The One All About Our Boat, Light & Salty

Recently Brent asked me to send him the link to the post about our boat. I asked him to be more specific and he said “You know, the post where you shared what kind it is and the interior pictures and stuff…”

Umm, so we don’t have a post like that. (It’s always good to know where I stand with Brent’s involvement in our website!)

I tried really hard to convince Brent that if he thought we needed a post about Light & Salty, then he should be the one to write it. But pigs will fly before Brent ever voluntarily writes something.

Regardless, he was right. We do need a post about our boat because people ask about it all the time!

So here goes…

Last March we purchased a 2003 Cruisers 4450. For a more detailed glimpse into our boat buying process, check out my post: The One Where I Rewind Back To The Beginning.

Similarly to looking at a house, the Cruisers 4450 checked all of our required boxes. The largest of which meant that it met Loop qualifications for height. (In order to circumnavigate the Loop, you must be able to clear the lowest fixed bridge at 19.6 feet.)

We double checked the height a few times after purchasing the boat…

The other non-negotiable feature was that it had 3-staterooms.

Those requirements aside, Brent and I fell in love with our boat for two totally different reasons. He specifically liked the twin Yanmar Diesel Engines. Mechanically speaking, with some tune-ups this particular boat was very sound.

My favorite feature was all the separate living space. Our master bedroom is in the back of the boat (Aft Cabin), while the kids’ bedrooms are both up front. We also have a huge back porch. Knowing the space was going to feel very cramped compared to our house, I liked that we’d be able to put some distance between all of us.

If I had to write a real estate listing, for better or worse, here’s the list of features:

3 bedrooms (cabins)
Master: Queen bed + TV + nice size closet + en-suite bathroom + desk
Front bedroom (V Birth): Odd shaped Queen bed + TV + 2 huge closets
Cave Bedroom: Cozy (small!) with a twin bed and cute bookshelf + huge, but unusable closet because it contains an extra hot water tank

2 bathrooms (heads)
Master Bath has a Jacuzzi tub and linen closet (which, on our boat, doubles as a liquor closet)
Kids Bathroom in the front hallway. We use their shower for our laundry room and they shower in the master bathroom.

Living Room (salon)
After-market sectional that includes 2 reclining chairs a
TV that can be raised out of a cabinet + kitchen table that seats 4 comfortably and 5-6 if we squish kids in

Kitchen
2 burner electric stove + microwave/convection oven + apartment size refrigerator + cabinet space for days (as long as you don’t mind physically crawling into the cabinets to find stuff because it disappears so far back into them!)

Back Porch
Completely screened in outdoor area with a TV (best money we spent on our boat!) + helm + huge storage space we call our “garage” + beverage fridge and ice maker + small grill

Here are some other random features on Light & Salty that we enjoy:

• Windlass: This is a machine on the front of our boat that puts our anchor up and down. With a few simple buttons, we’re able to lower and raise our anchor effortlessly.
• AutoPilot: Another machine on our boat that keeps us on course. Yes, we still have to sit at the helm. However, it will keep our boat moving in the exact direction we choose, not allowing it to be thrown off course by wind or a current.
• 3 AC/Heat Units: People ask us often how we’re able to heat the boat. Our AC units double as heaters. In any given day, we use both options.
• Generator: When we are parked at a marina we connect our electrical cord into 50 Amp power. However, when we’re underway or on anchor we have a generator that powers everything on our boat.

In addition to our big boat, we have a dinghy, The Bob.

Our dinghy sits on our oversized swim platform and we launch it with a davit. It’s a little tricky to get it just right, but essentially with a remote control we’re able to put the dinghy in and out of the water.

Our dinghy is crazy awesome as it has a ridiculously big motor on it. It seats 5 comfortably and has enough power to pull both kids on the tube. It is the only thing on our boat that runs on gas.

So often I’m asked about living in such a small space and what we really think of it.

On any given day my answer might be slightly different, but for the most part we are really enjoying it. The tight quarters doesn’t bother me nearly as much as the clutter.

We have a lot of stuff on the boat, and we don’t usually put things away that we use on a daily basis. For example, our work computers tend to shift around but never get “cleaned up.” Same with the kids school books (unless we’re on a break, and then we put them all away.)

Another thing that can be an issue is the kids’ toys- specifically Miller’s cars or Mary Grace’s LEGOS. They both love to set them all up…but then they’re just in the way. I do miss having a play room where I can just close the door!

We’ve adjusted to the lack of grocery space. I’ve already done a post about cooking on a boat and that gives more details. You can read it: HERE.

Overall, we are thrilled with our boat!

We’ve had the opportunity to be on a lot of friends boats over the last months, and I’m honestly not sure there’s one that fits our family’s needs better than Light & Salty.

I will post a few video tours of our boat later this week on my @momwithamap Instagram and Facebook accounts. Be sure you’re following along there if you want the full tour!

As always, thanks for keeping up with our crazy adventures. Next up, our Island Hopping Days. Until then, you might enjoy reading:

The One With Our Gulf Crossing and 20/20 Hindsight

The One With Cooking On A Boat

The One Place I’ve Been That I’ll Never Go Again