Sleeping on my boat. Best spots to land….

My boat, a 1981 Marshall Californian, was designed for families, for trips up and down the coast and extended travel. Her dual fuel tanks hold 400 gallons of fuel, with a cruising range of 800 miles. The owner’s manual says she was designed to sleep seven. Two persons in the tiny aft berth, two on a bed made from seven very firm cushions in the main salon L shaped seating area, and three in the V-berth. All sleeping areas were tested by me. Personally. And the results. Vary. A lot.

When I first bought the boat, I slept in the aft berth. It was-at that point-the cleanest snoozing spot. The aft berth is located in the back of the boat. Aft berth size: 9’ wide and 7’ feet deep. That’s tinnier than a typical small–very small-bedroom, and this one has a lot jammed into those 63 square feet. Contents:  one narrow, non-standard size mattress wrapped in very noisy plastic (I learned why it was wrapped in plastic during the first rain storm) on an odd platform that contains the boat’s never used water filtration system; a bathroom-or in boat speak -“ head”- which contains a tiny shallow metal sink on a tiny cabinet base, a “step on a lever” style vacuum toilet, and one “we cannot use in the harbor” shower; for clothing storage: one wood bureau with 6 cigar size, hard to open drawers and a small shirt cabinet that stank of diesel fuel. Moldy lined, blue and white striped cotton curtains covered all windows. The bed. Let’s start with the mattress size: 46” wide by 80” long-custom-which means it cost significantly more than its standard counterpart. Neither twin or queen size mattress covers, sheets or blankets fit quite right. The first too small, the second too big. Plus, the bed was jammed in the corner. And I do  mean jammed in a corner. See photo. I am 74, swiftly heading toward 75, and getting up to pee at 2:00 was a royal pain. Contortionist skills were needed to get out-and back in- bed, and that particular location-for the first year-was cold and damp due to two leaky windows.

This  berth is now totally different, and feels like a comfy bedroom. And only one window still weeps during stormy days, so I do not have to sleep covered with large trash bags to stay dry. But… compared to early days, a dream.

Sleeping area number 2. Almost every trawler has some kind of convertible seating in the main salon. Mine was the L-shaped seating area on the starboard side of the boat. Remember the fairy tale of the Princess and the Pea? I discovered I am a Princess. With a Capitol P.  And I know the cushions-each and every- have at least one boulder stashed under them.  Every single one. I think perhaps very tired children might manage a night or two in that spot,  but not sober adults. In retrospect, this space was really meant for eating and chart reading, not sleeping. But I don’t need a single use kind of space, so opted to remove the seating and useless and hard to access storage underneath. The whole L is gone. Completely. And I am debating how to manage guest seating so…stay tuned.

Sleeping area number three. The Vee berth. I like this location a lot, especially  in summer. Lots of light- two tiny windows on each side, and an overhead hatch make for generous early morning sunshine.

The room is shaped like a crooked upside down heart, or V. The tiniest space -about 14 inches wide-is in the front of the boat, right below the anchor locker.  Think of it as the the bottom of the V,   and the top of the V is – at its widest-around  9 feet from one leg of the V to the other. I think of it as a “cattywampus” heart shape, and have come to associate the berth with love and affection from the loving couples and sassy female friends who have stayed there.

So far the V-berth has comfortably accommodated a wide range of adventurous friends- from the very tall to the super short,  but all…pretty much average size.  Four couples and four single women have stayed anywhere from five nights to several weeks. The general consensus is the space is comfy, fun,  and sufficiently private. Stays:  four or five nights tops for couples, longer for single folks. Must be some magic to the V-berth, because I always hear whispers, wiggling and giggles, a few dramatic sentences, then silence. Oh, couples tend to sleep crossways, taking advantage of the width, but singles -sleep like children-which means they are bed hogs, and can roll around like happy hamsters and use every inch.

I didn’t do a lot to this space. No, that’s not true. The wall carpet-yes, wall carpet, was disgusting-old, stained and dirty, so that came off the wall in a fierce tug of war. Old adhesive and ancient carpet were replaced with a new gray poly from Home Depot, and the flesh colored vinyl ceiling was primed and painted with Sherwin Williams paint in an bright white, matte finish. The single upper berth was cut back 18”, and the original trim reused, so it looks as if it’s always been this way.  This change gives sleepers more foot room, and the upper bunk now holds the boats mini library. The original rock hard cushions stayed, but were covered with very clean sheets.  A 4” pad infused with lavender went on top of the old toughies, and then-everyone’s favorite- a huge gray sheepskin (from Costco). Super soft sheets cover the sheepskin. The whole set up is topped with a cozy flannel covered down blanket. For super chilly nights, a Fat hamster size electric heater is available.
Big plus to this space. The Vee berth actually has a head right outside the door, making midnight potty runs convenient. Privacy. Both the aft and Vee berths have doors, the Vee door even comes with a DO NOT DISTURB sign pilfered from a posh hotel stay in Costa Rica.   Our berths are separated by the main salon, and what used to be the galley, which makes for 15’ plus feet between our staterooms. So… privacy is not an issue.  I have also observed that folks who live in small homes tend to be very respectful of each other’s “space”, and my boat is that tiny space personified.

Privacy in Vee berth

The last couple who stayed were great guests. And friends. When they left Barb and Dave packed all the dirty laundry form both rooms in bags so I could take to my daughters to wash.  Together we cleaned, vacuumed the main salon, washed dishes, and generally organized the boat for the next guest…due in three days. Perfect. And left me feeling pleased we had successfully navigated four days together. Well done. By all.