Grumpy old men and boats.

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by boatman61

I take it your not used to folks grinning where you live..

Ahhh. grinning.

Yessss. Not a lot of grinning here just now.

And I thought retirement was going to be easy...

[KaLu Peter]

Hmmm, once again i am doing the old guy thing.... being the Helmsman makes YOU the number 1 person on the darn boat..... captains be damned.... helmsmen rule....it is a position that comes with pluses and negatives depending on the vessel..... 4 hour watches if possible, are eminently workable with 2 on a watch. Lookng at the picture I would be more concerned for poor Homer Simpson in his grass skirt( look closely at the picture)than the helmsman as weather appears grey and heaving but VERY reasonable!!! Weather routinely sucks wherever we as sailors show up.... as my Dad said a LONG time ago,"Get used to discomfort, life is full of it and it reminds you that you are ALIVE.....Be grateful you dont have a stitch through the nose!"

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by downunder

What a nightmare in the tropics.

Shade is the most valuable commodity to protect one from skin cancer as well as the heat. Vessels built for Europe tend to seek the sun.

That's why the bimini, sprayhood and sunshades were invented. The same boat will look like this in the sun. You can still see where you're going, but protected from the sun and cool in the shade.

[KaLu Peter]

Its always good to see how folks fine tune their vessels to handle specific weather in their areas!

[Sandero]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

Be glad to, sorry you had trouble with your homework.

Easy.... one can see off the bow from either the port helm or starboard helm perfectly clear without an obstructed view, take your pick. The two helm positions also allow easy access down the center without having to walk around a helm placed in the center. No up, over and around stuff which is why most monohull manufacturers have now gone this route.

Why do you have to "see the bow"?.... Why do you need access does the center?... too much trouble to walk to the side when / if the stern is so wide? Remember the J boats?

two helms for racers who like to look at the head sail constantly... As a cruiser I use and AP, tweak it as needed... two helms not sensible in a cruising yacht.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Sandero

Why do you have to "see the bow"?.... Why do you need access does the center?... too much trouble to walk to the side when / if the stern is so wide? Remember the J boats?

two helms for racers who like to look at the head sail constantly... As a cruiser I use and AP, tweak it as needed... two helms not sensible in a cruising yacht.

The current market indicates otherwise, and has for the past ten years.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Sandero

Why do you have to "see the bow"?.... Why do you need access does the center?... too much trouble to walk to the side when / if the stern is so wide? Remember the J boats?

two helms for racers who like to look at the head sail constantly... As a cruiser I use and AP, tweak it as needed... two helms not sensible in a cruising yacht.

The current market indicates otherwise, and has for the past ten years. Boat buyers today (us included) prefer two wheels and the ability to pass forward without walking around steering wheels (helms).

[Mithril Bham]

Love my autopilot but my best memories are winter sailing in the San Juan Islands with a South Western wind blowing 35 in foulies and rain. Also working the foredeck (with sail changes) holding on as the bow is completely submerged. Granted I am am slightly mentally ill.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by KaLu Peter

Its always good to see how folks fine tune their vessels to handle specific weather in their areas!

Indeed, we were on our way to a BBQ but in England you go prepared

[savoir]

Originally Posted by weavis

Ken
With a Foresail you cant see squat if it sweeps the deck...

I have been on the Broadblue.
1/. YOu can see through the cabin.... it has windows.
2/. The sails are high enough to not obstruct.
3/. I have been on boats with deck sweeping sails and you really cant see through them unless they cut plastic views in..

SO all in all, its the same problem on monos and this particular Cat.

PS... I did my homework.

However at close to £1.3M.... the Broadblue is out of my league.

I also note you didnt watch the video or else these questions would be redundant...

I have never been aboard one of these but there is no way the guy at the helm can see anything to port.

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "The current market indicates otherwise..."

Not necessarily true! "Spec builders" command the supply side of the market for boats, as they do the supply side of the market for houses. Thus the poor benighted buyer must take what he is offered since custom building at $30 per pound displacement is clearly not price competitive with spec building.

The "market signals" are therefore NOT a truthful indication of what the consumer would LIKE to have if only it were offered.

TP

[Jd1]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

You clearly don't understand economics, marketing and basic capitalism. Go to a boat show and see for yourself what the buyers want. I'll give you a hint... it's not the dated designs coming out of the US with single helm stations.

Have a nice day.

Two wheels is a waste of real estate in a cruising boat. I guess I prefer the 'dated' design.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by Jd1

Two wheels is a waste of real estate in a cruising boat. I guess I prefer the 'dated' design.

Then here's the perfect automobile for you.

[Mr B]

Originally Posted by weavis

My second grump, especially on some catamarans, is that they put the helm behind a bulkhead window that then looks into the cabin and your view has to go through the cabin windows!!

You look through both forward windows and under the Genoa,
All round Visibility is quite reasonable, It means you have to look, Hahaha
What boat gives 360 vision, Mast and sails can block your vision,

Thats the bare minimum options on a 34 foot Gemini 105 MC,
This one is fully optioned,
All the cockpit is covered, Wind and waterproof, All zippered, so it comes apart very easy, or bits and pieces of it,
It has a Hammock on the back over the transom, It has a sun shade over it,
Off the davits for the dinghy,
The Genoa is operated from the cockpit,
The blue tarp was a tempory thing to keep it cool, Steering was looking under the blue tarp, It was well off the deck to allow wind flow under it, and me to see where I was going,
30 + C for 8 weeks, Fiji, Vanuatu, Bundaberg,
I only hand steer it manually when I am going up rivers or crossing Bars, or Marina's for fuel, Etc,
It steers itself, It has GPS, Etc, Charts tell me whats under me,
I enjoy the Hammock out the back, I Always have a chest harness on out there, Its a pleasure to sail on it,

It was on the slipway for a week with a broken tailshaft 13 Kays from the ocean, I wasnt going any where,
Above the wheel is a lift up sheet of clear plastic that you can lift, its on a hinge and you can stick your head through it and get almost 360 Degree vision,

[TrentePieds]

Quote: "You clearly don't understand economics, marketing and basic capitalism. Go to a boat show and see for yourself what the buyers want. I'll give you a hint... it's not the dated designs coming out of the US with single helm stations."



Au contraire, mon ami :-) My opinion is derived from having observed the evolution of the Vancouver Boat Show, and the Vancouver real estate market for three decades. Look for a "dated designs coming out of the US with single helm stations" at the VBS and you will not find one. Look for a 1.500 SqFt spec house in Vancouver and environs and you will not find one. Thus we cannot know whether consumers would like them IF they were available. So those who can afford it settle for an 800 SqFt 3/4 million buck high rise condo just like consumers settle for a wide-arsed, twin helm boat.

On the other hand "dated designs coming out of the US with single helm stations" are immensely popular in the second hand market among those who value utility over display. In the housing market the older 1,500 SqFt jobs are being razed and replaced with 4K SqFt jobs because someone conceived a notion that that constitutes "Highest and Best Use". And so it does - for the spec builders. But in terms of social utility it is obviouly totally dysfunctional. Just so, the marketing of wide- arsed, twin helm boats seems to be a singularly fine example of Gresham's Law in operation :-)

TP