Who can sleep in the forward berths found on some catamarans? How do you get to them?
Updated on: 26/05/2025At the front of their two hulls, catamarans have storage spaces that are sometimes converted into sleeping berths. If this is the case, it will be noted in the boat’s description. On catamarans between 38 and 45 feet (approximately 11.40 m and 13.50 m), these are not cabins in the strict sense, but rather small, individual "coffin-style" berths that are relatively cramped and have a ceiling very close to the mattress. They are used by professional skippers and hostesses, or by children, when there are many people on board and all the double cabins are occupied. We do not recommend that adults sleep in the bow unless they are accustomed to it.
If the saloon can be converted into a double berth, this is often a much more comfortable alternative than using the two bow berths.
Depending on the boat, these sleeping areas are accessible either:
- From the inside only (from the forward double cabins, via a hatch in the wall): this is practical and safe for a child but may pose privacy issues for some couples if a skipper or hostess is sleeping behind the hatch.
- From the outside only (via a large porthole or a hatch on the deck): this is the most common scenario. It resolves any privacy concerns, but can pose a safety issue if a child is sleeping there (if they go outside at night to use the restroom, for example).
- From the inside AND from the outside.
Unfortunately, there is no standard rule even for a given catamaran model, so we do not include this information on our boat listings. If the type of access to the bow berths is important to you, please ask your advisor before booking, and we will verify this for you.
Note: On certain models (Bali 4.0, Bali 4.1, Bali CatSpace), the bow berths are particularly small (1.65 or 1.70 m long), so they can only accommodate young children (not the skipper or hostess).
Example of a single berth in the bow on a Lagoon 450
