7 Liveaboard Must-Haves

Posted: December 1, 2011

You’ll spend a lot of time there, so get it right.

By: John Torelli

By the time you’re choosing your third boat, you’ve had some experience with what works and what doesn’t. And while my wife, Maria, and I have lived part-time on our previous two boats, we know we’re going to live on this one most of the time, so our priorities are different. Here are the seven must-haves we’ve decided on in the salon of our liveaboard trawler.

Expanded layout. While we enjoyed the full-beam salon on our previous trawlers, we are planning to build a larger boat and want only one sidedeck, to starboard, for ease of boarding and docking. Inside the asymmetrical salon the single-sidedeck layout creates, the design will allow traffic to flow easily through the center of the room leading to the galley, stairs and pilothouse.

Versatile doors and windows. A single centerline Dutch door with two large opening windows on either side is a must for ventilation and privacy. Our first trawler had this arrangement, and we came to appreciate its significance. Salon windows must be large and must open. Natural light makes any room feel open. Since you can’t control the direction of the breeze, you will want the ability to open any window for ventilation. Window coverings should not be taken lightly. They provide privacy at night and block the early-morning sun.

Fixed seating. The type of seating (built-in vs. freestanding) is truly driven by the size of the boat. Smaller boats need to maximize space and more often use built-in or fixed furniture, while larger boats can afford to use a few extra inches on more conventional seating. With a boat in the 45-foot range, we lean toward built-in seating with maximum storage underneath. A large U-shaped sofa on one side with a smaller sofa (not chairs) and entertainment area on the other side provides maximum seating/lounging space. A galley forward on one side provides the ultimate configuration and maximizes available space and functionality.

Maximized storage. You can never have too much storage on a boat, and the salon can provide lots of it — under sofas, on the walls and even in the ceiling. A small built-in entertainment center along one wall can house all of your electronics as well as books and other documentation. Ceiling-mounted drop-down TVs are common. Installing some electronics behind the ceiling panels is another method we’ve used.

Ample lighting. Lights with a dimmer control switch are a must for the main illumination. There should be enough light that you can read manuals in the middle of the night when you’re fixing something or looking for an item you stored away. You will also want a few outlets around the salon to plug in a reading or decorative lamp.

Reasonable entertainment. Since we’re planning to live aboard, we want to include a nice entertainment system but not go over the top. We have found that a nice flat-screen LCD TV linked to a satellite and combined with a quality DVD player and surround-sound system provides high-quality picture and sound.

A day head. If there was something missing on our previous boats, it was a centrally located day head. We have seen a few boats with a small day head in the corner of the salon, which we think is practical. We are thinking forward near the stairs leading up to the pilothouse. One of our goals for the next boat is to keep the number of stairs to a minimum, and having a day head in the most-used room and close to the pilothouse helps meet this goal.