Hi Adam,

That is a BIG boat! I sell boats for a living (not quite as big as that one) and while I'll be the first to admit I don't know everything... I do have a few things for you to consider:

1. If you live in the bay area, berthing is going to be somewhere around $10-15 a foot plus water & electricity. It may be difficult to find a marina to take a boat that large. A 40' beam is pretty large. Also, it is getting more and more difficult to find marinas that let people liveaboard.
2. Insurance. Many insurance agencies will not insure liveaboards. Also it is tough to find one to insure a boat that old. I believe BoatUS does liveaboard boats.
3. Maintenance is hard to determine. I'm assuming that the boat's hull is made out of steel? Fiberglass boats get bottom painted every 2-3 years to keep the hull from blistering and to protect it from marine growth. Not sure if you'll want that or not. If so, a boat that size may cost somewhere in the range of $5,000 - $10,000 to bottom paint it. Plus the boat will need to be hauled out to be painted.
4. You'll might want to have the Coast Guard check it over to make sure all is ok. They have regulations for required equipment: fire extinguishers, flares, flotation devices, etc.
5. If the boat doesn't have it already, look into getting a grey water system. California will be requiring it in the near future.



Not trying to turn you away from your idea.... but a boat (especially a larger older boat) does require investing not only time but some money. The joke in the industry is that boat stands for Bring Out Another Thousand. I'm sure you've also looked into having it moved from LA to SF... diesel, hiring a captain, etc.

I wish you luck on your cool idea and please let us know how things go! Feel free to message me here if I can answer any questions.

Karen

where is the boat? Seems like a fabulous idea to me, I live in SF, and believe the residents here should have floating communities galore as there are in otherparts of the world. I have a little 32'ft live aboard boat, but Pier 39 makes it difficult for full timers...2 days on ,one off type of thing so ....