Berth

What it means

Berth has two meanings, and both appear in boat listings. Aboard, a berth is a place to sleep — a bunk. Ashore, a berth is the space a boat occupies in a marina. Context normally makes the sense clear, but a specification sheet mixing both is not unusual.

Reading the sleeping count

Builders count generously. A quoted six berths may include a saloon table that converts, a cockpit cushion arrangement, or a forward space with headroom only when lying down. The useful question is how many people can sleep aboard comfortably for a week, which is often two fewer than the number in the brochure.

Why it matters

For the marina sense, the berth is usually the largest running cost of ownership and is charged by length, sometimes by area — which is where beam becomes expensive. For the sleeping sense, it is what decides whether a boat is a day boat with a bunk or a cruiser you can actually travel in.