Aft cabin or V Berth?

[junkdrunk]

35 or 40 ' isn't out of my mind either. I'm fairly open minded and just looking to learn and understand.

I appreciate everyone's insight and opinions.

Keep em coming!

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by Tingum

Life is too short to own an ugly boat. I cannot imagine what an aft cabin 30' boat would look like. It would have a profile like a cucumber with a tumor!

Usually like this.. this example is a 32ftr.

[Stu Jackson]

Originally Posted by junkdrunk

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Keep em coming!

OK, to build on an earlier idea: do a search for Catalina owners associations for the older boats, like our C34 (Catalina 34 International Association), or these others: C36, C310, C320, C350, C30 (International Catalina 30 Association)

This is one manufacturer's stable of older boats in the 30s range.

Look at their layouts. Most owners association websites have the original brochures and pictures. Most Catalina models have owners associations.

Or you could save some time and go to Catalina Yachts, register for free and click on the archived brochures tab and check them out.

Then you could do the same for Hunters and Beneteaus.

The reality is, as others have said. that there is only so much room, ergonomically, within a hull, for shapes both horizontal and vertical, for humans to inhabit.

Happy hunting.

After you do the paper chase, you could also go to a boat show or used boat dealers and look in person.

Good luck.

[Cheechako]

There are previous long threads discussing this.

On a 30 footer, V berth for sure.
On bigger boats:
Aft cabin:
- Great for living aboard at the dock.
-Stuffy and hot anchored out.
-Poor circulation.
-Bigger and very private.
V berth:
- Allows a nice breeze with the hatch open.
-Allows monitoring sounds, wind shifts, anchor noise etc without even getting out of the berth.
-Buy one that is long as you are!

[seasick]

O’day built a 37’ center cockpit which wasn’t too very ugly but IMO ill advised. Besides the spaces being cramped the cockpit was /is exceedingly wet with any manner of beam seas. 1982 O'Day Center Cockpit Sail Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com

The Gulfstar 41’ was the shortest center cockpit vessel that I felt was adequately long enough for this configuration.

If you have little or no major sailing aspirations, I would recommend a tri-cabin trawler of which there are a heap of Taiwan built Grand Banks knock offs for very reasonable prices.

[P3sailor]

For comfort while underway, aft cabin. Trying to sleep in the V-berth in rough seas is next to impossible, while underway, unless of course, you prefer to be airborne much of the time. And, as others have stated, an aft quarter berth, usually has minimal ventilation, if any, and can get pretty toasty while anchored. Good luck in you venture!

[Robert E]

There is good advice here. Having sailed many thousands of ocean miles in two center cockpit vessels (Columbia 41 and Norseman 447) with large aft berths I can attest that an aft berth is infinitely more comfortable in a seaway. However, as has been noted, they are not practical in a 30 foot boat. You might consider a Nonsuch 30. They have a large forward berth set either to port or starboard. They are well-built and with surprising interior space. We are new owners of a Nonsuch 33 and she is better in every way than we could have hoped. She is fast, comfortable and a joy to sail.

[ari51]

We cruised a 28' Hunter, our first boat, Santa Barbara to the Channel Islands. It had a queen aft cabin that was very comfortable, and a v berth that could be extended into the salon area if need be. It was very comfortable, even with 4 kids and a schipperke. Everyone who was open minded was amazed when they came on board. We sold it when we were caught in 8 'seas and 50 knot gusts during a channel crossing, too much for me in that boat. Three boats later, we are retired and spend months on our 38' Beneteau in the Sea of Cortez. That little Hunter was a great intro to sailing and lots of fun.

[hamburking]

Definitely get an aft cabin with ensuite. Also, gourmet galley (with dishwasher), big screen TV, generator (for the air conditioning), and a 14 foot RIB (on davits). OMG, I just described a cat!

[desertsailor]

Boatman61 had some good advice if you are planning on sailing single handed most of the time. My coastal sailing experience has been on 38-40' boats with a crew of 3 or more. In which I much preferred the v-berth due to its distance from traffic, and diesel fumes. When sailing in rough waters the v-berth will be bumpy, I've been thrown from side to side a few times while making passage from Panama to San Diego. The aft berth will provide a much smoother ride.

[Alita49DS]

This may not be a popular response. For example, I remember meeting a couple in Cascais in Portugal who had sailed the Atlantic twice in their 27ft boat and, when asked, said they were not going to upsize, despite their age, as they knew every screw on the thing.

That said, I would humbly suggest that if buying a boat to live aboard only an impecunious masochist would try 30ft.

So: 1, if you can go bigger.

2. Once bigger, my view is that a stern cabin is far more comfortable at sea and, with proper ports, fine in harbour. A bow cabin is OK in harbour and a misery at sea.

[Terra Nova]

At sea, which is a tiny percentage of the time, the convertible berths near the center of the boat are usually the most comfortable.

[JDOradio]

As already mentioned 30 footers with aft cabins are rare as hens' teeth. Phillip Rhodes designed a workable three-cabin layout in a 40' boat back in the 50's and 60's (28' waterline - CCA era lines). The Rhodes Reliant, Cheoy Lee Offshore 40, Bounty II and others are all very similar hulls, and I believe all had a sprinkling of aft cabin layout models.

https://astro.temple.edu/~bstavis/rr/history.htm

Modern designs probably can get an aft cabin in less than 40 feet, but maybe not with as much grace and style.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...-a-100465.html

[Jaqun]

I have a freedom 30 with a very nice aft cabin with a hanging locker. It has two opening ports, one outboard through the hull and one in the lower part of the cockpit to allow for a cross breeze. That being said I do prefer the v berth on hot nights because the front hatch always lets in a nice breeze ( and we have a scoop for it. ) but the adt is still comfortable.
The small Center cockpits like the S2 30 C do look very boxy to me.

[toddster8]

While not an aft cabin, one reason that I chose the Ericson 29 was the large double quarter berth. It's actually about the same size as the V-berth but seems larger because of the more usable shape. Quite comfortable to sprawl out in there. However, if there are two people in the bunk, one gets stuck in the low space under the cockpit, which is a bit coffinesque - helps to remove the ladder. The open Q-berth also makes the main cabin seem more spacious, though one could probably rig a privacy curtain across there if one wanted to. Hard to get much better than that in 30 feet. One can also stuff an amazing amount of cargo back there on the "short" side and still have a usable bunk.

Yeah, I have a cabinetry project planned for the starboard side - don't know if it will happen this winter, since I'm sitting here in the office on a prime Saturday... And I do have fabric to cover the cushions... if I ever get busy.