Ala Wai Boat Harbor — Attraction in Honolulu

This is a heck of a way to start a review, but it is not nearly as bad as everyone will tell you.

The state of Hawaii has recently doubled prices, so the place is very expensive to stay on board at. However, not a dime of that money made it to the marina, so while the docks themselves are in pretty good shape, there is none of the maintenance or security one might expect when paying this much money to stay in a marina.

It has meant that there is plenty of space as residents keeping their boats there have fled. It also means that there is no longer any space at the private marinas in the area.

The harbor is on the water in the center of the tourist district with many homeless.

Vessels on the outer rows of the harbor are the most prone to theft. Anywhere in Honolulu unattended dinghies will be stolen as will their contents if they don't bother to steal the dinghy.

If you are staying aboard your boat, and not on the outer edges of the marina you are probably quite safe from theft.

When we had to leave our boat for a couple of months to return to the mainland, we moved our boat out of a Ala Wai on the recommendation of absolutely everyone we knew, including the residents there. We move to Ko Olina, 20 miles and a 4-Hour Sail Away

However, I believe if your boat is properly locked up and your dinghy properly tied to the boat, and you've made friends with people on the dock, you'll probably make it through okay.

To stay at the marina you must have a state of Hawaii inspection which is $40. You can get it at any state Marina, part of it is they must see you move into the marina under your own power. It doesn't matter that you just crossed the Pacific to get there, if they don't see it it doesn't count.

Courting the staff is worth the time. They are government employees and generally very distant. Spending time to get to know them before you arrive is well worth it. They can provide a list of all of the marinas on Oahu and will candidly discuss safety at each of them including the state marinas.

Except for the homeless, the property safety issues, and the maintenance level of the bathrooms, I liked the place, the location and the liveaboards who are the very down-to-earth people one meets...

I have a moorage here and although the location is amazing, it seems like there is lots of room for improvement. They haven't given out new liveaboard permits in years and as a result the marina community has got smaller and safety around the dock has declined too. You need people legally living in their boats to create the colorful thriving community that marinas should have, as well as enough people there all the time to address any problems that crop up.

It seems crazy not to let people live here given Honolulu's housing problems. The Hawaii Administrative Rules indicate that 129 vessel live-aboard permits are allowed at Ala Wai harbor. I think they're down to like 25 or so now through attrition and not giving out new permits. This seems like a waste. I heard it was because the old DOBOR Oahu district manager wanted a local hotel to take over this State facility... That wouldn't...

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