Cost to own a pontoon boat in Florida
Example: the SunChaser 21 Lr Dh, 21' 8", at its published builder price of $54,119 (sunchaserboats.com). It is the middle-priced of 160 pontoon / tritoon models with a published price ($23,970 – $418,939).
| Cost | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Sales/use tax (once) | $3,247 | 6% state sales/use tax (s. 212.05(1)(a)); occasional/isolated sales of registered boats are also taxed; county surtax may apply. Cap: $18,000 per sale or use of a boat; $60,000 per boat repair (s. 212.05(5)). Local tax may be added. |
| Title (once) | $5 | State title fee. |
| Registration (per year) | $29 | $29 every 1 yr (length tier 16-26 ft). Extra service/county fees not included. |
| Maintenance (per year) | $5,412 | 10% of boat value, a rule of thumb from discoverboating.com; not a measured average. |
| Property tax | — | No property tax on boats in our data — not included in these totals. |
| At purchase (tax + title) | $3,252 | plus the boat price |
| Per year, sourced lines | $5,441 | about $453/month; partial |
Costs you add yourself
We have no official per-state figure for these, so they are not in the totals above.
- Storage: outdoor storage runs about $600 – $3,600 a year nationally (discoverboating.com, $/month × 12). Keeping it on a trailer at home can be $0.
- Insurance: no public premium data; get a quote. Insurance matcher
- Fuel: the SunChaser 21 Lr Dh holds 38 gal. No official or public marina-fuel dataset found. EIA on-road retail gasoline/diesel by region is a proxy only.
- Loan: these numbers assume cash. Add your rate and term in the calculator.
Run the full calculator for this boat
More: Florida boating rules · all pontoon / tritoon models
Sources
- Registering agency: Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (titling/registration); FWC (education)
- myfwc.com
- myfwc.com
- flhsmv.gov
- flhsmv.gov
- floridarevenue.com
- uscgboating.org
- leg.state.fl.us
- floridarevenue.com
- Boat price and length: sunchaserboats.com
State rules checked 2026-11-05. Fees change; confirm with the agency. Calculated with the same engine as the true cost tool.