anyone living aboard in sausalito or surrounding?

[cloudman]

HI
I am just looking for some information from anyone living aboard in sausalito, or S.F. Bay. What marina are you in....and what do you pay? P.M. me if you wanna keep it quite.
THANKS
Travis

[Jack Long]

I couldn't find any marinas in Marin that admitted to taking liveaboards. However, there are clearly a TON of unofficial liveaboards. I went out for a daysail with a guy who keeps his boat in Alameda who said all the marinas over there allow it- but I didn't research it myself. Then, a few weeks ago I called around the peninsula a bunch and I only found two openly liveaboard friendly marinas. Pete's Harbor and Docktown. In both cases you pay your slip rent then buy a liveaboard permit for a few hundred more. I think one was 500 and one was 350. One of them said they do not allow liveaboards on boats under 36'.

I suspect this is all a bit of a front for some 1950s style business. Like, be the harbormaster's pal and it is a different story. But, that is mostly based on rumor.

[imagine2frolic]

With the cost of living in the Bay Area. Getting into a legal live-aboard will be nearly impossible. I was a live-aboard for years on the bay, and loved it!!!!!!!!!!!

[cloudman]

Yeah i called a few and some were a bit soft spoken on the phone...like they had "information" but it wasn't going to be given over the phone. Yeah I know about the amount of people that are living aboard.

so imagine, are you saying that you were legal or not legal. i am just trying to get an idea.
Thanks guys so much for your help. I found a few great boats, that i really want to buy, and they come with slips....just non that will allow a liveaboard, at least that is what they say to me on the phone.
Mabye i just need to go for a visit.

[imagine2frolic]

I was legal. My point being that you will most likely find it as rare as th DO-DO Bird to come acroos a permit, but BEST WISHES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[scotte]

Not that anyone is, but don't be too quick to blame the marinas. The BCDC - Bay Conservation and Development Commission regulates liveaboards to 10% of available slips. This means waiting lists are long - several years. The only marina I know on the Penninsula which isn't subject to the 10% rule is Pete's Harbor - because they sued the government and won. +1 for the little guys!

And yes, there are sneakaboards all over the place.

[windsaloft]

THere are two marinas who openly will take liveaboard applications --- Marina Bay in Richmond, and Berkeley Marina. The latter just had a big ad in the paper soliciting. Both have room, right now, for legal liveaboard folks and will do an app "off the street"> We got a slip and approval for legal liveaboard over there, but the way things worked, we decided to stay where we were. Steve, at Marina Bay, is easy to talk to and a straight shooter. Visit the office and see for yourself. We also liked Marina Bay b/c of the deepwater access.

Over in Marin --- well, life there is a different story. But, as we have found --- visiting in person, being persistent and polite, arriving with glossy photos of your boat and a copy of your insurance.....all these things help. It has all worked out in time, but if you want legal liveaboard right off the bat, I think your only current options are Berkely and Marina Bay/Richmond.

[pbwdance]

I'm looking at a job in Santa Clara and live in Santa Rosa. I am developing a plan to buy a sailboat and dock it somewhere close to caltrain. I'm also trying to find a place that allows liveaboards 4 days /week and is close to caltrain. The marina next to the SBC park looks great but I hear the wait list is years (anyone know this?). If Pete's allow's livaboards that could work, but how long does it take to sail to say Angel Island from there? Any suggestions would be nice.

[Jack Long]

Are you planning on sailing as part of your commute?

Or do you mean for weekend use or whatever?

[pbwdance]

I'm planning on taking caltrain if I could get into the marina next to SBC, or from Berkeley, Bart then Caltrain, but the sailboat would be home 3-4 nights a week.

From Pete's it looks like 2 miles to the Redwood city Cal Train Stop.

Trade off is commute time vs covienence of location either in the city, Berkeley or even Sausalito..