro Blanco on the gulf side runs 74 slips with deep-draft space to at least 120 feet by its own page. Hawks Cay's resort marina on Duck Key handles yachts to 92 feet across 66 slips. All three publish their own figures and fill fast in season.
Where can I get fuel in the Middle Keys?
Oceanside: Burdines Waterfront at the mouth of Boot Key Harbor pumps non-ethanol 90 and diesel, and Safe Harbor Marathon runs high-speed gas and diesel pumps daily. Gulfside: Faro Blanco carries non-ethanol gas and diesel, and Keys Fisheries has fuel next door to its marina. Duck Key: Hawks Cay's fuel dock pumps 90-octane non-ethanol and diesel from 7 to 5. Each figure is from the facility's own pages.
What are the rules at Sombrero Reef?
Sombrero Key is a Sanctuary Preservation Area — 208 acres of spur-and-groove reef four miles off Boot Key, all under 30 feet. Inside the SPA: no fishing or collecting, no touching or standing on coral, no anchoring on coral, and no anchoring at all when a mooring buoy is available. The sanctuary maintains more than 600 free first-come buoys (standard buoys take vessels to 59 feet) — and NOAA has announced that in 2027, anchoring of any kind becomes prohibited inside SPAs, with limited exceptions.