liveaboard hawaii ?

[homewardbound]

Any information reasonable moorings or marina or even safe convenient anchorages Hawaii. Thanks

[SkiprJohn]

There are none on the Big Island but to confirm then please contact our State Boating manager, Nancy Murphy, 329-4997. Our transportation director who runs the commercial harbors for the Big Island is Ian Birnie at 933-8850.
I believe Oahu has a couple of liveaboard Marinas, La Marianna is one. I hope others on Oahu contact you.
Good luck to you.
JohnL

[Rascus]

Here are the pricings for Ko Olina. They do have some restrictions on living there and I'm not sure what the availablity is. I go down to the lagoons all the time and can inquire if interested.

Ko Olina Marina Marina Boat Slips

Ala Wai Harbor I heard has a few year waiting list and the marina is in really bad shape.

If you're military or can get onto a military base there is Pearl Harbor. Kaneohe may but not 100%

[homewardbound]

Free anchorage within easy rowing distance of shore within walking distance of grocery store , bar, laundromat.

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha Homewardbound,
You won't find what you are looking for in Hawaii. Many cruisers pass right by the state because of its reputation for treating boaters badly. If you are not willing to pay the state coffers then they just don't want you here. Tourism is the only industry that is welcome in Hawaii and if they don't make money from you then you are not welcome.
Sorry to say that there is "no such thing as a free lunch."
Good luck!
Kind Regards,
JohnL

[homewardbound]

Not looking for free lunch, happy to spend money in support of local bar, grocery store etc. Must be someplace to anchor, sailing vessels must have anchored there in the past. If not free public anchorage, where would be the most economical place to rest and refit.

Homewardbound

[SkiprJohn]

This is the guy who is in charge of boating for the whole state. You might ask him the question.

ed.r.underwood@hawaii.gov

I would guess that your best bet would be Keehi Lagoon near the airport in Honolulu but I don't even pretend to be an expert on that area any more. I moved my boat from there in '82 and I believe all anchorage and moorings get charged.

Good luck,

JohnL

[SkiprJohn]

Reeds Bay in Hilo currently charges $1 a foot per month but you have to either buy or put down your own mooring and there is no liveaboards allowed, very few marine goods for sail in the area and no haulout facilities or marinas. The only boat ramp requires that you go under a bridge which has 14 foot clearance at low tide. The winter storms drag at least one or two boats on the rocks each year. (not a safe anchorage).

I gave you the number for Ian Birnie who is in charge of Radio Bay where the fees were $8.50 a day. Same facilities apply. They have a quaywall to tie to (med moor) and an on-shore head and shower. Water but no power. Our area code is 808.

That's the story for my area. The only other area for the Big Island is Kailua-Kona side and that's a hard 24 hour sale from here. For information about that call the other number I gave you.

Good luck in your pursuit.

JohnL

[SkiprJohn]

Oops, I meant sail not sale.

[Tasman C xer]

Hello,
I have been living aboard in Keehi Lagoon for 2 yrs & 4 months. The fee for a mooring is determined by the boat's length. I am charged apx. $40 p/mon. for my 30'er. There is mandatory liability insurance, which runs me $25 p/mon. There are two private marinas in the lagoon. La Mariana, which also has a pretty nice bar/restuarant, and Keehi Marine, a boatyard. Both charge about $300 p/mon. for a slip and another $300 to use the facilities, like bathroom & shower.
Keehi Lagoon has a bad reputation for thievery and meth labs, but it may be exagerated. Regardless, Hawaii's official website warns against it. Unfortunately, for live-aboards there isn't much selection anywhere in the Hawaiian island chain. There is a policy that allows a 3 day temporary anchorage at any harbor but this seems to be arbitrarily observed. Live-aboards tend to look out for each other because the police response to a complaint is slow, if there is one at all. I think it's safe to say that every unattended boat in the lagoon has been looted at least once. Some of the thieves are live-aboards themselves.
The #1 harbor agent for Keehi Lagoon is Debra (Debbie) Dudoit. Her Ph# is: (808) 832-3464 The person in charge of the Division of Boating and Recreation (beter know as the DLNR) is William Aila, the former harbormaster in Waianae, on the leeside of Oahu.
Good luck. You'll need it.
-CJP
Sloop Estuarine

[Tasman C xer]

A correction: It's the Dept. of Land and Natural Resources, Div. of Boating and Ocean Recreation. You'll need to register your boat with them.

[roverhi]

The State Marina at Keehi was/is being rebuilt as a result of Federal Money from the damage caused by the Japanese Earthquake Tsunami. Last year, the waiting list was quite short. Not a free anchorage, however.

As Tasman Cxer suggested, the moorings in Keehi Lagoon would be your best bet for cheap, though not free live aboard moorings.

Radio Bay in Hilo is strictly short term, seem to remember limited to 21 days. It's PITA to moor there as it's inside the commercial harbor in Hilo and subject to all the Security arrangements that go with it. Had to be escorted in and out by a guard and could not have other than crew on the boat. Forget about that harbor though it's a quiet place to hang out to explore Hilo and the Volcano.

Hawaii has no natural harbors. When Captain Cook visited, the open roadsted at Kealekukua Bay was the safest place to anchor. All the harbors are man made and tightly controlled. You can anchor off the Kaanapali Coast on Maui but there are probably issues with the State and with the land owners stowing your dinghy if you hang out too long. That coast and the Kona side of the Big Island are your best bet for a long term anchorage but can be untenable with a south swell and the winter waves.

The State Harbors allow a 3 month stay, space permitting, in any Calendar year. There are usually a couple of boats in Honokohau over the winter getting their three months in October, November, and December and the next years three months in January, February, and March. Once again not a free anchorage, however. By doing that, you can hang out year around but you'll have to move around if you can find space in the various State Harbors.

For the most part, you can anchor out other than the winter months along the leeward coasts or those sheltered from the NW waves. Hanalei Bay is a good Summer anchorage but understand that the State limits length of stay there.

So to sum it all up, NO, you won't find a hospitable anchorage in the islands for a long term stay.