Our 50ft Catamaran Setup (Real Life With a Family of Four)

2026.03.20

If you’re thinking about boat life, one question always comes up:

👉 What kind of boat do you actually need?

Here’s our real setup — and what it’s like living on a boat as a family of four.

1. Our boat (basic specs)

Our boat is:

  • 50ft fiberglass catamaran (hand-built)
  • Powered by two 120HP outboard engines

👉 A catamaran means a twin-hull boat (two hulls instead of one)

This gives it a key advantage:

👉 Stability and shallow water access

2. Why a catamaran? (big advantage)

One of the biggest reasons we chose a catamaran:

👉 It can sit in shallow water

This means:

  • You can anchor closer to shore
  • More flexibility in where you stay
  • Access to places deeper boats can’t go

👉 This is a huge advantage for real boat life

3. Speed and fuel (real numbers)

Here’s the reality:

👉 Cruising speed: around 8 knots

Trip example:

  • Gold Coast → Tangalooma
  • One way: about 8 hours
  • Fuel (return): about 200 litres

👉 Boat life is slow
👉 Fuel is a real cost factor

4. Tender (small boat setup)

We also use a tender:

  • 3.5 metres

👉 This is essential for:

  • Going ashore
  • Daily transport
  • Flexibility

From experience:

👉 3.5m is a good balance

  • Stable enough
  • Works for distance

Smaller tenders:

👉 Can feel limiting

5. Living space (family reality)

We are:

  • Two adults
  • Two teenagers

And honestly:

👉 It’s slightly cramped

  • Limited personal space
  • Constant shared areas
  • Teenagers especially feel it

👉 This is the real side of boat life

6. Is 50ft enough?

For a family:

👉 50ft is just enough

For two people:

👉 You could go smaller

But if you:

  • Travel longer distances
  • Live onboard full-time

👉 Space becomes more important than expected

7. The reality behind the lifestyle

Boat life is often shown as:

  • Freedom
  • Views
  • Adventure

But the reality is:

👉 Trade-offs

  • Speed vs fuel
  • Space vs comfort
  • Freedom vs systems

Final thoughts

If you’re planning boat life:

👉 Don’t just think about the dream
👉 Think about the setup

  • Boat type (catamaran vs monohull)
  • Size
  • Fuel
  • Space

Because:

👉 These define your daily life

To understand how daily life works on a boat, you also need to understand the systems:

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