TAMPA - For John and Emmy Reynolds, there is only Bayside Marina.

Its rental space is the reason they felt comfortable buying a 20-foot boat in January.

But as word of the marina's possible sale and boat condo conversion spread Wednesday, the Reynoldses worried about their boat's fate.

"There is nowhere else for small boat owners to affordably keep their boats," Emmy Purcell-Reynolds said. "I was very disappointed to hear that may be going away since we paid for a full year in advance to lock in our rate."

Steeven Knight, the Fort Myers marina developer poised to purchase the site at 5200 W Tyson Ave., said dock renters should take heart. He expects investors to buy a significant number of the boat condos and lease them to renters.

"We will lose some of the current renters, without question," Knight said. "By the same token, some of those renters may come back after (the slips) are leased out."

Knight runs several luxury boat marinas around the state. He has a pending contract to buy the Tampa property from CJ Marina. He expects to close the deal in mid May provided prospective "dockominium" owners show interest in the project.

The developer declined to say how much he has agreed to pay for the deal, but he said his purchase price far exceeds the $5.12-million site assessment on file with the Hillsborough County property appraiser.

Since an article announcing Knight's plans ran Wednesday in the Times, Knight said his employees have been fielding calls from would-be buyers. So far, he said he has 14 contracts for boat condos at the site. A sales representative for the new marina is on duty at the Tampa property. Knight expects to begin an advertising campaign for the project next week.

Knight plans to name the marina the Tampa Harbour Yacht Club. Its operations would model his other luxury marinas, including the Sanibel Harbour Yacht Club, where boat condo prices range from $124,000 per slip for dry storage to $425,000 for wet slips.

In Tampa, Knight expects sales prices to range from $121,500 to $181,000 for dry dock slips. He has not decided if he will sell the facility's wet slips.

Condo owners would receive what Knight calls "five-star concierge service," including maintenance, cleaning and stocking the boat with food and beverages.

Development plans call for new dry dock buildings. Construction would occur in phases, Knight said.

Despite what some boaters perceive as a loss of rental dock space, Knight said his project would still benefit the public.

"This clearly protects that property to be a marina for life," Knight said. "It's better than it being a hotel or a condo without access to the water."

Boat owners who currently rent dock space at Bayside will have first priority to purchase condos, Knight said. But boaters who ultimately decide to lease from condo owners also get the same privileges as owners.

Still, the prospect of conversion disappoints Purcell-Reynolds.

The sales price "is so far out of the price range for anybody in the affordable or small boat range who just owns a pleasure or fishing boat," said Purcell-Reynolds, who lives in Beach Park. "He's going to price everybody out of the market except for the luxury boat owners."

Sherri Day can be reached at 813-226-3405 or sday@sptimes.com