Are there any liveaboards in Anchorage, Alaska?

[Water Dragon]

I'm new in Alaska, and it looks like I'll be working in Anchorage. I don't have a boat yet, but when I get one I want to live aboard. From what I've read so far, it sounds like everyone keeps their boats in Whittier or Seward: too far for a daily commute to work. Are there marinas in Anchorage where people live aboard?

[KiminAK]

Nope. The Port of Anchorage doesn't have a small boat harbor. Whittier is going to be your closest place and slips are very hard to get in Whittier. The wait list in the old harbor is 5-7 years. The new boat harbor is a condo situation, you might be able to rent one if the owner's boat is not there right now, that's going to be about $500/mo. and then you have to get through the tunnel and to work in Anchorage every day. That road can get bad in the winter. People do commute in from Girdwood, so it's doable but not easy.

Whittier is a wonderful place to have a boat, though, Prince William Sound is amazing. If you want to keep a boat there, get one with a good heater. It rains like a SOB there so you have to have something to ward off the chill.

Good luck, it's an amazing place to have a boat, there are lots of adventures to be had!

[CSY Man]

Originally Posted by KiminAK

Nope. The Port of Anchorage doesn't have a small boat harbor. Whittier is going to be your closest place and slips are very hard to get in Whittier. The wait list in the old harbor is 5-7 years. The new boat harbor is a condo situation, you might be able to rent one if the owner's boat is not there right now, that's going to be about $500/mo. and then you have to get through the tunnel and to work in Anchorage every day. That road can get bad in the winter. People do commute in from Girdwood, so it's doable but not easy.

Whittier is a wonderful place to have a boat, though, Prince William Sound is amazing. If you want to keep a boat there, get one with a good heater. It rains like a SOB there so you have to have something to ward off the chill.

Good luck, it's an amazing place to have a boat, there are lots of adventures to be had!

Have you ever heard of the Bahamas?

[Water Dragon]

Originally Posted by KiminAK

Nope. The Port of Anchorage doesn't have a small boat harbor.

So Anchorage doesn't have, hmmm, an anchorage except for big ships?

Is it easier to get a slip in Seward, or even Homer?

[Lepke]

If you're not use to driving on ice and snow, you might live in Anchorage for a year.
Many Alaskans commute, and many professional drivers are on the roads every day, but travel between two cities isn't a guarantee every day. I'm long retired, and I never missed a day because of ice or snow. But you need to be prepared, have the right vehicle, and be able to drive on slick or snow covered roads. Sometimes I wisely stayed in town.

[KiminAK]

It is easier to get a slip in Seward or Homer, I don't know what the wait times are. At one time I was on the list for a slip in Seward for five years before I got one, but it's not that way now. You might wait a year or at least that's what I've heard. I don't know anything about Homer.

[KiminAK]

"So Anchorage doesn't have, hmmm, an anchorage except for big ships? "

Yeah, seems a little strange doesn't it? But Anchorage isn't an ice free port, so maybe that 's the reason?? I don't know.

[Water Dragon]

Originally Posted by Lepke

If you're not use to driving on ice and snow, you might live in Anchorage for a year.
Many Alaskans commute, and many professional drivers are on the roads every day, but travel between two cities isn't a guarantee every day. I'm long retired, and I never missed a day because of ice or snow. But you need to be prepared, have the right vehicle, and be able to drive on slick or snow covered roads. Sometimes I wisely stayed in town.

Out of curiosity, how far did you commute? I've done snow and ice driving before, but I know from experience that a 50-mile each way commute is SUCH a drag, even in good weather in southern states. I guess I'm stuck with Anchorage for now, but maybe later I'll have better luck finding work in a small town (I work on airplanes). After all, I didn't come all the way to Alaska just to live in the big city.

[Water Dragon]

Originally Posted by KiminAK

At one time I was on the list for a slip in Seward for five years before I got one, but it's not that way now.

Did you already have a boat while you were on the waiting list? If so, where did you put it? Can you just anchor for as long as you want?

[topmast]

Spent a winter on the hook at the end of the Kenai Pen .Windy Bay to be exact. It was an interesting experience. I wouldn't live in a big motor home in Anchorage but it's a nice place to visit.

[KiminAK]

Originally Posted by Water Dragon

Did you already have a boat while you were on the waiting list? If so, where did you put it? Can you just anchor for as long as you want?

Yep, already had a boat. It was in "transient mooring" for 5 years, usually rafting up on the end dock with 4 or 5 other boats. Not the ideal situation.

[seahag]

I live in anchorage and have a boat in Seward. The comments about Whittier are spot on, but Seward has a long wait list too. It depends on slip size. If you have a boat 36' or less the wait is shorter. Anchorage is unsuitable for boats,period. Huge area of water and never any boats using it. The tides are the second biggest in the world along with extreme shallows and shifting mud all the time. Only big ships at high tide can manage.

Good advice also about commuting. It would be ok to do in spring fall and summer but winter, no. E funny thing is living aboard in Seward is really easy even in winter. Whittier not so much, as it is pretty harsh. We get winds over 100 mph several times a year and 50 is very common, but not too big a deal really. We don't even worry or do anything unusual with those winds and the worst thing that has happened is we got black marks from the docks and fenders rubbing which is nothing.

You can live in an rv in anchorage if that would suit your fancy, it's really easy living here most of the time. Any more info pm me if you like.

Scott


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