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SW FL Guide > Waterfront Property > Cape Coral > Boating run to Gulf

Cape Coral boating run distances to the Gulf of Mexico

PAGE 5 of Cape Coral Waterfront Buyer’s Guide

Cape Coral boating runs to the Gulf of Mexico vary from 3.9 to 16 miles, depending on the starting location within the canal system.  The following map will help to illustrate those distances.  Though it may appear to be a rather simple image, this is one of the most valuable maps of Cape Coral you will ever come across- and you can’t find it anywhere else.  It was created based on measuring hundreds of boating run distances, and is color coded to simplify the breakdown of the city.

To better explain what I mean by distances to ‘open water’: In South Cape Coral (where the majority of the Gulf access properties are found) open water means the time it will take you to get out to the Gulf of Mexico.

It works a little differently up in the NW corner of the city though, as that portion of Cape Coral has it’s boating access out via a different outlet- through Matlacha Pass, and then Northward into Charlotte Harbor. In the NW section the map is in reference to the distance to those open waters of Charlotte Harbor instead.

Because Cape Coral has hundreds of miles of Gulf access canals, all of which are idle speed, no wake zones that translates to a significant variation in run times to the open water.  Some are great- others not so much. There are even a few cases where you will be stuck in the canal system for 8-11 miles!  Again, at idle speed. And to make it trickier, there’s little obvious rationale to how the canal system is laid out.  Granted, I know the entire system inside and out so you can of course simply call me to guide you, but to make it a bit easier to understand, here’s the map:

So for the shortest boating runs, you will ideally want the areas noted in red or orange, if it’s within your budget.  Very possibly including the yellow areas as well. If you are searching for cheaper properties (for example, below $400k) or perhaps you are not quite as avid of a boater, you may wish to expand your search to the additional areas as well.

One very important point to make though: this map is measuring DISTANCE not TIME.  For example, see those areas on the Eastern edge of the city, along the river? Much of which are noted in green and blue, so the physical distances to the Gulf of Mexico are fairly significant. Between 12.5 to 15.5 miles from the Gulf.  However, many of them offer VERY quick river access, so you get out of the canal system quickly and are free to go 25 MPH in most channels in the river.  That’s a whole lot faster than the idle speed you’d otherwise be going if still in the canals themselves!  For that reason, these actually offer a very enjoyable boating alternative and you make quick time heading South towards the Gulf.  So while it may physically be a ways up river, there’s a notable benefit to these that just doesn’t show up when only analyzing the physical distances on this map.  And it’s not all about the open Gulf anyway!  One could spend years fishing and cruising all the backwaters without actually ever making it out into the open Gulf.  There’s various restaurants, bars, fishing spots, etc all located closer in.  Just a matter of what your boating needs are.

But to get back on the subject of the actual distances, here’s the number of miles to open water, from each of these color-coordinated zones:

So in summary, if you are anticipating being right out the door of a Cape Coral home and on your boat, into the Gulf in 10 minutes, no, that won’t quite happen! Remember: Cape Coral isn’t actually right on the coast.  It’s close, but it is physically located a little upriver, so the boating is as well.  If you require the extremely short runs to the Gulf, select locations on Fort Myers Beach, Sanibel, Bonita Beach and Iona will outdo Cape Coral, but you are certainly going to notice a hefty pricing difference. Feel free to give me a call at 239-603-6100 about any of these additional areas as well, as I am quite familiar with all of them! But with that being said, by carefully selecting the right locations in Cape Coral you will find that you can have a very nice combination of a great home with a pool, a peaceful waterfront setting and quite respectable boating access out to the open waters, all at very reasonable prices. 

continue to the next page ‘Unrestricted Sailboat access properties’ >>