Inverted saloon layout

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cmedsailor

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Inverted saloon….or in other words galley forward from the saloon, near the bow cabin rather the companionway. Dufour GL430, 460, 520, Elan GT5, Elan Impression 50 are just some examples of this “philosophy”. The manufactures claim that the saloon is at the widest point of the boat so we get more comfort.
Hmm…., not sure if this will work in colder climates like the English channel or around Britain but here in the Mediterranean where the cockpit is THE most commonly used place, either sailing or at anchor, I wouldn’t like to walk through the saloon to get into the galley for my little snack, my beer or to get some ice for my gin and tonic. What’s your opinion about this inverted saloon thing?
 
You are talking about boats which are way outside my league for size, so I have to use my imagination. The nearest I have been to it was a Westerly Cirrus 22' with the galley forward, but I don't think this is quite the same. As far as I can see, it is one of those things that will work well in harbour but less well at sea. In my present conventional set-up, we can communicate between galley and cockpit when sailing but would need an intercom to do this when under way.

Another consideration would be that the motion in the galley will be livelier further forwards, and I don't imagine that it would be popular with blue-water sailors. Going forwards to the heads is not a great issue on many boats, but this does seem to reflect a general trend towards boats to attract marina-dwellers.
 
cmedsailor said:
Inverted saloon….or in other words galley forward from the saloon, near the bow cabin rather the companionway. Dufour GL430, 460, 520, Elan GT5, Elan Impression 50 are just some examples of this “philosophy”. The manufactures claim that the saloon is at the widest point of the boat so we get more comfort.
Hmm…., not sure if this will work in colder climates like the English channel or around Britain but here in the Mediterranean where the cockpit is THE most commonly used place, either sailing or at anchor, I wouldn’t like to walk through the saloon to get into the galley for my little snack, my beer or to get some ice for my gin and tonic. What’s your opinion about this inverted saloon thing?
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It doesn't matter where you put the galley in a caravan..... does anybody who buys these boats actually go sailing?
In a normal sailing boat the saloon is at the wider part of the boat before fat arsed boats were invented.......
 
For me it is one major drawback to the otherwise innovative and attractive Elan GT5.
I don’t want to bash through the saloon in wet salty oilskins to make a coffee or soup underway. In our boat we try to avoid wet gear forward of the galley & heads, both beside the companionway.
 
dunedin said:
For me it is one major drawback to the otherwise innovative and attractive Elan GT5.
I don’t want to bash through the saloon in wet salty oilskins to make a coffee or soup underway. In our boat we try to avoid wet gear forward of the galley & heads, both beside the companionway.
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I think that was the distinction the OP was making; for him "wet gear" just means swimming trunks...

Mike.
 
We have had both, And to be honest it Never even crossed my mind, the boats yank hunter legend 40 ft wide arse and an even bigger fridge built 1996, and our current one built in 1984 and 55 ft but the galley is right next to the nav station so it does have benefits.
 
EThe galley in the bow region was common place before the war especially if paid crew was taken.There are many accounts of the crew making food or tea for the owner and having to go on deck through the scuttle and bring the refreshment aft to the owner in the cockpit.On advantage is air moves fromaft to forward so galley smells don’t invade everywhere.Probably when women started to take an active part in Yachting after the war the galley moved to the companion way at this time double be arrangement started to appear though I don’t know what they could have been used for.
 
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I would think that it's a common layout in deck saloon yachts. That's how mine is arranged. I've never found it a problem.
 
My Countess has the galley at the forward end of the saloon, the only problem with it is if someone wants to go into the forward cabin when I'm cooking. The fridge is aft, so easily accessed.
CC33-Plan.jpg
 
I seem to remember a review of a yacht some years ago where the saloon was in the stern where the aft cabins normally go. Aft cockpit yacht so saloon under cockpit. Yacht from memory about 50 ft so possibly semi custom.
 
Having a galley kitchen at the forward end of the cabin was a must have for us - and particularly my wife who does a lot of the cooking as I get seasick when doing it. We had an L, almost U, shaped galley by the hatch before but it was annoying because it could get wet unless the hatch was closed, whereas a little water occasionally down the steps didn't otherwise matter, it blocked off the entrance to one aft cabin and people kept going past inanely.

The galley kitchen up forward only keeps all the people traffic in the aft of the boat and the cook can be wedged comfortably in any seaway with their back to the hard back of the central sofa facing the table. Compared to walking the length of even a small kitchen on land to the table is a bigger distance than the few steps from the cooker up front to the companion way, and even less just to pass a plate to people sitting round the saloon dining table on the rare occasions the cockpit is too cold for an evening meal.
 
crewman said:
I seem to remember a review of a yacht some years ago where the saloon was in the stern where the aft cabins normally go. Aft cockpit yacht so saloon under cockpit. Yacht from memory about 50 ft so possibly semi custom.
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IIRC the Kelt 39 from the 1980's had the same layout
 
In a hot climate it might be harder to get heat from cooking out of the galley if it is positioned well forward. On the other hand on boats of this size having it aft doesn't quite mean having your head out of the companionway hatch while prodding the bacon, and they tend to have more openings anyway.

On Duet (an Edwardian gentleman's racer) the galley is very much in the fo'c'sle, a seriously cramped arrangement.

https://cirdantrust.org/duet/
 
TLouth7 said:
In a hot climate it might be harder to get heat from cooking out of the galley if it is positioned well forward. On the other hand on boats of this size having it aft doesn't quite mean having your head out of the companionway hatch while prodding the bacon, and they tend to have more openings anyway.

On Duet (an Edwardian gentleman's racer) the galley is very much in the fo'c'sle, a seriously cramped arrangement.

https://cirdantrust.org/duet/
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We sail in the heat mostly and find that with a small opening hatch above the galley and a large one above the dining table behind then most of the heat is dissipated, but to be honest we don't eat downstairs in the heat. Once the cooking is complete we only drop down there for more booze and by the time we stop drinking it's usually cool enough to wash up and sleep. For the heat reason though, we don't tend to eat on board when in a marina.
 
Having just bought another (older) boat, the location of the galley is totally irrelevant for me because I can’t afford to buy food/provisions any more.
 
LadyInBed said:
My Countess has the galley at the forward end of the saloon, the only problem with it is if someone wants to go into the forward cabin when I'm cooking. The fridge is aft, so easily accessed.
CC33-Plan.jpg
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Do tell me what a "vanity table" is. I'm worried that my little boat is incomplete.
 
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