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

[Rick486]

I was attracted to center cockpits for many reasons. But after looking at several in the 40-45 ft range, a number of design features killed the deal for us:
1. Steep and long companionway ladder. This was a deal killer for our dogs and to me looked almost dangerous in a seaway.
2. The large aft cabin necessarily took deck space away from the saloon, which tended to be smaller than the saloon in the aft cockpit boats.
3. My wife did not like the galley location. She said when in the galley she would be totally isolated from the goings on up in the cockpit. This is also related to item 2.
4. In fact, the CC cockpits were smaller than the aft cockpit boats.
5. Boarding from the dock or the dinghy could be a challenge in some CC designs.
6. Access to main engine, and especially the generator, was also challenging in most CC designs.

So we settled on the aft cockpit 44DS which offered a huge cockpit, large saloon, easily traversed companionway for us and the dogs, large aft stateroom, easy boarding, and an open galley with connectivity to the cockpit.
I still like the CC but it just didn't meet our needs.
Rick

 

[jssailem]

perhaps find a Swedish companion

That would be a high price to pay, just to get a boat with a center cockpit.

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Are all center cockpits smaller than the aft cockpit equivalent? I would hate that.

Generally, yes and I think that's one of the few drawbacks of the typical CC. We like ours because the cockpit spans the entire beam but that too has its compromises as walking past it takes some effort especially when it's full of people. It also necessitates that the sheet winches be out of reach of whomever is driving making single handing impractical without dependence on the àutopilot.

People at the marina refer to it as the party boat because of the cockpit ( or maybe the Home Depot ice maker).

 

[JRT]

I had Amy sold on a Hunter 45 CC until she stepped foot on a Jeanneau 440. Clearly I should have quit when I was ahead...

 

[Red_Dog]

I tend to agree with a lot of people here that under 40' the center cockpit isn't worth it.

However . . .

When it comes to boat porn, I've looked at the Glen-L Starpath 44 for years now and thought someday. https://www.glen-l.com/designs/sailboat2/starpath.html. Not sure I'd ever have the money to build her though. You never save money building your own boat!

 

[LeeandRick]

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.

As the old saying goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". We launched our 1975 S2 26 Mid (8.0C the next year), after 18 years on the hard, yesterday. As far as space goes it was the first time we have had 6 full size people sitting in the main salon comfortably on any trailerable sailboat. You probably wouldn't like the Atomic 4 either, but each to their own. One great thing about a CC is you can look down on others if you are so inclined.

 

[Terry Cox]

We purchased our 1991 Passage 42 in 2002 because that was the Admiral's preferences over the skipper's choice of a 40.5. Obviously, the Admiral was smitten by the aft cabin layout. So glad in retrospect that she made the better selection. After cruising her solo several thousand miles all over PNW waters during many two month plus outings, I'm so happy the skipper got overruled. Back then it was her insistence that if we're getting a bigger boat, this is the one I want. Yes dear, of course you're right.

 

[SFS]

That would be a high price to pay, just to get a boat with a center cockpit.

I suspect you've never had a Swedish companion. I highly recommend it.

 

[Will Gilmore]

Not sure I'd ever have the money to build her though. You never save money building your own boat!

You get the boat you want. You know every inch of her and how to fix her right, you have satisfaction in self-sufficiency. Is that worth more than the compromise boat some commercial architect designed to meet the needs of the widest audience possible?

56' of pure custom made beauty with a 5' draft and a walk in engine room. The companionway had 4 steps, the gallery directly to starboard. Sat 8 at the main salon table. My bunk was on the port side in the aft cabin which slept 3 teenagers. There was no hallway. I think that was intentional. One head to port of the companionway and an empty milk jug in the aft cabin.
Simple, sparse and easy to maintain. Still on the water and sailing under charter as Tradewinds out of the same marina she first called home 45 years ago.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[Kings Gambit]

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.

According to Charley Morgan, the OI was designed as a family cruiser largely for local use. Shoal draft for FL, beamy for the added interior space.
I prefer the Morgan 45 or 44 CC over the OI 41.

 

[Mark Maulden]

My first boat was the S2 9.2CC. It was a great boat for a first boat. But I had higher aspirations..I traded it for an S2 36 AC which was the dealer owners personal boat. Also, I was living on these boats.. I sailed the 36 in the Salish Sea for several yrs and loved that boat. (sistership to my current boat). My only complaint was the volvo engine overheating. There’s a story there, but then I met Marci, got married, and we decided to liveaboard and traded the S2 for an ‘81 Gulfstar 44CC ketch. We lived and cruised on that boat for 10 yrs and explored a lot of the Salish Sea. The Gulfstar is and was a great center cockpit boat for cruising for numerous reasons. We still talk about wishing we still had that boat. Ben Lazarra, the architect stated the 44 is where it all came together..And I belive that. The 50 had issues I didn’t like. We sold the boat as someone wanted her more than we did. It was due for some major refit and we actually had someone who wanted to buy but we werent ready to sell. Threw a price to get rid of him but he accepted. So we sold and bought our current house and we’re now back to another S2 36AC that I’ve refitted and still exploring the Salish Sea. I agree that a center cockpit boat really works over 40’, but it all depends on how you want to sail and what personal preferences are..

 

[All U Get]

Big issues with ours, wife stores my tools then we spend hours looking for them. Sometimes she hides inside when I’m waiting to walk to the store and can’t hear me yelling for her. Also have to remember that there’s a big chunk of boat behind you.

 

[Will Gilmore]

'77 O'Day 32 CC. Not a bad looking boat.

32' Maxi 95. Looks like a pretty comfortable cc boat for under 40'. Considered a performance cruiser, in her day.

-Will (Dragonfly)

 

[TomY]

I like CC's for the space they create below. On small boats (as has been mentioned), a raised CC is the only thing I see, the rest of the boat gets lost. But you can't duplicate the space below, in an aft cockpit.

As CC's get bigger, the raised deck - house and cockpit begin to fade into the design. Big enough, and a CC almost disappears. There is the better part of a house below decks in MELINKA.

When Tom Watson (IBM founder) was in his 70's, he wanted a commodious sailboat for his family. Sparkman and Stevens had designed 5 Palawan's of various lengths for him as a younger man. I think they were all aft cockpit sailboats. PALAWAN VI, built in the mid 80's, was a CC. She sails here these days. S&S boats nearly always look good, CC or aft, no matter how old they are.

 

[Red_Dog]

You get the boat you want. You know every inch of her and how to fix her right, you have satisfaction in self-sufficiency. Is that worth more than the compromise boat some commercial architect designed to meet the needs of the widest audience possible?

My answer, of course, yes.

An example of my point, though, is that I bought my Hunter 28.5 for less money than the little 18 footer (20' LOA after adding the skirts) stitch-n-glue. Price not including bottom, topside paint, deck fittings, etc., etc.

But, getting back to the main subject, I use to think center cockpits were "cool". Then again, I use to think wheel helms were "cool". It would really come down to the boat and whether I thought a live with her.

 

[Jackdaw]

As the old saying goes, "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". We launched our 1975 S2 26 Mid (8.0C the next year), after 18 years on the hard, yesterday. As far as space goes it was the first time we have had 6 full size people sitting in the main salon comfortably on any trailerable sailboat. You probably wouldn't like the Atomic 4 either, but each to their own. One great thing about a CC is you can look down on others if you are so inclined.

All true. I suppose there is a functional beauty to the little things. There was a 8.0C in Bayfield. An older guys always soloed it.
He’d pull into the anchorage several hours after the bigger boats did, find a spot, and expertly settle in. He had it totally set up for single handing. I admired him.

Ps - While I prefer diesel, I have absolutely no issue Atomic 4s.

Pps - Congratulations on the launch!

 

[Kings Gambit]

Mullet aggregate in large numbers in the fall at the mouths of estuaries in preparartion to head to sea for spawning. This is when the mullet fishermen hit them in Tampa Bay and elsewhere on FL’s Gulf coast; probably along the east coast as well. I imagine the jacks and other fish predators attempt to hit them there as well.

 

[jon hansen]

dickerson 36'. local boat that i always liked the looks and know to sail well.

 

[jon hansen]

http://www.dickersonowners.org/sale36_celest.php

 

[AlastairLC]

Rule of thumb: annual maintenance runs about 10% of boat price.
$30,000 a year is a lot of outlay!