Sprayhoods going out of fashion?

[Impaler]

As an idle thought I noticed that in this months PBO only about 25% of the yachts pictured had sprayhoods. Someone may come up with a more accurate figure.
Funnily enough I am planning to leave mine off this season, they seem to make the coach roof dirtier and act as a sail when manoeuvering in the marina. Also on a fairly small (25ft) boat they take up a fair bit of deckspace, especially when furling the sail and I am sure it slows me down when bashing into wind and sea. Anyone have similar thoughts?

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

As an idle thought I noticed that in this months PBO only about 25% of the yachts pictured had sprayhoods. Someone may come up with a more accurate figure.
Funnily enough I am planning to leave mine off this season, they seem to make the coach roof dirtier and act as a sail when manoeuvering in the marina. Also on a fairly small (25ft) boat they take up a fair bit of deckspace, especially when furling the sail and I am sure it slows me down when bashing into wind and sea. Anyone have similar thoughts?

Simple answer to that. Boat builders always ask owners to lower their sprayhoods or remove them if possible on photo-shoots, as the belief is that boats look sleeker and better without them.

 

[awol]

Mine comes off when I'm racing or using the spinnaker 'cos it gets in the way. When cruising and "bashing into wind and sea", I wouldn't be without it - but then I ain't in the balmy south.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Not going out of fashion with me. And came as standard on the boat when bought new.

 

[DannyB]

Always take mine down when manoeuvring in the marina, and only put it up again if I need shelter at anchor, or if too much spray is coming on board. Visibility is much better without it.

 

[Sinc]

We keep ours on all the time - but bizarrely only put it up when berthed or at anchor.

 

[doug748]

Anyone have similar thoughts?

Not me.

In terms of comfort I always think that a sprayhood is the single most important thing you can add to a small boat. Keeps the wind and sun off, as well as water. It gives you ease to cook, don your trousers, or look out of the companionway in a gormless fashion (one of my favourite passtimes).
Underway, in nice weather, mine is in the stowed position 90% of the time.

Let us know how you get on if you leave it off.

 

[Seajet]

I'd never dream of a sprayhood, or dodgers for that matter.

I've always thought, if they were made of grp people would say " what ghastly windage, the tub must be a motor-sailer ", but for some reason it's alright if they're fabric.

There's also the point that in heavy weather dodgers have to be on elastics or cut away, and sprayhoods folded or they will be trashed, quite possibly blocking the main hatch.

The first few posts here sum it up, 'acts like a sail in the marina ', ---' sure it slows me down when punching into wind and sea '...

It's a boat, if you don't want to get wind and spray buy some good waterproofs.

 

[nimbusgb]

It's a way for a builder to save £1.5k on the build price.

 

[wooslehunter]

One of the best bits of comfort kit on the boat. But, it reduces visability.

So, if I need the visibility, it's down - and that's really imprortant around here. Otherwise it's up. Mine's designed to go up & down very easily.

Unlike many of the nice shiney AWBs in the UK these days my not so shiney MOB can be steered from a nice comforatable position tucked behind the hood.

 

[snowleopard]

I spent 3 weeks last year on a boat with a sprayhood. By standing up as straight as I could I could just see over the top of it. Looking through the 'window' wasn't an option as only vague shapes were visible. I'm 6'4" so the rest of the crew could only see ahead by standing on the side seats. It provided very little shelter at the helm.

I have a hard top over the front half of the cockpit with acrylic windows and I am completely sheltered from spray when helming. Why isn't that more popular? Is it because it looks like a motor sailer or because of a desire for fresh air?

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

It can depend on the boat, the crew and the conditions.
Some 'wet boats' really do create a lot of water coming back to the cockpit when hardpressed into a chop. I have always kept my boat hood down until the crew really do rebel or I'm getting too cold for comfort. My HPX suit keeps out the wet and I really enjoy the wind in my face and being able to look forward at all before me.

I have spent some really nice times in Turkey sailing on my friends yacht but he insists on keeping his hood up all the time which baffles me and really detracts from some of the fun.

 

[ChrisE]

I'd never dream of a sprayhood, or dodgers for that matter.

I've always thought, if they were made of grp people would say " what ghastly windage, the tub must be a motor-sailer ", but for some reason it's alright if they're fabric.

There's also the point that in heavy weather dodgers have to be on elastics or cut away, and sprayhoods folded or they will be trashed, quite possibly blocking the main hatch.

The first few posts here sum it up, 'acts like a sail in the marina ', ---' sure it slows me down when punching into wind and sea '...

It's a boat, if you don't want to get wind and spray buy some good waterproofs.

That's what I like to hear a man of iron! sj we're going to have to disagree about this.

OK to do without if you are just messing about in the Solent but dodgers and sprayhood are a necessity for long distance work. I rather admired the couple who sailed around the world wearing carpet slippers and dressing gowns....

 

[aquaplane]

We keep ours on all the time - but bizarrely only put it up when berthed or at anchor.

Snap.

When I replace the tiller pilot I may sit under it if I'm motoring into the wind and rain as visibility forward is OK if you keep having a propper look now and again too.

 

[doris]

Vende Globe

I seem to remember that the last winner won in fairly spectactular style sailing a boat that had a sliding carbon conservatory so he was sheltered when helming. Now thats what I call a spray hood! Good enuf for Miche Des. then it is certainly good enuf for me!

 

[Highland Bear]

Wouldn't be without one when cruising, especially out of season and at night. Can make a big difference to crew comfort and therefore efficiency on a long passage. It gets dropped ( a 10 second job) manouvering in harbours but stays up all the time otherwise.

 

[snooks]

Solentboy is right, whenever I'm doing a shoot I always ask for the sprayhood to be lowered/removed, but it's not to make the boat look better, I don't give a flying fig what the boat looks like, I do it because I want to see the crew sailing the boat rather than the boat sailing itself.

Funnily last year we were sailing up and around the north of Scotland and there were quite a few boats that had made their sprayhood solid, either by making their own, or covering the poles with flexible ply and glassing over the whole lot. one advantage was that you could see through the windows.

Mind you, after putting the deck brush through the ageing windows, we now have some nice clear vinyl windows to look through :0)

 

[Babylon]

I'd never dream of a sprayhood, or dodgers for that matter...
It's a boat, if you don't want to get wind and spray buy some good waterproofs.

Huh?

Casual comments like this are fairly pointless.

It completely depends on the boat, and whether you're out for a balmy daysail or are spending days or weeks on passage.

I did my Coastal Skipper course on a 40ft Beneteau with no sprayhood at all in winter and, plugging to windward in a F7 and the usual Solent chop, no-one got wet. But on my own 27ft yacht, plugging to windward down Channel in more moderate summer conditions but with wind-against-tide, without a sprayhood we would have had a buckets of spray heading right at the helm, or right down the companionway onto the chart-table!

So I'd never dream of getting rid of my own sprayhood. I simply keep it down when it doesn't need to be up.

 

[Kelpie]

I started off without bothering to fit the sprayhood, until I realised that it would make the cockpit tent far more usable. Having the cockpit available as a porch for wet dogs and oilies is an absolute must if you cruise a 27ft boat in Scottish weather...

I think much of it depends on the boat. A big AWB with an aft helming position cannot benefit much from the hood, and all it does is reduce visibility. But on a wee boat with a tiller, you can curl up in the shelter of the hood and press your nose against the windows to see out (surprisingly effective and better than standing in the rain with water on your specs).

 

[Seajet]

ChrisE,

I suppose you were just trying to elicit a reaction, but since 1978 my boat has managed regular 3-week trips around the Channel Isles, Brittany and the West Country, furthest points, Fecamp, Binic, Falmouth; all time limited as the boat was mostly ( but not always ) in port at night.

She's come back from Fecamp - Chichester in a full gale ( reach ) and beat into 7-gusting 11 at Easter time from Chichester - Cowes, and tacked in fog in the separation zone for 40 hours waiting for it to clear as well as many other such jaunts.

I don't see this as 'just messing about in the Solent', in fact it demands a lot more of boat and crew than just sitting plodding on a course offshore; and in all this I have never once wished for a sprayhood.