Boat care on the water in Pompano Beach
Pompano Beach sits at the Hillsboro Inlet (ICW Mile Marker 1054), with roughly seven-foot depths out to the Atlantic and the 136-foot Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse, in service since 1907, marking the channel. Sands Harbor Marina and the Hillsboro Inlet Fishing Center anchor a deep-sea and reef fishing charter fleet with access to Sailfish Alley just offshore.
Sailfish Alley, a stretch of water about a mile off Pompano Beach, puts boats running out of Hillsboro Inlet into prime sailfish water faster than almost anywhere else on this coast: one recorded day there produced 83 sailfish. Mahi-mahi, wahoo and kingfish run the same water, part of why a deep-sea and reef-fishing charter fleet is based right at the inlet, anchored by Sands Harbor Marina and the Hillsboro Inlet Fishing Center.
On the industry side, Pompano Beach carries a cluster of working marine businesses rather than just resort marinas, Complete Marine has run as a full-service boatyard and fuel dock here since 1985, and a 40,000-square-foot enclosed dry-storage facility nearby holds boats up to 48 feet. That mix of charter fleet, boatyard and dry storage reads differently than the slip-and-condo marinas further south in the county.
- the Intracoastal Waterway
- the Hillsboro Inlet
Dive services for Pompano Beach boats
Marinas and docks around Pompano Beach
We come to the boat in Pompano Beach: dock, lift or slip.
- Hillsboro Inlet Marinaprivate
- Sands Harbor Marina125 N Riverside Dr, minutes from Hillsboro Inlet
- Hillsboro Inlet Fishing Centerat the inlet
Listed for location only, not an affiliation.
The visit, step by step
- 01
Free inspection
We look first and tell you straight what we found.
- 02
Hull schedule
Every 2-3 weeks in summer, 3-4 in winter. It depends on the boat.
- 03
Zincs
Swapped at about half their life, with a zinc report.
- 04
Props
Pulled by our divers; repairs go to F&J.
Pompano Beach questions
What's the water like running out of Pompano Beach?
Hillsboro Inlet gives roughly seven feet of depth out to the Atlantic, marked by the 136-foot lighthouse that's been running since 1907.
Why is Sailfish Alley near Pompano Beach famous?
It's a stretch of water about a mile offshore where sailfish concentrate in winter: one recorded day there produced 83 sailfish, reached quickly from Hillsboro Inlet.