Boat ownership cost calculator (California)
Add up what it costs to keep your boat in California for a year: slip, insurance, DMV registration, the invasive mussel fee sticker, county property tax, hull cleaning, haul-outs and engine service. Enter your own numbers; published rates are shown as a guide where we have them. For the background, read the cost of keeping a boat.
$10.00 per year · $0.83 per month
| Item | Per year |
|---|---|
| Slip and marina charges | $0.00 |
| Insurance | $0.00 |
| DMV registration renewal$20 every two years, shown per year | $10.00 |
| Hull cleaning | $0.00 |
| Engine service | $0.00 |
Published slip rates by harbor
What harbors and marinas publish, as recorded on our harbor pages. Rates are written the way each harbor publishes them, so convert to dollars per foot per month before entering one above.
- San Diego Bay (Port of San Diego) · Southern California
The Port does not set slip rates; each marina does. Example: Kona Kai Marina publishes month-to-month permanent slips from $32/ft (30 ft) to $70/ft (100 ft), with no effective date, and lists liveaboard at $600/month. Kona Kai Marina, verified 2026-11-11
- Dana Point Harbor · Southern California
The Marina at Dana Point publishes a “Current Slip Rates” table (base rent plus an additional cost per foot; no billing period or effective date stated). Examples: 30 ft $936.30, 40 ft $1,768.00, 60 ft $3,551.40. Guest berths require proof of at least $500,000 vessel liability insurance. The Marina at Dana Point, verified 2026-11-11
- Newport Harbor (Newport Beach) · Southern California
The City publishes guest rates only: moorings $0.76/ft/night (onshore) and $1.53/ft/night (offshore); Marina Park guest slips $96/night (40 ft) and $133/night (55 ft). Private marinas set their own slip rates. City of Newport Beach, Harbor Department, verified 2026-11-11
- Marina del Rey · Southern California
The County does not publish anchorage slip rates (each anchorage is managed independently). Burton Chace Park guest docks: $1.25 per foot per night, up to 7 days in a 30-day period. LA County Department of Beaches & Harbors, verified 2026-11-11
- Channel Islands Harbor · Southern California
County-run slips at Cisco and Fisherman's Wharf: recreational $18.75 and commercial $16.25 per linear foot (a 40-ft recreational slip is $768.75); Small Boat Marina $335/month; guest docks $1.90/ft/day ($47 minimum). Effective July 1, 2026. County of Ventura Harbor Department (Channel Islands Harbor), verified 2026-11-11
- Santa Barbara Harbor · Southern California
Charged monthly per foot of boat or slip length, whichever is longer: 40-ft berth $16.65/ft, 50-ft $19.55/ft, 60-ft $21.25/ft. Visitors under 65 ft: $2.00/ft per night for nights 1–14, 28 nights maximum. Effective July 1, 2026. City of Santa Barbara Waterfront Department, verified 2026-11-11
- Monterey Harbor · Central California
FY27 monthly slip fees from the City's Master Fee Schedule, e.g. 25-ft slip $334, 30-ft $405, 40-ft $512, 50-ft $684. Rates are adjusted every July 1 by the Bay Area cost-of-living index. City of Monterey · City of Monterey, verified 2026-11-11
- Moss Landing Harbor · Central California
Assigned berths $10.20 per foot per month plus a $92.80 monthly amenity fee; temporary berths $15.62/ft/month; transient $1.35/ft/day (July 1, 2026). Moss Landing Harbor District, verified 2026-11-11
- Santa Cruz Harbor · Central California
South Harbor: single side $16.22/ft, double side $17.86/ft (monthly; no effective date shown on the page). Santa Cruz Port District, verified 2026-11-11
- Pillar Point Harbor & Oyster Point Marina · San Francisco Bay Area
Monthly, July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 (up 2.2%): Pillar Point 30 ft $365–$394, 40 ft $480–$506 depending on dock; Oyster Point 30 ft $313–$324, 40 ft $432–$444 (single vs double finger). San Mateo County Harbor District · San Mateo County Harbor District, verified 2026-11-11
- South Beach Harbor · San Francisco Bay Area
Monthly berthing rates effective through 12/31/2025, e.g. 30 ft $463.95, 38 ft $700.36, 50 ft $1,087.88; raised by CPI each January 1 from 2026. We found no 2026 rate sheet. Port of San Francisco, verified 2026-11-11
- Clipper Yacht Harbor (Sausalito) · San Francisco Bay Area
$15–$54 per foot of berth length depending on size and basin (no effective date shown). Clipper Yacht Harbor, verified 2026-11-11
- Westpoint Harbor (Redwood City) · San Francisco Bay Area
Effective January 1, 2026: 36 ft $450/month, 40 ft $525, 50 ft $750; 81–120 ft $26/ft. Tenants need $500,000 liability with the harbor as additional insured. Westpoint Harbor, verified 2026-11-11
- Berkeley Marina · San Francisco Bay Area
Adopted per-foot monthly rates: 30–39 ft $11.30 now, $11.64 from 7/1/2026, $11.99 from 7/1/2027; 40–49 ft $11.97 / $12.33 / $12.70 (plus an unmetered-power surcharge). City of Berkeley · City of Berkeley, verified 2026-11-11
- Sacramento Marina · Delta & Rivers
Monthly, effective January 1, 2026: 30 ft $381, 40 ft $541, 50 ft $719, plus electricity $12/month (under 40 ft) or $20/month (40 ft and up). City of Sacramento, verified 2026-11-11
How this works
- Slip: rate per foot per month × boat length × 12, plus other monthly marina charges × 12.
- DMV registration renewal: $20 every two years, so $10 per year. The original registration fee ($29) and late penalties aren’t included.
- Invasive mussel fee sticker, for boats used in fresh water (including the Delta east of Chipps Island): $42 when bought in an odd year, covering the two-year cycle ($21 when first bought in an even year), so $21 per year. The new fee took effect on October 22, 2026. Boats used only in salt water are exempt.
- Property tax: assessed value × the rate on your county tax bill.
- Hull cleaning: cleanings per year × cost per cleaning.
- Haul-out and bottom paint: one full cycle ÷ years between haul-outs. Copper bottom paint lasts about 2–3 years by manufacturers’ claims; non-biocide coatings 5–10 years.
- Monthly = annual ÷ 12. Money is computed in whole cents.
- Nothing you type leaves your browser; we remember your inputs on this device only.
We don’t estimate insurance premiums, property tax rates or USCG documentation fees: ask your broker, your county assessor, or the National Vessel Documentation Center.
Sources
- California DMV. Vessel registration fees and use tax (Agent's Handbook for Registration of Undocumented Vessels, §3.000).
- California State Parks, Division of Boating and Waterways. California State Parks Announces Strengthened Mussel Sticker Program to Protect California Waterways (October 23, 2026).
- Port of San Diego, LA County, DBW and California Coastal Commission. Recreational Boater's Guide to Using Hull Paint in California (2019).
- Kona Kai Marina. Slip rates.
- The Marina at Dana Point. Boat slips and leasing (current slip rates).
- City of Newport Beach, Harbor Department. Harbor Fees (fees starting July 1, 2026) (July 1, 2026).
- LA County Department of Beaches & Harbors. Marina del Rey Guest Docks.
- County of Ventura Harbor Department (Channel Islands Harbor). Rates & Fees effective 7/1/2026 (July 1, 2026).
- City of Santa Barbara Waterfront Department. FY27 Waterfront Rate and Fee Summary (effective July 1, 2026) (July 1, 2026).
- City of Monterey. Master Fee Schedule FY2026/27 (2026).
- City of Monterey. Harbor and marina rules, rates and facts.
- Moss Landing Harbor District. Table 20.100 District Fee Schedule (revised July 1, 2026) (July 1, 2026).
- Santa Cruz Port District. Moorage rates and fees.
- San Mateo County Harbor District. Pillar Point Harbor rates and fees, July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 (July 1, 2026).
- San Mateo County Harbor District. Oyster Point Marina rates and fees, July 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027 (July 1, 2026).
- Port of San Francisco. South Beach Harbor Rules and Regulations (effective January 1, 2026; Resolution 25-84) (January 1, 2026).
- Clipper Yacht Harbor. Rate sheets.
- Westpoint Harbor. Fee schedule (effective January 1, 2026) (January 1, 2026).
- City of Berkeley. Selected Marina Fee Increases (Council item 19, January 27, 2026) (January 27, 2026).
- City of Berkeley. Annotated Agenda, City Council, January 27, 2026 (January 27, 2026).
- City of Sacramento. Sacramento Marina rates and requirements (effective January 1, 2026) (January 1, 2026).