As an update to my recent rant against forward cockpits( http://multihullblog.com/2014/12/forward-cockpit-2/), I find this.
Peter Johnstone “Fyi we advanced beyond the forward cockpit to something much better on the Gunboat 55….”
As an update to my recent rant against forward cockpits( http://multihullblog.com/2014/12/forward-cockpit-2/), I find this.
Peter Johnstone “Fyi we advanced beyond the forward cockpit to something much better on the Gunboat 55….”
Design always has tradeoffs. A high latitude circumnavigator is different than a coastal weekender. And the solution for a 60 footer is different than for a 30 footer. I’m glad people are experimenting, hopefully we’ll learn something new. Having sailed at least 8 different models of the big name production cats, I’m not at all a fan of the traditional wall that splits most bridgedecks, nor the helms mounted on them. Sitting up high accentuates the boat motion, the wall splits the living space – who wants to stare at a wall while sitting in the cockpit – you often don’t have a great view forward from inside – and the reality is that auto is driving much of the time, so you really need great visibility forward from *all* areas of the salon and cockpit when not at the helm. Having spent a couple weeks on a devilliers 62 which has a similar layout to a gunboat 62, inside helm, small line handling cockpit forward – that layout works well for a big boat offshore. For a small boat, I’ve been on a Maine Cat 30 a couple of times, and that layout works very well. There aren’t many options in the 35-50’ers where most cats are, but hopefully some of the ideas will trickle down to give more choice.
So I say, tear down those walls (yes I get the structural implications), and keep experimenting.
Thanks