I’ve always loved touring the insides of boats. When we were shopping for a trawler, we would try to crawl around every interior possible to get an idea of what style and layouts we liked. I also love to see how other cruisers solve space issues and decorate to make it feel like home. We’ve been asked a few times to post pics of our trawler interior and I actually did back when we first purchased Blue Turtle almost 5 years ago. If you view those pics and video, you’ll see how much has changed. We’ve done so much work on the interior of this boat to make it more comfortable for us and it seems like it is ever-changing. I had been waiting to get the interior painted to take photos and once it was finished I never seemed to have the time. Last weekend, I spent all day on Sunday cleaning the interior of Blue Turtle. Since she was all spic and span, I figured it would be a good time to snap some interior photos. Hope you enjoy!
Main Salon
Our trawler is a very simple layout and is made up of 3 cabins: main salon, aft cabin and v-berth. The main salon is basically the living room, galley (kitchen) and lower helm. It is the room that we spend most of our time in when inside so for me, it’s very important that it stays organized and clutter-free. We’ve done quite a few renovations on the main salon over the years. We’ve removed the built-in seating area and installed vinyl plank flooring, stripped the old wallpaper off and painted the interior as well as renovated our galley.
Aft Cabin
From the main salon, there are 3 steps that go down into the aft cabin which is our master bedroom. It’s a very large space for a boat and has a ton of storage. We have a full-size closet (which is rare) that is very deep and plenty of drawers for clothes. It’s the only room on the boat that actually has adequate storage space. Our head has a separate full-standing shower which is wonderful since many boats don’t have the space for this. Without the separate shower, we would be showering over our toilet seat and everything in the head would be wet. We have steps and a hatch that lead to the back deck although we don’t use the steps very often, we do leave the hatch open in the winter for great light and awesome breezes.
V-berth
The v-berth is Corey’s room. Its sleeps two which is perfect for having his friends over. It has some storage below the bunks and shelving on the sides as well as a closet. There are 3 steps leading down from the main salon and the steps area is where our electronics panel resides.
Quirky little details
Built in 1974, Blue Turtle is 43 years old. I love that this trawler is older because it has so much character and class. It has some quirky little details that must have come to fruition via different owners over her many years.
Beautiful! Ned and I are so bummed that we missed the presentation on Friday ! We totally forgot about it
Gorgeous boat. Tastefully decorated. Love the extra storage and the history.
Great boat! Tastefully decorated. Love the extra storage, and stateroom.
You’ve got her cleaned up and accessorized very nicely. Love the theme and color selection/coordination.
Cut the mattress with a saw??? Creative and brilliant! Wherever did you get that idea?
Thanks Ken!
Yes, Randy googled how to cut the mattress and found a Youtube video about it. Since the mattress is mostly made up of foam he was able to cut right through it. To keep it from falling apart too much, I have a full size mattress cover over it that zips up around it. It was the best decision ever since the mattress that came with the boat wasn’t that great.
We cut the foam mattress for our forward berth with an electric carving knife. Clean, easy to control.
Beautiful boat. We are renovating a 30 year old boat right now. Can’t wait to be liveaboards in a few years. Thanks for the inspiration.
Thanks Sue! You should post some pics of it once it’s finished on our Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/blueturtletrawler/). Would love to see it!
Kim
We are renovating a 1974 trawler now! It’s been in the works since 2012, and keep having setbacks with the workers we have hired!! Hopefully it will get splashed within a year!
Good luck with the renovations! I just love older (1970’s) vessels.. they have so much history and detail in them. I bet yours will be beautiful!
Wonderful Beth and Ned, the boat of your dreams…..Enjoy, Enjoy!!!!!! You are only young ONCE…..
I love it! You’ve done a great job. It looks so homey and cozy and yet really spacious. We’re currently renovating a 1968 Grand Banks and plan to live aboard in a few years when our youngest is in college. We’re torn between preserving the original features but also need it to be more functional. Did you follow any particular guidelines for deciding what changes to make?
And what do you use on your woodwork to make it so shiny?
Thanks Kari! Actually, our interior wood was in good condition when we purchased the boat, so we haven’t done any refinishing on it. I just wipe it down every now and then with Murphy’s Oil and warm water.
Beautiful boat and a great job.
Thanks Bill!
Hi Kim, I came across your blog, you are living the life! I love your trawler home. I think about all the good times we had with everyone off shore diving. Tell your mom and dad hi for us. Merry Christmas!
Hi Peggy! Great to hear from you. Yes, those were great times diving. Happy New Year!
Beautiful Trawler! Well designed living space. Well decorated for a floating home!