Lack of instrumentation on flys.

[ianainge]

Why is it that flybridge boats dont have the oil and water temp guages repeated on the fly bridge, i would have thought that it was fairly crucial as an alarm will only tell you when you have overheated or lost your oil where as a guage you can see the needles moving so you get an early warning?

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[hlb]

Hmm. Maybe so. But buzzers hopefully go off before any serious problem. Mine do anyway. Well it still works after!!.../forums/images/icons/laugh.gif

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Haydn

 

[Trazie]

you can have them repeated if you are prepared to pay for it!!
I'm only the second in command aboard so I keep a check on all instruments - down below!!!

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[Deleted User YDKXO]

Agree with you, its arse about face. You spend 90% of the time helming from the flybridge and there's next to no instrumentation up there. Apart from oil and water, fuel guages and plotter/radar screens would be a good idea

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[jfm]

Depends on boat. On ours (1999 fairline) the battery, oil , water are all repeated. Only thing not repeated is fuel guage and freshwater contents. I think that's standard fairline set up, not an extra

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[milltech]

I realise this is my prejudice, and my saying it is not new, but it amazes me people spend their time on the flybridge. I can see that a trip from Cowes to Yarmouth on a sunny day would be more fun from the flybridge, but do you cross the channel that way, or use it on a cloudy day?

I have had, err five boats with a flybridge and can honestly say I've never used them for passage making because all the useful information is in the wheelhouse, whether it's more comprehensive instrumentation, better awareness of the sounds of the boat, closeness to the chart table, access to the galley, binoculars, radar, w.h.y.

Although coming alongside is slightly easier with a flybridge, it is only so if the boat has a narrow beam or the wheel on the same side as the pontoon. Assuming P&S exits from the wheelhouse I still preferred to do it from there because access to the decks for helping with warps and fenders is so much faster and safer from there.

Does anyone agree with me?



<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[hlb]

Nop. Dont agree at all. Only times we go down stairs is if it's very foggy, cold wet and misserable. Even then. Never ever go into marina from down stairs. Or harbour for that matter. Crossing to say CI. Boats on auto anyway so dont need any more instraments. Might go down for dinner half way across. Or take it up top. Naa. It's orible downstairs.

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[mainshiptom]

Yep!

Last trip out of 95 hours on engine maybe about 20 we where up on top!

Mostly in Canals! The most important bit of kit on my flybridge is the fridge!
Although we do have Oil Pressure/water temp/amp/depth and a handheld vhf.

Tom


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[milltech]

We are all different, I think crossing the channel is (hopefully) a pretty boring exercise and I like to keep occupied, particularly at night, checking vectors of other traffic by radar or bino, marking position onto a chart, making a cuppa, listening to radio traffic, watching for water coming up through the bilges, just toddling about having something to do, even keeping warm. Too much time on the flybridge and your face becomes permanently stretched and the eyes water.

I had a couple of 35' GRP trawler types and a 63' wooden one all with big flybridges, upper decks really, and they were good at anchor when the weather was right, but not for much else. I had a Moonraker 36 where the flybridge was just a squeeze, but was the one time I did use it for coming alongside because the only exit from the wheelhouse was aft. Then there was the Nelson 40 where I much preferred the wheelhouse.

You're obviously made of hardier stuff than me, I like my creature comforts. One reason why I've always liked boats with a shed on deck, so I can sit there with my G&T and watch all the other buggers getting wet or being trapped below by the weather.

<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[jfm]

cart before horse when designing flybr

Milltech these posts are proving that there is no one size fits all here. It must depend very much on type of boating imho. FWIW , since moving our boat to France late summer 2002 I have never ever used the downstairs helm. Not even for 2 minutes. Everthing is repeated upstairs apart from fuel guages, so only visit downstairs is to check fuel guages and to sleep. Even night passages are done in shorts and T shirt, hence better to be upstairs with better vis. Also I dont refer to paper charts mid passage, much

In contrast my brother's displacement 50 footer, also used for one season, is mostly driving from downstairs. Upstairs is used for docking and on occasional hot days. But he is in W Scotland, I am in Med, so weather is big factor.

However I object (in the context of this thread) to the argument "drive from downstairs because all the intstruments are there". That's the point of the thread, there ought to be more instruments upstairs. The way to design a boat is decide where you want to drive it from, then install the instruments there. Not other way round. imho.

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[hlb]

Ah So. You used the fly bridge on the moonraker. Well thats a fly bridge boat. The others were trawlers that just happened to have a fly bridge. Different thing. You need to see where your going at 20 knots plus.

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[milltech]

Re: cart before horse when designing flybr

<The way to design a boat is decide where you want to drive it from, then install the instruments there. Not other way round. imho>

That's probably a choice only the first owner can decide when communicating with the yard, I guess most yards still regard the lower helm position as the most important. I'm not saying they're right, it would suit me but it's probably because the wheelhouse came first as a concept and the tradition rules these things.

<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[milltech]

Well I agree you can see more and more likely to spot that semi-submerged container, but the wheelhouse sitter will see just as much as a sports boat driver like Col or Wiggo or Burgundy Ben. Also of course mine were all displacement boats except the Moonraker and the Nelson, and neither of these were greyhounds.

I have to concede I did once use the upper deck / flybridge looking for the right marks coming into Stellendam where there are just so many it's impossible to tell which come first unless by identifying the lights, something I've never been good at. Funny thing was that although it helped I discovered in the end that the radar was a better indicator.

Despite all the above I still rather con from a sensible seat, in the warm and dry.

<hr width=100% size=1>John
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.allgadgets.co.uk>http://www.allgadgets.co.uk</A>

 

[lanason]

I guess a whole load of us who have sports boats never have this problem to worry about.

Mind you - we have the dilemma of "Shall we put the hood up or leave it down"
well that is unless your name is Col who NEVER seems to put his hood up. /forums/images/icons/crazy.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>Adrian
<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/kelisha>More Pics of Kelisha</A> /forums/images/icons/smile.gif