Exposed Helm

[DtM]

Mark 424 you have got it exactly right.

The list of matters to be considered in a purchase is almost endless.

Some you will get what you want others you won't. You either choose to live with the little things which may not be perfect or you choose not to buy.

I enjoy my exposed helm. Sure there are times when it is a little wet and for those I have great wet weather gear and a sense of humour. A hat fixes the sun issue.

[Bulawayo]

Some curious postings - exposed helms have their advantage until you meet 'the storm.' Having been through one of these (over 70 knots, the max. the instruments could read) I would really hesitate to be so exposed as I really do not want the risk of being taken overboard.

[Cheechako]

Once in a 70+mph micro burst, I had to be at the helm. No way I could see with rain being driven at that speed. I put some ski goggles on I had stashed and they really helped.....

[Teeto]

Originally Posted by Mark424

I agree with Brad. This is a recurrent topic and I think Dave from Maxing Out has commented before since his P-39 went around the world for many years with aft helms. I think he said he had his hands on the helm something like <0.5% of the time, or maybe it was measured in hours over a 10 year period.

Coming from a mono, exposed helm is more the norm. I can understand the logical arguments for the deck house mounted helm, but I have a couple problems with it in practice. (a) I don't plan to steer other than in extreme weather or docking, so what is most important is a place to stand watch. (b) If I'm at the dock, I'm usually concerned about one side and prefer to be in the corner where I can see what's going on. I know the gurus say that you should always be able to see all 4 corners - while you can see over 4 corners (really 3 if you have a genoa out), but you really can't see the corner itself which is what you want for docking. The beauty of a layout like the Privilege 39 is that it's trivially easy to walk side to side from wheel to wheel if you really need to see what's going on on both sides. (c) After chartering half a dozen different models over 14 years, I really don't like to sit up on the raised deckhouse mounted helms. All the minimalist benches are really lame. You have no support, not much of a back, etc for longer watches. You are usually a couple feet higher off the water than the aft deck level helm, which means that any pitching or rolling is amplified. I have yet to see any cat with a serious watch standing (sitting) chair like you'd see on a trawler, fishing boat, etc. Even with the bimini mounted helm, most people standing watch are not sitting in that chair unless you are in a crowded channel.

Fire away.....contrarian force field engaged.

Is this what you mean? Note comfy helm seat with arms (ex Riviera), solid windscreen, clears all round, solid roof, hatch overhead. Very good for overnighting. It can be done on a cat!

[Bulawayo]

The helm shown is very similar to what we built on our cat - we had armoured glass for the 'windscreen.'
In such weather, as I indicated, you cannot see a lot - even when a wearing scuba mask.
We also had a 'sunroof' for sight of the main sail. Personally, I have never docked with my genoa out - an interesting exercise I would imagine. I agree 99% of the time you rely on the autopilot - & when/if it fails I want to steer from a safe/protected position. The dog-house arrangement meets my expectations. After 7 years of constant sailing my autopilot never failed, I had two fitted but never used the second. Again, 90% of the time the weather was good - It simply scares me to think of a member of my family being so exposed. For me safety is priority, all other matters are easy to overcome with a little practice. I believe the risk is very small, but I prefer to avoid even this.

[Bulawayo]

Yeah, my wife or I were at the helm the majority of the time; with the autopilot engaged. I tried to keep watch (using a scuba mask) but it was challenging. We had a full dog house for protection - and this is a feature I shall fit on my next cat - the challenge is finding the right cat - so far all indications are pointing to a Privilige.
I dread to think of having to be at such an exposed helm in such weather. We only had this weather once in seven years, but you only need to be washed over-board once.

[Cheechako]

One of the things I liked best about my cat was the high helm, under cover. That's cruising in style. Mine just had a canvas dodger/bimini setup with three panel rollup windshield. I thought the vision was great.

[Bulawayo]

Cheechako, What cat was it? Our next cat needs to able to be fitted with a hard top bimini and fixed windscreen, a main sheet traveller located aft of the cockpit (where it can be reached), solid grp below the waterline and no vertical saloon windows. The cockpit needs to have a walk aft through, too. We also want a waterline of 40ft-ish.We have had waves sweep right over us and a cockpit needs to drain fast. We don't want the helm above the bimini, either. The majority of the time the weather is OK - when the stuff hits our fan I want the easiest time possible.

[WeBeGone]

I wouldn't trade my outboards helms.

With my Catana in a stiff breeze, and helming from upwind, sailing this boat when she is hauling ass is better than flying my plane. The bulkhead helm boats I've sailed remind me of driving a station wagon

That is why I sail........otherwise I would just buy fuel for a comfortable trawler....

[thorcat]

One thing i learnt long ago spending many years as a commercial fisherman is to have suitable weather protection, it may be ok for weekend sailors or party boats to have the wind in your hair and get a suntan ,but when your on long passages especially in the tropics where its either blazing hot or pouring rain ,the fun of standing out in the elements wears very thin,as a skipper you need to look after the welfare of your crew and keep morale up, also a safety issue.

I may be biased but this is my ideal helm possy at the moment, has excellent alround visibility,can be completly closed up with rear clears,it has dual opening barn doors for easy access to the deck for tying up,all sail controls led into this helm , its also big enough inside for two people to helm ,a bed for the off watch crew and chart area large enough to open a full size chart,works for me.