A lazarette (also spelled lazaret or lazaretto) is a storage compartment located at the stern of a boat or ship, typically below the deck and accessed through a hatch. On most vessels, it serves as the go-to space for stowing deck gear, spare equipment, and maintenance supplies. The term has deep historical roots in maritime quarantine, but today it refers almost exclusively to this practical storage area found on everything from small sailboats to large motor yachts.
Where It Sits on a Boat
The lazarette occupies the aftmost section of a vessel, near or behind the cockpit. On traditional square-rigged sailing ships, it sat in the very stern. That placement hasn’t changed much. Modern sailboats and powerboats alike tuck the lazarette beneath the weather deck at the back of the boat, where it’s accessed either through a cargo hatch on the main deck or through a doorway from below decks.
The space itself varies widely depending on the size of the vessel. On a mid-size trawler, the drop from the hatch opening to the lazarette floor might be only 18 to 23 inches, making it shallow enough to step into but tight enough that moving around inside requires some contortion. Larger vessels can have lazarettes deep enough to stand in, while on smaller sailboats the compartment may be little more than a locker you reach into from the cockpit.
What Gets Stored Inside
On a sailing vessel, the lazarette traditionally holds the kind of equipment a sailor or boatswain needs on deck: spare lines, extra sails, sail repair kits, fenders, blocks, a bosun’s chair, and tools for line and cable splicing. It’s the working utility closet of the boat, keeping essential gear close at hand without cluttering the cockpit or cabin.
Organizing this space is a perennial challenge for boat owners. The compartment is often a single open cavity with no shelving, so lines, tools, and fenders tend to pile up in a jumble. Some sailors install rods or hooks to hang coiled lines, dividers to separate categories of gear, or mesh bags attached to the sides of the compartment.
Steering Gear and Machinery
In modern shipbuilding and on powerboats of most sizes, the lazarette doubles as the location of the vessel’s steering gear. Hydraulic cylinders, steering hoses, the rudder post, and rudder angle sensors all live in this space. That dual purpose creates a practical tension: you need to access the steering equipment for inspection and maintenance, but you also want to use the space for storage.
Boat owners often build protective steps or covers over the steering components to prevent accidentally snagging a hydraulic hose or rudder sensor linkage when climbing in or retrieving gear. A common solution is a removable plywood platform that shields the rudder and cylinder underneath, sometimes with a plexiglass window so the rudder post stays visible without removing the cover. The goal is protecting critical equipment while still making the space usable for everyday storage.
Superyacht Beach Clubs
On larger luxury yachts, the lazarette has evolved well beyond a storage locker. Designers have converted these stern compartments into beach clubs, complete with bars, sunbeds, daybeds, and even spa treatment areas. Early versions used retractable swim platforms that slid out over the water from within the lazarette space. Newer designs integrate the beach club directly into the yacht’s main living area, positioning it as close to the waterline as possible so guests can step or dive straight into the sea.
Some superyachts split the stern space between a tender garage (where small boats and water toys are stored) placed athwartships and a beach club behind it on the aft deck. These lounging areas can be large enough to accommodate a bar, a dayhead, massage space, and towel storage. It’s a far cry from the rope lockers of traditional sailing ships, but the location at the stern of the vessel is the same.
Where the Word Comes From
The term traces back to one of the earliest public health measures in history. In 1423, during yet another outbreak of plague, the Venetian Senate established a facility on the island of Santa Maria di Nazareth for isolating people suffering from plague and leprosy. It was staffed by state personnel rather than clergy, making it effectively the first government-run quarantine hospital. The island’s name shifted over the centuries from Nazaretum to Lazaretum to Lazaretto, and similar isolation stations across Europe adopted the name.
The word itself connects to Lazarus, the biblical figure described in Luke’s Gospel as a poor man covered in sores. By medieval times, “lazar” had become a general term for anyone visibly afflicted with disease. Venice’s quarantine stations didn’t just isolate the sick. They implemented complex procedures for purging goods arriving from infected regions, a system that required significant economic investment and deliberately slowed maritime trade to protect the city. The Venetian model spread throughout the Mediterranean and beyond, and “lazaretto” became the standard term for any maritime quarantine facility.
How the word jumped from plague hospitals to stern storage compartments isn’t entirely clear, but the connection is likely spatial. On older ships, the lazarette was a segregated compartment at the very back of the vessel, sometimes used to isolate cargo, provisions, or even people who might carry disease. Over time, the quarantine function disappeared, but the name stuck to the location.