I intend to live on the boat.
That boat is in Alameda, in the Oakland Estuary on San Francisco Bay. I have kept a boat there for more than 20 years so I know a little about local liveaboards.. Living aboard on San Francisco Bay legally is not easy or cheap to do.
Are you going to anchor out or lease a slip? I have friends who live aboard their boats, but it's not cheap to do it legally unless you move your boat every few days or get a permit from the Coast Guard.
About leasing a slip:
Slips in the San francisco Bay Area are expensive. There are cheaper slips up in the Sacramento River Delta, but I don't know the prices.
A slip big enough for a trimaran is expensive compared to a monohull, because multihulls are so wide in the beam. Side-tie berths for multihulls start at about $12.50/foot/month at the cheapest marinas on SF Bay. The berth for my Trimaran is 13.50/foot/month. Plus about $6-10/foot/month if you liveaboard. So if you can find a liveaboard slip for the 29' Piver, it will cost you over $600 per month plus cost of electricity. Many marinas don't accept liveaboards under 35' LOA.
Monohull slips start at about $8/foot/month on SF Bay.
The marinas in Alameda (and everywhere on SF Bay) generally do not accept derelict boats as tenants (because they get stuck with the cost of removal when the owner abandons the boat and disappears). Marinas always require you have a current registration and have $300-$500k of liability insurance. Many marinas require a current survey (less than 2 years old) if the boat is older than 15 years. Most marinas will require you to keep it in seaworthy condition, which includes having a working motor.
If you want to live aboard a marina, you need to get a legally permitted "liveaboard" slip. The cheaper ones at older marinas are in short supply in Alameda CA. There's a waiting list for liveaboard slips at every marina on San Francisco Bay and area. The marinas around here will lock you out if you try to sneak aboard. They all have electronic keys to operate the gate.
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About Anchoring out:
Anchoring out is legal in designated anchorages, but it is technically against state law to anchor out anywhere else without a permit from the Coast Guard/Port Captain. You will be considered a hazard to navigation.
I believe there is a 72 hour limit to anchoring in designated anchorages unless you get a permit from the Coast Guard, but you can probably stay in one spot longer than that in isolated places before the CG notices you. Every year, the Coast Guard periodically impounds illegally anchored boats and destroys them after giving a 30 day notice. So you have to move your boat.
There used to be certain places where liveaboards were allowed to anchor out. Richardson Bay was one of those places starting in the 1960's. There used to be 250 anchor-outs there, but now there are less than 50 who have been grandfathered in. The Coast Guard enforces the rules to prevent dumping of sewage and inspects anchors to avoid boats from dragging anchor and damaging other boats. Some boats were impounded because they were being used as meth labs.
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Title 33: Navigation and Navigable Waters
PART 110—ANCHORAGE REGULATIONS
Subpart B—Anchorage Grounds
§110.224 San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, Carquinez Strait, Suisun Bay, Sacramento River, San Joaquin River, and connecting waters, CA.
(a) General regulations. (1) Within the navigable waters of San Francisco Bay, San Pablo Bay, Carquinez Strait, Suisun Bay, New York Slough, San Joaquin River Deep Water Channel, the Stockton Turning Basin, the Sacramento River Deep Water Ship Channel between Suisun Bay and the east end of the West Sacramento Turning Basin, and connecting waters,
anchoring is prohibited outside of designated anchorages except when required for safety or with the written permission of the Captain of the Port. Each vessel anchoring outside an established anchorage area shall immediately notify the Captain of the Port of her position and reason for anchoring.
