Who likes (or hates) center cockpits.... and why?

rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,546
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
So every now and again, I start fantasizing about the day when I can retire and cruise the coast for extended periods of time. I keep coming back to the Morgan Out Island sailboats and other similar center cockpit designs. The aft-cabin seems to add a lot of usable living space, the shoal draft allows access to interesting places and the center cockpit sure does make them look safe. But you don't see a lot of center cockpit sailboats and I'm guessing there is a reason why.

So why would you love or hate a boat like this?



 
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D

dlochner

.
Jan 11, 2014
12,230
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
I believe the Morgan OI series was designed for the Caribbean charter industry. For that purpose having 2 large and well separated private state rooms would be a benefit, but at a cost to the common space in the salon and galley. On a charter in the Caribbean, the loss of salon space may not have been a big issue.

The center of gravity of the boat will also be higher than with an aft cockpit. That will have some effect on sailing performance along with the increased windage from the longer higher dog house.

I was recently on a 30' center cockpit S2. On paper there was a lot, in reality, the staterooms were small, the passage ways smaller. At some point the boat gets long enough and wide enough that this won't happen, but at ~40' and under I think it would be tight below decks.
 
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Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
Until you get close to 40 feet LOA, CC boats lose on both space utilization and looks. In particular I find the smaller S2 models (like the 8.0 C) painful to look at. Past 40 feet however, they get better looking, and the space issue goes away.
 
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Roland5048

Roland5048

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May 12, 2004
1,505
Hunter Cherubini 30 New Port Richey
I think it comes down to personal preference. I've sailed a lot of CCs, mainly the Morgan OI 41. Not a performance boat by any stretch but very comfortable if a bit rolly depending on the sea state and direction. The 4' 2" draft is a plus depending on where you are going but that contributes to the lack of pointing ability. My opinion is that a CC looks kinda boxy in anything shorter than 45' or so. The OI 41 being an exception. The middle pic in your post looks like a Morgan 46. That is one sweet sailing boat but with a 6'6" draft limits your sailing area. Aft cockpits generally have much bigger saloons but smaller aft cabins. CCs just the opposite. Visibility is better in a CC and most are ketches meaning smaller sails but with the same area. Once you decide on what features are really important to you, I think the choice will be much easier.
 
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Dave Groshong

Dave Groshong

SBO Staff
Staff member
Jan 25, 2007
1,867
Catalina 22 Seattle
I'm with JackDaw, over 45ft I think they are great, make you feel really secure, especially nice if you can reach a private aft cabin from inside the boat.
 
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VanIslandGuy

VanIslandGuy

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Jan 12, 2016
271
Hunter 410 Ladysmith, BC
On a bluewater livaboard I can totally get behind the idea of owning a centre cockpit. You have a safe and secure cockpit, less likely to get water filled from a following wave. The safety price is that CC cockpits drain far slower with scuppers versus an open stern AC design. Pretty much every CC will have a much nicer aft cabin. I agree 44-46' is where CC start to look good and function the best.

However for smaller than 44'/coastal cruising/weekends/vacation boat; the CC's reduced outdoor living space as the cockpit is almost always smaller compared to the same size aft cockpit model is a real negative. CC's tend to have a smaller salon and steeper steps to go down below than an AC. Finally the CC need a higher boom to accommodate the higher cockpit, thus moving the sailplan farther from the water. This means either a taller mast to have the same size sail plan, or a smaller amount of sail area. Once the boat gets bigger these disadvantages start to become less noticeable but I don't think it's by accident that you don't see many race boats with a centre cockpit.

The only thing I really miss about not having a centre cockpit is standing head room throughout the aft cabin. I wouldn't trade our big roomy cockpit for that though since we spend more time above deck than in bed, and we don't live onboard.

If we were full time cruisers bluewater ambitions I think I would look at centre cockpits instead as they work really well. For now we are weekend/vacation sailors and AC works best for us.
 
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Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
If you want to see a center cockpit boat taken to the zenith, take a look at the Hylas 46. It is a beautiful boat, built extremely well. I love center cockpit boats and have sailed aboard a bunch of them. Including that 30' S2 9.2. The attraction is that you get maximum use of the entire hull; the cockpit sits on top, not in the hull. You generally get great engine access, a snug sea galley, maybe some sea berths, a very usable aft deck, and ride high and dry in blue water. The morgan wouldn't be at the top of my list, but the Hylas, Irwin43, and the Beneteau40 would all be contenders.

I suspect they faded away because they don't typically have pretty lines and most buyers don't really care about accommodations - they'll be back at the yacht club by dark. But if you are going for a live-aboard, a center cockpit would be worth a look, and they are selling at very good prices.
 
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rgranger

rgranger

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Jan 19, 2010
12,546
Hobie 16 & Rhodes 22 Skeeter Charleston
Thanks everyone, those are some good insights.

@Gunni I took a look at the Hylas. I see why you like it. Can you say damn! That is some serious boat porn.

I would HAVE to be retired. There is no way I'm going to work if I owned one of these. Check out the stern seats and walk off transom in the last pic.


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Scott T-Bird

Scott T-Bird

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Oct 26, 2008
6,215
Catalina 320 Barnegat, NJ
I have always thought that the Najad 440 CC (now the 450) would be a spectacular blue water boat to own. I love the styling and it seems that they would be very good performance wise. I'd love an opportunity to sail on one. I agree, under 40' no way. 45' and longer, they actually look far more graceful and balanced to me than an aft cockpit. If I was in the market for a boat that is 45' or longer, I think I would look exclusively at CC.
 
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jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
22,174
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
IT is fun to dream about those 45 foot boat porn boats. But your going to need the lottery winnings to maintain it.
It is not just a slip in the creek behind the house type of boat. They often need a 7ft depth or more slip. They require a BIG long slip... which in most marina's is a Premium Slip. They just don't have a lot of 40 plus slips. In our marina there are over 2000 slips and 85% are 30 ft or less. maybe 10% are 31-40 that leaves 5% to be shared among the big sail and power boats.
 
jssailem

jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
22,174
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Very pretty boat. I like it a lot more than the Super Yacht A.
 
heritage

heritage

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Apr 22, 2011
900
Hunter 27 Pecan Grove, Oriental, NC
We cruised for years on a Westerly 36 CC and also did some Bahamas island hopping in an O'Day 37 CC. They were not beautiful boats to gaze upon from a distance. But they were very dry when bashing your way upwind. The cockpits were cozy, but I could still stretch out for a nap and had better visibility over the bow. The aft cabin provided privacy and standing headroom. The Westerly was a walk through and the O'Day was a walk over. I prefered the walk over as it allowed for a large engine compartment and rain was not a problem because of the canvas enclosure. The saloons in a CC will be smaller than a comparable aft cockpit. We didn't know any better, so it seemed plenty big to us.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
rgranger said:
Hey! you can pick up a 10 year old Hylas 46 for only $300,000
Click to expand
How much did you pay for your home? This is an all-in commitment kind of thing, not a weekend fling.
 
Daveinet

Daveinet

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Sep 20, 2014
1,325
Rob Legg RL24 Chain O'Lakes
Center cockpit is OK, I just don't like the idea of a rear cabin.
 
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