Automated coastal measurements of the west coast summer marine boundary layer (MBL) were made during the Coastal Waves 96 project. The air temperature inversion base height decreases from Central Oregon to a general minimum from Crescent City to Pt Conception, and is a maximum in the Southern California Bight. The air temperature inversion top tends to increase south of Oregon. The mean MBL temperature is a minimum along Northern California and a general maximum south of Pt Conception. The strongest and lowest capping inversion is along northern California. Mean 10-m speeds over the inner 200 km of coastal water are a general maximum between Cape Mendocino to Pt Conception. Mean surface speeds in the inner 20 km increase south of Cape Mendocino with local maximums at Pt Arena, Pt Sur and a grand a maximum near Pt Conception. The mean Froude number of the MBL off northern California is greater that one and off central California it is greater than 0.8. Cloud cover in the MBL is a function of the MBL depth and layer speed. Over the inner 200 km of water, the greatest cloud cover and deepest MBL is off southern California and decreases to the north. MBL clouds are a local minimum in the immediate lee of every major point. The MBL cloud cover tends to decrease from sunrise to sunset and also decreases with increasingly northerly wind speed