We will be looking for West Coast live-aboard Marinas in the San
Diego, Los Angeles, Dana Point or Oceanside areas in about a year.
Would appreciate any first hand info from anyone. Thanks, Chuck

I can't speak for all of those locations but I suspect most have only limit
liveaboard availablility, like San Diego.

I liveaboard in San Diego but this was on a mooring.. I know it was at least
4 year waiting list at most marinas and most were just not considering
requests to liveaboard.

I think there are still liveaboards at the Chula Vista Marina (it's called
something else now). However, mostly it is limited to transit/cruiser boats
with limits on the length of time.

I have never heard of the situation being any better in Oceanside or Dana
Point.

Los Angles/San Pedro have a few small, lightly regulated marinas in the port
back waters that might let you liveaboard, but that would be a 'catch as
catch can'. Long Beach is a long wait, just for a slip and very limited
liveaboards.

I have heard that there are liveaboard slips available in Marina Del Rey.

California is not a liveaboard friendly state since all of the water front
is controlled by local port district at the pleasure of the Coastal
Commision and the DNR or something like that. All marinas operate on leased
water front and these local authorities dictate how many, if any, may live
aboard their boats. Claims of polution, enviornmental impact, etc.

This attitude and restrictions have followed me all the way to the Pac. NW.

My philosophy, go cruising, be a moving target and claim transit status.
That's usually good for 30-90 days at most marinas.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

I can't speak for all of those locations but I suspect most have only limit
liveaboard availablility, like San Diego.

I liveaboard in San Diego but this was on a mooring.. I know it was at least
4 year waiting list at most marinas and most were just not considering
requests to liveaboard.

I think there are still liveaboards at the Chula Vista Marina (it's called
something else now). However, mostly it is limited to transit/cruiser boats
with limits on the length of time.

I have never heard of the situation being any better in Oceanside or Dana
Point.

Los Angles/San Pedro have a few small, lightly regulated marinas in the port
back waters that might let you liveaboard, but that would be a 'catch as
catch can'. Long Beach is a long wait, just for a slip and very limited
liveaboards.

I have heard that there are liveaboard slips available in Marina Del Rey.

California is not a liveaboard friendly state since all of the water front
is controlled by local port district at the pleasure of the Coastal
Commision and the DNR or something like that. All marinas operate on leased
water front and these local authorities dictate how many, if any, may live
aboard their boats. Claims of polution, enviornmental impact, etc.

This attitude and restrictions have followed me all the way to the Pac. NW.

My philosophy, go cruising, be a moving target and claim transit status.
That's usually good for 30-90 days at most marinas.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

In article , (Chuck Baier) wrote:
We will be looking for West Coast live-aboard Marinas in the San
Diego, Los Angeles, Dana Point or Oceanside areas in about a year.
Would appreciate any first hand info from anyone. Thanks, Chuck

Get your name on a waiting list NOW.

We lived at the Downtown Marina in Long Beach for several years and now have a
liveaboard slip at Chula Vista Marina (San Diego), but it gets harder each
year to find a liveaboard slip.

The downtown Marina in Long Beach and the Chula Vista Marina are probably your
best bets. They are both on the internet.

In article , (Chuck Baier) wrote:
We will be looking for West Coast live-aboard Marinas in the San
Diego, Los Angeles, Dana Point or Oceanside areas in about a year.
Would appreciate any first hand info from anyone. Thanks, Chuck

Get your name on a waiting list NOW.

We lived at the Downtown Marina in Long Beach for several years and now have a
liveaboard slip at Chula Vista Marina (San Diego), but it gets harder each
year to find a liveaboard slip.

The downtown Marina in Long Beach and the Chula Vista Marina are probably your
best bets. They are both on the internet.

Chuck Baier wrote:
We will be looking for West Coast live-aboard Marinas in the San
Diego, Los Angeles, Dana Point or Oceanside areas in about a year.
Would appreciate any first hand info from anyone. Thanks, Chuck

As others have posted, you will have a hard time anywhere in S. Cal
finding a liveaboard slip. An article in a recent San Diego Log
paper listed marina occupancy in So Cal as 95%.

We've had slip in SD. for 13 years, and it's a real cyclic thing.
Right now the marinas are very full, and when we were shopping for a
different slip a year ago (30'), everyone had a waiting list - and
we're not talking liveaboard. Another issue with SanDiego marinas,
is most will tell you they're full, whether they are or not, if you
just call them or email. They like to see you in person, and they
want to see your boat, or see recent pictures, as they are trying to
decrease the number of 'junkers' in their marinas.

In Dana Point, we were told the waitlist for a 30' liveaboard slip
was "about 10-12 years".

Friends who live aboard a 46' trawler moved from San Diego - where
they couldn't find a live aboard slip - to Long Beach, to Ventura
where they were finally able to find a reasonable slip.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a slip 'in about a year', start
yesterday! If you don't have a boat now, you'll find it impossible
to get a slip. If you do have a boat (that you're going to move)
take some good pictures of it to shop around with, and be prepared
to jump on a slip if you find one...even if you have to pay for it
for 6+ months even if you're not using it yet.

Good luck!

Keith Hughes

Chuck Baier wrote:
We will be looking for West Coast live-aboard Marinas in the San
Diego, Los Angeles, Dana Point or Oceanside areas in about a year.
Would appreciate any first hand info from anyone. Thanks, Chuck

As others have posted, you will have a hard time anywhere in S. Cal
finding a liveaboard slip. An article in a recent San Diego Log
paper listed marina occupancy in So Cal as 95%.

We've had slip in SD. for 13 years, and it's a real cyclic thing.
Right now the marinas are very full, and when we were shopping for a
different slip a year ago (30'), everyone had a waiting list - and
we're not talking liveaboard. Another issue with SanDiego marinas,
is most will tell you they're full, whether they are or not, if you
just call them or email. They like to see you in person, and they
want to see your boat, or see recent pictures, as they are trying to
decrease the number of 'junkers' in their marinas.

In Dana Point, we were told the waitlist for a 30' liveaboard slip
was "about 10-12 years".

Friends who live aboard a 46' trawler moved from San Diego - where
they couldn't find a live aboard slip - to Long Beach, to Ventura
where they were finally able to find a reasonable slip.

Bottom line, if you're looking for a slip 'in about a year', start
yesterday! If you don't have a boat now, you'll find it impossible
to get a slip. If you do have a boat (that you're going to move)
take some good pictures of it to shop around with, and be prepared
to jump on a slip if you find one...even if you have to pay for it
for 6+ months even if you're not using it yet.

Good luck!

Keith Hughes

If Ventura is not out of your reach, Ventura West Marina is a very
liveaboard-friendly marina. They allow up to 50% liveaboards (essentially
every other slip is a liveaboard candidate), and have very nice and complete
facilities - mail boxes, a boater's lounge with exercise equipment and a
small library, a large laundry room with coin-operated washers and driers, a
freezer locker, and various categories of storage lockers for off-boat
storage. I had my 41' sailboat there in a non-liveaboard slip for 24 years
until I moved up to the Pacific Northwest last year, and I can't say that I
had any real complaints. Ventura is small and quiet, compared to the cities
to the south.

VWM's web page: http://www.sailorschoice.com/marinas...WestMarina.htm

Ventura West has a sister marina at Dana Point, named Dana West Marina. If
it's run like VWM it may also be a good candidate.

Tom Dacon

"Chuck Baier" wrote in message
om...
We will be looking for West Coast live-aboard Marinas in the San
Diego, Los Angeles, Dana Point or Oceanside areas in about a year.
Would appreciate any first hand info from anyone. Thanks, Chuck

If Ventura is not out of your reach, Ventura West Marina is a very
liveaboard-friendly marina. They allow up to 50% liveaboards (essentially
every other slip is a liveaboard candidate), and have very nice and complete
facilities - mail boxes, a boater's lounge with exercise equipment and a
small library, a large laundry room with coin-operated washers and driers, a
freezer locker, and various categories of storage lockers for off-boat
storage. I had my 41' sailboat there in a non-liveaboard slip for 24 years
until I moved up to the Pacific Northwest last year, and I can't say that I
had any real complaints. Ventura is small and quiet, compared to the cities
to the south.

VWM's web page: http://www.sailorschoice.com/marinas...WestMarina.htm

Ventura West has a sister marina at Dana Point, named Dana West Marina. If
it's run like VWM it may also be a good candidate.

Tom Dacon

"Chuck Baier" wrote in message
om...
We will be looking for West Coast live-aboard Marinas in the San
Diego, Los Angeles, Dana Point or Oceanside areas in about a year.
Would appreciate any first hand info from anyone. Thanks, Chuck

"Tom Dacon" wrote in message
...
If Ventura is not out of your reach, Ventura West Marina is a very
liveaboard-friendly marina. They allow up to 50% liveaboards (essentially
every other slip is a liveaboard candidate), and have very nice and
complete
facilities - mail boxes, a boater's lounge with exercise equipment and a
small library, a large laundry room with coin-operated washers and driers,
a
freezer locker, and various categories of storage lockers for off-boat
storage.

I thank you for that information. I had just about given up. Never figured I
would ever be able to come back to Calif. as a liveaboard.

Actually I have always liked the Dana Point area, being half way between SD
and LA. I'll keep that in mind and look into it when I ready to move south
again.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions