living aboard in PDX

[toddster8]

The farther you go down Multnomah Channel, the cheaper and more available get the slips. There's a brand new marina on the 'Couve side of the river, but I suspect it's rather expensive.

[Wannabecrzn]

By down the channel do you mean out towards the Pacific?

[toddster8]

Yes, downstream toward St. Helens. I used to be in Scappoose Bay, which was very, very casual. Though bus service to Portland was kind of minimal.
If you go all the way to the Pacific, there seem to be plenty of liveaboard slips in Warrenton. But for some reason there is NO bus service.

[Wannabecrzn]

I assume that would be a heck of a commute to Portland and surrounding areas, the farther west you got... I guess I'll have to start calling around more west, though.

[toddster8]

There are dozens of places closer in where you can anchor. But the new state law is that you have to move every 30 days, at least 5 miles away. And you can't return to the previous spot for a year. Someone ought to make an app for liveaboards to play musical chairs. And that app ought to make sure that there are always a couple of noisome hulks, with fat, hairy, naked, blissfully unashamed crew, anchored out in front of the condo (built in an industrial shipyard!) of the rich bitch who got that law passed.

[captjamied]

Have you tried Harbor 1?

[Lepke]

Downstream, toward Astoria, Hwy 30 is probably the best (least traffic) commute in the Portland area.
I use to live in Scappoose. At rush hour I could drive the speed limit. No bumper to bumper.

[MercyfulBait]

Originally Posted by captjamied

Have you tried Harbor 1?

I took a look at it while I was down there a couple months ago, and it seemed like a ideal spot. Low key, not too fancy, and centrally located in the area I grew up in. The McCuddy's just down the road there was nice, too. They also say no liveaboards, but there were obviously people living there and it was almost empty. I really like the idea of mooring along Marine Drive, because the I-5 traffic situation these days is insane for Jantzen Beach. Harbor One says no liveaboards, and I couldn't get down on the docks to check out the scene, but it looked very empty so I can't imagine them turning away the business.

[CarinaPDX]

The McCuddys own 6 marinas in the Portland area, and they have liveaboards in most if not all of them. That doesn't mean they are taking new liveaboards at all, or some, of them. You will have to ask. BTW the McCuddys on Marine Drive has a silting problem so slips for cruising-sized sailboats are limited there. They do require a minimum of 30 feet for a liveaboard. It is a family-owned business so sometimes exceptions can be made to accommodate desirable customers - it is best to present yourself in person, probably at the main office at the Marine Drive marina, to make your case.

Greg

[MercyfulBait]

I'm going to take a look at a 28' Ranger next week, the owner of which says that he has had no problem living aboard at the marina it's currently moored at as well as Salpare Bay despite the 30' minimum. I'm hoping he's right, because it's already moored in a desirable marina and the price is right (under $4000 in good condition). I'm a clean cut guy, with decent credit, and the boat is very clean looking so I am hopeful that this will be a good fit.

[toddster8]

Good luck. I looked pretty hard at a Ranger 28 - I thought it was a bit tight for a cruiser or live aboard. Maybe for a really short person... Also they seem a bit too lightly built as they are prone to "keel wobble." When that happens, the whole bottom of the boat flexes when you tack. People have fixed that by adding a reinforcing grid of stringers - which takes away a few more inches of headroom. Some people really like them.

Not sure how you'd check for keel wobble without hauling the boat - maybe take a hard look at the tabbing on the bottom of the main bulkhead?

Another thought about PDX - depending on where you want to cruise, is that there is some convenience to being downstream of the Railroad Bridge. (clearance 33 feet) Sometimes they have made me wait up to two hours before opening it. (!) Though sometimes it's only 15 minutes.

[newhaul]

Mercyfulbait is there a specific reason for pdx ? There are lots of great cheap vessels in the puget sound. And many marinas don't have liveaboards slips but they don't care if you stay full time on your boat. Just call yourself full time cruiser. (Makes them happy)

[BrianKFriesen]

I lived aboard in Portland for several years about a decade ago. I wrote a novel about it. Waiting lists are usually long, but try to squeeze in during the winter months. If you show up with cash for the first month, they may bump you up in the list. I've worked at several marinas in the pdx area. Tell them Portland author Brian Friesen sent you and maybe that will get you in somewhere. No promises. I'm not that big of a deal as an writer. All the best!

[pdxsailordiver]

Try Captains marina down stream from PYC

[Lepke]

I have a private dock on the lower Columbia that solves many problems. But in the past I also found private dock owners in many places (not just the Columbia) willing to rent. When I was young, marine dockage was about 50¢ a foot. I can't get over what they charge now. My boat would be a grand. And for what?
When I was a commercial fisherman I paid about 1/4 to 1/2 the marina rate. Sometimes that included free power. It's worth looking. A lot of rural property owners like to have a "caretaker" on the dock they never use. Also there are no longer used grain docks and others. Where farmers irrigate, pump installations are big enough for a sailboat. But no internet, water. I make water on the Columbia that tests amazingly better than Portland water. I also have Incinolet heads that don't put sewage out. Flow thru type II marine sanitation devices are legal anywhere there isn't a no discharge zone. People do anchor out in the river and don't seem to be bothered.