alameda floating home association...

Sept/Oct 2006

A LA M EDA FLO A TIN G H O M E A SSO CIA TIO N

New s Ar o u n d t h e Do c k s

These 3 homes along B dock were all built by Richard Bolands’ Marina Homes, Inc., ca 1970s.

Photo from C. C. Times, 7/15/2006

When Richard Boland saw this summer's Contra Costa Times article (July 15, 2006) about floating homes at Barnhill Marina, he was reminded of a happy and productive time in his life. The article included a photograph of three homes that he built (see above) during the period of 1968 - 1978 when he owned Marina Homes, Inc. here in Ala-meda. Mr. Boland and his partner, Leonard Farrauto, built at least 27 of the homes here at Barnhill, and many others that are now located in Sausalito, the Delta, the Peninsula and even in Southern California. During a recent interview and walk around our marina, Mr. Boland, who now owns Richard Boland Yachts at Marina Village, reminisced about those early years. As a young man in his twenties just getting started in life, Richard happened to be renting a

floating home that was moored at a marina down near today's Quinn's Lighthouse restaurant. In the winter of 1966-67, the Bay Area was hit by a huge storm with winds that gusted up to 90 mph. Richard's floating home was ripped from its moorings and washed up on the shore of Coast Guard Island. The home's builder and owner, Bud Pollard (who later built a handful of homes at Barnhill Marina), rescued the home and negotiated with Mr. Barnhill to move it (and Richard) to Barnhill Marina, which Barney had acquired just 2 years before and was beginning to develop. Richard says this early Bud Pollard home is now the much-expanded Phil Freitas house at Dock D-17, and he remembers some of the wild parties he held there (confirmed by Barney!).

It was while living at Barnhill Marina that Richard found his new ca-reer path. He recounts how in 1967 a guy named Ed Major was at-tempting to build a floating home up in what is now the Barnhill Marina parking lot. Richard was curious and interested in the project,

(continued next page)

One of the earliest prototype floating homes pro-duced by Marina Homes, Inc., the company cre-ated by Richard Boland and Leonard Farrauto in 1968. All historic photos in this article are courtesy of Richard Boland.

N E W S A R O U N D T H E D O C K S

Richard Boland visits Barnhill Marina, 10/10/06. His com-pany built all of the homes pictured behind him on C dock.

(Building a floating village, continued from page 1)

and Ed invited him to help out. Richard ended up learn-ing how to apply fiberglass to the plywood barge. Unfor-tunately, the finished barge broke in half while being launched! The remains were towed ashore, and were eventually used to build another one of the homes here at the Marina - likely the current Mike Flanagan home at E-6, according to Richard! Despite this setback, Richard was intrigued by the idea of building floating homes and decided to give it a go. With his partner, Lenny Farrauto, $700, and a book on carpentry, they launched their fledgling business here in Alameda in an abandoned warehouse which they managed to rent for about $75 a month. This large, old building - the Pacific Bridge Ware-house - no longer exists, but was located down behind the current Oakland Yacht Club. They called their new enterprise Marina Homes, Inc., placed an Ad in the S.F. Chronicle and the orders began to trickle in.

Two pages from a marketing brochure for Marina Homes, Inc., c.. ea. 1970s, including photos of homes at Barnhill Marina.

(Continued next page)

N E W S A R O U N D T H E D O C K S P A G E 3

(Building a floating Village: Continued from page 2)

A floating home under construction, 1968.

The Ruth Dixon house is launched at the Pacific Marina Yard, c. 1970. This is now the Marla Blagg house, C-3.

The Guerney Gue house on C dock , c. 1971-72. Guerney Gue at left on porch with a young Sandy Privett in middle and her former home at right. The Gue house is now the Bart-lett house at B-15 and Sandy’s former home is now the Phillips’ house at B-4.

A new home is towed to its slip at Barnhill Marina, c. 1970.

Their first call came from Ken Martin of the Loch Lomond Bait Shop in San Rafael. Martin asked if Richard and Lenny would take a gutted, burned-out tug boat in exchange for building a floating home. Anxious to get their busi-ness rolling, Richard and Lenny agreed. Thus, in 1968 they built their first floating home, Hull #1, for Ken Martin. This home still exists and is now in Sausalito. From this beginning, their business slowly grew and began to take off. The homes ranged in price from $8,000 to $15,000 depending on cus-tomization. They built their first home for Barnhill Marina in 1969 or 1970 for Tommy Walker. During a walking tour on October 10, Richard felt quite cer-tain that this first home is now the Meyer/Toman house at Dock C-6 (perhaps an historic plaque should be considered?!). Richard also remembers that Mr. Barnhill ordered and bought a few homes in the early years (sometimes com-pleting the build-out himself), which he then rented out.

During the next 10 years, Marina Homes prospered and constructed some 60 floating homes that ended up throughout the Bay Area. At Barnhill alone, Richard's company built 27 floating homes (out of our current total of 41 ac-tual floating homes) - a majority of the inventory! And this doesn't include an additional few where his company built just the fiberglass platform and/or provided the basic framing. His distinctive style includes a mansard roof (flat on top with sloping sides), often with off-set cedar shakes. Some of these original cedar shakes still exist. A few of the early homes featured "sunken" living rooms, a term Richard and Lenny quickly changed to "step-down" living rooms, for obvious reasons! Many of the early homes have since been built out and up, adding concrete barges or adding rooms by eliminating the origi-nal upper or lower porches. But they are still unmistakably Boland homes.

By 1978, BCDC was on the scene, and things were getting difficult for floating home builders and marina owners around the Bay. Richard closed Marina Homes and moved into yacht sales. The last - and largest - home they built at Barnhill Marina was the Clowd Dawson house at Dock E-1 (now the Bob Flynn house).

Richard clearly enjoyed reminiscing about those years of his life, and visiting his legacy here at Barnhill. Because he also lived here at various times, he is a font of history as well as technical expertise. His memory of the houses he built and who he originally built them for is remarkable. A party to celebrate and honor the work of Richard Boland and Leonard Farrauto is planned for the near future. Watch for announcements at the Gates!

P A G E 4 N E W S A R O U N D T H E D O C K S

Darrin Christie, new D dock neighbor, chats it up with Marla Blagg of C-3.

Bob Knop, at far right, at the Welcome Aboard party with Scott Gibbs of B-12 (left) and Bob Schaff of E-3 (middle).

ROBERT KNOP

Let's extend a friendly "welcome aboard" to our new neighbor, Robert Knop! In early July, Mike and Kristin Box sold their home at Dock D-9 to Bob Knop and moved to a new Coast Guard assignment in Hawaii. While Bob didn’t move in until late July, he delighted everyone by showing up at our Barnhill 4th of July fest, even though escrow hadn’t closed yet! Needless to say, Bob fits right in at Barnhill Marina. Bob works for Bay Machinery in Rich-mond where he sells marine construction equipment, such as pile drivers. He's lived in the Bay Area since 1977, when he and his wife Nancy arrived in Berkeley so she could attend graduate school. They've lived in Berkeley ever since, raising 2 children: a son who is now an astro-physicist at Vanderbilt, and a daughter who is 6th grade Dean at the Head-Royce School in the East Bay.

Bob is a native of Connecticut, where he and Nancy met while both were in the marching band at the University of Connecticut at Storrs. Nancy is tending to her elderly parents back in West Virginia, but Bob's daughter, son-in-law and 2 year old grandson, Bennett, live close by and visit often. Bob is very active in the Congregational Church in Berkeley and sings in the choir there. He also loves the 49ers and the A's, photography and looking at the stars through one of his two telescopes. Don't be surprised if you see Bob up on his rooftop deck on a starry night; he's likely to invite you on up for a viewing! Oh, and Bob also has a beautiful, long-haired black cat named Sebastian - Welcome, Sebastian!

DARRIN CHRISTIE

A Welcome Aboard party was held at Roberta and Jericho's home on Sept. 15, which was attended by another new D dock neighbor, Darrin Christie. Darrin arrived in August aboard his 1963 37' Hunter mahogany (yes, it's all wood) cabin cruiser which he previously kept at the Emery-ville Marina. He's a native of California, born and raised in Yuba City. Dar-rin has done many things in his life such as accounting and teaching, and currently works for a roofing supply company. He takes a couple of months off each year to travel. He says he likes to be around boat peo-ple and the water, and he recently purchased a 30' Lancer sailboat. An-other of Darrin's favorite things is attending the annual Burning Man festival in Nevada's Black Rock Desert. Welcome to Barnhill Marina, Dar-rin!

At right: Host, Roberta Bobba shares a laugh with Kermit of A dock.

Sally Ann Jessie, her son James Jessie, and Aleida Schaff, all of E dock, at the Welcome Aboard party, Sept. 15, 2006.


JERICHO FAUREA

Has everyone noticed a certain brilliant flower that suddenly bloomed on Beth Remenap's house in August? This gorgeous bloom is the work of our own Jericho Faurea of Dock D-15! Jericho is a talented woodworker who has cre-ated similar motifs for the summer home she and Roberta own on Fire Island, New York. She also created much of the stunning wood-work in and around their lovely home on D Dock. Thanks, Jericho and Beth for adding this great touch of beauty and whimsy to our float-ing community!

The AFHA is happy to announce that 2 new dock carts are on order (or may have arrived by the time you read this!).

You may have noticed that the tires on our current dock carts have deteriorated due to heavy use. Roberta Bobba and Maggie Clendenin have been busy looking for replacement tires, to no avail. The company that manufactured our cur-rent carts has gone out of business and tires are no longer available. If anyone has a lead on how to find tires for these carts, please contact Maggie!

Meanwhile, we are purchasing new carts and they should arrive soon. The old carts are still functional, so we will have 4 carts! This is great news, especially on those days when you arrive with a trunk full of perishables, and the carts are in use somewhere else on the docks! Life just keeps getting better!

Many thanks to ROSEMARY REILLY for recently spear-heading an effective effort to eliminate the persistent sewage smell in the parking lot near Gate B. Thanks to her efforts and follow-up by Barnhill management, EB-MUD finally took care of the problem. HOORAY!

And thanks to our D Dock neighbor, LESLIE DAUPHI-NEE, for producing a great guide on recycling com-puters, TVs, batteries, etc. This guide is a helpful contri-bution to our community, and we've included it as an insert in this issue of the newsletter. Many thanks, Leslie, for this helpful information!

We've long believed that information such as Leslie's recycling guide, as well as numerous articles published in our newsletter, should be posted on the internet for resident access anytime, anywhere. So we are happy to announce that we plan to get an AFHA web site up and running within the next 3 - 6 months. Watch for announcements at the Gates, or in upcoming issues!

N E W S A R O U N D T H E D O C K S

There was a great turnout and lots of fabulous food at the 2006 Barnhill Independence Day celebration. Some of the attendees and events are pictured above. TOP, left to right: Angela McIntyre, Mary Feldmann and Scott Gibbs; Seth Chambers and his Mom, Barbara Chambers. MIDDLE, left to right: Maggie and Jon Clendenin, and Steve Todar; Floyd Hunter and Sandy Privett. BOTTOM ROW: Leslie and Barry Dauphinee; Floyd ignites his cannon, and Lela Knox with Nancy Knop (in blindfold) in the ever-popular blind boat race.


This is a second installment of our semi-regular feature where Mr. Barnhill answers residents' questions and offers tips about living in this very special place.

Question: What is the best way to keep my lines out of the wa-ter, and why is it important anyway?

Barney: First of all, lines that hang down in the water become weighted down and weakened by marine growth, deteriorate rapidly and could ultimately break, endangering your home, your neighbor's home and the docks. It is the reponsibility of all residents to keep your lines properly tied and elevated out of the estuary.

The best way to keep your lines high and dry is to simply tie them to your house and the dock so that there is not too much slack. If this does not seem to work, your lines may be too old and stretched out, or not of adequate size. With winter storms looming, this is a good time to check and secure all your lines, and replace old or worn lines. Barney recommends using 1/2" to 3/4”nylon dock lines—the bigger the better!

If your lines still need a boost to keep them out of the water, Barney recommends using a small piece of styrofoam to elevate the line out of the drink, or try using bungee cords to raise and tie up the lines to your home or the dock.

Walk around the marina to observe how your neighbors manage their lines to get additional ideas.

Question: Why are there new steel pilings at various places around the marina that are not yet attached to the docks?

Barney: These were installed a year or so ago for future insurance until a nearby wood piling gives out. Barney says the wood pilings next to or adjacent to these new metal pilings are still safe and functional for now.

Question: We were recently required to buy new security gate key cards for $15. Does this mean we own these keys and are responsible for passing them on or selling them to new residents if we move away from the marina?

Barney: Yes, residents own the keys and can include them in the escrow when negotiating sale of your home.

Question: Can you confirm that resident homeowners who rent a boat slip no longer receive a complimentary parking spot with the slip?

Barney: Yes, this is the new policy. In the past, Barnhill residents who also rented a slip for their boat received a complimentary parking space to use if they had a second car. But, in order to improve revenues, this policy is no longer in effect, except for residents for whom this privilege was previously granted.

Barnhill parking policy for homeowners/residents is as follows: Homeowners are permitted one parking slot per residence. A monthly fee is charged for a second vehicle. For policies and fees for additional vehicles, please see Tony or Barney, or refer to your copy of the marina rules.

Homeowners who rent an additional slip at Barnhill Marina for a boat, will not receive a parking space with the slip, and must continue to pay a monthly fee for a second vehicle. Nonresidents who rent a boat slip at Barnhill marina will continue to receive a complimentary parking space.

AFHA Board

Officers

for

2006:

Chair: Maggie Clendenin Co-Chair: Sally Campbell Treasurer: Roberta Bobba

Co-Treasurer: Erika Lindquist

Newsletter Staff:

Editor: Diane C. White Layout & Production: Diane & Bill White

For advertising information

& rates, or to submit ideas

or articles for the newsletter, contact:

[email protected]


The AFHA and Barnhill management want to re-mind everyone that the winter storm season is looming. This is a good time to check all your lines. Weakened or inadequate lines can result in dam-age to your home and the docks in a really big blow! Mr. Barnhill advises all residents to use at least 1/2" to 3/4” nylon lines - the bigger the bet-ter!. And be sure to check your knots, both on the house and at the dock.

Historically, there have been at least 2 major storms to hit the Bay Area within the last 40 or so years that had gusts up to 90 mph! Take precautions now, and secure your home - it's a big investment and you don't want to lose it!

In our last issue, we published an article about Holding Tank maintenance. Several residents re-sponded to that article with additional tips:

* Consider installing an alarm on the circuit breaker connected to your holding tank. If the cir-cuit breaks or the power goes out, an alarm will sound. This is important! Even if you don't in-stall a circuit breaker alarm, we must all remember not to flush our toilets or run water if the power goes off!! Without power, the pump will not work and the tank will likely overflow into your hull. Not a scenario you want to deal with!

* One of our neighbors has installed a 2" gate valve on his holding tank discharge pipe so that he can close off the pipe when he is away for extended periods. He has found this necessary be-cause he also turns off the electricity (so his water heater doesn't keep heating water), and has returned on a couple of occasions to find that his tank overflowed into his hull. Apparently, the back-check valves at the dock either failed or leaked and his neighbors' wastewater leaked into his hull. We've also heard about this happening to another resident, again because they left and turned the power off. One long-time resident suggests adding an additional back-check valve outside your hull for added insurance. But the real moral here: Do not turn off the power to your pump!!! It's just too risky!

Looking to buy or sell? Need to down-size? Think-ing of real estate investment? Please let me assist you with your real estate needs — call me at 510-377-7733

Payne Whittington Insurance

Appointed agent for

RED SHIELD

INSURANCE COMPANY

Insuring Floating Homes

continuously since 1986

Worldwide personal property coverage

loss of use/additional living expense

Contact Luci Payne, CPCU

or Joan Adams, ARM at

415-499-8690 Lic #0A96341


C LASSIFIED S

THIS SPACE FOR SALE!

TO ADVERTISE YOUR BUSINESS

IN “NEWS AROUND THE DOCKS”

CALL 510-769-9588

ALL PROCEEDS GO TO THE

ALAMEDA FLOATING HOME

ASSOCIATION (AFHA)

NOTE: ANNE DEBARDELEBAN IS NOW AFFILI-ATED WITH ANOTHER REALTY COMPANY. TO REACH HER, SEND EMAIL TO [email protected] , OR TRY THE FOLLOWING NUMBERS: 510-407-0175 OR 510-282-8062.

Fin a n c ia l Be n e f it s

Credit Union

P A G E 1 0 N E W S A R O U N D T H E D O C K S

They say that change is inevitable. And the credit union is proving it true once again.

Our floating home loan program has been re-vamped to meet the needs of our floating home communities.

Here are the details on our new program:

Fixed with 7 year call options:

1 Rate as of Oct. 1 – 7.50% with a 7.60% APR.

2 The note may be called every 7 years. That means it rate remains fixed for at least each 7-year period.

2 25-year amortization and term.

3 Closed end loan.

4 1 point.

5 3-year pre-payment penalty. However this does not mean you cannot pay more each month. Talk with a member service representative and find out what you can do!

6 Member must pay for the appraisal and all titling fees.

7 80% Loan-to-Value for amounts to $450,000.00.


9 Minimum loan amount is $100,000.00.

10 Owner occupied.

Variable with 15 year call:

11 Rate as of Oct. 1 – 7.25% with a 7.25% APR.

12 Loan rate adjusts twice a year, Apr. 1 and Oct. 1.

13 Maximum adjustment per period is .75%.

14 Note may be called at 15 years.

15 30-year amortization and term.

16 Closed in loan.

17 .50 point.

18 3-year pre-payment penalty. However this does not mean you cannot pay more each month. Talk with a member service representative and find out what you can do!

19 Member must pay for appraisal and titling fees.



22 Minimum loan amount is $100,000.00.

23 Owner occupied.

Call us if you want more information at (510) 433-9200.

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