Centre v aft cockpit?

A centre cockpit Amel or Jongert always seems right and the mid 40s Moody seem fine but I just wonder if you look at say najad at around 39 ft it all becomes rather cramped below ? Ultimately it’s all down to intended usage and crew.
 
I have had both and we sell lots of both. I crossed the Atlantic in a CC and currently have aft cockpit, but honestly have no preference.

I like them both for different reasons. Nicola still misses the aft cabin from our CC Moody 38.
 
There are CC'c and CC's. Ones with the aft cabin accessed from the cockpit which often end up as storage space and ones with walk through from the saloon that give good aft accommodation and separate heads.
Some have Pilot House saloons (like mine) with only three steps down from the cockpit. If you like stern to mooring then an aft cockpit is easier but if you do go stern to with a CC you are not looked in on.
Bigger boats do CC better, the exception being the Colvic Countess Pilot House 33 like mine - walk through aft cabin, two heads, and a v large cockpit locker / workshop, but the cockpit is small. Colvic also did a 37 and being of an age, built like brick outhouses.
If I could have afforded it an Amel would have been my dream, but I think my Countess will see me out, it's quite easy to handle solo.
 
LadyInBed said:
There are CC'c and CC's. Ones with the aft cabin accessed from the cockpit which often end up as storage space and ones with walk through from the saloon that give good aft accommodation and separate heads.
Some have Pilot House saloons (like mine) with only three steps down from the cockpit. If you like stern to mooring then an aft cockpit is easier but if you do go stern to with a CC you are not looked in on.
Bigger boats do CC better, the exception being the Colvic Countess Pilot House 33 like mine - walk through aft cabin, two heads, and a v large cockpit locker / workshop, but the cockpit is small. Colvic also did a 37 and being of an age, built like brick outhouses.
If I could have afforded it an Amel would have been my dream, but I think my Countess will see me out, it's quite easy to handle solo.
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I think that’s very fair. You do raise the interesting point that bow-to parkers also raise that you are overlooked if moored stern-to. For many of us that is the ideal - much more sociable if people around but mostly just easy to get on and off in the way the boat is designed.
 
saxonpirate said:
Aft cockpit for me any day. I had a Moody 33 at one time, and could never get over the fact that on going down below the main bulkhead appeared to be right in your face.. because it was.

I have an old Contest 33 now, which is very pretty to look at but small by modern standards. On the other hand.. A 1980 Beneteau First 35 that I owned for eleven years was perfect in many ways really. Great sailing boat, aft cockpit, but with huge accommodation, including two cabins aft.
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Condemnation of all centre cockpit boats because you had a 33’ boat where it didn’t work doesn’t stack up. We have a 40’ centre cockpit boat and none of your objections apply.
Capnsensible’s advice to anyone looking for a boat is sound. Look at a few and buy what you can afford and like.
Replying to the OP, on a reasonable sized centre cockpit boat you lose any sense of sitting ‘on the boat’. Our cockpit is large and deep, but it’s 90% over the engine and fuel tank so doesn’t impinge on the accommodation. We then have an aft cabin with its own heads and shower and a saloon that is just a galley/living/dining/entertaining space when there’s only two couples on board. Two excellent sea berths in bunks in the passage back to the aft cabin... What’s not to like? Going down our companion way steps, the fwd bulkhead is exactly the same distance away from you as it would be as you enter an aft cockpit Westerly Fulmar or Sigma 33 etc.
 
john_morris_uk said:
Condemnation of all centre cockpit boats because you had a 33’ boat where it didn’t work doesn’t stack up. We have a 40’ centre cockpit boat and none of your objections apply.
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I don't think I was 'condemning' anything John, merely making an observation.

You say you have a 40' CC, well my opinion there is, 40' is about the size where a CC is feasible. Anything below that becomes caravan like very quickly. I remember when the 34' Westerly Seahawk first made its debut. I was both appalled and amazed at the same time. Amazed at the sheer volume of the thing, and appalled at the topside height of it, especially the cockpit.

Anyway, we all have our personal preferences, and I undoubtedly prefer aft cockpit boats. My observation above stands. To get away with both Centre Cockpits and/or Flush decks on sailing boats with any degree of panache.. length is crucial..
 
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lw395 said:
Take a friend out first time or two.
An extra pair of eyes and hands. An extra fender at the ready.
Go and practice MOB or picking up moorings, any close quarters thing.
Get to know how the boat handles and check out how everything works.
Move around the boat and watch while others tack it or put sails up or whatever, see things from different angles.
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saxonpirate said:
Agreed.. the centre cockpit on my 95' Jongert always makes me feel I'm at the centre of things.. ;)
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Better to work in metres in the world of jongert but they do make smaller versions of course. I tend to think the moody cc versions tend to be squashed below in the bow and middle from ones I’ve seen but agree the stern cabin is great so maybe it’s good for couples but not so great with a larger crew? but a 46 or so looks and feels fine to my eye.
 
I see what many say about size being important in a CC. Our Neptunian ( CC ) is only 33 with no walk through, it works ok for us as a couple or with 2 kids or another couple aboard, separate heads and privacy.
Sitting out room is our main issue though, the cockpit needs an extra 18" to sit 4 comfortably and the after deck is the same ...good for two , small for 4. The stern is not high so we can step up or down easily enough.
We do spend some time working out what we would do with an extra 3 feet ! Don't think we would go for a walk through if it would raise the floor of the deep secure cockpit.
 
Currently as the owner are a reasonably largish centre cockpit I think;

1. CC dont look quite right on smaller yachts (aesthetically),
2. They have the huge advantage that it usually eliminates those dreadful coffin bunks ,
but
3. Chances are they are wetter, a 50 foot yacht seems like 30 foot until you look behind you,
4. and, it is said you tend to stay in the cockpit, which is safer, but I dont think that is true if lines are well organised,
however
5. It is very nice to operate from a raised position, and have good all round visibility.
 
I have a Dehler 86, 28 foot centre cockpit boat. I did not go looking for a centre cockpit boat on a boat of this size but I have to say it works rather well.

There is no fore cabin, just a big anchor locker and wall to wall storage in the saloon, which is large for the size of boat.

529BA94E-C9F7-4670-BB93-F8066445B157.jpeg

95% of the time it is just me and my wife on the boat and the aft cabin is used for storage of sails ect. That keeps the saloon neat and tidy. Rear cabin is used for guests occasionally which gives each couple privacy.

Only downside I notice is that the cockpit is a bit small especially because of the wheel steering.
 
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I have a not-dissimilar boat to john_morris_uk and echo his sentiments. There's no sense of "sitting on top". If you're 1.9m tall or less you can lie down on the cockpit seats. I think the lines work well from an aesthetic point of view. Not only is a decent aft cabin with its own heads and separation from your guests a good thing, but also having your main cabin at the back means you're not so close to your creaking anchor chain and current swirling past the bow when at anchor. Main issues I've found are:
- distance from anything you want to drop a loop over. With high-ish freeboard, wide side decks and a smallish centre wheel, hanging on to the wheel whilst coming along side and dropping a loop over something isn't much of an option: I have to leave the wheel and jump up on the side decks (or preferably just have crew). I confess I've never tried med-mooring my boat but I can't say I'd fancy it without crew.
- Where to put a bimini. None of the designs I've had suggested seem particularly ideal.
 
Nice to see a thread with a nice balanced view on the pros and cons of aft and centre cockpit boats. I think CC works well on boat greater than 40ft oa. Until you get some volume in a hull, dictated by the length, then I think aft cockpits work better. A well designed CC boat doesnt need to have a high cockpit. Our cockpit floor is above the engine room so we have a nice deep cockpit. I always think of our boat as an aft centre cockpit. We have lots of space between the sprayhood and the mast but we still have a large cockpit and aft deck. Sometimes I think it would be nice to have a sugar scoop until the weather turns foul and the boat is bouncing and we are trying to climb out of the dinghy. A deep ladder up our transom is super easy to grab when landing in a big choppy sea. The only problem is we bring sand on to the aft deck if we have been on the beach
 
I love not getting gassed by my neighbours heater exhaust when sipping a whisk(e)y in my centre cockpit. One thing I do miss is the view from the aft cockpit in rough weather when the bow rises above your head before dropping, then staring along the deck and down into the trough of doom, just to see the bow rise again. A majestic sight somewhat diminished when sitting in a centre cockpit.
 
saxonpirate said:
Aft cockpit for me any day. I had a Moody 33 at one time, and could never get over the fact that on going down below the main bulkhead appeared to be right in your face.. because it was.
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I live on a Moody 33 from 1977. The distance between the steps and the fwd bulkead is actually 6.7 feet. I just measured it. :)
 
I have been on both but IMHO a centre cockpit only makes sense in a fairly big boat, 45 feet plus, otherwise the cockpit wastes too much of the below decks space. If you plan to sail in the Mediterranean where you generally moor stern to then an aft cckpit boat is the one to have.
 
Norman_E said:
centre cockpit only makes sense in a fairly big boat, 45 feet plus, otherwise the cockpit wastes too much of the below decks space.
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I agree that CC's are better on larger boats as I said in #27 above, but I don't agree that the cockpit wastes too much of the below decks space, as the space below the cockpit is normally full of engine and the cockpit side seats are the roof of the walk through passage on one side and can be locker or pilot berth on the other.
 
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