Center Cockpit Cruisers

[GreggL]

Anyone know a few good manufacturers?

As far as new models go, Hunter is all I know of.

Thanks!

[bstreep]

What are you looking to do? That makes a huge difference on what I'd recommend.

[GreggL]

Originally Posted by bstreep

What are you looking to do? That makes a huge difference on what I'd recommend.

I currently have a hunter 33 and typically take weekend trips around long island sound but not much further. I'm all for an aft cockpit cruiser but my wife feels claustrophobic in the rooms so I'm thinking about moving to a center cockpit when we upgrade; it's either that, or a multi hull.

Offshore never seems to be in my plans so I'm not so concerned with getting a blue water vessel. I also don't want to break the bank, so to say.

Thanks!

[bstreep]

Cool. Some thoughts.

If you like your Hunter,why not another one?

But, being completely honest, if I were to go to a coastal cruiser, we have friends with a Catalina 400 that we both really, really love. It's an aft cockpit, but has a queen centerline under the cockpit. It really works well. Great 2nd cabin, and 2 heads. Sails well, and has an awesome cockpit. If you want something bigger, try the Catalina 470. But it's probably more than you need/want, and way more complex. I've sailed on many, many boats. For a coastal cruiser, the 400 is close to perfect. Saying that, it's not my choice for offshore work.

[GreggL]

Originally Posted by bstreep

Cool. Some thoughts.

If you like your Hunter,why not another one?

But, being completely honest, if I were to go to a coastal cruiser, we have friends with a Catalina 400 that we both really, really love. It's an aft cockpit, but has a queen centerline under the cockpit. It really works well. Great 2nd cabin, and 2 heads. Sails well, and has an awesome cockpit. If you want something bigger, try the Catalina 470. But it's probably more than you need/want, and way more complex. I've sailed on many, many boats. For a coastal cruiser, the 400 is close to perfect. Saying that, it's not my choice for offshore work.

Well thoughts on hunter.. without starting a thread here that gets way off topic, Id like to go with something different for my next upgrade. From management and customer service to boat quality I'm not very pleased with the brand.

The Catalina's are nice but the wife seems to love the center cockpit idea and huge headroom/space that it comes with for the master room. Are the Catalina's you mentioned relative? I'll be sure to take a look.

Any other brands that make center cockpit cruisers? Something along the lines of Catalina, beneteau, jeanneau, etc... Production boats have a way of not making me sick with price tags.

[biltong]

You would do well investing in an Amel. Either a Sharki, old but good or a Maramu. These have the best centre cockpits ever.

[Jim Cate]

FWIW,

If your wife is really claustrophobic below decks, the center cockpit may make things worse rather than better. The price for the big aft cabin (where you spend 8 hours a day, unconscious for the most part) is a much smaller saloon for a given length. As with all factors boating, compromise rears its ugly head!

Cheers,

Jim

[GreggL]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

FWIW,

If your wife is really claustrophobic below decks, the center cockpit may make things worse rather than better. The price for the big aft cabin (where you spend 8 hours a day, unconscious for the most part) is a much smaller saloon for a given length. As with all factors boating, compromise rears its ugly head!

Cheers,

Jim

Well that's not so good. What do you think I should look into?

I saw a moody 45 ds that had a very interesting concept, huge real deck salon and a raised roof for the forward room, too bad it's too expensive for my blood. Are there any other boats similar to this design?

[Kenomac]

What size boat are you looking for, and what is your budget? New or used?

[s/vPainkiller]

Island Packet has a CC in the mid 40's length. I think it's a model 445 or close that. It's a significant upgrade which also means a lot more $$...

Scott

[carstenb]

Gregg - I have a 40 foot Jeanneau Sun Fast, the racer version of the Sun Odyssey, It's aft cockpit but has a beautiful master bed in the front with a double bed and lots of room. There is a sink up there also. The head has a shower with a closable glass door so the entire head doesn't get spray over. The Odyssey sails very well, is a fast boat and being just over 13 feet wide, the saloon is huge.

Check it out. Jeaneau also makes a 39 foot deck salon - that is enormous inside

[GreggL]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

What size boat are you looking for, and what is your budget? New or used?

Looking for something in the 40-45 foot range, preferably new or close to it. Budget will allow up to 250k at max.

[Kenomac]

I agree with painkiller. Island Packet would be a great choice; it's also a go-anywhere, very safe boat. Top quality, open floorplan/saloon your wife will love it. Get your hands on a slightly used boat, good deals are out there.

[Paperbird]

We sail a Pearson 422. Older and hard to find as there were only 39 made. But we really like the aft cabin - gives us some separation from guests, the walk-around queen is fantastic. As Jm Cate said, everything's a compromise. We have very little on-deck storage as the aft cabin extends all the way to the transom. But we happy with the trade-off as we got 2 port-lights right over our bunk. Makes for a nice breeze in the night.

Some other brands to consider:
- Irwin
- Endeavor
- Gulfstar
- Hinckley
- Morgan
- Catalina-Morgan

No endorsement implied for any. We have friends in the market for a CC and those are brands they've looked at/talked about over the last few months.

Some other thoughts in the trade-off dept about a CC:
- some people love 'em, some hate 'em. Make your own call. We love ours!
- great visibility while driving
- harder to get to the lines when docking.
- a cockpit enclosure makes an awesome extra room
- more windage that can't be reefed
- very roomy engine room
- lots more +'s and -'s. All of which are just opinions

Suggest you sail on a couple and get a feel for them. If you're ever in the mid-Chesapeake area, give us a shout. In fact, the Gulfstar 43 in the slip next to us might be available. They're in the market for a trawler and in that murky decision phase.

Good luck with the decision and the search.

[Tortuga's Lie]

There are many, many choices of center cockpit boats that are used and several quality new ones such as Hylas for example. Your choice will be entirely yours and up to your budget. I really like the Bristol center cockpits for used(from 41 ft up), Ted Hood was the designer and was able to keep the profile of the boat low and therefore the windage at a minimum for a center cockpit. They are also known for decent performance. Gulfstars are also of similar design, but be careful of early Gulfstars....the construction quality was greatly improved after say 1982?
You are going to learn that CC boats under 40 feet can get tight and may not fit your wifes desire for space