Raised Deck Saloon V Tradional Open Cockpit - What's your View?

[silver-fox]

Re: Raised Deck Saloon V Tradional Open Cockpit - What\'s your View?

[ QUOTE ]
Look at the Dehler 41DS. It has a great saloon that you can see out of when sitting down.


[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks for that. I also looked at your web site - very interesting - particularly as you are a couple of years ahead of me but doing exactly what I plan to do!

 

[HoratioHB]

Re: Raised Deck Saloon V Tradional Open Cockpit - What\'s your View?

As a 'returnee' to the world of Yotting, my wife and I are also planning a great escape, and after a fun filled fortnight with Sunsail in the BVIs are planning on returning semi- permanently to the Caribbean as soon as the house sale goes through. I was planning a second hand buy but after the fateful 'trip to the boat show' am now considering new and am looking at the new Jeaneau Deck Saloon 42. These seem to answer a lot of the points made here in that they are not slab sided garden sheds, have a great double aft cabin and still retain an excellent cockpit - anyone else had experience of these latest designs - I see Elan have a similar model and understant that Beneteau may well follow suit.

 

[Jemma]

Re: Raised Deck Saloon V Tradional Open Cockpit - What\'s your View?

We have owned a Moody Eclipse 38 since 2000 and have found it to be fantastic to live on in both sub 10 deg C and 36 to 37 deg C with hot sun and a warm wind hitting the decks. There is always shelter whether for shade or warmth, it is a couple of steps to the v.large fridge or kettle, and the layout means all crew members are involved at all times socially unlike some layouts.

All that is needed in the high heat of the day is a tarp over the boom to create shade plus if it gets into the near 40's it is a good idea to press the windscreen covers on (5 min job). Swing open hatches and doors to feel the breeze! We know we have been much cooler than almost all others on freak high heat days.

For deep water I would build a second compagnion way door system with washboards to protect from water over the stern. The eclipse has high freeboard and we have never taken water onboard.

Sailing is fast despite the 1.3m draft - look at the racing handicap ratings versus deeper keel Moody's - we don't get a great discount! On a clean hull and a close reach we cruise 10-11 knots. Great upwind but you need to dinghy sail it to stay close to deep keelers (with like sail plans...)

I have never sailed from the inside - but if you are sharing a watch it is a great place to be to navigate, rest etc. Great single handing - you can cook, navigate, watch all in a couple of easy ergonomic steps.

Fit a decent sprayhood and you get another almost deck saloon under which you can live in all weathers plus dry stuff out, store stuff when loading in the rain.

Large windows - more of a concern but have you ever taken off a regular small hatch? Easy - like pulling blue-tac. Can't think that it is anything other than psychological.

38 Eclipse's rarely for sale - try kidding an owner into selling. You have to laugh having the space of a regular 45fter and paying to berth only 38 - v.important these days I reckon.

 

[tcm]

Neither

Long term cruising you will likely sail less than 1 day a week on average - and the rest of the time not sailing. So the time whilst *not* sailing is over six times more important, really, for liveaboard.

Ignore the loads of mono's on uk south coast - they'e ownedby people who sail sail sail for a week or a weekend...and then go home to nice stable house.

But *don't* ignore the loads of people who have set out world cruising in a mono ...and traded in for a catamaran. Stability at anchor and space on board are worth a lot. Hence in carib there are vast loads of catamarans and a lot of cursing from mono's.

Cats can stay comfily at anchor for weeks, mono crews wake up as the wind slightly turns inthe morning and the boats roll about in the bay - and run away to an expensive marina. So in the med you could hang out at anchor all summer, which would be less comfy in a mono.

A mono will also roll and crash all the way downwind on big rolly seas, but again this ain't an issue in protectd coastal waters or beating across the Channel.

Whatevr you buy, avoid teak that is open to the sun as far as possible - very hot underfoot, unbearably so near tropics. White is the colour for coolness, and *brown* the best colour for UV resistance. Blue is the colour for boat shows and best thing about it is it matches the sea and sky. Nice warm (blue) seas in hot places, so expect blue paint or gelcoat or canvas to get nice and hot as well: avoid.

Or at least - have a go on a catamaran before youchoose perhaps?

 

[Chris_Robb]

Re: Raised Deck Saloon V Tradional Open Cockpit - What\'s your View?

Steve

We will be off in a couple of years. However we have already bought.

Since chartering a Stern cockpit and a CC one in the med, we found that:

1. The stern cabins became coffins with little or no ventilation
2. The saloon was hardly ever used
3. Centre cockpit had plenty of room and was easliy covered with a boom awning.

The Stern cabin on the CC had good ventilation - so no squables over the forecabin.

I think that the deck saloon could become very hot unless there is substantial ventilation.

Anyway we had a toss up between the Westerly oceanlord and the moody 425. Very much neck and neck - but we found an almost unused Oceanlord as opposed to lots of both that were decidedly heavily used. We are more than happy with the choice - but so far this year in the UK, we have only discovered how good boats are in the wet!

 

[webcraft]

Re: Neither

[ QUOTE ]
A mono will also roll and crash all the way downwind on big rolly seas

[/ QUOTE ] funny you should say that . . .

Kathy just happened to comment the other day - after 48 hours of rhythmmic downhill rolling . . . ´So what ARE cats like then?´

This from a woman whose most complimentary comment´previously was ´they`re not a real boat though . . .