How We Found a Live-Aboard Boat in B.C.

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DON'T RUSH. Slow down and savor the feel of every marina you visit. Check each place out for yourself, even if people tell you that a particular boat harbor has absolutely nothing to offer. All you can lose is a little time . . . and hidden away in a marina full of yachts, you might well find just one old salt an an ancient float who knows exactly where the boat you're seeking can be found.

SHOP IN THE FALL. After the fishing season. This is when owners sell their old vessels. Fall, however, isn't the best time to start work an a boat, especially u p here in the cold-coldcold, so use your own judgment.

Following is a list of the places we shopped. If you're not already in Victoria, do the city of Vancouver first. Plan to spend at least a week, even if there are several of you to divide up the looking. (Vancouver's a big place, boatwise, and it's spread over a wide area.)

VANCOUVER & ENVIRONS: Clay'sMarina , just west of the Granville St. bridge, is worth stopping into; then go around the floats of the National Harbours Board thoroughly. Next, head over to Burrard Inlet, the main harbour, and check out the fisheries float at the foot of Campbell Avenue. We found good boats at each of these places.

Try Steveston next, the whole riverfront . . . especially Nelson Brothers' place upriver. They have gill netters as well as some fine dead-skiffs . . . mostly under 28 feet and open . . . which might suit folks willing to build on them. Another good source of gill netters in Vancouver itself is Celtic Shipyards and its annex, both at the foot of Blenheim St. on the Fraser shore. Mark Fredrickson is a good man to talk to at Celtic.

After Steveston, coves the rest of the delta. Try both the North and Middle arms of the Fraser in Richmond (although we didn't find a great deal there). Then Ladner, New Westminster, Queensboro, Surry , and Port Coquitlam. (Not many vessels here, but I spotted a good one whose low price was due at least in part to its being located in a place where few people would think of looking.)

In North Vancouver, check out the Mousquito Creek Marina, Deep Cove and Horseshoe Bay. Port Moody, at the head of Burrard Inlet, and Coal Harbour near Stanley Park are also possibilities,

In Queensboro, took for packers at Gunnaston Slough off Scott Road . . . and Annicis Island just off Queensboro.

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