A Peek Inside Our Boat
A tour of our boat — and how it changed the way we travel
For years, our adventures happened aboard a much smaller boat. This summer, that changed.
Boating has been a big part of my life since childhood. My father had a boat, and we spent countless days exploring the Baltic Sea — fishing, discovering new places, and enjoying all kinds of watersports.
My partner has always been a boat person too, but his home waters are Lake Päijänne, Finland’s second-largest lake. For years, we’ve packed a tent and a cooler and headed out to one of its islands, sometimes staying for three or four nights at a time.
We’d often admire the larger cruising boats, thinking, maybe someday. Then, this spring, my partner surprised me by buying one of our own.
So today, I'd love to show you around and give you a little glimpse of what life aboard is really like. First, I'll share a little about how we use the boat, and then I'll take you inside.
Our boat is a one-of-a-kind steel cruiser, handcrafted in the 1990s as a gift for an instructor at the boatyard. It feels surprisingly spacious — we could happily spend the entire summer living aboard.
It’s registered for up to 12 people and sleeps nine, making it a perfect fit for our family of five. We also tow a small dinghy behind us, making it easy to get ashore in places where we have to anchor a little farther from the shoreline. Personally, I prefer using a paddleboard for this.
The boat runs on diesel but is very fuel-efficient. Our cruising speed is around 5–6 knots, which feels like the perfect speed to me. It’s fast enough to cover longer distances, yet slow enough to really enjoy the journey. I have time to take in the scenery, and if I spot something interesting, I can even look it up on the map before we’ve passed it.
One advantage of a steel boat is that gently touching the bottom on a sandy beach isn't a problem. If the shoreline drops off quickly enough, we can often get close enough to simply jump from the bow straight onto the sand.
My favourite way to explore, though, is by paddleboard or kayak. I always want to bring at least one of them — preferably both. They fit perfectly on the bow.
Whenever I spot something interesting, we simply stop. I drop my paddleboard or kayak into the water, tow it behind the boat with a rope, and climb aboard easily from the swim platform.
I can happily spend an hour or two paddling around nearby while my partner goes fishing. It’s also a lovely way for us to enjoy a little time to ourselves before meeting back on the boat to share stories from our own little adventures.
In the bow, there’s a spacious sleeping cabin with room for three people to sleep comfortably. That’s where the children sleep.