Inside Our Liveaboard Sailboat: A Full Boat Tour
- ericaoliviasilva24
- Mar 15
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 24
When we first started looking into living on a sailboat, one of the things we struggled to picture was what the inside of a liveaboard boat actually looked like.
Photos online often show beautiful teak interiors and cosy cabins, but they rarely explain how the space works day-to-day when it’s your full-time home. If you’re still figuring out how living on a boat actually works in practice, this guide breaks it down properly: How to Live on a Boat in the UK (Complete Beginner Guide)
So here’s a full tour of our sailboat — the spaces we live in, cook in, work in, and of course the places our resident boat cat Luna has claimed as her own.
The Cockpit — Our Outdoor Living Room
If there’s one place we spend the most time on the boat, it’s the cockpit.
The cockpit is where you steer the boat when sailing, but when you’re living aboard it quickly becomes much more than that. It’s where we drink our morning coffee, eat dinner in the summer, and watch the marina come to life.
On calm evenings it’s easily the best seat on the boat.
At the Helm
This is the helm where we steer the boat.
When we first bought the boat, this area felt a bit intimidating. There are lines, instruments, and winches everywhere, and it takes a while to understand what everything does.
Now it’s one of our favourite places to sit — especially on sunny mornings when the marina is completely calm.
The Galley (Boat Kitchen)
Boat kitchens are called galleys, and they’re very different from kitchens in houses.
Space is limited, everything has to stay secure when the boat moves, and storage becomes incredibly important.
Our galley has:
a stove and oven
sink with fresh water
fridge
cupboards for food and cookware
Cooking on a boat definitely requires a bit of creativity, but once you adapt it works surprisingly well.
We’ve broken down exactly what we use (and what’s actually worth the space) here:
The Saloon
The saloon is the central living space inside the boat. This is where we relax in the evenings, read, plan sailing routes, or just hide from the weather when it’s blowing outside.
Boat interiors tend to feel surprisingly cosy — partly because everything is compact, and partly because you end up using every part of the space daily. This is also where we work remotely from the boat, so having a reliable power setup is essential. Here’s how we power remote work onboard.
The Forward Cabin (Bedroom)
This is our forward cabin, which serves as our bedroom.
Boat cabins are compact but very comfortable. The shape of the boat means the bed often sits in the bow, creating a snug sleeping space surrounded by wood panelling and small porthole windows.
The Aft Cabin (Our Main Bedroom)
Our main bedroom is the aft cabin, located at the back of the boat.
It’s the largest sleeping space on board and where we sleep full-time. Compared with the forward cabin, the aft cabin feels a bit more spacious and private, which makes it ideal as the primary bedroom when living aboard.
Boat cabins are naturally compact, but clever storage and built-in cupboards make the space work surprisingly well for everyday life.
The Head (Boat Bathroom)
Boat bathrooms are called heads.
They’re usually small but designed to be practical. Ours includes:
a toilet
small sink
storage for toiletries
Learning to use a marine toilet is definitely one of the first adjustments when moving aboard!
Boat Maintenance Is Part of Life
Living on a boat also means becoming familiar with maintenance. Boats require regular upkeep, from painting the hull to checking the propeller and cleaning underwater fittings.
It can be messy work, but it’s also part of the satisfaction of owning and living on your own boat. A lot of these are the kinds of things people don’t think about until they’re already living aboard. We’ve covered the unexpected ones here: Hidden Costs of Living on a Boat in the UK
Luna the Boat Cat
No tour of our boat would be complete without introducing Luna.
She spends most of her time watching the marina from the cockpit or inspecting ropes, winches, and anything else she thinks might need supervision.
Surprisingly, she adapted to boat life very quickly and now seems completely at home.
If you’re thinking about bringing a cat onboard, we’ve shared everything we’ve learned here: Essential Tips for Living Aboard With Your Cat
Life Inside a Liveaboard Sailboat
Living on a sailboat is very different from living in a house. The spaces are smaller, storage matters much more, and maintenance is a constant part of life. It’s also one of the biggest parts of the overall cost of living aboard, especially in the UK climate. We’ve broken down our real monthly costs here. But in return you get something pretty special — the ability to live close to the water and move your home whenever you want. For us, the trade-off has been completely worth it.
Final Thoughts
When people imagine living on a sailboat, they often picture adventure and travel.
While that’s certainly part of it, the reality is also about everyday life — cooking in a small galley, relaxing in the cockpit, maintaining the boat, and making the most of a very unique home. For us, it’s been one of the most rewarding experiences we’ve had.
If you’re trying to picture whether this lifestyle is actually right for you, we shared what our first month living aboard really looked like here: Our First Month Living Aboard a Sailboat
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