Interiors

[higgs]

I am going to get a lot of nasty resopnses ....Interiors for current mid size boats suck. Mid size means any boat in the 30 - 38 range. The trend now days is to put an aft cabin under the cockpit. Big mistake, in my opinion, unless one is using the boat primarily for day sailing, in which case the interior is not a factor. These boats leave out sea berths as they cram in a small main cabin allowing for a larger aft cabin.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Never nasty responses here

You may be right in some size ranges, but maybe off base in others. Our C34 has a good match, and most use the aft cabin as a "garage." In my opinion, the C380 has the same layout, albeit opposite hand, with a large aft cabin that takes away from the saloon and imbalances the overall living spaces -- too small a saloon, where we spend most of our time, with a too large aft cabin: if the V berth was as large as out C34, it'd be great, but it isn't, hence the aft cabin... Just my opinion. The balance is standing headroom (C34 less vs C36 which is more) combined with a layout that suits YOU. Generalizing without being specific makes it hard to discuss the merits (or demerits) of any point of view.

 

[Phil Herring]

{Yawn}

Depends on the intended use of the boat. Not all boats need sea berths, and in fact, I'll bet most don't.

 

[Franklin]

Sea Berths

It's my opinion that sea births are over-rated. You can rig a big birth to be safe while under rough sail but you can't make a sea birth more comfortable while at anchor and most cruisers spend a lot more time at anchor then under rough sail.Let me ask this, how do you think your woman would like to have to climb in and out a V birth or seperate births for 10 years?

 

[sand sailor]

thats why some of us buy older boats

my santana27 has room to sleep 6 comfortably including two births under the cocpit good use of space built in 1968

 

[Fred]

I'm on both ends of this one

If you want a big boat with a real aft cabin and a real salon, you can get a an old Morgan Out Island 41 for less than a Catalina 36. In fact, I have one for sale. Lots of teak below, too.On the other hand, the boat I'm keeping is an H26 on trailer. With the big bunk under the cockpit and lots of space forward, Arlene and I have a decent double, and Emily, age ten, has a good bunk forward. She can even bring a pal along.We will seldom be underweigh when anyone is sleeping on the H26, and if we do a really long passage it will be on the highway. Those bunks are pretty good in a rest area or a campground, too.

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

No Sea Berths, ..No Aft Cabin.

I have a 1976 39' Allied Ketch. It is definately ocean capable (however, not by me). Allied has an impressive reputation of ocean crossings including the first fiberglass boat to circumnavigate. Having said that.....I dont have any sea berths and i dont have an aft cabin or anyway of sleeping under the cockpit. When it gets that rough, i sleep on the setee on the 'low side'. If bouncing around too much, i will throw cushions on the floor and sleep on them. If that get too rough for me, i will always be able to sleep in the cockpit.I am prone to sea sickness,If it gets really rough for any length of time, I would not want to be confined onto a berth. I would need the ability to make a flying dash to the porcelan poney.I didnt design the boat, just giving you an idea of the layout.  Tony B

 

[Moody Buccaneer]

I agree

The lack of sensible, seaworthy interiors marks most boats as what they are. Comfortable daysailors and coastal cruisers. That's what they are designed to be, and their interiors suit them well.It is far easier to create a good sea berth and make the cabin and galley safe than it is to go the other way.V berths are next to useless in a seaway. No one wants to try to sleep there and the boat doesn't want the weight up front anyway.Cavernous cabins can be fitted with handholds etc. so you can make it safely from the companionway to the rest of the boat.The "aft cabin" on my C30 was a double. Adding a bulkhead to cut it in half makes a nice pilot or sea berth, and adds storage under the cockpit sole.Port and starboard settees with the addition of lee cloths give three decent sea berths. Hinging the back cushions on the settees could make two more pipe berths so you could sleep two on the high side on either tack.Since most boats will never make passages that require sailing 24 hours a day for a week or more, it make no sense to built interiors with that in mind.

 

[Tom H]

Sea Berths

I Have a 20 year old boat with both aft cabin and sea berths in the stbd. mid ship and also forward. I have never utilized the weather cloth in either for off watch sleeping but as a live aboard, 20 minute rule for departure, I love to load all the bulky items in these areas and the fact is if it's too rough to sleep without them the salon sole is the spot everyone ends up trying to catch some sleep. Our sailing in the gulf, usually with only one or two overnight periods and my wife as the alternate watch giving me at the most 2 hours of sleep, more often than not finds me in the cockpit snoozing and not below.

 

[Paul Akers]

I dumped my sea berth...

... and built a cabinet in place. I own an '88 Legend 37. This gave me more storage. Unfortunately, for anybody who want to use a production boat for cruising, the market for boats these days reduces the storage in favor for luxurious space. Some folks I know that bought an H456 say they had more storage space on their '78 Irwin 37 CC. I believe it and told them so when they told me. Sales are driven by what the market will bear. Hence, less storage & space for salon luxury.

 

[droopy]

People want shore homes coastal cruisers

not blue water sailing vessels. My wife is one of them! She wants the big king size AFT cabin. Most boats are built that way now because it sells.

 

[Jerry Clark H356 SV Persistence]

Hunter 356 not a Day Cruiser

My Hunter 356 has an aft berth under the cockpit and we like it. The interior salon bench seats can be used as a sea berth if desired. We spend about 80 days a year on board on Kentucky Lake, not ocean sailing. We prefer the interior to any of the old boats we've been on. I've Gulf cruised on Island Packets, Tahiti Ketch and Cabo Rico's. All great sea boats. I still prefer the 356 interior - has lots of hand holds and ways to steady yourself underway. The hull flexes more than the above boats, but it is still a good boat for moderate sea conditions.

 

[Ross]

When we rebuilt Bietzpadlin we designed for never

more than three overnight. The starboard settee can serve as a sea berth or third berth. The dinette seats four. The quarter berths I abandoned and converted to Ice box/galley port side and storage starboard side. There are handholds within reach everywhere inside. The cockpit was huge so I cut out four feet of it and converted it to a lazerette. This is separated from the rest of the boat by a water tight bulkhead and houses the batteries, fuel tank, steering quadrant, and isolated propane locker. Spare sails and secondary anchor rodes are kept here.edit to add; Bietzpadlin is an Islander 30

 

[Calif. Ted]

The puzzle for me is why the builders all think we

want a wine glass rack in the galley instead of handholds ?

 

[tweitz]

I am over 6'4" and rarely spend time at sea overnight. Our Beneteau 323 has a large rear cabin under the cockpit, with three ports for light and ventilation, and it suits me perfectly. After many years, its the first time we are truly comfortable sleeping on the boat. We could rig lee cloths on the salon births, but I would not give up my rear cabin for the rare occasions I would want sea births.

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Tom H.....

Where in Clear Lake? Im at Waterford Harbor.There seems to be a lot of folks on this site that live in this area.

 

[Tom H]

Sailortonyb

We are in Portafino for now, Waterford is probibly in the near future. Any comments about the channel or how well behaved I have to be.....

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Tom H

Im pretty new here, but I have been told that there is generally not a problem getting in or out in the winter low tides caused by northerns. As a mater of fact, we chose this marina because of that, as I was told by some people at Watergate and Boardwalk that they had 'low water' problems.As for how well behaved you have to be? Sure would be nice to have some noise around here. It is a very friendly place. We live aboard and its like living in a country club. Check out their website on the link.

 

[Scott]

I saw many boats with one head ...

located all the way forward in the bow. The forward berth on these boats where actually side berths (not vee). These were new boats at the boat show. These boats had two heads overall, but both were smaller rather than one larger head located in the aft corner.

 

[sailortonyb Allied Mis]

Goes to show ya....

There is a boat designed and produced for just about everyones personal wants and needs. If we all wanted and needed the same thing then there would only be one style of sailboat.