Aft cabin or V Berth?

[Emptynest]

If you’re looking for aft cabin I would recommend the S 2 center cockpit. We owned one on Lake Michigan for 7 Years cruised weeks but not live aboard When we retired we moved up to 40 Endeavor CC & lived on while spending time in FL

[somanyboats]

Take the time to lay down in the berth, with your partner.
Not all v-berths and aft cabins are comfortable.
Check the headroom, can you sit up?
If you are both in the berth, can one of you get out?
We have had boats that you needed to be a contortionist to get out of.

[Cool Hand Luke]

I love the V-berth on my 39-foot Sun Odyssey 419. Granted it's in the high end of the 30-foot range as the OP mentioned, but I don't see myself in either of the aft cabins. I always thought that the V-berth on any sailing vessel will always go to the owner or Captain.

[toddster8]

What? The skyvvey swabs sleep in the foc'sle. Or "before the mast" if you will. The master's cabin is aft, below the poop deck.

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by junkdrunk

Hello all!

I'm looking at acquiring a boat to liveaborad and coastal cruise. Around the 30' range...

Does anyone have any opinions. On v berth vs aft cabins? I'm looking for insight, pros/cons etc.

My initial thought would be an aft cabin, seems more comfortable..

Thanks in advance !

There are plenty of opinions about aft vs. fwd cabins. In a 30 footer, as Trente Pieds suggested, you would give up a whole lot of much needed storage space to have an aft cabin. One always does, though, even on a 40+ footer, and in hot areas, the lack of natural ventilation may be what drives people to air conditioning. Even close to the equator, we have never needed air con, but have installed a fan to blow on both of us in the V berth, one of those installations, sucked in the cooler night air, and blew that over us, quite welcome, actually. Presently, we own a much larger boat, although did journey SF to HI and back on a 30 footer, with a number of coastal trips, and even for this boat, even with 3 ports and a fan, I think it is cooler forward. I would like to suggest that you stay in the 30 ft. size for your first boat. You will use it often, it will be fun, easy to take care of (and not so costly as larger boats, for parts, marina slips, haulouts). From there, you may or may not want to move up in size.

The advice about berth size is if you're a tall person, for sure, "try on" the berth size. You want to be able to sleep comfortably during your off watch on overnighters. It is more difficult at sea to stay well enough rested to be "sharp", and you may have to be sharp when you're fatigued.

Follow Boatman 61's advice.

Ann

[Lihuedooley77]

30 ft. sailing vessels..... Quarter Berth. or Questionable Aft cabin

been on lots and lots of 30 foot sailing vessels , the whole range, actually.

Erica and I prefer the V- berth

The quarter berth or large aft cabin sleeping area is not so comfortable for us, and you have a serious problem with 'wave slap '. You probably will not really understand this until you spend a few nights in the aft ' cave '.

Ventilation is usually non existent or very poor.

We use the quarter birth , aft cabin area, for fenders, wash boards, cockpit cushions, and our sailing duffels. The V berth is our sleeping quarters .

Plus we can open up that forward hatch above the v berth to get some cooling fresh air ventilation.

Now real aft cabins, we would find in 46 ft sailing vessels, lots of room, assigned marine head, clearance for tall people, and wide aft berth for fun and games. Generally, a large overhead hatch .

But, sometimes that old wave slap gremlin pops up, and darned difficult to sleep .

But, large aft state rooms are on mid cockpit, larger vessels. 30 foot sailing vessels are not all that big , and very little stowage area besides a cockpit locker that is usually already crammed full of boat gear. Emergency tiller, life jackets, boarding ladder, stern anchor and rode, bucket and swab, extra line, valves for the holding tank, etc.

The quarter berth becomes a stowage area.


So there is our sea story on why we sleep in the V BERTH.

[CapnBazza]

Originally Posted by junkdrunk

Hello all!

I'm looking at acquiring a boat to liveaborad and coastal cruise. Around the 30' range...

Does anyone have any opinions. On v berth vs aft cabins? I'm looking for insight, pros/cons etc.

My initial thought would be an aft cabin, seems more comfortable..

Thanks in advance !

A centre cockpit with a large berth in the aft cabin where you do not have to crawl over your partner is the answer to all your dreams. And do not listen to people who say that it cannot be done in a 30’ boat, we have it in 25’.

[KiwiKen]

At sea, forward cabin is virtually unusable due to pitching motion, and additional weight (bodies) at the ends accentuates pitching motion. The same problem exists is an aft cabin, but to a lesser extent, but when closed down, they are bloody hot and uncomfortable.

The most comfortable births are single settee births and pilot berths, as the vessels motion gives less violent accelerations, in the centre of the main cabin. Double births are somewhat impractical in a seaway without dividing lee partitions to stop the occupants being thrown at each other when the vessel rolls (unless that is your thing)

A single quarter berth is next in order for practicality in rough weather, and ideal for the Navigator or skipper, especially if adjacent to the chart table and radios etc.

Unfortunately few cruising boats are fitted with pilot berths, which are the most secure and comfortable in really rough conditions ( apart from the struggle of getting in and out of them)

Perhaps I am biased, coming from an offshore racing background, but from my observations and experience, too many "cruising" yachts are set up more like floating caravans, than providing safe secure and comfortable births for use in rough weather.

[JPA Cate]

One big change for us from our earlier days of sailing has been in selection of weather windows, because we no longer worry about schedules very much at all. This means that we sail off the wind a lot; and this, in turn means that the V berth is very comfortable.

We have two settees aft of the mast, in the saloon, and if it is rough, I sleep on the downhill one (the leeward one). For me, inability to sleep at sea is primarily related to the jerky motion that makes me seasick, and I quickly seek out where I will be able to snooze. It is like the "when the wind blows, the cradle will rock," that part's just fine, it's when we get to the bough breaking that Ann's body wakes right up!

Ann

[Don C L]

What? No one's mentioned the Nor'Sea 27 yet? Probably the smallest aft cabin I can think of. Never been in one though, so I don't know how it is. Now in my boat, which does not slam going to windward and has a nice motion (to me) I don't mind sleeping in the v-berth at all, underway. It is soothing and I like hearing the burbling of the water going by. But I'd say in just about any boat, a large quarter berth, especially if it has an opening port (or two!) aft to let some air flow-through, is the most comfortable place to sleep, though it may be tough to climb in and out of. If you can afford one you might check a Nonsuch 30 too. I have always thought they looked like wonderful boats, very roomy and easy to sail, but I have not sailed one (yet!) I did take a peek inside one once. They don't come in an aft cabin model but those quarter berths look mighty big for that size boat.

[TrentePieds]

Don:

Never been in a 29, but in days of yore I sailed the 26s occasionally and always thought the handled extremely well. By far the best of the 26s and 27s in our charter fleet.

What you say in your post makes me want to 'ave a butcher's at the lines of the 29. Would you be able to point me to a draught :-)?

TP

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by TrentePieds

Don:

Never been in a 29, but in days of yore I sailed the 26s occasionally and always thought the handled extremely well. By far the best of the 26s and 27s in our charter fleet.

What you say in your post makes me want to 'ave a butcher's at the lines of the 29. Would you be able to point me to a draught :-)?

TP

Columbia made 2 26s, the MK1 and MK2. Very different boats, which were yours? The MK2s were better performers with their fin keels and spade rudders. But the MK1s make a really nice pocket cruiser with standing headroom and room for a head! And for coastal stuff I also like the outboard well in the MK1, it allows for an outboard to be tilted up but still be enclosed too. The early 29s and all the MK1 26s did not have quarter berths but the settee berths are comfortable especially with lee cloths.

Now TP, that second thing you said, I am not sure if that is an order for something at a pub, or you want a photo of a 29! If the former, I'll take you up on that when I get to the UK, if the latter, here it is!
COLUMBIA 29 sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com
The Columbia 29 Sailboat : Bluewaterboats.org

[Robert E]

In that you are willing to consider 35-40', a Freedom 30' or larger, or Nonsuch 33' would be my choice. Now in our 70's and fit, we have looked at the many options for 5 years and settled on a Nonsuch 33 for sleeping comfort, room, sailing ease and performance. Happy hunting!
.

[Colin A]

Aft cabin s2
S2 9.2 C sailboat specifications and details on sailboatdata.com


Anyways depends on the boat in most boats under 35' I have found the quarter. aft berth to be more comfortable then the V berth but I'm 6'4" so that may effect it. Really I prefer a Settee towards midships on smaller boats both for rough weather and ventilation.

[TrentePieds]

Thanx Don :-)

'Ere we go again - two nations divided by a common language. Besides that we spell funny 'ere in the colonies ;-).

For the pint (or two), no need to go to Blighty. Next time you are headed through the Straits of Georgia give me a "heads up" and we can meet at Ganges, a little island town with a simply wonderful history.

"Draught", I admit, is rather antique, and my English/American dictionary tells me that to you a draught is a drawing :-) What I'd love to have is the "lines drawing": Sheer plan, half breadth plan and body plan, of your boat because I suspect that being of the vintage she is, she is deeper and less hard in the bilge than newer boats. You boat is an S&S design, I believe, and that lends strength to my surmise.

Someone made a noise about floating "caravans" ["camping trailers" to you:-)]. And as you'll recall, I was recently accused of being a "hopeless (or was it "incorrigible"?) romantic". Guilty as charged! I do not like "fat" boats :-)

So if you have access to the "draught" I'll gladly repay you with a draught. We turn out some rather acceptable IPAs around here :-)

The Columbia 26 of my youth was the Mk I.

TP