Garibaldi Coast Guard Boat House and Pier

Opened in 1936, this historic Coast Guard boat house launched two 36 foot motorized lifeboats and a 25 foot oar powered surf boat, on rails. The boats assisted in marine rescues on the Tillamook Bay bar. The wooden boat house sits on pilings at the end of a 760 foot wooden pier built on 100 pilings above Tillamook Bay.

The boat house now houses an art gallery and a collection of Coast Guard memorabilia. The pier provides opportunities for crabbing and fishing, and offers spectacular birding and views of Tillamook Bay and the nearby fishing port of Garibaldi. The boat house and pier adjoin the main channel for the Garibaldi fishing fleet sailing to and from the Pacific Ocean.

The boathouse contained rescue boats of the U.S. Coast Guard lifesaving station at the mouth of Tillamook Bay, Oregon. The Garibaldi fishing fleet had to cross a treacherous, shallow bar to access the Pacific Ocean's fishing grounds, and there were numerous capsizing and rescues.

Designed in 1934, constructed in 1935 and becoming operational in 1936, the boathouse housed two 36 foot motorized open lifeboats, and one 25 foot oar-powered surf boat, launched fully manned on rails. The boathouse is at the end of a 750 foot wooden pier built on 100 wooden pilings.

The boathouse was decommissioned in the 1960s when the Coast Guard stationed 44 foot patrol boats at a new facility in Garibaldi. In 1986, the boathouse came under the operations of a non-profit, the Garibaldi Cultural Heritage Initiative, to preserve the house and to open it to the public. The public continues to enjoy the pier, with public crabbing and fishing, bird watching and spectacular views of the fishing port of Garibaldi, Tillamook Bay and the fishing fleet sailing to the mouth of Tillamook Bay and the Pacific Ocean.

"Since 1936, this structure has endured the rugged test of environment and condition on the north end of Tillamook Bay.  

The building and pier indicate a rare type of maritime architecture that tells the story of a pivotal chapter in Oregon’s history. Only a handful of these life-saving structures were built and only one or two remain on the west coast. The combination of location, historical integrity of the building, and scenic value elevate the heritage, cultural, and visitor value as well as the need for a long-term plan to repurpose and preserve the unique asset for our community.

"With architecture that provides a window into another time, the Historic US Coast Guard Boathouse represents an opportunity for our current culture to reflect on a journey across generations, and preserve access to this site for generations to come."^[1]

Historic U.S. Coast Guard Boat House. Accessed July 28th, 2023. https://www.tillamookbayheritageroute.org/historicboathouse.

Historic U.S. Coast Guard Boat House, Accessed July 28th, 2023. https://www.tillamookheadlightherald.com/salute_to_the_united_states_coast_guard/historic-u-s-coast-guard-boathouse/article_5d1417ac-eef8-11eb-814e-afd0b28b3643.html.

^[1] The Boathouse. Accessed July 28th, 2023. http://www.savegaribaldipier.org/#savegaribaldipier.