Boating near Jacksonville, Florida

Jacksonville (population 1,017,689, US Census Bureau 2025 estimate) ranks #226 of 1,041 US cities over 40,000 people for boating access in our data, with a score of 65.1 out of 100.

Counted from the city's Census internal point (30.336864, -81.661603), straight-line distance
Within	Marinas	Boat ramps	Pump-out stations	Named lakes / waterways
25 miles	36	140	19	0
50 miles	75	249	36	13

How the score works: method and limits. Counts depend on how well each state's public data covers its facilities.

Marinas near Jacksonville

Nearest named marinas within 25 miles (19 more in the source have no name)
Name	Distance	City	Map	Source
Saint Johns Marina	1.2 mi	Jacksonville	map of Saint Johns Marina	OpenStreetMap
Arlington Marina	3 mi	Jacksonville	map of Arlington Marina	OpenStreetMap
Bill Dye Marina	3.8 mi	Jacksonville	map of Bill Dye Marina	OpenStreetMap
Fisherman's Marina	3.9 mi	Jacksonville	map of Fisherman's Marina	OpenStreetMap
Seafarers Marina	3.9 mi	Jacksonville	map of Seafarers Marina	OpenStreetMap
The Florida Yacht Club	6.1 mi	Jacksonville	map of The Florida Yacht Club	OpenStreetMap
Jim King Marina	12.7 mi	Jacksonville	map of Jim King Marina	OpenStreetMap
Harbortown Marina	13.2 mi	Jacksonville	map of Harbortown Marina	OpenStreetMap
Doctors Lake Marina	13.5 mi	Fleming Island	map of Doctors Lake Marina	OpenStreetMap
Bull Bay Pier	14.1 mi	Jacksonville	map of Bull Bay Pier	OpenStreetMap
Palm Cove Marina	14.1 mi	Jacksonville	map of Palm Cove Marina	OpenStreetMap
Mandarin Holiday Marina	14.2 mi	Jacksonville	map of Mandarin Holiday Marina	OpenStreetMap

Full lists: Marinas in Florida

Boat ramps near Jacksonville

Nearest named boat ramps within 25 miles (32 more in the source have no name)
Name	Distance	City	Map	Source
Chelsea Street Kayak Access at McCoy Creek (McCoy's Creek)	1 mi	Jacksonville	map of Chelsea Street Kayak Access at McCoy Creek	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
St Johns Marina (Downtown Jacksonville) (St. Johns River)	1.2 mi	Jacksonville	map of St Johns Marina (Downtown Jacksonville)	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
North Bank River Walk - Gefen Park Paddlecraft Access (Saint Johns River)	1.3 mi	Jacksonville	map of North Bank River Walk - Gefen Park Paddlecraft Access	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
Metropolitan Park Marina - Kayak Access (St. Johns River)	1.6 mi	Jacksonville	map of Metropolitan Park Marina - Kayak Access	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
Bee Street Park - Paddlecraft Access (Saint Johns River)	1.9 mi	Jacksonville	map of Bee Street Park - Paddlecraft Access	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
Arlington Road Public Boat Ramp (St. Johns River)	3 mi	Jacksonville	map of Arlington Road Public Boat Ramp	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
River Oaks Park Paddlecraft Access (Craig Creek)	3 mi	Jacksonville	map of River Oaks Park Paddlecraft Access	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
Blue Cypress Park Canoe Access (St. Johns River)	3.7 mi	Jacksonville	map of Blue Cypress Park Canoe Access	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
North Shore Park Kayak Launch (St. Johns River - Trout River (Jacksonville))	3.7 mi	Jacksonville	map of North Shore Park Kayak Launch	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
Arlington Lions Club Park & Boat Ramp (St. Johns River)	3.8 mi	Jacksonville	map of Arlington Lions Club Park & Boat Ramp	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
Reddie Point Preserve Canoe Access (St. Johns River)	4.3 mi	Jacksonville	map of Reddie Point Preserve Canoe Access	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...
T.K. Stokes Public Boat Ramp (Ribault River)	4.4 mi	Jacksonville	map of T.K. Stokes Public Boat Ramp	Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation...

Full lists: Boat ramps in Florida

Pump-out stations near Jacksonville

No named pump-out stations within 25 miles in our data (19 unnamed in the source).

Full lists: Pump-out stations in Florida

Main waters near Jacksonville

No large named lake or waterway with a mapped center point within 25 miles in our waterways file. Coastal and river waterways from the USACE network have no point location there, so they are not counted.

Waters named on nearby ramp and pump-out records: St. Johns River (16), St Johns River (7), Ortega River (6), Nassau River (6), St. Johns River - Trout River (Jacksonville) (5), Intracoastal Waterway (4), Black Creek North Fork (4), Ribault River (3).

Boat types for local water (general guide)

A general guide derived only from the kinds of water named above, not advice for any one lake or bay. Check local rules, depth and conditions.

Coastal bays, sounds and harbors: Center console (under 30 ft), Bay boat, Dual console, Sailboat (monohull), Express / cabin cruiser, Flats boat / skiff
Navigable rivers and canals: Aluminum fishing, Jon / utility / hunting, Pontoon / tritoon, Jet boat

How to choose a boat type

Florida rules for boat owners

Registering agency	Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (titling/registration); FWC (education)
Registration	A-1 <12 ft $5.50; A-2 12-<16 ft $16.25; Class 1 16-<26 ft $28.75; Class 2 26-<40 ft $78.25; Class 3 40-<65 ft $127.75; Class 4 65-<110 ft $152.75; Class 5 110 ft+ $189.75; plus $2.25 service fee and $0.50 FRVIS fee; optional county fee varies by class; renewal: annual or 2 years; expires on the owner's birthday
Title	yes - all motorized vessels (title within 30 days)
Boater education	Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1988, who will be operating a boat in Florida waters with an engine of ten (10) horsepower or more is required to complete an approved boating safety course and obtain a Florida Boating Safety Education ID Card (per FWC, checked 2026-11-04); born on or after Jan. 1, 1988 (engines of 10 hp or more)

All Florida boating rules and sources · Check the rules for your boat (checked 2026-10-24; confirm with the agency)

Guides and calculators

Ask about a boat near Jacksonville

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Method and limits

Score = 100 × (0.40 × marinas + 0.35 × ramps + 0.15 × pump-outs + 0.10 × named lakes/waterways), each as log(1 + count within 25 miles) divided by log(1 + the highest count among all 1,041 cities). Population: US Census Bureau Vintage 2025 subcounty estimates (Jacksonville city, GEOID 1235000); location: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Facility data comes from OpenStreetMap and state and federal open data; coverage differs by state. Built 2026-11-02.