Pilothouse Love em or Hate em

[Gaia]

Funny you should ask. We built a Tom Colvin approved PH on our 42 ft Junk rigged Gazelle, led all the control lines into it and after now 24 years of mainly tropic sailing absolutely love it. Would never again sail a boat without it. We made it a complete 360 around with 1/8th inch Lexan and have never had an issue. LEXAN weathers so it needs replacing say every six or seven years but that is neither a huge job nor very expensive.

The PH also makes a great water catchment area and a place for lots of solar panels and a place to work on sails when needed.

We made our PH with an openable roof which is fabulous at night when making passages.

With the exception of the front the sides and back can also be opened.0

We thought of going the catamaran route but when we helped crew on one across the Atlantic and when we are at anchor we miss GAIA 's 360 degree viewing angles.

We also wore weather gear">foul weather gear on the cat, a 46 ft FP Bahia which we never do on GAIA. Our brand new foul weather gear wore out swinging to and fro over 24 years in the cupboard.

I have not had the time to read all the replies but feel very sure that those that have them, PHs that is, love them. Those that do not often criticise out of ignorance.

Of course if you are into racing well maybe not but if you are into the cruising lifestyle not only is being comfortable nice, it is also safer.

Jim

[mvweebles]

Sailed a center cockpit Ted Brewer 46 pilot house up/down coast from SF to Long Beach a couple times. Dog house was pretty low and visibility from inside helm wasn't great. But what a nice boat - sailed well. Would need AC in the tropics though plenty of room in the engine room for Gen set.

[Smokeys Kitchen]

Originally Posted by slug

I’ve always admired the design , elegant and Workman like

I only wonder what it may cost to rebuild this neglected sunburnt. 37.

Details like the wheelhouse window frames and seals

Who made them ? Is there a source of fisher 37 info

A fisher club ?

Fisher Owners Group (FOG)

https://www.fog-northamerica.org/

[slug]

Originally Posted by Smokeys Kitchen

Fisher Owners Group (FOG)

https://www.fog-northamerica.org/

Thanks I’ll have a look

[Brendan]

I've been interested in a pilothouse for about 5 years, but when I did the 2017 Fastnet on a Farr 65 without any kind of protection and froze while on watch in August in the Irish Sea, even wearing everything I had with me, it drove home my desire for a pilothouse. A 5 hour watch in a tropical rain storm in Thailand last year also reinforced this desire - even for tropical conditions. There is something to be said for being able to get out of the wind and rain to look at a chart, talk on the radio, wipe the salt out of your eyes, all without losing visibility of what's out there around you. This helps reduce fatigue and hence poor decision making - so is a safety factor.

I'm very pleased to have now exchanged contracts for a 49' centre cockpit pilothouse yacht. After looking at many with poor visibility from the outside helm, I love this one as you don't feel like you are sailing a pilothouse when you are outside. Sea trial and survey in May - fingers crossed! Can't wait!

[Muaddib1116]

Do you mind sharing what the boat is?

[passage_paul]

Without question the posts here indicate that those with a ph absolutely love them and offer compelling reasons to have one.
While I do intend to spend the majority of my time in warmer climes, I do have family and friends in ALaska and the PNW and would probably make at least one trip up that way.. even in July it is still very cold up there and I am certain that I would appreciate a PH.

Thank you for sharing pictures of some of your beauties.. I really love a settee up top. I can see many nights playing some dominoes around the table while making passage.

Some great points about being overly hot... I do have to say tho.. I love the 90 and 100+ degree weeks we get here in my area.. I know without doubt I would prefer to deal with too hot over too cold.

I have been relying on that saying about "using whats in your budget now..and get sailing"...

Most of the PH im seeing would probably require another year off my schedule to account for it budget wise...another year isn't exactly a bad thing and would allow me time to hone my skills and knowledge.

Safety issues and cost are really the only thing for me that I see as a major issue.

It sounds as though most of you with a PH don't have many of the safety concerns that my inexperienced brain does.

I am reworking my "to check out list"...LOL.. yet again...any Rafiki or Westsails with a pilot house??/..lol

[Nanamuk]

We love our Endurance 35 pilot house. After a 3 year trip around the Pacific we replaced the 1/4" Lexan windows with 1/4" tempered glass with a security film on the inside. On our circumnavigation we never once worried about the size of the windows. If I was to go back 42 years when we were finishing the boat I would have raised the seating in the pilot house so we could look around without standing but have overcome that shortfall with 2 tall swivel chairs that tuck out of the way behind the table when not in use. We love the open cockpit for star gazing and unobstructed view of the sails and horizon. We have various sizes of tarps for sun and rain protection when needed. Endurances come in many sizes from the 35 to 50 ft. with various manufactures.

[SteveSadler]

For miserable weather they are nice and cozy. For the tropics, you have to have a breeze.
Way too hot to stay in. They usually mean a small cockpit, not optimal. Dodgers and integrated awnings give you the best of both worlds. For us, I prefer the dodger down for a 360 view and a breeze, and the bimini up for max shade. The deck saloon models have large windows for a view and light, but have to have a reflective tint or the curtains will always be drawn.

[passage_paul]

Originally Posted by Muaddib1116

Do you mind sharing what the boat is?

If directed to me.. I have no idea yet..I was trying to feel out the general vibe.

Whatever the boat may be... it must be able to be singlehanded as I don't want MY journey dependent on others... it has to be capable of enduring heavy duty weather far out who knows where.. and the capacity to carry a lot of provisions.

Westsail 32 was/is one of my main choices..along with a few others that were so kindly suggested... so speed is not a concern to me....So something similar with a ph is probably my ideal.??..

[Muaddib1116]

Oh, sorry, I meant that in reply to Brendan. I've been scouring yachtworld for pilothouse/raised salon boats of that size and there are not many, so I'm curious which one he decided on.

[s/v Jedi]

Open aft cockpit, center pilothouse. Plenty ventilation and see-through sun screens on the windows. Love it and we’re always in the tropics or subtropics

[Huskybeer]

We live our oyster 49 PH. We are mainly in cold and nasty weather and enjoy our t-shirt sailing.
I will keep this design as long as possible if nothing comparable comes on the market

[Muaddib1116]

Those are gorgeous boats, but pretty rare. I think less than ten were ever made. Pretty much every other oyster design, pilothouse or deck salon, has the almost ubiquitous sunken settee and nav desk, which makes very little sense to me. If Discovery 55's were in my price range, that would be close to my perfect layout. There was a Oyster 49ph for sale somewhere in Europe last year, but that was before I decided to pull the trigger on things, and I lament that I wasn't ready then.

[JPA Cate]

@passage_paul:

Perhaps, if it is the size and type of boat that a Westsail 32 is that you are looking at, I think it would be far easier (less expensive) to install a dodger than to retrofit a hard dodger that would harmonize with its appearance. Either way, you need to be able to allow air through it when you go to warmer climates.

There were a lot of design considerations that went into Noelex's pilot house: it's brilliant! But, not something you can retrofit.

Based on our experience, I'd say that it is the rare person who enjoys putting their dodger down. We made one on our previous boat, but once we left the States, we never put it down again. The protection offered by it was worthwhile to us. We even figured out a removable extension to offer shelter from the sun. Living in the PNW that may not be a consideration, but it is, for most people, closer to the equator, where you wrote that you want to go.

Ann