Which new Miami condos suit a boat owner?

None of these four buildings publishes a deeded boat slip for each home, so the slip is the first question, not the last. Rivage Bal Harbour lists private marina services, From $14,100,000. Villa Miami in Edgewater has a dock, but it sits in a commercial part of the building sold separately and its operation is not guaranteed, From $5,750,000. The Perigon has about 200 feet of shoreline on the bay side, From $12,500,000. 619 Brickell by Nobu sits on the bay, From $2,950,000.

The same five questions, put to each building from the developers' published material:

Rivage Bal Harbour. Price point: From $14,100,000. Delivery: no date on file. Unit mix: about 56 homes of three to six bedrooms, about 3,300 to 12,600 square feet. Position: about 2.7 oceanfront acres with about 200 linear feet of private shoreline. Operator: Related Group and Two Roads Development; private marina services and house cars on the amenity list.

Villa Miami. Price point: From $5,750,000. Delivery: no date on file. Unit mix: about 70 half-floor and full-floor homes of 3 to 5 bedrooms. Position: 700 NE 29th Street, East Edgewater, bay frontage on two sides, a floating pool on the bay. Operator: Major Food Group under licence; the dock, restaurant and helipad sit in commercial components sold separately.

The Perigon. Price point: From $12,500,000. Delivery: no date on file. Unit mix: about 73 homes of two to four bedrooms. Position: 5333 Collins Avenue, Mid-Beach, between the Atlantic and Biscayne Bay, about 200 linear feet of shoreline on both sides. Operator: Starwood Capital Group and Mast Capital.

619 Brickell by Nobu. Price point: From $2,950,000. Delivery: no date on file. Unit mix: about 300 homes, one to five bedrooms. Position: 619 Brickell Avenue, on the water. Operator: Nobu, under licence.

It can mean many things, and the purchase depends on which. A building may own slips and sell them, assign them, lease them, or only arrange space at a marina nearby. Each one is a different right.

Five questions settle it. Is there a slip for my home, and is it deeded, assigned or leased? How long a boat does it take, and how deep is the water at low tide? Who maintains the dock and pays for it? Can I sell the slip with the home, or separately? And can the association change the arrangement later?

The answers sit in the condominium documents: the declaration, any slip schedule, and the budget line for the dock. Our page on the condominium documents in five sections shows where to look. For Rivage, read what the amenities are and ask the developer for the marina terms in writing.

At Villa Miami, the developer's fact sheet says the restaurant, the dock and the helipad sit in commercial components sold to third parties, and their operation is not guaranteed. In plain words: the owner of the dock may not be your association. The dock could operate under a separate owner's rules and prices, or not at all.

That is not a reason to walk away; it is a reason to price the home without the dock and treat the dock as a possibility. Ask for any agreement giving residents use of it, its term and its cost. Our note on what to know before you buy at Villa Miami sets out the rest.

An oceanfront building puts the beach at the door. A bayfront building puts calmer water at the door, which is where docks usually are. The Perigon has both, with shoreline on the ocean side and on the bay side. Villa Miami and 619 Brickell by Nobu face the bay. Rivage faces the ocean, so its marina services may sit elsewhere; ask where.

Two practical checks for any boat owner: how far is open water, and how many fixed bridges sit on the way? A tall boat may not pass a low bridge. Ask the developer for the route from the slip to the inlet, then check it with your captain. A buyer for whom the boat comes first should also read the West Palm Beach waterfront comparison, where Alba publishes private boat slips on the Intracoastal and Olara a private marina. Our pages on oceanfront or bayfront in Miami and Edgewater or Bal Harbour, bay or ocean compare the two waters.

Rivage Bal Harbour suits the owner who wants marina services arranged by the building, house cars to the boat, and an oceanfront home. You pay the highest entry here and must confirm where the boat actually sits. See the Rivage dossier.

Villa Miami suits the owner who wants bay frontage on two sides and a dock at the building, accepting that the dock is not the association's. You give up certainty on the dock. See the Villa Miami dossier.

The Perigon suits the owner who wants both waters at one address. You give up a published marina program; ask what the bay-side shoreline allows. See The Perigon dossier.

619 Brickell by Nobu suits the owner who wants a city home on the bay and keeps the boat at a marina elsewhere. You give up a dock at the door on our file. See the Nobu dossier.

Boats raise the insurance question twice, for the home and for the vessel; read Miami condo insurance. The Bal Harbour and Surfside zone page and the Edgewater zone page map the water. An owner whose walls matter as much as the water should read which new Miami condos suit an art collector. The desk asks each developer the five slip questions in writing and lays the answers side by side before you visit.