Center Cockpits - Still Popular ?

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Alaska JD

I can't speak for others but in my case as my wife and I continue to look for a boat to retire on, a cc affords different options in cabin layout. My wife likes the centerline berth that is more easily accommodated and I covet the larger engine room that is often available. The downside of course is that the cockpit is usually a bunch smaller.

I was very surprised to find myself the owner of a center cockpit boat.

The aft cabin with centerline queen and standing headroom makes day-to-day living much more civilized. A good dodger keeps the cockpit dry - in point of face even the outside of the dodger rarely gets wet. Visibility is outstanding. Windage is quite reasonable.

A boat is a small space for a relationship, and the separation between aft cabin and salon accommodates us nicely when one wants to go to bed early. Sleeping underway "at home" is more reasonable than when the main berth is forward.

A lot depends on what is important to you, and getting to that understand means figuring out the difference between a requirement and a solution. An aft cockpit is a solution, not a requirement.

Requirements are things like standing headroom, getting in and out of bed without crawling over a partner, getting in and out of the cockpit, sidedeck access, dinghy access, sheet fairleads.

Cockpit location, winch positioning, head location - those are all solutions.

[Kenomac]

Our Hunter 450 cc had an awesome interior with a HUGE stern owners cabin which couldn't be achieved any other way other than the CC layout. All Oysters are CC and we're very happy with out current boat and interior/exterior layout. The Hunter had very high freeboard, the Oysters are very low freeboard but somehow manage to achieve lots of headroom like the Hunter and plenty of interior space.

[colemj]

Nick, your boat is a bit of a chimera between aft and center cockpit. You have that pilot house in the center with a long multipurpose cockpit extending aft of it. As well, you have interior walkthroughs past this with galley and rear accommodations.

Kind of the best of both worlds, if you don't count catamarans…

Mark

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by colemj

Kind of the best of both worlds, if you don't count catamarans…

You mean those "things" with cockpits in front of their windows or do you mean those things with cockpits up on the roof, with their booms high up where my spreaders are?

[Seafrontiersman]

Don't CC vessels suffer less flooding when pooped?

[lifeofreilly57]

After 30 years of aft cockpit boats we bought a CC because it works on several levels. While looking for our last big boat my wife and I both had a list of requirements based on our years of sailing and boat ownership.
As a wise husband, when we hit the boat shows I watched and asked what her needs were for the liveaboard (trust me, she has enough experience to hold strong opinions), I also noted my own preferences in at sea manners and performance requirements. In the end we ended up with a 47 Cheoy Lee Pedrick center cockpit to fit our demands and our pocketbook.
Are there some compromises? Of course there are but a 47 foot CC is large enough to get the most from a CC design, what I've seen in CC designs under 42 didn't work as well for our needs.
The CC designs are usually built toward the upper end of the market these days so you don't see as many being sold, but then again the ratio isn't much different than in the past, just look at the used market if you want to compare the ratio of CC's to aft cockpit models, there's a huge difference in numbers. Hylas, HR, Oyster, some Alden's, and a production boat or two make them but not too many in the lower/mid-price market, there in a niche mainly aimed toward cruisers, most weekenders don't get it, the cockpit is limited for entertainment, even my wife had reservations on point. On the flip side, if your living on it or even spending serious time on it they make sense, especially if you have kids and need some privacy from time to time.
If I had the money? I would have bought an Outbound CC, the layout, design, performance and well thought out deck and cockpit design caught my attention, while the interior was livable for my wife. And, the price is very attractive for what you get. Her choice? A Hylas 49 we saw at one of the shows due to the larger cockpit, interior layout and overall livability, of course it was only one owners version she liked, since they are semi-custom, with interior layout options available, she didn't like the other 49's we saw due to different layouts. One thing we did agree on on all the Hylas models we saw was the deck layout, they are clean and workable.
It's all a moot point though since we aren't in the income bracket to even afford a decent used one, of course if my lottery ticket comes in......In the mean time I gotta get back to working on the current ride.

[DSDman]

I'm with you on the center cockpit design. I love it. It's a very dry safe and comfortable ride. My wife would only entertain a CC. So for that reason alone we ended up with one. If the boat is big enough the cockpit is big enough for entertaining. I like being amid ships for ease of steering and general SA while sailing. Just feels like I'm up and on top of things and right in the middle of it all.

[lifeofreilly57]

I did love my aft cockpit boats, most were racer cruisers or performance cruisers, the feel and sailing pleasure they provided made any venture in them the cats ass. I won't miss the amount of green water I've taken in the face but will miss being that close to the water, it's the reason I love to sail, to be close to the water.
The center cockpit does keep me dry and protected, I'm still getting used to it, it's growing on me, my wife loves it and feels more comfortable sailing this yacht than our previous ones.
Like all boats it's a balance of compromises to achieve the purpose you're shooting for, I'm sure as the miles roll by under her keel I'll grow to appreciate the strengths this one presents.
Cheers

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by DSDman

I'm with you on the center cockpit design. I love it. It's a very dry safe and comfortable ride.

Let's see:

dry: it is further forward so it is actually wetter. You need a dodger to keep you dry more than an aft cockpit does.

safe: inside the boat you get different levels of the floor, which is not as safe as all at the same level (you can fall down). Outside, in the cockpit, I don't see the difference.

comfortable: the CC is higher up which means that you move much more when heeling and rolling. The lower aft cockpit will provide a much more comfortable ride.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Our Hunter 450 cc had an awesome interior with a HUGE stern owners cabin which couldn't be achieved any other way other than the CC layout. All Oysters are CC and we're very happy with out current boat and interior/exterior layout. The Hunter had very high freeboard, the Oysters are very low freeboard but somehow manage to achieve lots of headroom like the Hunter and plenty of interior space.

Let's see: you moved from a 45' boat to a 53' boat, and you're amazed at how the dimensions of the later work better for you than the the former?

Huh.

[tookish1]

Stevens/Hylas 47!
Fast (Newport/Bermuda winner),
Dry (reef early),
Safe (Circumnavigations aplenty).
Amazing re-sale value - (90% ROI)
Perfect liveaboard 3 stateroom cruiser for OUR family of 5.
Each to his own.

[Bonzai]

1964 Sail Yacht 35....... love it. Low freeboard and excellent engine/systems access beneath huge, super secure cockpit. S&S designed..... nuff said.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Bash

Let's see: you moved from a 45' boat to a 53' boat, and you're amazed at how the dimensions of the later work better for you than the the former?

Huh.

Try reading the post again. You need to work on your reading comprehension skills.

[GILow]

My only concern with our CC Swanson is that you don't get a really good perspective on the sails and I find myself stepping up to the aft deck from time to time to check their trim.

[goboatingnow]

The one thing I don't like about CCs is the climb out of them to the side decks. I really like ted hoods designs that had a " doorway" to get out. But it must compromise the walk-thru below. ( I hate low walk thrus. I'm 6'5"

Dave