34 Foot boat with twin wheels?

[wully1]

Seriously, why?

I confess I think twin wheels are an affectation to distract for the awful looking cockpit designs on new boats but would it not be better, cheaper to fit a nice carbon fibre tiller?

As for only having engine controls on one side.....

 

[RupertW]

Seriously, why?

I confess I think twin wheels are an affectation to distract for the awful looking cockpit designs on new boats but would it not be better, cheaper to fit a nice carbon fibre tiller?

As for only having engine controls on one side.....

On the assumption that nearly all new production boats berth stern-to then the twin wheels stops you having to manouver round a great big obstacle inside your front door. A tiller or big wheel is much better for sitting on the side and sailing but much less good when tied up or going swimming.

We have a big wheel and it is a bit of a nuisance but in heavy weather we mostly sit forward of it under autohelm and it's a reassuring big barrier to the non-existent back of the stern seating.

 

[Tranona]

Seriously, why?

I confess I think twin wheels are an affectation to distract for the awful looking cockpit designs on new boats but would it not be better, cheaper to fit a nice carbon fibre tiller?

As for only having engine controls on one side.....

Designed to suit the circumstances of the people who buy them. As already said, the main market for these boats is in the Med where boats moor stern to and the clear walkway between the wheels is very practical.

From a sailing point of view there are advantages as the wide stern means you can get a better position to steer from without having a huge wheel.

Of course some of this is irrelevant if you don't have those needs. Interestingly one of the smallest boats on offer with twin wheels, the Hanse 315 is also offered with a tiller, but I understand the majority of buyers have chosen wheels!

Builders make what people want to buy, and buyers like to buy what suits their requirements. If you are undecided though the bavaria 34 comes with single aft cabin with a choice of single or twin wheels, or 2 aft cabins and twin wheels. I chose the single wheel as it is more suited to my style of sailing.

 

[prv]

I confess I think twin wheels are an affectation to distract for the awful looking cockpit designs on new boats but would it not be better, cheaper to fit a nice carbon fibre tiller?

I was on a 47-footer in Greece last week and the twin wheels seemed natural and worked well. With a normal sized wheel on the centreline, you wouldn't have been able to see the sails properly when going upwind, and a large wheel would have had to be so comically large as to be impractical.

On a 34-footer, though, it's an absolute nonsense.

Pete

 

[Tranona]

On a 34-footer, though, it's an absolute nonsense.

Pete

Pop down to the show and look at the Bav 34, Hanse 345 and Jeanneau 349 as examples and also see how natural it is on that size boat as well. If I were having another boat that size in the Med, I would choose the twin wheels, mainly for ease of movement around the aft end of the cockpit.

 

[Garold]

Yachts are getting wider so two wheels allows the helm to sit high (or low) with full visibility without having a huge steering wheel.
e.g. Our 38 foot boat is over 13 foot wide.

Garold

 

[prv]

Pop down to the show and look at the Bav 34, Hanse 345 and Jeanneau 349 as examples and also see how natural it is on that size boat as well. If I were having another boat that size in the Med, I would choose the twin wheels, mainly for ease of movement around the aft end of the cockpit.

I can see the value of a clear route to the stern in a Med boat, although I'd also look at a folding wheel or swiveling binnacle. But really, 34 feet feels like tiller territory to me. All I'd ask is for a rudder tube design that allowed for a stub tiller projecting under cover somewhere, to take an autopilot drive. Now I've grown used to a proper below-deck pilot, clipping on a dangling appendage in the cockpit feels like a bit of a bodge.

Pete

 

[Sticky Fingers]

This also depends on what you like, so as Tranona has said, builders will offer what people will buy. Interesting that Bav have pretty much all of the bases covered. Personally I like twin wheels (one-sided engine controls might be worth a rant though), and I find the cockpit easier to move around / through, easier to change helmsman, wider choice of spots to stand/sit. Would not want a tiller on a yacht, much prefer the wheel. But that's me.

 

[dunedin]

Seriously, why?

I confess I think twin wheels are an affectation to distract for the awful looking cockpit designs on new boats but would it not be better, cheaper to fit a nice carbon fibre tiller?

As for only having engine controls on one side.....

But are you in the market and about to spend cash on a new 34 foot boat?
If not, to be blunt, your views are not relevant to the boat builders.
It is the people buying boats (owners or charter companies) who decide what sells, and therefore what gets built.

PS. I tend to agree that perhaps overkill at that size, but find twin wheels great for sailing a slightly bigger boat, as much better view of sails. This wasn't my view before we sailed with twin wheels

 

[wully1]

But are you in the market and about to spend cash on a new 34 foot boat?

I know my views aren't relevant to boat builder as their products are not relevant to me but then again I wouldn't be buying any new boats such is the poor quality of their build - with one or two exceptions.. What sparked off the rant was walking past one of these boats and thinking the proportions just looked wrong.

As for the convenience factor in not having to step round a wheel.....if that's such a hardship those steps up the Sugar Scoop must be a killer.

 

[pvb]

... but then again I wouldn't be buying any new boats such is the poor quality of their build - with one or two exceptions.

Poor quality? I don't think production boatbuilding has ever been done as well as it's being done today. The computerised systems the boatbuilders use - both for design and production - are capable of millimetric accuracy. Modern boatbuilding is much more akin to car manufacturing than to the old cottage-industry techniques of years gone by.

 

[jordanbasset]

Would not want 2 wheels on a 34 foot boat for one reason only, I like to lay down in the cockpit and it would reduce the length of the cockpit space for this. From boats I have been on would need to be over 40 foot before I could realistically lie down. My 33 foot Bavaria still has enough room (just!) for me to lie down almost prone on it. The wheel also can collapse (on purpose) to make room on leaving and getting on the boat, although not been a problem so far.
But can see if lying down is not a priority why some may want twin wheels

 

[bitbaltic]

I don't think I care about one wheel, two wheels, or a tiller (I've sailed all of them) as long as the traveller and mainsheet can be got to from the helm. Far more important and the two-wheel trend is at least a customer-led compromise. The coachroof traveller is a builder's compromise, knocked-on from other priorities, and it's the worst aspect of a generation of AWBs.

 

[pagoda]

But are you in the market and about to spend cash on a new 34 foot boat?
If not, to be blunt, your views are not relevant to the boat builders.
It is the people buying boats (owners or charter companies) who decide what sells, and therefore what gets built.

PS. I tend to agree that perhaps overkill at that size, but find twin wheels great for sailing a slightly bigger boat, as much better view of sails. This wasn't my view before we sailed with twin wheels

Skipping some later replies, I have sailed with both twin wheels, single wheels and tiller. Much prefer twin wheels or tiller. You can go leeward and look at how the sails set without much effort . A single wheel works Ok, but you get less visual feedback form the foresail. I quite like sitting to leeward a while watching genoa telltails. .... and on my boat I can access the mainsheet and traveller in the cockpit

 

[RupertW]

Skipping some later replies, I have sailed with both twin wheels, singe wheels and tiler. Much prefer twin wheels or tiller. You can go leeward and look at how the sails set without much effort . A single wheel works Ok, but you get less visual feedback form the foresail. I quite like sitting to leeward a while watching genoa telltails. .... and on my boat I can access the mainsheet and traveller in the cockpit

That's where a big wheel works - mine goes up to shoulder level so is wide enough to be steered when sitting on a side bench - I really like it for sailing. However when getting shopping or luggage on board I would love to be able to walk through instead of swinging around the wheel past the gaps in the side benches taken by the wheel. I barely think about it now myself, but I've lost count of the number of times we have had guests get back on board late at night and try to use the wheel to hold on to as they go past, then look startled as the wheel turns and dumps them on the cockpit floor.

Still slightly prefer the arrangement to twin wheels but only just.

 

[pagoda]

That's where a big wheel works - mine goes up to shoulder level so is wide enough to be steered when sitting on a side bench - I really like it for sailing. However when getting shopping or luggage on board I would love to be able to walk through instead of swinging around the wheel past the gaps in the side benches taken by the wheel. I barely think about it now myself, but I've lost count of the number of times we have had guests get back on board late at night and try to use the wheel to hold on to as they go past, then look startled as the wheel turns and dumps them on the cockpit floor.

Still slightly prefer the arrangement to twin wheels but only just.

Agreed. A big wheel gives you easy control on both sides, but gets in the way if you are moored stern to. Either educate crew to come round the wheel !!- or moor in more traditional UK manner ?

 

[shaunksb]

As for the convenience factor in not having to step round a wheel.....if that's such a hardship those steps up the Sugar Scoop must be a killer.

A Sugar Scoop? Who the frig wants a Sugar Scoop?

I want one of those slab sterns that drops down for access but doesn't let the marina charge me for the extra length.

Anyways, in the UK I'd prefer a single large wheel so I can get some shelter from the spray hood. In the Med twin wheels would be nice and more practicle unless we are talking of 30' or less then definitely a tiller.

_____________________

 

[JumbleDuck]

Pop down to the show and look at the Bav 34, Hanse 345 and Jeanneau 349 as examples and also see how natural it is on that size boat as well.

I notice that Bavaria are showing a single-wheel 34 as well.

 

[Tranona]

I know my views aren't relevant to boat builder as their products are not relevant to me but then again I wouldn't be buying any new boats such is the poor quality of their build - with one or two exceptions.. What sparked off the rant was walking past one of these boats and thinking the proportions just looked wrong.

As for the convenience factor in not having to step round a wheel.....if that's such a hardship those steps up the Sugar Scoop must be a killer.

Maybe you have not used the boats in the way that many buyers do. sugar scoops are out now and open transoms with drop down sections are now common. Having twin wheels and the space between them makes the area much more usable either for swimming or when moored stern to.

Agree with pvb. You are out of date. Today's boats are infinitely better built than older ones. You may not like the style, but the standard of construction is very high. My boat is now a year old and was faultless on delivery and nothing has broken or gone wrong except a couple of minor glitches with the electronics.

Would agree there was a period when standards were lower as factories switched from labour intensive build to automated processes, but all the volume builders now build to a similar high standard.

 

[pvb]

I notice that Bavaria are showing a single-wheel 34 as well.

That used to be called the Cruiser 33, but it's no longer listed on their website, so I guess the 34 with twin wheels is going to be the only one available.