Boat Yard Service for Manatee County, by Water and by Road

The yard is on the Manatee River in Bradenton. NOAA's Coast Pilot 5 says the Manatee River empties into the south side of Tampa Bay just east of Anna Maria Sound, and that Palmetto is on the opposite side of the river from Bradenton (chapter 5, 04 OCT 2026 edition, read October 10, 2026).

For channel depths, bridge clearances and current conditions use the current chart and the Local Notice to Mariners. This page gives none of those figures and is not a navigation aid. Get directions on Google Maps

By road without traffic, the yard is 15 minutes from Cortez, 17 from the center of Bradenton, 18 from Holmes Beach and 21 from Palmetto. The table gives every place with its miles.

Palmetto is across the river: it is 4.8 miles from the yard in a straight line and 8.8 by road. Terra Ceia is 5.8 in a straight line and 13.7 by road.

It is 39 minutes and 19.7 miles from Parrish and 43 minutes and 22.1 miles from Lakewood Ranch, without traffic; from Ellenton it is 23 minutes and 10.2 miles. The routing profile is a car, so allow more for a boat on a trailer.

If the boat is coming for storage, trailer storage at the yard is an additional monthly charge and the trailer is stored off-site: see dry storage.

By water, the Intracoastal Waterway runs north through Anna Maria Sound and enters Tampa Bay at the sound's north end, and the Manatee River empties into the south side of the bay just east of the sound (NOAA Coast Pilot 5, chapters 12 and 5, 04 OCT 2026 edition, read October 10, 2026).

By road, the yard is 18 minutes from Holmes Beach, 20 from Bradenton Beach and 25 from Anna Maria, without traffic.

Coming up the Intracoastal Waterway from Sarasota Bay, a boat passes up to two drawbridges in Anna Maria Sound: the Cortez Bridge (State Route 684) and then the Anna Maria Island Bridge (State Route 64), according to NOAA's Coast Pilot 5.

A boat taller than a closed bridge has to ask for it to open, so check each bridge's current clearance and opening rules in the current Coast Pilot or the Local Notice to Mariners before you plan the trip.

A replacement has been announced. The U.S. Coast Guard's Public Notice 02-24, dated January 24, 2024, describes replacing the Cortez drawbridge with a high-level fixed bridge. Check current Florida Department of Transportation project information and the Local Notice to Mariners before planning around the Cortez Bridge.

This site lists Bradenton and Manatee County as the yard's area, and the table above shows distances from the yard. Call with the boat's length, type and where it lives, or fill in the town or marina field on the quote form, and ask whether the yard can take the job.

The Anna Maria Island Sun's hurricane guide, dated June 1, 2024 on its page (re-read October 10, 2026), reports that all of Anna Maria Island, Perico Island and Cortez are in Manatee County's Level A evacuation zone, “the first zone that will be called in the event of a storm.” The county says levels change and should be checked every year, so look up your address on its Know Your Evacuation Level page.