After falling into disuse in Portland, it was transported to the San Francisco Bay in California, where it was used as a ferry between Vallejo and Mare Island until the end of World War II.

The vessel was sold to the Society for Comparative Philosophy ("SCP") which was created by Alan Watts and Elsa Gidlow to be a charitable and teaching organization in 1962.

[1][2] The 414 ton boat[3] was put into service in 1879 by Henry Villard, to replace an aging ferry initially set up by Ben Holladay.

In November 1878, a drunken passenger had stepped off the boat before it landed, and drowned; the resulting legal action was ultimately appealed to the Oregon Supreme Court.

[5] With the construction of the Steel Bridge in 1888, the ferry was no longer needed; after several idle years, it was transported to the San Francisco Bay, renamed Vallejo (no later than 1904[6]), and converted to use coal and then oil for fuel.

[5] Under the auspices of The Society For Comparative Philosophy ( 1962–1984) poet Elsa Gidlow and philosopher Alan Watts bought Ford's share of the houseboat in 1961.

Tai chi master Al Huang held seminars with flute playing, dancing and meditation before and for several years after Watts died in 1973.

She said, "I hope she will continue to be the home of remarkable people and ideas, and I wish her to serve the creative and artistic needs of Sausalito and the Bay Area.

Now in private hands, the Vallejo was transferred across the San Francisco Bay to an Alameda shipyard for repairs in 2000, and then returned to her dock in Sausalito.