Posted by Meredith Folger Amon on Thursday, October 2nd, 2025 8:21am.
By Meredith Folger Amon
When buyers ask me about Ono Island, the conversation almost always comes back to boats. Along Bayou St. John and the Intracoastal Waterway, the big-water streets define what kind of vessel you can comfortably own, dock, and enjoy. To make things easier, I’ve created a quick-reference guide so you can see which streets work best for different types of boats.
The Viking 48 Convertible is a Gulf Coast favorite—a sportfisher with range, power, and luxurious comfort. Streets like Harbour Drive, Turtle Key, Hatteras Cove, and Marlin Key are ideal. These properties typically offer 90–110 feet of frontage and deep-water slips that are perfectly suited for a boat of this caliber.
The Caymas 34 CT is one of the most versatile wide-beam catamarans on the market. Its stability makes it an excellent fit almost anywhere on Bayou St. John or the Intracoastal. Streets like Shoalwater, Dolphin, and Pompano Key are particularly well suited, but in truth, the Caymas 34 CT feels at home across all of Ono Island’s big-water properties.
If your boating lifestyle leans toward Sunseeker, Princess, or Viking sportfishing yachts in the 55–70 ft range, focus on Sandy Key, Peninsula, and St. John Drive. These addresses offer some of the widest and deepest frontage on the island, often 150+ feet, with room for reinforced docks and multi-boat setups.
What sets St. John Drive and Peninsula Drive apart is their dual access. Many properties have a large slip on Bayou St. John for a sportfisher or yacht, paired with a smaller slip across the street in the protected canals or Ono Harbour. This allows owners to comfortably keep both a big-water vessel and a smaller bay boat or tender—a rare and valuable setup.
Sandpiper Drive is unique because it offers both. Some homes face Bayou St. John with frontage that works beautifully for larger center consoles and offshore boats, while others are tucked along the canal, better suited for bay boats, pontoons, and smaller center consoles. Buyers who want options at different price points often start here.
At the entrance to Ono Island, streets like Hatteras Cove, Pompano Key, Oleander Court, Cuttysark Cove, and Palmetto Court provide a more intimate feel but still open directly to Bayou St. John. With frontage around 90–120 feet, they are well suited for mid-size sportfishers in the 40–50 ft range and wide-beam cats like the Freeman 37 or Caymas 34 CT.
Street | Waterfront | Frontage Range | Ideal Boats |
---|---|---|---|
Sandy Key Drive | Bayou St. John / ICW | 130–175 ft | Yachts 55–70 ft (Sunseeker, Viking 64, Princess 62) |
Marlin Key Drive | Bayou St. John / ICW | 80–169 ft | Sportfish 45–55 ft, Freeman 37, Invincible 40 Cat |
Peninsula Drive | Bayou St. John + Harbour | 90–155 ft | Yachts 50–60 ft + smaller vessels in Ono Harbour |
St. John Drive | Bayou St. John + Canal | 80–533 ft | Yachts 50–70 ft + smaller bay boat in canal |
Shoalwater Drive | Bayou St. John | 80–83 ft | Offshore center consoles 36–42 ft, Caymas 34 CT |
Turtle Key Drive | Bayou St. John | 100–110 ft | Sportfish 45–55 ft (Viking 52, Hatteras GT45) |
Harbour Drive | Bayou St. John | 90–102 ft | Sportfish 45–50 ft (SeaVee 39, Viking 46) |
Sandpiper Drive | Bayou + Canal mix | 70–179 ft (Bayou) | Bayou side: center consoles/sportfish 40–50 ft; Canal side: bay boats/pontoons |
Hatteras, Pompano, Oleander, Cuttysark, Palmetto | Bayou St. John | 90–120 ft | Mid-size sportfishers 40–50 ft, Freeman 37, Caymas 34 CT |
Whether you’re a center console owner, a catamaran enthusiast, or a yacht-scale boater, Ono Island has a street that matches your boating lifestyle. From the dual-slip convenience of St. John and Peninsula, to the expansive frontage of Sandy Key and Marlin Key, to the quiet cul-de-sacs of Hatteras and Cuttysark, there is a perfect fit for every captain here.
Explore Ono Island big-water homes here:
https://www.searchthegulf.com/ono-island/
Guided by Integrity. Backed by Experience. Search the Gulf with Meredith Folger Amon.
Meredith Folger Amon is a Gulf Coast Expert Real Estate Advisor, licensed in Alabama and Florida. She specializes in helping buyers and sellers navigate the boating lifestyle on Ono Island and beyond.
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