Our beautiful 2002 Catalina 42 MKII is up for sale! Ma'alahi is in pristine condition and ready to go cruising.
I have converted my old blog to a "for sale" page so old posts about our life aboard can be found. My contact information can be found on the right sidebar. NEW PRICE! Ma'alahi is now listed at only $153,000! Previously listed at $167,000 and $169,000. We are serious about selling and ready to answer any questions you may have!
K's stateroom is a work in progress. My experience (via online research) has been that the guest stateroom in the 42' Catalina is often referred to as "the garage". We will be unable to have that mentality seeing that our plan is for M and K to share this room sometime in the future.
This room is tucked away in the aft starboard side of Ma'alahi (difficult to photograph). It is equipped with a full size bed and has (relatively) generous clothing storage. The guest stateroom has direct access to the guest bathroom.
This room was FULL of boat equipment when we took delivery of the boat. There is still a lot of stuff (sails, cushions, etc) on the bed. Please excuse the mess!
Entrance - looking starboard
Clothing Storage - three functional drawers (bottom "drawer" drops down for access to through holes)
Hanging Locker - lined with cedar and modified with cedar shelving
When we first purchased Ma'alahi (December, 2010), I had to scramble to find something for K to sleep in. K was 11 months old when we had our first overnight trial run on the boat. That first night, I had her, in a standard size pack n' play, in the main living area. The pack n' play took up far too much floor space so I knew that it would not be a long term solution.
Internet research, initially, was not of much help. Google-ing "infant bed boat" "baby sleep boat" ... etc did not come up with any real functional ideas. I wanted to find a solution that would work for a few years AND be functional when away from the dock.
I did have some success when I did an internet search for infant sleeping arrangements on RV's/Motorhomes. Apparently, it is more "mainstream" to travel with young children on the road than it is on water.
My research turned me on to a travel tent that is safety approved for newborn/toddler use - the KidCo PeaPod Plus (Model P204):
We purchased this bed online for about $70 (I do not recall the exact price). This is the "fully loaded" model that comes with an inflatable mattress that zips into the floor of the tent (from the outside). The inflatable mattress appears to provide additional stability. K's "house" is situated on the mattress in her stateroom.
K is able to get out of the tent on her own (via the zipper door).
K - 21 months
This tent has been perfect for our situation. Soon, K will transition to sleeping on the bed without the tent and M will likely move into the tent... which will then be moved into the main cabin area (at night time).
When not in use, the tent folds up into a very manageable compact disk and is stored in a bag provided by the manufacturer. (I don't see why anyone travels with a pack n' play when they can travel with these!)
Here is a good video demonstration of how the tent works (the model in the demonstration does not come with the inflatable mattress... same idea though).
As for M, he is still sleeping in his inclined bouncy chair (due to acid reflux) in the main cabin area:
M - back in July when it was warmer...
Looking into the future, our goal is to have both of the kids sleeping in the guest stateroom (tour to come). We are exploring different customization ideas involving canvas walls and/or a bunk-type situation. For now, the kids are far too young to safely sleep together and M is still waking up in the middle of the night to feed. Time will tell...
