Aquila 50 Yacht 52' 2"
View Specs & ReviewEgmont Key to the Riverwalk day docks
Yachting in Tampa Bay & Downtown Tampa
A Minted Location · Tampa Bay & Downtown Tampa, Florida
If your ideal boating day runs from a wildlife-refuge island at the bay mouth to a downtown skyline by dinner, Tampa Bay is the rare harbor that delivers both ends of it. The approach is real shipping water — the Coast Pilot puts 45 feet of federal project depth in Egmont Channel at the entrance and 43 feet all the way to Tampa, under the Sunshine Skyway's 180-foot main span — and the destination is a city that meets you at the dock: the Tampa Convention Center's own day docks charge a flat $10 for up to three hours, steps from the 2.6-mile Riverwalk.
Minted Yachts works this bay from the Egmont pass to the Hillsborough River, 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, Tampa is really three waterfronts: downtown's Seddon Channel with the day docks, Davis Islands and Harbour Island; the city's south shore, where the 1904 Tampa Yacht & Country Club and the 175-slip Westshore basin hold the deep-draft berths; and the eastern shore at Apollo Beach and Ruskin, where the fuel docks and the tiki bars still work for a living. Pick your Tampa, and the boat follows.
Where to keep a yacht in Tampa Bay & Downtown Tampa
Tampa dockage sorts into three clusters. Downtown is arrival theater: the Convention Center's north and south floating day docks on Seddon Channel, the Pointe Marina's transient frontage at the tip of Harbour Island, and — when it reopens — the city's own Marjorie Park Marina on Davis Islands, published closed for hurricane damage per the city's 10/28/2025 update. That closure matters beyond the slips: Marjorie Park is downtown's only public fuel dock, so until it's back the nearest open-to-the-public fuel is Port 32's dock on the Old Tampa Bay side or Little Harbor's gas-and-diesel dock at Ruskin. The city's south shore holds the serious berths — Tampa Yacht & Country Club's members-only basin at Ballast Point and Westshore Yacht Club Marina's 175 slips with 12 feet of draft. And the eastern shore is working waterfront: Land's End at Apollo Beach and Little Harbor at Ruskin, both with restaurants on the docks. Figures below are what each facility publishes about itself.
Marinas
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Convention Center Marina (day docks)The downtown arrival dock: city-run north and south floating docks with slips to 50 ft plus 297 combined linear feet for over-50s (some slips held for tour operators), open 7 days 10 a.m. to sunset — dockmaster (813) 444-7728. Steps from the Riverwalk, Amalie Arena and Water Street; docks are not monitored 24/7 per the city page. | Downtown — Seddon Channel, at the Riverwalk | — | — | — |
| Marjorie Park MarinaThe city's full-service basin at the mouth of the Hillsborough River — 32 monthly slips (waiting list), berths to 85 ft and about 7-ft basin depths per Coast Pilot 5 (2026 ed.), with laundry, showers, ship store and pump-out. Rebuilding after hurricane damage; until it reopens, the nearest public fuel is Port 32 Tampa or Little Harbor at Ruskin. | Davis Islands — Seddon Channel, 97 Columbia Dr | 85 ft | 32 | Off-road diesel & mid-grade rec gas at cost plus 40% — downtown's only public fuel dock (when open) |
| The Pointe Marina at Harbour IslandThe 2016-built dock-and-dine hub at the tip of Harbour Island: 475 linear feet of floating docks plus 14 fixed slips averaging 22-ft beam (stern-in), full marina restrooms with showers, and the island's waterfront restaurants on site. | Harbour Island — the tip, at the Westin Tampa Waterside | — | — | — |
| Westshore Yacht Club MarinaThe deepest sourced recreational berthing in the region — 175 wet slips drawing 12 feet, run by Integra Marinas since 2020, with unobstructed access to Old Tampa Bay and the Gulf and the Westshore Marina District's dining a walk away. Integra publishes no fuel service here; plan fuel at Port 32 or Little Harbor. | South Tampa — Westshore Marina District, Old Tampa Bay | — | 175 | — |
| Land's End MarinaApollo Beach's working waterfront: 105 wet slips on three fixed docks, Hi & Dry storage, factory-authorized Mercury, Yamaha, MerCruiser, Volvo Penta and Suzuki service with parts in stock — and Circles Waterfront Restaurant right on the docks. Mind the 5-ft draft limit; Apollo Beach is shoal-draft territory. | Apollo Beach — 1212 Apollo Beach Blvd | 100 ft | 105 | — |
| Little Harbor MarinasSuntex's full-service stop on the eastern shore, serving the bay since the 1950s — enclosed High and Dry storage, direct access to Tampa Bay and the Gulf with no bridges or locks, plus the Sunset Bar & Grill, Hooks restaurant, watersports rentals and a sailing school on site. | Ruskin — 606 Seagrape Dr, eastern shore | — | — | Fuel dock with gas & diesel — the eastern shore's public fuel stop |
Yacht clubs
| Name | Where | Max yacht | Slips | Fuel |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa Yacht & Country ClubTampa's oldest club, founded 1904 — 31 covered and 50 open slips plus about 65 dry spaces, rebuilt in a $6 million 2015 overhaul with fixed ipe docks and two floating docks between. A Platinum Club of America since 2003 and named among the Top 50 Yacht Clubs in the World 2020-21. | Ballast Point — 5320 Interbay Blvd, Hillsborough Bay | — | 81 | Members' fuel pier |
| Davis Island Yacht ClubThe bay's sailing-race engine, sitting on the open south end of Davis Islands with Hillsborough Bay as its racecourse — Thursday night races, Sunday racing, a nine-event Boat of the Year series, host of J70 and Star North American Championships, with youth sailing through the Davis Island Youth Sailing Foundation. | Davis Islands — 1315 Severn Ave, south end | — | — | — |
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 Tampa Bay & Downtown Tampa
The entrance. Egmont Channel between Mullet Key and Egmont Key is the deep-draft front door — a 45-foot federal project depth from the Gulf, then 43 feet up the bay to Tampa and 34 feet to Port Tampa, with controlling depths kept by USACE surveys and the Notice to Mariners (the Coast Pilot prints no survey years and defers to the latest charts). Respect the edges: shoals extend 5 miles seaward of Egmont Key with lumps of 11 to 18 feet, and unmarked spoil banks of 10 feet or less border the dredged cuts. Recreational alternates come with asterisks — Southwest Channel south of Egmont Key carried about 14 feet controlling but shoals, and Passage Key Inlet is an unmarked, shifting 9-foot channel whose surrounding shoals reported unexploded ordnance in 2020. Ebb runs 2 knots or more in Egmont Channel, and a strong offshore wind can drop the water at Tampa by as much as 4 feet — NOAA PORTS carries the real-time data.
The Skyway. The 500-foot main span clears 180 feet over the ship channel. The Coast Pilot carries a plain-language caution here: close calls between small recreational vessels and ships at the main span, where deep-draft traffic is confined by Rule 9 and transits at speeds in excess of 12 knots. Give the big ships the span — there is a whole bay of water that isn't the channel.
Up the bay. At the main-channel turn southeast of Gadsden Point, Big Bend Channel leads east to the power plant and Port Redwing — and near Pine Key (27°48'28"N, 82°26'41"W) the Coast Pilot warns that passing ships can create a hydrodynamic surge invisible until it reaches the beach; anchored boats there should keep engines operable. The Alafia River carries a 32-foot project depth to the East Tampa turning basin but shoals frequently, with regulated manatee speed zones in its lower mile and its Hillsborough Bay approach; above the 28-foot fixed span and the 6-foot railroad swing bridge it's about 3 feet at high water with local knowledge. On the Old Tampa Bay side, the federal project runs 34 feet to the Port Tampa turning basin, but about three-fourths of that bay is 6 to 17 feet — and a MacDill AFB small-arms danger zone sits off the southwest Interbay shore (33 CFR 334.630).
Downtown. Seddon Channel — the recreational front door past Davis Islands — carries a 12-foot federal project depth; Sparkman and Ybor Channels carry 34 feet and the cruise and cargo traffic that goes with it. Garrison Channel is de-authorized as a federal project, shoaling through its western half, with two 10-foot fixed bridges. A no-wake zone runs from the southern tip of Harbour Island to the Platt Street bridge, only small boats clear the north end of Davis Islands (two fixed bridges, 34 feet wide, 9 feet of clearance), and a barge anchorage lies close off the islands' southeast side. The city's Davis Island Seaplane Basin ramp at 846 Severn Ave stays open 24/7 — two lanes and a dock.
The river. Air draft is the whole story on the Hillsborough: the Platt Street bascule opens at 15 feet, then twin fixed spans at 40 feet, the Kennedy Boulevard bascule at 11, bascules of 7 and 12 feet farther up, expressway spans at 39 and the North Boulevard fixed bridge at 40 — with the dam at Sulphur Springs, 8 miles above the mouth, as the head of navigation. The reward for a low-air-draft boat is the Riverwalk's 2.6 miles of downtown running past Water Works Park's public boat dock.
Manatee zones. Hillsborough County's manatee protection zones are set by FWC rule 68C-22.013 — restricted speed where collisions are the risk. Don't paraphrase boundaries from memory: FWC publishes the county zone maps as PDFs, and the map is the rule.
- Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge — Mouth of Tampa Bay — boat access onlyA 250-acre island at the bay mouth, refuge since 1974 and home to the Tampa Bay pilot station per Coast Pilot 5 — fishing, hiking, picnicking, shelling (deceased shells only) and photography welcome; no pets, camping, fires, alcohol, glass or fireworks, and staked nesting sites are off limits.
- Weedon Island Preserve — Old Tampa Bay — north St. Petersburg shorelineA 3,000-acre natural area on Old Tampa Bay with more than 4.7 miles of boardwalks and trails, a paddling launch with rentals and a fishing pier — the wild counterweight to the downtown skyline, twenty minutes of water away.
On the Tampa Bay & Downtown Tampa calendar
Gasparilla Pirate Fest — January 30, 2027, when Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla brings the Jose Gasparilla II — in the organizers' words, the world's only fully-rigged pirate ship — to Tampa, with a Parade of Pirates down Bayshore Boulevard. If you boat this bay, this is the day the whole harbor turns out.
The Davis Island racing calendar — Davis Island Yacht Club runs Thursday night races and Sunday racing on Hillsborough Bay, a nine-event Boat of the Year series and seasonal regattas, and has hosted the J70 and Star North American Championships; its youth program runs through the Davis Island Youth Sailing Foundation.
Manatee season — November 1 to April 15, when Tampa Electric's Manatee Viewing Center at the Big Bend plant opens daily 10 to 5 with free admission; the warm-water discharge canal is a state and federally designated manatee sanctuary, which is exactly why you visit it by land, not by boat.
Yachts we'd shortlist for Tampa Bay & Downtown Tampa
Reviewed the same way as everything on this site — specifications verified against the builder's own numbers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I visit Egmont Key by boat?
Yes — the island is boat-access only. Egmont Key National Wildlife Refuge, 250 acres at the mouth of Tampa Bay, is open sunrise to sunset, and the Fish & Wildlife Service explicitly permits boating, swimming, fishing, hiking, picnicking, shelling of deceased shells and photography. The south-end bird sanctuaries — about 97 acres, roughly a third of the island — are closed year-round, staked nesting sites are off limits, and pets, camping, fires, alcohol, glass and fireworks are all prohibited. The Tampa Bay pilot station shares the island.
Where can I get fuel near downtown Tampa?
Plan ahead this season. Marjorie Park Marina on Davis Islands — downtown's only public fuel dock, selling off-road diesel and mid-grade rec gas at cost plus 40% — is closed for hurricane damage per the city's 10/28/2025 update. Until it reopens, the nearest sourced public fuel is Port 32 Tampa's dock on the Old Tampa Bay side at Rattlesnake Point, or Little Harbor's gas-and-diesel dock at Ruskin on the eastern shore. Tampa Yacht & Country Club has a fuel pier, but it's members-only.
What's the clearance under the Sunshine Skyway?
180 feet — the 500-foot main span clears 180 feet over the main ship channel, per Coast Pilot 5 (2026 ed.), so vertical clearance is a non-issue for any recreational mast. The real caution is traffic: the same chapter reports close calls between small recreational boats and deep-draft ships at the main span, where commercial vessels are confined to the channel by Rule 9 and transit at speeds in excess of 12 knots. Cross the channel at right angles, give ships the span, and use the rest of the bay.
Where can I dock in downtown Tampa?
The Tampa Convention Center Marina — the city's own day docks on Seddon Channel. Two floating docks carry slips for boats to 50 feet plus 297 combined linear feet for larger vessels, open seven days from 10 a.m. to sunset. Hourly docking is a flat $10 for up to three hours, first-come; overnight runs $3 per foot with a $78 minimum plus tax, 10-night maximum, with 30- and 50-amp power first-come. That puts you steps from the Riverwalk, Water Street and Amalie Arena. Dockmaster: (813) 444-7728.
Can I take my boat up the Hillsborough River?
Only if your air draft cooperates. The Platt Street bascule at the mouth opens at 15 feet of closed clearance, then the stack tightens: twin fixed spans at 40 feet, the Kennedy Boulevard bascule at 11, bascules of 7 and 12 feet farther up, and the dam at Sulphur Springs 8 miles above the mouth ends navigation — all per Coast Pilot 5 (2026 ed.). The reward is the 2.6-mile Riverwalk and the city's Water Works Park boat dock beside Ulele. A no-wake zone runs from Harbour Island's southern tip to the Platt Street bridge.
Where do larger yachts berth in Tampa?
Westshore Yacht Club Marina in South Tampa is the deep option: 175 wet slips for vessels from 40 to over 130 feet with a 12-foot maximum draft and unobstructed access to Old Tampa Bay and the Gulf, per its operator. Downtown, the Pointe Marina at Harbour Island publishes 190 linear feet of transient space with 100-amp service, and the Convention Center's over-50 linear dockage adds 150 feet on the south dock and 147 on the north. Land's End at Apollo Beach takes 100-footers — but only on 5 feet of draft.
Is Tampa Bay a good home port?
If you want a city that meets the boat, yes: day docks in the middle of downtown, a 43-foot ship channel that never closes, published municipal rates, three distinct waterfronts at three price points, and Egmont Key standing guard at the pass. The honest trade-offs: the river's bridge stack limits air draft, the eastern shore runs shoal, and you share the channel with working tonnage. Tell us how you'll use the bay and we'll match the boat: TS@MintedYachts.com or +1 (404) 805-9819.
Which Tampa restaurants can I reach by boat?
The sourced boat-up list: Circles Waterfront dines you right on the docks of Land's End Marina at Apollo Beach, in its own words; Finn's Dockside next door welcomes you by bay or by land; Hula Bay Club sits on Port 32 Tampa's docks (slips to 65 feet, fuel on site, per the operator); and Ulele pairs with the city's Water Works Park dock — dock your boat and enjoy the park, as the city puts it. Downtown, the Convention Center day docks put Columbia Cafe and Sparkman Wharf a Riverwalk stroll away.