California tends to be a land of extremes. Climates, politics, economics — you name it, they range from proud to embarrassing. But it is home to some truly remarkable oddities and rarities — and the houseboat marina at Sausalito is one of these.

We were on our way past San Francisco to a point farther north. We’d driven across the Golden Gate Bridge (I never get tired of that magical span), headed toward a wonderful game-park/zoo called Safari West (I’ll write that up in a future post). We had some time on our hands, and the famous houseboat enclave showed up right off the east side of US101. We changed lanes and took a quickly-decided exit (445A, Sausalito/Marin) to have a look around.

We turned left off the highway exit, down Gate 6 Road, and easily found a parking spot. Jaws agape, we started strolling — even our teenage grandson was impressed. The houseboats were everywhere, filling the harbor space with color, complexity, angles and windows and railings. What with “slip space” at a premium, not much is less than two stories.

The community dates all the way from the end of WWII, when abandoned and derelict barges and boats began to be occupied. It has been, to say it mildly, a colorful time for the area. There are now over 400 houseboats in the ‘zone’, of a dizzying variety.

Under way at this time is a new dock area (we did not go there), where everyone is reportedly going to have to relocate eventually. All will need to comply with city sanitation and code regulations. That should be an interesting time for all, to put it lightly.

ARE THEY REALLY BOATS?

Well, they float on water. It’s reported that some have motors, and that some of those actually run. But for the largest part, these are houses built on large, rectangular concrete “buckets”, and they are pretty much fixed in place — except for going up and down with the tides. They tend to resemble barges more than boats, although there are a few with distinctly boat-like hulls under the house-like superstructures.

ARE THERE ANY TWO ALIKE?

Not that we could see.

WHAT ARE THEY LIKE INSIDE?

We did not take the time (or brashness) to ask for an invitation to look. Judging by the external appearances — every imaginable variation from eloquent to shabby — we’re going to assume the innards have a similar variety.

WHAT DO THEY COST?

Being close to SF, and as unique as they are, there seems always to be a ready market for the houseboats. Pricing is all over the map, consistent with the nature of the ‘boats themselves, with 1000 square feet running in the $700K+ range, and more splendid ‘watercraft residences’ pushing past $3M. Add to your mortgage the monthly (forever) berthing fees of $900-$1500 and up — it’s not the cheapo lifestyle of its early days.

WHAT ARE THE RESIDENTS LIKE?

We just made a brief visit, and didn’t have a chance to “chat up” anybody — but it looked as if it might be easy to strike up a conversation. The folks we saw were as diverse as the ‘boats, in age, dress, and comportment. Their front-porch gardens varied from none, to horticultural extravaganzas. Suffice it to say that a tract-home or apartment-living personality might not fit into this community as well as a free-spirit, renegade type.

In most cases, the neighborhoods are a lot like RV parks; your neighbor is only feet away, you all share common access pathways, and the only real private space is right inside your walls. Of course, it’s a LOT more picturesque, and then there’s always the “water view” — even if it’s just your across-the-inlet neighbor.

Some of the docks are easily reached and walked, and visitors can traipse past dozens of “front yards” and see what their owners like to put on display. (NOTE: They prefer that bikes are walked and not ridden. Seems reasonable.)

The other ends of the boats face out into inlets, where more maneuverable craft can make their way around the marina or even out into the Bay. In one spot, a guy was exercising his kayak in friendly competition with his daughter’s RC boat.

The styles of the homes are endlessly variable, from homey and rustic – – –

– – – to crisp and clean – – –

– – – to cute-as-can-be – – –

– – – to purely remarkable.

We spent about an hour (or less) just casually wandering around, and then stopped off for a lunch at the nearby Bayside Cafe (decent fare, good coffee). It was a great break, but we know we saw only a small fraction of the community; we looked at maybe 40 homes (out of 400), and we certainly missed some of the more remarkable “residences”.

We’d like to spend a bit more time there the next time through. Highly recommended for an hour or a day.

STILL CURIOUS?

Sausalito Houseboats
Floating Homes Assn