<p>photos by Juan Carlo/THE STAR</p><p>Paul Wolff and his 7-year-old son, Morgan, relax inside their boat Bella Luna — which has three staterooms, a full kitchen and laundry — before going to Morgan’s school in Camarillo. Wolff has been living on the boat for three years and runs a charter business out of the Channel Islands Harbor.</p>

SHARE Morgan Wolff, 7, relaxes on his bed before getting ready to eat his breakfast and go to school. The boat he lives on with his father, Paul, has three staterooms, full kitchen and laundry. Paul Wolff has been living on the boat for three years and runs a charter business out of the Channel Islands Harbor. Paul Wolff and his 7-year-old son, Morgan, fish for a couple of minutes in back of their boat Bella Luna before Morgan heads off for school in Camarillo. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Rick Paley (right) and his girlfriend, Holly Anderson, who have lived on a sailboat in the Ventura Harbor area for the last six years, love the camaraderie with their neighbors, all of whom are fellow liveaboards. JOSEPH A. GARCIA/THE STAR Rick Paley and his girlfriend have lived on a sailboat in the Ventura Harbor area for the last six years. Paley says he prefers it to an apartment.

By Doug Thompson

Ever dream of living aboard a boat full time? Do you imagine deeply drawing in the salt air, uttering “ahoy” and being gently rocked to sleep by the ocean’s motion? If so, you are not alone, but beware.

All boats are not created equal. There are big ones and teeny-tiny ones. The Channel Islands and Ventura harbors are chockablock with all sizes, from 55-foot yachts that have three staterooms, air-conditioning and real bathrooms, to small sailboats that hardly seem big enough for one adult, never mind two. Yet at sunrise the occupants clamber out, stretch to the sky and say, “Cup of coffee, neighbor? We just made a fresh pot.”

Deciding to live aboard a boat takes planning — unless the boat is all you have left. The “I ended up living on my boat” story is filled with bad luck, woe and certainly an injustice or two. If you live aboard long you’ll meet such people, hear their stories, share a meal and probably become fast friends.

In Ventura County the two places to live aboard a boat are the Channel Islands Harbor, with 2,150 berths in nine marinas, and the Ventura Harbor, with 1,500 berths in five marinas.

The cost is straightforward for a “liveaboard.” Most marinas charge $10 to $20 per foot of boat length, so a 40-footer could cost $400 to $800 a month for the slip rental. The fees vary depending on the quality of the marina and slips and what amenities — bathrooms, cable TV, etc. — are included in the fee.

At the Ventura West Marina in the Ventura Harbor, for example, a 32-foot boat costs $400 a month for the slip fee, plus $190 per person per month, which includes access to laundry facilities, Wi-Fi, showers and bathrooms.

Elbow room and storage can be at a premium on a boat, and small items quickly cause clutter. Some liveaboards have sold or donated nearly all the possessions they accumulated on land, and a car or storage unit holds the overflow. Disgorging possessions is described by many as the most cathartic experience of their lives. All that remained after paring down was acquiring the boat and securing a slip.

“I dreamed of living on a boat since I was 7 years old,” said Rick Paley, 67, who is retired and lives on his 34-foot Hunter sailboat at the Ventura West Marina with his girlfriend, Holly Anderson. An online search showed a 1987 34-foot Hunter for sale for $34,000.

“Six years ago we went from a three-bedroom, two-bath home in Morro Bay to living on a boat,” Paley said. “Not every woman can do it, but she can.”

Boats may remain tied up for years and never leave the dock; many liveaboards have no real boating skills other than not falling into the water. However, others use their vessels for voyages that last days or weeks. If they have the time, and the weather is right, sailing to Santa Cruz Island and anchoring in a secluded cove for a few nights is a reality. Boat operation takes practice and training, and classes offered by organizations such as the Ventura Sail and Power Squadron are good places to learn.

Rick Moser, 53, says life on his 28-foot Columbia sailboat in the Ventura West Marina was a means of paring way down.

“I had a roommate who wanted to bring in his girlfriend and kids, and I didn’t want that,” Moser said. “I read a book about living on boats, then bought one and gave it six months. Eleven years later here I am, still living on a boat.”

Oscar Pena, general manager of the Ventura Port District, said Ventura Harbor is ideal for liveaboards.

“Ventura West Marina, Phases 1 and 2, have outstanding facilities,” he said. “Phase 1 offers a large refrigerated locker where those living aboard can store frozen food, and other conveniences include laundry room, exercise room and a recreation room where people can gather. The thing that makes Ventura West Marina successful is its strong sense of community, and the population is very active in promoting that lifestyle.”

It’s hard to put all liveaboards in the same classification; remember that difference between big yachts and teeny-tiny sailboats? But let’s just say you’re Paul Wolff, 54, who lives aboard his Selene 55 Ocean Trawler Bella Luna docked in the Anacapa Isle Marina in the Channel Islands Harbor.

Now this is a beauty: three staterooms, full kitchen, laundry and huge aft deck with room for 10-person dinner parties. A boat like this sells for around $1.5 million, and it’s got a single Cummins 405-horsepower diesel engine for long-range cruising.

“I came from a 5,000-square foot home in Somis into this boat, so it’s all relative,” said Wolff, who owned a tech company that went out of business in 2009. “I was living a really big lifestyle, and it all went away. I went through a divorce and disconnected. I had to figure out what was important and started by getting rid of 50 years of my prized possessions. The more I sold and gave away, the better I felt. It was the exact opposite of how I thought I would feel.”

Today, Wolff, a U.S. Coast Guard-licensed captain with a 100-ton license, uses the Bella Luna in a luxury charter boat business, charging $300 an hour or more for day and overnight cruises. “It’s a lot more work on a boat than living in a land-based home,” Wolff said. “But my 7-year-old son fishes every day before school. He operates the crane and drives the dinghy. It’s an unbelievable lifestyle, and I feel like I’m living the dream.”

With the help of fellow liveaboards, a marina can become a great neighborhood.

Whatever boat you choose becomes “home.”