How important is cabin head room?

[Pete7]

Mike, do they have cheap-ish "deck saloon yachts" on your side of the pond? That might solve the height issue.

Standing up has been covered, but also you don't want to be cooped up in something the size of a hen house, with cabin fever if it rains for several days. So if this is to be your home choose something roomy with width as well as height. You want to be comfortable, 25 footers are for those in their twenties.

[contrail]

Pay particular attention to those who have owned their boats for awhile, and those who cruise and/or liveaboard, full time. I am 6'0'' and have a bad tendency to slouch so wanted absolutely no excuse to do so. The early Cherubini Hunters have many good characteristics, including 6'4" headroom in most or all the models. It was a big plus for me. Not enough headroom to live a normal life is a curse.

[Hudson Force]

My first two years living aboard were on a sloop with 5'11" headroom and when standing straight I'm 6"3". The times that I had to slouch were in the galley and at the sink in the head. I still have the ability to maintain that same 5'11" position when I'm brushing my teeth or washing dishes. 'never bothered me

[GuyFromTheNorth]

What boat market are you shopping in? That will tell us at least what models will most likely be near you if you need headroom experiences. I am 6'4" in shoes and 6'3" the rest of the time. I had a heck of a time getting actual headroom reports on boat models and ended up driving alot of miles to see them only to be disappointed.

Got a '82 Mirage 33 now and I can stand up in the majority of it and the berths fit me perfectly. 5ft draft though, not sure if that's too much for you.

[JimsCAL]

You should have lots of choices if you look at boats in the 33-36 foot range versus around 30. And with a shoal, wing or keel/centerboard, the depths in the ICW should not be an issue. Also check the bridge clearance, but that shouldn't be a problem with boats in the mid 30s lengthwise.

[NormanMartin]

It matters a lot!

As others have noted, double check the berths. Not just lying down but sitting at the dining table. I add that you must be able to stand comfortably at the galley. Many have angled floors which will make you crazy.

We are an extreme case with 4.5 ft headroom in main cabin and just six in the hatchway under the dodger. That said, I know about headroom! Mama won't go cruising until we upgrade to full standing headroom.

[SV Sailfish]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

My first two years living aboard were on a sloop with 5'11" headroom and when standing straight I'm 6"3". The times that I had to slouch were in the galley and at the sink in the head. I still have the ability to maintain that same 5'11" position when I'm brushing my teeth or washing dishes. 'never bothered me

Hi Mike,

Yep... us tall people just seem to deal with it as above.

I am 2 meters tall. (that is 6'6"+) That's bare feet. In boat shoes, ad an inch. I had to develop what I call the "boat stance" for below decks. (feet spread apart to lower me to the correct ceiling height of the particular boat I am on)

I envy those that do not need to adopt "the stance".

But if I had made my #1 criteria of boat ownership ceiling height, I would probably still be looking.

Good luck on your search tall one.

[desodave]

It's important to have it somewhere imo. I'm 6'6" and can stand straight in the gallery area at least, and under a couple of the hatches. Bunk is crucial as said by others. I just converted an EW queen to a NS king in our rear cabin for more comfort there. Just about tall enough is deadly though, especially with a ball cap on. Best of luck looking.

[robwilk37]

first project on my rebuild was bumping the cabin top 4" for comfortable standing headroom in the settee. i just got tired of bleeding like a russian princess every time i smacked my dome on a deck frame...

[RaymondR]

I'm 6'7" so am pretty well always going to have problems.

The underside of the deckhead provides plenty of opportunities for grazes but it's the sharp edges on the door ways which provide the most painful collisions.

The blue thing is from one of those foam things kids play with in swimming pools.

[a64pilot]

I think it’s largely age dependent. I’m not a tall guy only 5’10” but it wouldn’t have bothered me at all in my 30’s. Now that I’m 60 it would. I have back and knee issues now, and weight I’m certain has a lot to do with it, but I just can’t stay bent over working on things like a I used to could, it hurts my back, so now I’ll sit, and have a set of knee pads that I didn’t used to need

[Don C L]

My old boat had about 5'-8" of headroom, so walking around I had to stoop. But there is not much walking around to do in a 24' boat anyway. It was all fine though because the "galley" was a stove on one side and sink on the other. I could rest my butt against one side and brace my feet against the other and my back would be perfectly upright. I gotta confess though I do like my headroom now.
It depends also on your preference in boat performance. If you happen to fancy a certain boat's performance in other regards, say speed for example, you are more likely to happily stoop or crawl through the whole thing without complaint. And you'll probably be outside most of the time anyway yelling "yahoo!"

[gulfcoastsailor]

When were you 6'2"? If it is a recent accurate measurement fine. More often than not we use numbers from decades ago. Gravity makes squatters of us all. A man 5'11" 40 years ago when he joined the service well may measure up to 5'9" today. Just something to consider.

[Vagabond1]

Originally Posted by mdsdurango

I am currently planning my trip down the Atlantic coast. I've read a lot of books and, so far, browsed hundreds of boats. My budget is not limited to small but I would rather it be. Therefore I am looking at boats well under 40'. I want a shallow draft, as I will be using the ICW as needed. I am 6'2" in bare feet. I can find some great boats at great prices in some 30' boats but head room is only - at the highest - 6'1". I wonder how important that one inch is? I would prefer a head room height of 6'3" but those seem few and far between in a < 35' boat. I like the Island Packet for the head room but they are considerably more expensive than so many others.
So my question is this: How is it to live in a boat with a ceiling shorter than the top of my head?

More info; Single, 66 yrs old, healthy, planning on two years cruising minimum.

Again, thanks for your opinions!

Mike

Hi Mikel,
I would not worry too much about the 2" difference. I used to be 5' 14" and at age 65 started shrinking; now at 77 down to 6'. In a boat cabin it is easy to bend down a bit unless you have chronic back pain.
Btw: 'Head room' in a boat is called in German 'standing height'. So the best specification for your future boat should be: "... enough space for two to lay down and one to stand up!"
Enjoy the great life style of sailing!

[Peeew]

For an extended trip I know that headroom is obviously important to many. But also I think it’s important to have room to lie down in the cockpit and that there is room and light down below to tolerate a number of days waiting out bad weather.