Design Features You Like

[daddle]

Many good ideas mentioned above. My favorite is going without those items. Items omitted need no maintenance, never break, cost nothing, and weigh nothing. I know, I know, not a popular opinion...

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by daddle

I know, I know, not a popular opinion...

Popular not. But it does have a narrow circle of dedicated followers. Count me in.

Having said that, I think all design features that improve safety and comfort are priceless and well worth retrofitting, if possible at all. Sometimes a good design feature does make the boat simpler, maintenance easier and lets us get more sailing hours into our boat owning years.

Just what Daddle wants. And me too!

barnie

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

all design features that improve safety and comfort are priceless

Priceless? Then I can't afford it and better go home.

One must be careful not to reinvent the million dollar boat unless thats what they want. I'm certainly not saying anything against million dollar (or more!) boats If there was no enhancements over the $100k boat then why buy one.

But on the subject: the thing I like about ours is the internal volume and storage. Theres lots


Mark

[Tom and Maje]

I like the glass dodger on the Antares. Does anyone know where I can find them?

Maje

[thinwater]

All through-hulls in a bulkheaded compartments. Saved my day when one failed on our delivery trip.

Crash tank for rudder post. Plenty of boats have sunk off-shore for lack of this.

[swagman]

A few things some designers might consider.

1. If you've a 'corridor' styled galley then why not design it just as wide as the top of the stove. Then make a surface than can interchange either over the stove top when not in use, or fit in across the width of the 'corridor' making more more surface preperation area.

2. A watertight aft compartment which your rudder stock passes through.

3. Easy viewing of watertraps / filters without having to remove gear.

4. More consideration about engine room access to everthing around the engine that might need to be worked on when underway.

Not a lot to ask really, especially as good design costs nothing more than some forethought and can add a huge amount to the value of a boat.

JOHN
.

[shipofools]

usb wall plugs for charging

[shipofools]

Originally Posted by James S

I did a couple things on my boat that I thought were cool ideas:
I put fender baskets on my granny bars.
My davits turn around 180deg so I can stow them inboard.
The helm tilts to either side so I can get around it in my small cockpit.
Our companion way door (wash boards) drop down into my cockpit sump so its out of the way.
Handholds on either side of the companion way that extend from the ceiling down each side.

James - gorgeous boat . . .

[James S]

Thanks for complement.

[Surveyor]

Bookmarking this thread because it is chock full of great ideas. Keep 'em coming.

Thanks to all of those who are contributing btw.

[SkiprJohn]

Wide side decks for ease of moving forward and aft and handrails all along the cabin top.

[Dame.n.Jess]

We have a 28 footer with an 8 foot beam, a small boat.

the thing that clinched it for us when buying this boat was the dinette and table area was hard over to one side and not directly down the centre line like many small boats. this gives us a huge workable space in a very small yacht.

Another thing I like about the galley is the bench that sits on top of the cooker slides to the side allowing the bench to be used while the cooker is on rather than lifting it up on hinges and blocking the cupboards behind and rendering the bench vertical and therefore unusable.

[barnakiel]

I love the hard dodger-pilothouse of Boreal 44.

It is nearly exactly what I imagine as the ultimate dodger design for my future boat.

France elegance!

barnie

[Australis]

On my Pearson 424 we have two exits from the cabin. The standard one into the cockpit and a second on the starboard side exiting from the saloon. Basically you can use this second exit to quickly access a pontoon etc. No need to clamber through the cockpit. A great idea for a yacht built in the eighties.
DJR
Equinox

[ShipShape]

I mounted every electric pump in an accessible place so it is easy to see if the screen needs cleaning, and easy to remove it to clean it. I also put fully insulated disconnects on every pump (and a few other things) to make it easy to remove the pump for maintenance, and switched the orientation of the male and female for hot and ground so they can never be plugged in backwards. (I use a little Kopr-shield on the disconnects to reduce resistance and corrosion.)