living on a boat?

[hallalujah imabum]

Is it possible to live at anchor near Seattle? This is possible in many places in SoCal, Sacramento, and maybe the Bay Area. That would be the only reason I'd buy another car, to tow a small sailboat rather than a trailer.

 

[maki2]

Here is a blog from someone who has spent some time doing this near Seattle.
http://slowboat.com/2017/04/slipless-in-seattle-full-time-cruising-on-puget-sound/

There are some various small harbors you can anchor out at but just like you need to check out the parking regulations in towns you need to check with the local harbor authority that is in charge of that place to see what their regulations are.
Here is one of the closest to Seattle harbors: https://www.bainbridgewa.gov/138/Harbormaster

You also need to check with the State of Washington Shoreline Management department to be sure you meet those requirements.

 

[66788]

When I lived in Sacramento 2 years ago, a slip was far more expensive than an RV park.

 

[KarlH]

Search for old threads on cruisersforum.com - there have been several there about liveaboards in the Pacific Northwest.

Sailnet.com and ybw.com might be worth a try also.

 

[hallalujah imabum]

When you are on the anchor you don't need a slip. I met a couple who lived near Sacramento on their sailboat, and they claimed that the Delta is a great place to liveaboard. I can't vouch for that myself, but they sounded like they knew what they were doing. I do know that you can anchor for free many places in SoCal. like Fool's Anchorage in Santa Barbara, but you need to pull your boat in during storms. The Coast Guard supposedly does allow boats emergency docking to prevent boats from washing ashore, as they regularly do. It's kind of a local sport in SB after a storm to see what washed up.

 

[hallalujah imabum]

Thanks- usually these threads are posted by people with much larger boats, kinda like big RVs rather than the car experience- SailingAnarchy.com is another like that, but it has some fun stuff like their old thread on ugly boats. I don't know if you know about shantyboatliving.com; I don't want to be limited to flat water, but the spirit is right Ohhh, the WaterTribe.com site is also great for ideas on making small boats do rather extraordinary things.

 

[KarlH]

When you are on the anchor you don't need a slip. I met a couple who lived near Sacramento on their sailboat, and they claimed that the Delta is a great place to liveaboard. I can't vouch for that myself, but they sounded like they knew what they were doing. I do know that you can anchor for free many places in SoCal. like Fool's Anchorage in Santa Barbara, but you need to pull your boat in during storms. The Coast Guard supposedly does allow boats emergency docking to prevent boats from washing ashore, as they regularly do. It's kind of a local sport in SB after a storm to see what washed up.

I'm pretty sure that the official moorings (buoys) in San Francisco bay have a time limit.  I don't know the rules for just dropping an anchor.

Are you planning to use a sailboat with a deep keel, or something like a trawler?

 

[KarlH]

Thanks- usually these threads are posted by people with much larger boats, kinda like big RVs rather than the car experience- SailingAnarchy.com is another like that, but it has some fun stuff like their old thread on ugly boats. I don't know if you know about shantyboatliving.com; I don't want to be limited to flat water, but the spirit is right Ohhh, the WaterTribe.com site is also great for ideas on making small boats do rather extraordinary things.

Thanks for the links

Yeah, SailingAnarchy is a hoot. The classifieds there often have high-quality boats, but a lot of the nice ones don't have inboards and have been raced hard.

 

[maki2]

I am a live-aboard in Seattle. So I know considerable about it. I live on my friends boat. He has been living on it for close to 30 years.

Here is the big problem at any marina in Seattle. The federal shoreline management act as well as the state shoreline management regulations severely restrict the number of slips allowed for full time residency. There is a several years long waiting list for those slips. That means you are not going to be able to make that dream happen until your turn comes up on the waiting list. There is a non refundable fee to get your name on the list. Your boat must also pass inspection regarding its safety and integrity and of course current registration and of course proof of liability insurance. Plus of course there are the credit and background checks that many marinas will require when you get to the point where you are going to sign an actual rental agreement. So all you wanna be dreamers who want to live a cheap and easy lifestyle where you are "free" you won't be finding it with the plan of living full time at a private or a public marina as a long term live-aboard. It is actually going to be even more difficult and more controlled with rules and regulations than living in a rental apartment.

You are also required to provide written and verifiable proof for the handling of your sanitation. This is a complication that absolutely has to be dealt with. That has to be done each and every month for live aboards. Typically a pump out services done by a company using their boat that comes to yours to handle emptying the black water tanks. You have to talk to the individual marinas to what kind of paperwork they will require from you and if they accept portable toilet or composting toilet systems. Some marinas do not approve of them for full time live aboards.

As to the cost of the slip, there are no cheap live-aboard slips in Seattle. The cost is close to the same as living in a small apartment in Seattle. You will be paying for utilities as well. Each slip is metered for electricity. There is always a monthly fee for full time live aboard residents added on top of the standard monthly dock fee rental. At the marine where we are that fee is an extra $117 per month.

 

[rokguy]

As someone who lived on board a yacht for several years in a marina in a pen or a berth, I wondering why you refer to it as a slip ?
A slip down under (and in the rest of the world)  is a half submerged railway which draws your boat out of the water ie part of a slipway.
Just curious.

 

[maki2]

As someone who lived on board a yacht for several years in a marina in a pen or a berth, I wondering why you refer to it as a slip ?
A slip down under (and in the rest of the world)  is a half submerged railway which draws your boat out of the water ie part of a slipway.
Just curious.

You should ask that question of the managers of the marinas. They call them slips. So I am must using the term they call them.

 

[KarlH]

As someone who lived on board a yacht for several years in a marina in a pen or a berth, I wondering why you refer to it as a slip ?
A slip down under (and in the rest of the world)  is a half submerged railway which draws your boat out of the water ie part of a slipway.
Just curious.

If you visit lakes in the US, you'll see a lot of private slipways with adjoining berths. That might be why people here conflate them.

The bigger lakes have proper marinas, but you'll still see shoal keel and centerboard boats berthed along the shore.

 

[KarlH]

Not sure why the picture doesn't re-size for me (tried a couple of times).

 

[KarlH]

As to the cost of the slip, there are no cheap live-aboard slips in Seattle. The cost is close to the same as living in a small apartment in Seattle. You will be paying for utilities as well. Each slip is metered for electricity.  There is always a monthly fee for full time live aboard residents added on top of the standard monthly dock fee rental. At the marine where we are that fee is an extra $117 per month.

For what it's worth, there are quite a few affordable liveaboard marinas on the Great Lakes, and some run bubblers in the winter.

There's even a year-round liveaboard marina in the center of Minneapolis-Saint Paul with a 5-6' channel. You'd need a tabernacle to go down to Lake Peppin for weekend sailing, but it would be doable.

And it you're really patient you can motor down river and pick up the Great Loop.

 

[bullfrog]

The common term for them at Lake Powell is "slips" and the take out area is the "ramp" but you can also rent a buoy or "ball" to tie to on the water at a reduced rate.

 

[rokguy]

Yes we have boat ramps here too but they are only for trailer boats no big boats.

Here's my old wooden ex trawler converted to a liveaboard river boat circa 1992. Hawkesbury River. NSW. AUS.

The newer steel boat has bilge keels which are design to take to the bottom in tidal areas if need be. I added a Tabernacle mast as the Hawkesbury river rail bridge stops a lot of cruising yachts from going up river.

She's currently laid up on my land, might end up as a tiny house for someone.

 

[bullfrog]

The launch ramp at Bullfrog at Lake Powell has a webcam that sometimes works which is 150' wide concrete and as the water depth is down 100' it is several 100 feet long. I have watched a boat of almost 100' long (Canyon Princess) launched from a trailer there. Pretty amazing!

 

[KarlH]

Yes we have boat ramps here too but they are only for trailer boats no big boats.

Here's my old wooden ex trawler converted to a liveaboard river boat circa 1992. Hawkesbury River. NSW. AUS.

The newer steel boat has bilge keels which are design to take to the bottom in tidal areas if need be. I added a Tabernacle mast as the Hawkesbury river rail bridge stops a lot of cruising yachts from going up river.

She's currently laid up on my land, might end up as a tiny house for someone.

Is the steel boat a ketch?  Looks very comfortable.

 

[rokguy]

Is the steel boat a ketch?  Looks very comfortable.

Sorry misleading pictures. The ex trawler is the one besides the wharf.  Second post is a light on the wharf. It had a folding forward mast designed to be used as a motorsailer.
The steel yacht is the picture at the marina with the mast in the folded position. Its a cutter rigged sloop.
Here it is out of the water sitting on land showing the bilge keels and skeg.
Both boats were very comfortable.

 

[KarlH]

Both boats were very comfortable.

I believe it   Also the draught on the yacht doesn't look too deep, so possibly a good river boat?