Yachts with a large bridge deck between cockpit and companionway

[Minerva]

We're idly looking at upgrading our current boat to a larger, family cruiser.

I've seen a few boats where there looks to be an enormous bridge deck between the safety of the cockpit and the companionway such as this one;

Moody 42 Ketch 1979 Used Boat for Sale in Ardrossan, United Kingdom

I have never sailed a boat like this, but I would imagine being quite exposed when moving between cockpit and cabin boisterous weather. Swans are another marque where this seems to occur. Question being, am I right in discounting layouts such as this or are they actually OK in reality? On the moody I linked to, It does appear it would offer much larger aft heads by way of a compromise.

Thanks

 

[Baggywrinkle]

Makes it more difficult to hand bacon butties and cups of tea up into the cockpit ... and it is old!

It's also a long way for an inexperienced or uncomfortable crew to crawl to get into the saloon ...

Maybe consider something a bit more of a standard layout? ...

https://www.yachtworld.co.uk/yacht/1984-beneteau-first-38.5-8914618/
Westerly Sealord for sale UK, Westerly boats for sale, Westerly used boat sales, Westerly Sailing Yachts For Sale 1983 Westerly Sealord 39 - Apollo Duck

 

[Supertramp]

When I made a shortlist some time ago, easy entry to the cabin was important. In practice I spend a lot of time popping in and out of the cabin and am glad its a few easy steps, not a ladder. Especially when carrying a drink or food. In calm seas no hands are needed. When rough there is plenty to hold or wedge against. There are sacrifices to interior volume, and I have made a washboard to raise the sill in wild conditions.

I think it's about how you use the boat underway, at anchor or moored. If like me you want easy access then look for designs that offer it.

The Moody 42 is a great big volume cruiser but I would find that ladder journey a chore.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

It is no different to any other yacht in boisterous conditions. The usual practices have to be followed about handholds, bracing, judging when to move, passing up tea or meals to cockpit.

Your not walking through a large open area.

 

[Tranona]

That Moody was a sort of update from the Giles designed Carbineer but using the Primrose hull. You are right the large bridgedeck was to increase room in the aft cabin and provide a firm base for the mizzen mast. Did not catch on as only a few were built before the centre cockpit version took hold.

As you say you find similar in other boats that are really too small to have decent aft cabins and still have a decent cockpit. Westerly discus and Falcon are other examples

 

[Minerva]

That Moody was a sort of update from the Giles designed Carbineer but using the Primrose hull. You are right the large bridgedeck was to increase room in the aft cabin and provide a firm base for the mizzen mast. Did not catch on as only a few were built before the centre cockpit version took hold.

As you say you find similar in other boats that are really too small to have decent aft cabins and still have a decent cockpit. Westerly discus and Falcon are other examples

Thanks - we’ve got a bill Dixon designed moody 34 at the moment and that sails impeccably. Do the Primrose hulls have similarly balanced and pleasant sailing characteristics?

The Moody 42 is a great big volume cruiser but I would find that ladder journey a chore.

Thank you - I’m comfort with the ladder access from the cabin. Got one already and I don’t find it particularly problematic. I also think the definite boundary may be safer for my toddler son for the next couple of seasons.

 

[Frank Holden]

Makes it more difficult to hand bacon butties and cups of tea up into the cockpit ... and it is old!

It's also a long way for an inexperienced or uncomfortable crew to crawl to get into the saloon ...

Maybe consider something a bit more of a standard layout? ...

https://www.yachtworld.co.uk/yacht/1984-beneteau-first-38.5-8914618/
Westerly Sealord for sale UK, Westerly boats for sale, Westerly used boat sales, Westerly Sailing Yachts For Sale 1983 Westerly Sealord 39 - Apollo Duck

I'd be going the full 'buyer beware' on that Sealord. She has I believe a bit of form. Dismasted - ended up ashore in Portugal - was for sale in a rather sad and sorry state for some time. Osmosis treatment of unknown quality. Original MD17D.

Back to the Moody - that bridge deck would get old in very short time. I note no photos of the actual obstacle course. Why am I not surprised?

 

[Baggywrinkle]

I'd be going the full 'buyer beware' on that Sealord. She has I believe a bit of form. Dismasted - ended up ashore in Portugal - was for sale in a rather sad and sorry state for some time. Osmosis treatment of unknown quality. Original MD17D.

Back to the Moody - that bridge deck would get old in very short time. I note no photos of the actual obstacle course. Why am I not surprised?

Interesting about the Sealord .... and the obstacle course for the bridgedeck can be seen in the YouTube video ... doesn't look great for small kids, older passengers or animals - especially on a starboard tack. Fit and agile crew would probably cope but that bridgedeck will also be difficult to re-sell - unless a pair of millenials turn up wanting to sail the world on a YouTube budget ...

Ultimately, it's up to the OP to decide if they and their crew can live with it or not, I would personally look for something a bit more user friendly.

 

[Tranona]

Thanks - we’ve got a bill Dixon designed moody 34 at the moment and that sails impeccably. Do the Primrose hulls have similarly balanced and pleasant sailing characteristics?

While it is a Primrose design it predates his true fin keel hull form that is the predecessor to the Dixon designs. more like the Carbineer I mentioned. Heavy displacement and low SA/Displ with the sail area spread over 3 rather than 2 sails. So don't expect the responsive sailing performance you get woth your current boat and maybe more use of the big engine required to move the 11 tonnes or so displacement. Trade off of course is the deck saloon.

This one looks a really nice example but suspect you would like a bow thruster if you frequent marinas!

 

[Hermit]

I have a Moody 42 as per the OPs advert. The bridgedeck was a concern to me but, after 3 seasons use, and some fairly bumpy weather, it hasn't been a massive problem. The boat is a big beast, very stable, and so it doesn't feel like such a leap of faith to cross the bridgedeck. There is also a lot to hold on to with both main and mizzen rigging.

That said, the sprayhood is a long way forward on the one shown (we don't have a hood) and I am dubious how much protection it offers to the cockpit.

 

[dunedin]

Thank you - I’m comfort with the ladder access from the cabin. Got one already and I don’t find it particularly problematic. I also think the definite boundary may be safer for my toddler son for the next couple of seasons.

I suspect that a steeper longer access steps up/down to the cabin will rapidly turn into a concern if you have a toddler, who will want to go up and down themselves in just a few months. The fewer the number of steps up and down the safer.

 

[Bodach na mara]

IIRC Bill Dixon was a designer with Primrose before branching out on his own. His Seal 28 bears an obvious resemblance to the Angus Primrose designed Commando of 27 ft 6 inches.

Personally I dislike bridge decks, although some people love them. I find that they often require a bit of contortion below the sprayhood to access the cabin.

 

[johnalison]

Some sort of bridge deck is presumably there as a safety feature to keep water out of the cabin if the cockpit fills. This is clearly a compromise between the walk-through doors that were sometimes seen on older boats and the sort of racing boats I saw in the '70s where you entered though a deck hatch. Clearly, the higher the bridge deck the higher the companionway steps. Personally, I prefer a short way down and a secure platform to step onto. One of the disadvantages of centre cockpits is the need for a long and often steep staircase, and I would look closely at the ease of access if choosing one. My 34 has virtually no bridge deck, just a ledge about three inches high. This has never concerned me, though I can seen the disadvantage if I found myself in the middle of an ocean. As it is, it makes entry very easy and safe.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

The bridge deck can also exist in order to create headroom below, eg in an aft cabin, in which case they tend to be wide as well as high. Double trouble. But the benefit to the aft cabin may make it a compromise worth making.

 

[rogerthebodger]

The bridge deck can also exist in order to create headroom below, eg in an aft cabin, in which case they tend to be wide as well as high. Double trouble. But the benefit to the aft cabin may make it a compromise worth making.

That is exactly why the bridge deck on my boat is quire large to get head room in he aft cabin

I fitted some poles to the front end cockpit cover as a support moving over the bridge deck