Sailing Sitting Visibility and Offshore
Sailing:Thanks, Buck for your comments also. Your input about sailing characteristics not being as good as what Bill suggests do raise the question -- how does the 420 sail? My imppression is that the 420 and the 410s share the same hull design, and that the 410 should ba a fairly good sailor. I do realize that the high cockpit and high dodger/inclosure cause more windage going to weather, and that the boom is higher for the same mast heigth, reducing sail area a bit. That said, I'd appreciate your inputs and anyone else's on sailing, as I'd prefer to buy a sailboat with nice accomodations as opposed to a "trawler" that sails somewhat.Seating:A concern on the 420 center cockpit design is that the cockpit coamings are low all around, and there is no "dog-house" to lounge against. Since sailing tends to be many hours of lounging around, I'd be interested to hear from Hunter 420 owners how they have adapted to the seating limitations of the cockpit. It seems like you can't/shouldn't have to sit bolt upright for hours on end due to the low seat backs, and I wonder how owners have lived with that or modified the cockpit to make it more comfortable? I'm also curious about this when heeled at 15 to 20 degrees, how does one sit and/or hang on? Maybe Buck and Mike, with offshore experience would also like to comment on that. Visibility:We've never sialed in a center cockpit boat. I can tell that the visibility when motoring will be great -- much better than an aft cockpit boat. I do wonder about sailing visibility, in that it seems like from the cockpit, there should be no way of seeing around the jib when close hauled. Comments please.Offshore:Buck, your comments, and your reference to Mike's experience do raise the question of offshore performance and crew comfort. We are thinking of the ICW with some offshore legs, the Bahamas, Chesapeake to Block Island, and up to Maine, "coastal cruising" in a few years. Any comments on the suitability of the 420 for that?I'll appreciate all inputs.