How important is cabin head room?

[Pizzazz]

For me it was the most important criterion when choosing the boat. I am 6’2” and can walk most of the cabin with ease, without shoes (H31). Everything else is negotiable/fixable/you can learn to live with it. But headroom is not.

[tarditi]

You can curl up to sleep - can't curl up to cook a meal or walk fore and aft in the cabin...

Stooping gets VERY old. 6'2" as well.

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by mdsdurango

Well that pretty much settles it! I will look for 6'3" head room minimum! And a berth to match!
Thank you for your input!

Seems to me pretty obvious banging ones head on the ceiling isn't very comfortable. Its not rocket science.

[carlwk3c]

Look at well maintained Pacific Seacraft Crealock 34s. Love ours. Headroom is about 6’4” and good handholds. A solid, go anywhere boat. Draft is about 4’2” with the Scheel shoal draft keel, about 5’ with standard keel (ours has the shoal draft keel.). Air draft (mast clearance) is about 45’, so ICW bridges are no problem, even the low one just N of Miami.
We’ve been cruising her for 3 years, currently in Martinique, headed to Grenada for hurricane season.

[charlie.magen]

1. Go to a physio therapist who will give you drills for your back muscles. Weak physis in most cases ist the main reason for pain!
2. Most important imho is enough headroom in the cockpit - I have 6.3 feet at the age of 60 but my boat only under two hatches inside. But I almost never have to stand upright inside, and if, I simply spread my legs while cooking, washing dishes etc. In all other sit-uations I use to sit ;-) or lie...
Never would give up my young lady (40) because of my untrained back!!!

Good luck! :-)

[JimJohnston]

In 2015 My wife and I bought a Nonsuch 30 Ultra which you can read about here ->(https://wavetrain.net/2012/04/10/non...-wishbone-rig/).

LOA is 30'4" on the basic boat although ours is a little longer due to davits mounted aft.

The headroom is big. I'm 5'11" and I have lots of space so I would imagine someone as tall as 6'4" would be comfortable in all but close to the sides.

Draught is just under 5 feet and mast height is 54 ft above the water - perfect for most of the AICW.

There's an active association branch on Chesapeake bay with occasional turnover of vessels.

It's our impression that our 30 has almost as much interior space as our last boat, a Caliber 40 and it should with a beam of 12 ft.

For more $$$ you can get a 33 with loads of space.

[R Collins]

Originally Posted by 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!"[emoji2]

A curved raised hatch cover can do wonders to compensate for headroom. It is usually the galley area, and a curved shape ( up to maybe 18 inches) will shed wind like it wasnt even there.

[gonesail]

some are happy to live like a hunchback below. to each his own.