What are the downsides to a small flybridge 30-44'

Nautibusiness said:
A flybridge with clears really does extend the usable space on a boat. They are not often the prettiest things, but when in it and toasty and warm you don't have to look at it.
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They are no doubt very practical but you have hit the nail on the head.........they look truly awful. For me part of the pleasure of boat ownership is appreciating the lines of a boat and I simply couldn't bring myself to have a boat that didn't look right......and let's be honest they rarely look right.......with no offence intended to anyone who has such a set up.......we all have different tastes :-)
 
Greg2 said:
They are no doubt very practical but you have hit the nail on the head.........they look truly awful. For me part of the pleasure of boat ownership is appreciating the lines of a boat and I simply couldn't bring myself to have a boat that didn't look right......and let's be honest they rarely look right.......with no offence intended to anyone who has such a set up.......we all have different tastes :-)
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I never understood a boat with no fly bridge, suppose it's ok for posers, who dont go anywhere. But what can be better than a choice of helm, either out in the open, or if it gets cold, go down stairs and switch the heating on. A tent boat can not retain much heat. neither is it dry and warm down there. No propper carpet, no soft seats and comfy setees where you can lay down and watch the telly in any weather.

It really is a none starter and boating year round thrown in.
 
H, we have to cut our cloth according to our means. Many entry moboers cannot afford the price of entry for a fly, buying a £10-£20k sports boat then progressing.
 
Greg2 said:
They are no doubt very practical but you have hit the nail on the head.........they look truly awful. For me part of the pleasure of boat ownership is appreciating the lines of a boat and I simply couldn't bring myself to have a boat that didn't look right......and let's be honest they rarely look right.......with no offence intended to anyone who has such a set up.......we all have different tastes :-)
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I agree re the looks, but once again as with so many things in boats European tastes are vastly different to elsewhere.
In the Americas and through many of the tropical islands down to Oz a large proportion of flybridge boats have clears.

The again... many of these boats do not have the lower helm at all. The are called convertibles and simply have more space in the saloon. Often they have no forward facing windscreen either. Not entirely sure of the reason for this apart from possibly these boats get "worked" in pretty rough conditions.
 
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We've had both flybridge and sports boats starting off with a Fairline Targa before going to a Phantom then a couple of Princess flybidges. The jump from Sport to Flybridge is not easy because of the cost implications. At the time you wonder where all the extra money goes, once you make the move you instantly realise and in our case wouldn't go back.

There is no right and wrong answer. Sports fans will cite looks, handling and a feeling of being out there, wind in your hair. I'm not a great lover of sitting out in the sun getting frazzled (a bimini cover on your flybridge is truly superb) so don't actually need to get up on the flybridge to enjoy our boat. What the flybridge brings to the table for us is a hard cover over the cockpit. This extends the saloon.

On the handling front it depends on your choice of flybridge. Our current Princess P50 is superb fun and I don't feel the need to add, "for a flybridge". I haven't got any 50 foot sports boat experience but a 33 knot top end and the ability to turn on a sixpence will take some beating :)

I find in a hard top sports boat you are in a bit of a goldfish bowl when enjoying the upper saloon / cockpit. I also miss that cover over the rear. But that's just me. Obviously accommodation increases in a flybridge boat and I'm comfortable helming from down below which means cruising is a 12 month season. A lot of flybridge owners aren't so confident and feel the need to helm from upstairs in the same way sports boat owners need to take the covers off and pop their head above the windscreen. The individual design of your chosen boat will help here, along with experience and training. I found when we bought the Princess P42 the visibility was so good from down below it gave me the confidence to helm from down below more.

I haven't struggled with extra wind area in a flybridge. I was very nervous setting off in the current P50 due to the extra height but in reality I needn't have bothered. If anything the extra kick at tickover from larger engines and more powerful thrusters make for easier close quarters handling.

A flybridge is less like camping. So if you plan to sleep over on the boat a lot then possibly a flybridge might win the day. If you just want a day boat then possibly a sports boat is the answer but there is no right and wrong due to the different reasons which motivate people to go boating.

As has already been said your size range covers quite a spread and boat at the upper end will be very different to those at the lower end. What's probably more important is what your budget affords you. Ultimately going down the sports boat route gets you a newer boat on a budget. That's the problem we faced when looking at flybridge boats when sports boat owners but we made the jump and wouldn't go back with out current boating habits.

Henry :)
 
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hlb said:
I never understood a boat with no fly bridge, suppose it's ok for posers, who dont go anywhere. But what can be better than a choice of helm, either out in the open, or if it gets cold, go down stairs and switch the heating on. A tent boat can not retain much heat. neither is it dry and warm down there. No propper carpet, no soft seats and comfy setees where you can lay down and watch the telly in any weather.

It really is a none starter and boating year round thrown in.
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Quite agree Haydn.....I am not anti-flybridge just anti-flybridge covers :-)
Why buy a boat that allows you to helm in the open air and then cover it up with a canopy?? Crazy....:-)
 
My fly bridge is a trawler style and only slow, so all of the wind in the hair comments don't really apply to me..... Even if I had some :rolleyes:

Helming from on top is great in the right conditions, but to be honest it's seldom in this country for me. H would be up there in all weathers, that's not for me. Mooring as some have said is easier from up top but, and for me it's a big but. I tend to do a lot of single handed cruising and getting off the bridge to get a warp ashore is too time consuming and IMHO dangerous. As for the wind age and rolling........ It's a trawler, I'm use to it ;)

Tom
 
I never understood a boat with a fly bridge, suppose it's ok for posers, who want a cottage, or to look down at tent boaters at the marina. But what can be better than helming out in the open. If it gets that cold, I'll stay at home and switch the heating on. The saloon of a tent boat retains plenty of heat. It is dry and warm down there. Proper carpet, soft seats and comfy setees where you can lay down and watch the telly in any weather.
 
Thank you all. I see it's each to their own but there are no major downsides.

I want to be able to live aboard (if I feel like it). I lived in a Winnebago for 5 months once, the inside was one room and the outside was another room. it was great until the weather cooled down, then It felt like a studio flat...I hated only having the one space. So the inside and the outside of a flybridge gives me what I need.

I agree the clears on the flybridge are ugly, but they wouldn't be used in the summer, so can be removed. They seem like a good answer as they would heat up well in the winter sun giving a conservatory with more space. I went on a blast around pool harbour in a 32' sports cruiser with full canopies when it was -2C but sunny once. It was really warm in there. Sometimes comfort is more important than beauty (and if you really want the beauty you can always take them off temporarily).
 
I have an Aquastar 33 which is available with or without flybridge. The only reason I went without is to reduce airdraught. A flybridge version would not go under bridges on the French canals. Other than that I would have had one.
 
I have a maxum 42,

only down side is cannot get underWindsor bridge so pretty much rules out the Thames and Canals for me.
Upside is our flybridge is fully enclosed with canvas so is a bit like a Greenhouse,ie nice and sheltered and warm so ideal for uk weather.Only one helm so downstairs is large.Fuel consumption is good and at displacement which is alot of the time ,very very good.Shafts without thruster and still easy to move about.
 
Greg2 said:
They are no doubt very practical but you have hit the nail on the head.........they look truly awful. For me part of the pleasure of boat ownership is appreciating the lines of a boat and I simply couldn't bring myself to have a boat that didn't look right......and let's be honest they rarely look right.......with no offence intended to anyone who has such a set up.......we all have different tastes :-)
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In the UK ,Being warm and dry far outweighs the looks in my mind.You can enjoy the lines on a warm sunny day when you take it down.... once in 5 years for me has it been what I would consider comfortable enough to go topless..
 
Greg2 said:
They are no doubt very practical but you have hit the nail on the head.........they look truly awful. For me part of the pleasure of boat ownership is appreciating the lines of a boat and I simply couldn't bring myself to have a boat that didn't look right......and let's be honest they rarely look right.......with no offence intended to anyone who has such a set up.......we all have different tastes :-)
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+1

In BI climate botch job canopies on top fly bridges usually look truely hideous, like a plastic egg box dropped on top, and dont function well underway in the wet. You cannot see properly through the plastic clear in rain or spray. A few pals had them made up for their FB boats but after only a few seasons got rid of them. A Bimini makes sense and looks ok but won't shield you from rain.
 
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