Sgeir
Well-known member
Nothing against them but, following from another post, what benefits compensate for catching more bow water?
Centre cockpits
- Thread starter Sgeir
- Start date
photodog
Lord High Commander of Upper Broughton and Gunthor
A big bedroom.
Sgeir
Well-known member
Well, there is certainly a lot to be said for that. Sheer luxury would be a decent sleeping area - we sleep in the saloon because I'm too long to fit into the forepeak.
GrahamD
Active member
A few more benefits
Big following seas seem further away from you
The aft cabin top is somewhere out of the way to sit and fish when underway
Not so far to walk to the mast
Big following seas seem further away from you
The aft cabin top is somewhere out of the way to sit and fish when underway
Not so far to walk to the mast
D
Deleted member 36384
Guest
- Engine access can be superior with usually 3 sided access (through cockpit sole, walkway, cockpit locker for example).
- An aft deck to protect against poop.
- A lazaret locker in addition to cockpit lockers.
- Less motion in the cockpit when taking a quartering sea compared to aft cockpit as far as I can tell.
- Sin bin at the push pit for troublesome children.
- My cabin is aft and away from the hoi polloi by a nice long corridor.
I like the view from an aft cockpit, behind the wheel, as the boat rises up and over a big wave. Its less dramatic in a centre cockpit.
guernseyman
Well-known member
Centre cockpit is less draughty.
It also forms a playpen for small kids.
It also forms a playpen for small kids.
jonic
Well-known member
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
I have little experience of centre cockpits - only one charter. But as a centre cockpit is usually much higher above the water than an aft cockpit, do they really get significantly more spray? My very limited experience suggests you get less.
As far as I'm concerned, the real drawback is that wheel steering is usually necessary.
VO5
New member
You obviously prefer tiller steering, may I ask why ?
rwoofer
Active member
Aft deck to put a deck chair or sunbathe.
rwoofer
Active member
Moody 44?
AntarcticPilot
Well-known member
It's a personal preference; to me wheel steering feels "dead". Not a strong preference; if a boat appealed on other grounds, wheel steering wouldn't be a show-stopper!
jonic
Well-known member
Koeketiene
Well-known member
Not exclusive to centre cockpit boats
Guapa's got all that despite being an aft cockpit boat + large aft cabin.
Sgeir
Well-known member
Agreed. Personal preference; I've chartered with a wheel but much prefer the "feel" of the sea through the tiller - you are more aware of the boat's interaction with wind and water imho.
Something else; once the sails are properly trimmed you can leave the tiller alone and go below to put the kettle on or have a pee. It may be possible, but I'm not sure if that can be done as well with a wheel steered boat.
snowleopard
Active member
You need a fairly big boat to give access to the aft cabin below decks, usually by a corridor under the cockpit coamings. In the smaller sizes you have to get in via a hatch from the cockpit which leaves you isolated from the main accommodation.
noelex
Well-known member
Tiller steering is possible . My Centre cockpit has it, but I agree its rare.
Only ever had a couple of small drops of water in the cockpit in 4 years ownership (we sail full time).
All the aft cockpit boats I have sailed in offshore have been much wetter, but they have been smaller so its difficult to make a direct comparison.
.
Terra-Loon
Member
I (well, guests actually!) have to do this on my Dehler.
It's nice to have the seperation!
claymore
Well-known member
You are in the middle so there's less distance to travel to each end. This is obviously more of an issue to me with short legs rather than yourself - ye lang daftie.
Aft fornicatorium has been mentioned
Warm dry eberspacher storage
deck chair space on aft deck
Against for me is not spray but looking up at the mast.
Aft fornicatorium has been mentioned
Warm dry eberspacher storage
deck chair space on aft deck
Against for me is not spray but looking up at the mast.
Robin
Well-known member
We had a W33 centre cockpit, with stern cabin access only from the cockpit. There was a later version of the same boat, the Discus with centre cockpit (also an aft cockpit more popular one) but in this the stern cabin was accessed via a walkthrough. The downside then was the loss of a huge cockpit locker port side and the full sized chart table became a half sized one. The walkthrough was really a crawl through as the cockpit was not raised, but then that was probably a plus point, because later Westerly centre cockpits like the Sea Hawk were IMO too darn high. Visibility is better on aft cockpit boats, you are farther forward on a CC so the area (angle of view) blocked by a full genoa is greater. The steering position, being forward, was also in line for any really bad spray coming over.
Our next boat we went back to an aft cockpit, but 8ft longer at 41ft. This was much drier, in fact despite being both very fast and very closewinded we could go upwind up to top of F5 with the sprayhood down and any spray did not reach, in fact we very rarely sailed with the hood up. We still had excellent access to the engine via the stern cabins.
As far as wheel steering is concerned, size becomes the key and design determines if it has feel or not. The W33 steering (after I overhauled it and with a slightly larger diameter wheel) was OK but a bit dull. The later Sun Legende 41 was simply a joy to steer by the huge wheel, either from behind it or sat on either side, two finger light in all conditions and you could let go the wheel and she would carry on straight. In fact our autopilot (quadrant mounted, not a wheel unit) would occasionally go to standby without being asked and it would be some time before we even noticed!
If we bought another sailing boat I would much prefer an aft cockpit one to sail, but probably to have a centre cockpit floating bedroom in harbour.
Our next boat we went back to an aft cockpit, but 8ft longer at 41ft. This was much drier, in fact despite being both very fast and very closewinded we could go upwind up to top of F5 with the sprayhood down and any spray did not reach, in fact we very rarely sailed with the hood up. We still had excellent access to the engine via the stern cabins.
As far as wheel steering is concerned, size becomes the key and design determines if it has feel or not. The W33 steering (after I overhauled it and with a slightly larger diameter wheel) was OK but a bit dull. The later Sun Legende 41 was simply a joy to steer by the huge wheel, either from behind it or sat on either side, two finger light in all conditions and you could let go the wheel and she would carry on straight. In fact our autopilot (quadrant mounted, not a wheel unit) would occasionally go to standby without being asked and it would be some time before we even noticed!
If we bought another sailing boat I would much prefer an aft cockpit one to sail, but probably to have a centre cockpit floating bedroom in harbour.
