# Best place in California to sail and live on your boat?



## saldrich (Oct 10, 2013)

If you wanted to live on your boat in California and do weekend sailing while working full time, where do you think would be the best place to do it?

I was just in Dana Point, CA a few days ago. 4th of July. Watched the fireworks show. Checked out the large harbor and marinas. They're pretty expensive though. Something like $480 a month for a 28-foot slip.


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## northoceanbeach (Mar 23, 2008)

Does Dana point even have liveaboard slips available or any slips available? J thought they had a really long wait list. 

I'm coming to California soon. I haven't sailed there but have lived and travelled all over the place. I would say San Francisco #1. Good economy, lots of jobs, high pay. It's the housing cost that kills people. Plus the countries best weekend sailing. 

After that I would vote San Diego, morro bay, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Santa Cruz in order. 

East bay isn't as cool. A lot of the marinas are near sketchy area like Oakland and Richmond. Ditto for long beach. I mean, people moor in Wilmington. It borders Compton. I don't know how they have marinas its all trucks and containers.


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## foamy (Nov 26, 2012)

I had two sail boats in Dana Point for over 15 years. Got tired of light wind (0-8 kts) most of the time. Was paying almost 700 dollars for a 40' slip nine years ago...now pay 550 dollars for same size slip in San Pedro. Better sailing (15 kts) is about normal. Close to Catalina (20 nm) and Channel Islands. Now there are multitudes of slips of ever size available. Not as scenic as DP, but the trade offs are worth a look.


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## northoceanbeach (Mar 23, 2008)

There are lots of slips in Dana point or San Pedro? I can't believe SoCal has any slips at all. There are so many people and besides San Diego it doesn't look like there are hardly any marinas. I mean. LA has 9 million people and the only marinas in LA I know of are Redondo, marina del ray ....and I'm not sure where LA ends down by long beach. If some of those are in LA. But still. That's not much.


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## emc_ret (Jun 24, 2014)

I lived onboard my boat in King Harbor in Redondo Beach for a year. King Harbor restricts total number and distribution of live aboards and charges surcharge above and beyond basic slip fee, but also provides clean modern restrooms and laundry facility. Safe area close to stores and restaurants. If I were looking to live aboard again that would be my first choice.

LA county which is the ultimate land lord for all Marina del Rey prohibits live aboards but the marina operators don't uniformly enforce the rules.

There are lots of slips in San Pedro and Wilmington but they are between industrial port facilities and marginal residential area. Al Larson's marina on Terminal Island had a kind of funky live aboard community the last time I was there. It is conveniently located adjacent to Terminal Island federal prison.


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## foamy (Nov 26, 2012)

Well in the San Pedro area where I am, there are three very nice marinas far removed from industrial areas and area adjacent to nice areas, residential and commercial. Look into Holiday Harbor, Carbrillo Marina, and the new Cabrillo Way marina (which probably has hundreds and hundreds of empty slips). The other two I mentioned, from my observations also have numerous empty slips as well. I don't know about the live-a-board status of these marinas, but I know there are exiting LABs.


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## gamayun (Aug 20, 2009)

I just spent the weekend racing down the South Bay from San Francisco. Our boats were tied up to the newly-built Westpoint Harbor. It's beautifully constructed with pump outs next to each slip, rub rails that don't require fenders, and they allow liveaboards. It's a long haul to get to the bay, but it also has some of the least expensive rates in the whole area and is convenient to SF, Silicon Valley, San Jose, etc.


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## socal c25 (Nov 1, 2013)

I am in the low rent district of Wilmington CA, there are a bunch of marinas behind Terminal Island. It take about 45 min. to get to the ocean (Angels Gate) then you have open seas. The down side of the area I am at is its noisy and dirty, the container ship being loaded and the air gets soot sometimes from the ships. This area is where all the old dilapidated boats go before they go to boat heaven. We have a mix of antiques and new clean and run down but the rent is cheap and the marina is clean and kept up.


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## ericb760 (Apr 11, 2012)

If you want to live aboard in SoCal, your only real choice is San Pedro/Wilmington, like socal25 said, unless you have a couple of years to kill waiting for a live aboard slip in a city marina. Even then, that's going to cost you.


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## Fstbttms (Feb 25, 2003)

northoceanbeach said:


> East bay isn't as cool. A lot of the marinas are near sketchy area like Oakland and Richmond.


Yeah, why would you want to sail in Northern California's best weather and have your boat berthed conveniently close to boatyards, chandleries, marine services, great dining and an exploding craft beer scene?


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## Dave_E (Aug 7, 2013)

Fstbttms said:


> Yeah, why would you want to sail in Northern California's best weather and have your boat berthed conveniently close to boatyards, chandleries, marine services, great dining and an exploding craft beer scene?


Hey Fstbttms, Do you iknow what became of Treasure Island and Allameda Naval areas? That's where I learned to sail. Allameda had a marina next to the carrier pier and Treasure Island had a marina (nice sheltered little one).


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## Fstbttms (Feb 25, 2003)

Dave_E said:


> Hey Fstbttms, Do you iknow what became of Treasure Island and Allameda Naval areas? That's where I learned to sail. Allameda had a marina next to the carrier pier and Treasure Island had a marina (nice sheltered little one).


Both bases have been converted to civilian use. Treasure Island still has it's marina and is a small boat sailing center. NAS Alameda is now home to tech companies, distilleries, craft breweries and the ocassional America's Cup campaign. There is no real marina there, just a few docks that were last used by the now-defunct Nelson's Marine. Ballena Isle Marina is very close however.


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## gamayun (Aug 20, 2009)

My boat's at Treasure Island. The Navy transferred the property to the city. It's extremely convenient for me, but the marina won't upgrade the docks or dredge a serious shoaling area at the entrance to the cove until a long-term lease can be obtained from city (or so they say). No liveaboards are allowed either. The area is being redeveloped with wine tasting and other stores, though still not much yet. The Treasure Island Yacht Club is small with a nice group of people.


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## MarkSF (Feb 21, 2011)

Fstbttms said:


> Yeah, why would you want to sail in Northern California's best weather and have your boat berthed conveniently close to boatyards, chandleries, marine services, great dining and an exploding craft beer scene?


Shhhhh, don't tell anyone. If people realise how nice it is, marina occupancy goes up and so do the fees.


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## MarkSF (Feb 21, 2011)

gamayun said:


> My boat's at Treasure Island. The Navy transferred the property to the city. It's extremely convenient for me, but the marina won't upgrade the docks or dredge a serious shoaling area at the entrance to the cove until a long-term lease can be obtained from city (or so they say). No liveaboards are allowed either. The area is being redeveloped with wine tasting and other stores, though still not much yet. The Treasure Island Yacht Club is small with a nice group of people.


Plus, it isn't even particularly radioactive any more!


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## MarkSF (Feb 21, 2011)

I believe that part of the plans to re-develop Treasure Island include a major expansion of the marina, to at least twice its size. Unfortunately that would make Clipper Cove half its current size....

They just have to figure out how to make the island safe, radiologically. Apparently the navy used to practice decontaminating ships after a radioactive incident.... by covering ships with radioactive material and hosing it off.... into the bay.


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