Family-owned for more than 6 decades, we’ve built relationships with generations of boaters, cruisers, and fishermen who share our enthusiasm and passion for being on the water. At Cannons, you’ll find the area’s most exclusive selection of boats, motors, and accessories. Every brand is carefully selected for its unequalled performance, resale value, and the pure enjoyment it brings on the water.
It’s an approach that’s brought us consistent recognition as one of America’s elite boutique boat dealers. Discerning boaters trust us for our boating experience and intricate boat knowledge; for our vast familiarity with Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico waters; and for our unmatched level of personal service and strong after-sales support. Our commitment to our customers, our community, and our industry has been unwavering for 64 years. That’s why you can count on Cannons Marina to be your trusted partner in boating. You deserve nothing less.
Family-owned for more than 6 decades, we’ve built relationships with generations of boaters, cruisers, and fishermen who share our enthusiasm and passion for being on the water. At Cannons, you’ll find the area’s most exclusive selection of boats, motors, and accessories. Every brand is carefully selected for its unequalled performance, resale value, and the pure enjoyment it brings on the water.
It’s an approach that’s brought us consistent recognition as one of America’s elite boutique boat dealers. Discerning boaters trust us for our boating experience and intricate boat knowledge; for our vast familiarity with Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico waters; and for our unmatched level of personal service and strong after-sales support. Our commitment to our customers, our community, and our industry has been unwavering for 65 years. That’s why you can count on Cannons Marina to be your trusted partner in boating. You deserve nothing less.
In the late 1940s, Ernie Cannon established a remote fishing camp on Longboat Key, a southwest Florida barrier island with only dirt roads and a single bridge mainland. Wild hogs and rattlesnakes outnumbered people.
In the 1950s, Paul Miller, a Michigan engineer in search of a simpler life, moved to southwest Florida with his wife, Dorothy, and their two young children, Sally and David. Struck by the area’s profound beauty and pristine waters, Paul traded his engineering career for the romance of Florida’s boating life. In 1955, on a handshake, he purchased Cannons from Ernie Cannon.
David was only five when he started working at the marina, counting bait for local fishermen and tourists. Like his dad, David was innately drawn to life on the water, and so he spent his formative years learning every aspect of the business. After returning home from college in the 1970s, David purchased Cannons from his father.
From its modest roots as a boat rental business and bait shop, Cannons has grown into one of the most respected boat dealers in the country. Today, David and co-owner Lucile Capo and their equally devoted team of professionals are celebrating more than 64 years of uninterrupted family ownership. And while the island itself has grown to a manicured destination, the surrounding waters maintain their peaceful, pristine allure.