Project Description
Do You Have a Question About Floating Home Moorages?
An Introduction to the Floating Home Communities of Oregon
Serene Nature Setting
Urban Setting
Industrial Setting
Marine Setting
Floating home moorages are communities that are different than those on land because they consist of neighbors with diverse backgrounds who are all brought together because of their love of the water. You might have neighbors who enjoy sailing, boating, kayaking, fishing, paddle boarding or kite surfing.
But just like neighborhoods on land, every floating home moorage has a unique character and vibe, and will offer different amenities to its residents. The feel of a moorage is largely based its setting which can be described as natural, industrial, marine or somewhat suburban.
Portland and its surrounding areas of Scappoose and St. Helens boast over 50 floating home communities to choose from – more than any other region in the world!
Choosing a moorage is not as simple as “location location location” as it is on land.
Unlike homes on land where “location is everything”, a key driver which floating home buyers use to choose their community is the character and setting of the river itself.
Unlike most homes on land, the majority of floating homes are designed to maximize the waterfront views. Views can be very important when choosing a moorage and each floating home moorage setting offers different types of views: pastoral, nature, forest, industrial, urban, boats, other floating homes, multiplex residences and single-family homes on land, hills, mountains, Mt Hood, Mt. St. Helens, train/highway bridges as well as aesthetic bridges such as the Sauvie Island Bridge.
Unlike most homes on land, many floating homes are purchased precisely because of the unencumbered access to favorite water-based activities and hobbies. Therefore, floating home buyers carefully consider the character of the river and what it has to offer them in terms of maximizing their enjoyment of the river. Some waterways are quiet and still and are perfect for human powered water sports such as paddle boarding, kayaking or rowing. Other moorages are located precisely where the salmon run every year and are great if you enjoy fishing.
If you are just getting started with your search, it is wise to familiarize yourself with not just the physical location of a moorage, but with the quality, character and views each moorage can offer you. They all contribute to your enjoyment of the floating home lifestyle.
Click on any image in this gallery to see the variety of floating home moorage settings which are available in the Portland Metro area.
At Portland Floating Homes, we help you make sense of everything with three easy steps to help you find the right floating community that feels like home.
Let’s Get Started Learning Which Moorage Lifestyle Best Suits You In 3 Easy Steps.
After you review this guide and have a fairly good understanding of how to find a moorage and area that suit you, and you are at a point in your home buying process where you would like more detailed information about specific moorages such as the school district that serves the moorage, if pets are allowed, on-site boat mooring options, etc., contact us – we have an extensive moorage database which contains many more details on every moorage to help you decide which floating home community best fits your needs.
LET’S GET STARTED!
Take a Tour of the Floating Home Communities of the Portland Metro Area
How Do You Choose A Floating Home Community That Is Right For You?
Understanding the 5 Key Considerations for Moorages
will help you find the community that fits your lifestyle
With over 50 floating home communities located on over 40 river miles in the Portland Metro Area, how does one pick a floating home moorage?
Just like neighborhoods on land, every moorage has unique character and it can be impossible to compare apples-to-oranges without first understanding the most important things to consider when when choosing which moorage is the right fit for you. HINT: They are NOT the same key things to consider when purchasing a home on land.
When buying home on land, your choice is influenced by location more than any other factor. With floating homes, the decision is based on many more key considerations that have to do with cost, setting, restrictions, views and amenities. The 5 Key Considerations when choosing a floating home moorage are these:
We will review each of these below and guide you to understand how each one is important to your decision
1) Rented Vs. Owned Slips
This is the most important decision you will make when buying a floating home – to rent or purchase your slip.
As discussed in our GUIDE: Floating Homes 101, floating homes are located within rental moorages or ownership moorages. Owning a floating home in a rental moorage means that you, as floating home owner, rent the slip (the space the home is moored in) and you are a tenant of a landlord (the moorage owner). Owning a floating home in an ownership moorage means that you, as floating home owner, own the slip (the space the home is moored in) and you own a share of an HOA/Association/LLC/Non-Profit/For-Profit Corporation and you get voting rights to allow you to influence decisions regarding moorage activities such as fee increases, maintenance, dock upgrades, etc.
While ownership lends itself well to feeling more like the king or queen of your castle because you have more input into what happens in your community, the largest barrier to slip ownership is cost. Owning your own slip can add $85,000 to over $400,000 to the price of the house, depending on the location.
Renting your slip is a more-affordable way to own a floating home because the price of the slip isn’t included in the price of the house. Rent paid to the landlord, however, is typically higher than the HOA fees that homeowners pay who own their slips. Half of all floating homes in the Portland area are in rented slips.
| Rented Slip | Slip Ownership | |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Costs to Get Into the Moorage | $0 – $80,000* | $100,000 – $450,000 |
| Monthly Rental Fees or HOA Fees | $350 – $1,400 | $190 – $500 |
| Ownership Controlled By | Marina Owner is the Landlord | HOA (Home Owners Association) |
| Control of Moorage Decisions | Marina Owner | Home Owners through Voting Powers |
| Decision to Raise Rent/HOA fees | Marina Owner | Home Owners through Voting Powers |
| Goal of Moorage Operation | Generate Profit for Marina Owner | Typically, Non-Profit To Serve Needs of Residents |
| Can Rent/HOA Fees be raised? | Yes, as often and high as the Marina Owner wishes** | Yes, but not without HOA voting for fees to be raised |
| Can the moorage be sold? | Yes, you may get a new landlord | No, it will always be owned by the residents |
| Can I separate my home from my slip? | Yes, but it can be costly and rarely makes sense to do | Yes, sometimes, selling the slip separately generates more profit |
| Rights and Protections*** | You can be evicted for cause under ORS 90.505 – 90.830 | You can be removed for extreme behavior or non-payment by the HOA |
*As of the time of the development of this guide, ORS prohibit all but a limited number of types of fees. Some moorage owners, however, have been charging move-in fees that may be prohibited by law. We are not attorneys and cannot advise you on this matter.
**Currently SB608 (referred to by various names such as “the rent-cap law”, “the rent stabilization law”, and the “anti-price-gouging law”), a Senate Bill, is on its way to become signed into law by the Governor which will limit the increases your landlord can charge in a given year. After the first full year of tenancy, a landlord can only raise the rent up to 7% plus Consumer Price Index (currently limiting rent increases for this year at around 10%) during any 12-month period. There are some exceptions to this (updated as of 2/28/2019). We are not attorneys and cannot advise you on this matter.
***Your rights as a floating home owner can change as often as the Oregon Landlord Tenant Act or your HOA bylaws change. The relationship of a floating home owner to their moorage landlord or HOA is an independent part of the transaction when you buy or sell your floating home. We are not attorneys and cannot advise you on these matters.
2) Location and Lifestyle
Location determines not just how far you have to drive to work. Location also vastly influences your surroundings (urban, natural, or industrial) and the character of the waterway. Waterways with a lot of traffic are best for floating home owners who like to engage in boating and enjoy seeing activity more often right outside their door, while low traffic waterways lure in homeowners whose passions are human-powered water sports such as kayaking, rowing, and fishing.
Just like understanding the character of a neighborhood on land, it is important to understand the differences between the different areas of floating homes. We will first cover the major floating home regions in the Portland Metro area and describe generally what they offer you in terms of:
- Location
- Lifestyle
- Moorage Views and Surroundings
- Watersports conducive to the character of the waterway
- Proximity to shops, services, & things to do
- Walkability scores and bike friendliness
We will then go into further detail about two major areas that boast the highest number of floating homes. The North Portland Harbor and Multnomah Channel areas stretch cross many different landscapes and can be grouped into a variety of subcategories (e.g. industrial vs. nature views) that are helpful to you in understanding what they offer locally.
Click on the “+” button to the left of each area to expand the description and learn about what makes each area unique so that you can evaluate whether or not the area is a fit for you and your lifestyle.
The three moorages in St. Helens are located at the Port of Saint Helens on the Columbia River. These are Max’s Moorage, Dillard’s Moorage and St. Helens Marina. Views tend to be characterized by a wide river channel, hills, and views of nature. It’s perfect for boating of all kinds. It is a great place to live if you enjoy excursions out to sea as these are the closest floating home moorages in the Portland area to the Pacific Ocean. This area is a great place for salmon fishing and a quick look into its rich fishing history will quickly introduce you to the local “june hogs” which used to be a common find for that area. Because the commute from downtown Portland to St. Helens is about 45 minutes, the residents of these moorages tend to live and work in the community of St. Helens. St. Helens is the county seat for Columbia County and offers many different stores, services, and restaurants.
The Multnomah Channel moorages are located on a 21.5-mile-long, narrow distributary of the Willamette River. The channel starts at the southern tip of Sauvie Island where it splits west from the Willamette River. The channel then flows along the entire western bank of Sauvie Island until it flows into the Columbia River in St. Helens. The Multnomah Channel begins where Portland’s industrial area ends. Residents of these moorages enjoy a quick 15-30 minute commute to downtown Portland. The drive is only minimally affected by rush hour. Views on the southern end of the Multnomah Channel include some industry in the upriver background. As as you make your way north along the river, the more pastoral and serene the views become.
Some moorages offer views of Mount Hood, Mount Adams and Mount Saint Helens. Most of the moorages in this area are positioned across from the Sauvie Island dike which is a protected greenway offering views of nature. Wildlife is bountiful. It is not uncommon to see sea lions, otters, beavers, eagles, osprey, cranes, and a variety of migratory birds, or to hear coyotes at night. Slow currents and scarce boat traffic makes this area ideal for pleasant and calm canoeing kayaking, rowing and paddling. Fishing is a very popular activity on this river. Some floating home owners enjoy catching fish from their decks, including salmon during the Spring salmon run.
Recreational boating is popular but, with the narrower channel, sailboating is a much more active sport (lots of tacking and jibing) than it is on wider channels. Oregon rules prohibit making wakes near marinas and even though there are 20+ marinas on this stretch of waterway, there are also long stretches of the river where you can enjoy water skiing and wake boarding away from marinas. More rural in nature, nearly all of these moorages will require you to have a car to in order to access shops and services. Biking is an easy form of transportation in only about half of the moorages here. Most of these moorages are located just off of Highway 30 and in some areas the shoulder is narrow. Once you cross Highway 30, logging trails and hills abound for recreational, road, and mountain bike aficionados.
Willamette River moorages are located on the Willamette River south of downtown Portland and near the Sellwood Bridge on both banks of the Willamette River. The views tend to be characterized by nature, trees and the Sellwood Bridge. The Willamette River features a wide channel here and is perfect for watersports of all kinds. There is a sailing school nearby and occasionally you may catch a regatta. It is a busy recreational boat waterway, but also a beautiful place to kayak, paddle, canoe, row, etc. There is ample space for waterskiing, wake boarding and tubing (away from marinas), as well as fishing. Floating homes for sale on the Willamette River are in one of three moorages.
There is one moorage located on the Macadam Avenue side (west bank), the Macadam Bay Club, and two are located on the Sellwood neighborhood side (east bank), the Oregon Yacht Club and the Portland Rowing Club. All three moorages are located within a 10-minute drive of downtown Portland. Floating homes for sale on the Willamette River tend to be few because there are not many there, in comparison to other areas of Portland. Because of their proximity to downtown Portland and Sellwood, walkability scores are generally high. Biking trails offer connectivity to the city. Every urban amenity can be had within a short drive. There are restaurants and things to do near all of them, including nearby Oaks Park (an amusement park featuring rides and a roller coaster). Because of the landscape, these moorages are more sheltered from the winter winds than the moorages on NE Marine Drive.
North Portland Harbor moorages are located on a narrow channel of the Columbia River, between North Portland and Hayden Island and Tomahawk Island. These moorages are located in a setting with somewhat of a suburban feel and enjoy access to amenities similar to neighborhoods on land. This area is more densely populated than some other areas where there are floating home moorages. In this area, there is easy access to a variety of dining, shops, services, roadways, etc. There are views of boat marinas, other floating home moorages, bridges, waterfront residences, some industrial views, and some views of Mount Hood. Depending on the moorage, walkability scores tend to be higher here than in any other floating home moorage areas. Bike lanes and trails offer pathways to nature and commerce.
Like any urban Portland environment, commutes are susceptible to rush hours and traffic congestion moreso here than in moorage areas located further out from the city’s urban center. This area is ideal for boating of all kinds. Because of the boat traffic and marina activity, human-powered boating such as kayaking, rowing, canoeing, and paddeboarding, can be exciting and and entertaining as you become a part of this unique marine environment. Interactions with wildlife is a little less frequent than in moorages in more rural settings.
Northeast Marine Drive moorages are on a wide channel of the Columbia River, just south of McGuire Island. Immediately east of McGuire Island, the river opens up to a broad, scenic view of the beginning of the Columbia River Gorge. Breathtakingly close views of Mount Hood, serene nature and wildlife characterize the landscape. Scarce marine traffic and unobstructed breezes make this area ideal for sailboating and kitesurfing. With the Columbia River Gorge so close, nature-lovers and boaters of all kinds enjoy this proximity to outdoor adventure.
The river near the northeast Marine Drive moorages is conducive to being on the water. Paddle boarding, kayaking, rowing, and canoeing excursions are all amazing from this location. Winter can be icier due to higher winds and the current can get quite strong and swift during Winter and Spring, but the pristine sunrises over Mount Hood cannot be beat. These moorages are in Portland. Some of these moorages are within the service boundary of the City of Gresham, however, for certain municipal services such as permitting. Because this area is in a natural setting, nearby services such as groceries, shops and dining require transportation by car.
With over 20 moorages on the Multnomah Channel across 10 miles, the landscape varies. The moorages on The Multnomah Channel can be divided into 2 categories based on views, settings and proximity to urban centers, shops and restaurants – those located north of the Sauvie Island Bridge and those located to the south of the Sauvie Island Bridge.
Click on the “+” button to the left of each area to expand the description and learn about what makes each area unique so that you can evaluate whether or not the area is a fit for you and your lifestyle.
There are 15 moorages north of the Sauvie Island Bridge whose character and views can be referred to as natural and rural. There is something really special about this area’s connectivity to nature. All but two moorages are located across from Sauvie Island and its dike greenway where occasionally you can see flocks of grazing sheep. The other two moorages, Sauvie Island Moorage and Mayfair Moorage, are on Sauvie Island itself.
Wildlife abounds – from sea lions tossing fish in the air and catching them to an epic battle between a bald eagle and a cormorant. Some of these moorages are located in areas where the uplands cannot be developed. So, these uplands areas serve as protected wetlands to wildlife and migratory birds. Many of the moorages enjoy views of Mount Hood, Mount Adams, and Mount Saint Helens. Given the moorages are further away from the bright lights of Portland, stars and other celestial events are brighter the further north you head on the Multnomah Channel.
These moorages are about a 15-30 minute drive to downtown Portland. There is a floating restaurant along the channel that boaters and kayakers alike frequent. It is unique experience to be able to take a boat from your home to local hangout where you can eat dinner under the sweeping views of Mount Saint Helens and be surrounded by other marine-loving patrons. Although half of these moorages are located in Portland, Scappoose is the city in which most residents shop, dine and procure services. Scappoose is a small but growing town and was listed in Portland Monthly as the top growing neighborhood in the Portland area in 2018 The number of and variety of shops springing up will be a appreciated by moorage residents. Cyclists enjoy the route out Highway 30 to Sauvie Island. Roads and trails in the Tualatin Mountains offer a challenge to cyclists also, just west of Highway 30. Sauvie Island Moorage and Mayfair Moorage have similar characteristics, except they have easy access to farm-stands, U-Picks and nature reserves. Their nearest large grocery stores and restaurant options are located off the island in St. John’s.
There are four moorages south of the Sauvie Island Bridge which can be categorized as urban/industrial/natural. Upriver from these moorages is the end of Portland’s industrial area and the upriver views here contain industrial buildings, power transmission towers and power lines in the far distance. The views across the river and downriver are of nature and other floating home moorages, stunningly framed by the Sauvie Island Bridge. These moorages enjoy a 15-minute commute by car to downtown that is largely unaffected by rush hour. Boating and biking to downtown is fairly fast and bike lanes do exist along Highway 30. The north end of Forest Park is across Highway 30 from these moorages and offers boundless nature, hiking and biking trails all the way to the city. While there are some shops and a couple of restaurants in Linnton, the nearest grocery store is 5 miles away across the St. John’s Bridge which can take a long time to cross during rush hour. Many residents who work in Portland simply handle their shopping needs in Portland before heading home, and use the Linnton convenience stores for that last minute emergency must-have item. These moorages are in the Lincoln School District which is one of the top 10 highest rated public high schools in Oregon
The area in North Portland Harbor, beginning just west of the train bridge and extending eastward down Bridgeton Road is the area of Portland with the most floating homes. While proximate one to the next in terms of distance, their views and the character of the moorages vary one to the next. Some have more industrial views while others have views of houses and other floating houses, boat marinas, and a fair amount of boating activity.
The two moorages here are across from an undeveloped area of Hayden Island.
On a narrow channel of the Columbia River, home owners enjoy a wide variety of boating traffic. This area is close to numerous shops, restaurants, and shopping, in addition to great river-based activities.
Boat activity, proximity to conveniences such as West Marine, restaurants, downtown Vancouver, and more, are positives about this area.
Views of the river, high-end houses, floating homes, and boating are the rule here. Being on the south bank of the Columbia River, houses here are close to downtown Portland and Vancouver.
3) Moorage Rules, Regulations, Bylaws, & CC&Rs
Rules and regulations vary quite a bit from moorage to moorage. Moorages in which homeowners rent slips have rules and regulations. Moorages with slip ownership have a home owners association (HOA) and have similar limitations sometimes referred to as covenants, conditions, and restrictions. In all cases, there are rules. The most important thing to know about the rules is that, in the case of rented slips, if you don’t follow the rules you could face the threat of eviction. Generally, rules address some of the following topics:
Some moorages allow dogs. Some don’t. Some that allow dogs have breed or size restrictions and restrict the number of pets a home owner can have.
Some moorages don’t allow rentals, and almost no moorages allow short-term rentals such as on AirBnB.
The rules in some moorages go as far as to specify how bright exterior lights can be at night, that growing cannabis on your property is prohibited “for the safety and welfare of all tenants,” whether you can use a BBQ grill that uses charcoal, and that guests must be accompanied at all times on all marina property by a homeowner.
Feel free to contact us when evaluating which areas of town you might like to live in and which moorages are of interest to you.
4) Moorage Configuration
Moorage configurations and the appearance of moorages contribute greatly toward your perception of them. Sometimes you might like one over the other without being able to put your finger on why. Oftentimes, when we bring buyers to a floating home moorage for the first time, they become enamored with the view or the house itself, but in their excitement about the experience of taking it all in for the first time, they tend not to notice the individual details and elements which collectively result in a buyer feeling positive or negative about a moorage.
VIEWS ARE DETERMINED BY DOCK CONFIGURATION:
One of the biggest factors contributing to how you feel about a particular house in a moorage is the configuration of the moorage’s docks. There are 4 basic dock layouts which affect the views you see from inside the home.
Outside Slips
Outside & Inside Slips
Finger Rows
Double Finger Rows
Moorages with a dock that runs parallel to the bank with floating houses in outside slips offer the best unobstructed views of the river for its residents. Outside & Inside Slip configurations offer the outside floating home the best views and, while the inside slip river views may be partially obstructed by another floating home, typically, the shore views are lush and green and provide convenient access to launch boats and water toys just as the outside slips do but tend to cost less than homes in outside slips if all other things were equal.
Finger Row configurations feature a dock running parallel to the bank and from this dock rows of finger docks run perpendicularly from there. This configuration allows for unique views of the moorage itself, as well as upriver and downriver views. This configuration typically offers access to the river at both the fronts and backs of the houses. The floating homes located at the end of each finger row offer the the least obstructed views up- and down-river and are typically priced accordingly. Double-Sided Finger Row dock configurations generally have similar views as do homes on finger rows with a house only on one side of the finger row, however, river access is limited to just one side of the home. Houses on finger rows with houses on each side of the walkway tend to be more affordable than houses where there are houses only on one side of the finger row.
MOORAGE CONDITION:
Other elements to pay attention to when touring a moorage relate to its condition and maintenance. Few moorages offer concrete walkways which make walkways easier to navigate in high heels or during snowstorms. Some moorages have composite decking such as Trex. By far, wooden docks are the most common. Wooden docks require the most maintenance and some moorages keep their docks in tip-top shape, while some moorages allow docks to become squishy or are more tolerant of nails sticking up from the dock boards which can catch long pants legs as you walk by.
Ramps tend to be made of metal with either a metal walking surface or wood decking. Some ramps are wide which feel less constrictive than narrow ones and make it easier to cart larger items to you home. Some ramps feel unstable or rickety, while others feel solid.
Some moorage managers ensure that their residents maintain the exteriors of their homes, while others are lenient with rundown homes.
Flaking paint near docks is always a sign of neglect. Living on the river, we all have a responsibility to be good stewards of our waterways and this includes ensuring that flaking paint does not end up in the river.
Paying attention to all of these details when touring moorage will help to give you an idea of the kind of management which exists at the moorage.
MOORAGE INFRASTRUCTURE & APPEARANCE:
To connect necessary utilities to a floating home, electrical lines, internet lines, fresh water, waste lines, and fuel lines or pipes will all need to travel from the uplands area to the houses along the docks. Some moorages try to disguise and conceal this infrastructure by placing it underneath the docks which creates clean and clear docks. Other moorages place this infrastructure along-side the walkways or even on top of the docks which can make the walkways appear more cluttered. Some moorages have placed electrical lines overhead which can obstruct river views along the pathways.
At some moorages there are sheds near the parking lots to conceal trash and recycling containers.
Some moorages go the extra mile and pride themselves on landscaping and abundant flowers, custom signage, or sculptural welcome gates.
HITTING BOTTOM:
At a few moorages where the water isn’t very deep, when the river level is very low, some floating houses can touch bottom. This phenomenon tends to be rare. As soon as the river rises, the homes will also rise off of the river bottom. The process of dredging is when heavy marine machinery scoops out the soil and silt from the bottom of the river to, essentially, make it deeper so that houses don’t hit bottom when the river is extremely low. It can be very expensive and disruptive to disconnect floating houses and shuffle them around temporarily until the dredging is complete. Many residents learn to live with this rare phenomenon because of the disruptions and also because that kind of expenditure would likely raise rents or HOA fees to pay for the dredging.
5) Moorage Amenities
Amenities at moorages vary, and these are the “extras” make life easier and more enjoyable for you. Do you love to garden? Do you have a vintage car that you like to keep in pristine condition? Do you have a truckload full of holiday decorations that require large areas of storage?
Because floating homes do not have attics or basements, and only a few moorages offer garages, storage ranks fairly high on the list of desirable amenities. There are many other amenities that moorages can offer that suit your needs well.
Here are a list of some of the things that some moorages offer access to for free or for a fee:
Gardens and Garden Plots
RV Parking
Garages
Personal Storage Sheds
Studio Space
Gym
Bike Storage
Kayak Storage
On-site Boat Yard
Outdoor Community Grill Area
Uplands Hiking Trails
Uplands Community Space
Now that you are very familiar with how to choose a floating home community that suites your lifestyle, here are some of the most common questions to ask about a moorage.
Make sure to find out the answers to these questions before you view the house in person. No one enjoys falling in love with a home in a moorage, only to find out that the moorage condition, rules, or location won’t suit their family’s lifestyle.
- Is the home in a rented slip or owned slip?
- What is the monthly HOA fee or slip rental fee?
- Does the moorage allow my pet?
- Will the moorage allow me to rent out my home?
- Can I run a business from the home?
- Will the internet speeds allow me to work from home or enjoy my online hobbies?
- Can I park my boat there?
- Can my live-in partner live in the floating home with me but not be required to have a background check or be on the lease?
- Is there a place to park my RV?
- Can I have a smoker or charcoal grill on my deck?
- Can I fish or swim from my deck?
- My spouse has mobility challenges. How far is the distance from the parking lot to the home and how steep is the ramp at the lowest water level?
Still sounds like it’s the dream lifestyle for you? Great! We do, too!
Head on over to the MOORAGES page to see our Moorage Amenities Comparison Table and sign up as our client to receive access to our exclusive detailed moorage database which includes details such as pet restrictions, boat parking details, and much more.