Center Cockpit Pilot House - after 2 years of search still need advice!

[Ibetitsthisway]

Hi Guys

for 2 years now we are searching for our new yacht. I guess we have travelled more than 10000 miles during this time to view candidate boats in person.

While still not sure if steel is an absolute must (or if heavy plastik is fine) we know we want the following:

center cockpit pilot house (seating same hight as windows! - not the "windws up seating low versions") between 43 to 50 feet build around the 70's-90's.
No side doors! Medium to long keel. heavy build.
I have seen "millions" of pictures and boats online but as those are older boats I assume I do miss some models by only checking whats online.

So I ask for your kind help:
can you point out some models I do not know about yet?

I know:

feltz 3
motiva
nauticat 43

thanks a lot
best regards
ralph

[LittleWing77]

Hi I-Bet...

There's another discussion on Pilothouse cruisers here:

Seeking Info on Pilothouse Cruisers
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...rs-241040.html

Maybe it will have some ideas for you.
Warmly,
LittleWing77

[Ibetitsthisway]

I know.. but boats discussed there are 10 feet short...

[SV Siren]

While I cannot help you, yacht designer Robert Perry can. Can save you a lot of time at a one time fee for his services...well worth the money and time.

Robert H. Perry Yacht Designers - Consultation Service

[Don C L]

Nauticat 43 is a pretty nice boat, what's wrong with that one?

[canadianbeethov]

I agree with DON CL, Nautica 43 is a fantastic boat. Think about it.

[Nicholson58]

Cabo Rico?

[dannc]

Look at the Bestevaer, Good Hope 56 and Stadtship at https://www.kmy.nl/. These are AL boats not steel.

It is hard to find many steel, pilot house, sailing boats are out there. Puffins are in steel or AL, https://www.puffin.nl/

I think finding a long or full keel boat, with a pilot house, and steel, will be difficult.

We went back and forth over the good and bad points of AL vs steel for a sail boat and decided on AL.

Later,
Dan

[Ibetitsthisway]

Cool - some names allready here I did not know before.
Nothing wrong with the 43. Maybe a tiny bit too small for my liking as a live about... I am closer to my 60's than my 30s
But I just saw the old (80's) Nauticat 52 is also what I am looking for).

[Ibetitsthisway]

Originally Posted by dannc

Look at the Bestevaer, Good Hope 56 and Stadtship at https://www.kmy.nl/. These are AL boats not steel.

It is hard to find many steel, pilot house, sailing boats are out there. Puffins are in steel or AL, https://www.puffin.nl/

I think finding a long or full keel boat, with a pilot house, and steel, will be difficult.

We went back and forth over the good and bad points of AL vs steel for a sail boat and decided on AL.

Later,
Dan

I KNOW it is PRETTY difficult! Not to mention that I did NOT participate in the tesla or bitcoin rally
Puffins or alike are no option - that way I have to stick to the old buckets from the 70s

I am not an AL fan. Maybe for a new boat it is fine. its main feature is making the boat faster. i dont think fast is important for live abouts. for the argument "flee the storm" there is a large fuel tank and good weather forecast. but with a used boat - you dont see the corrosion until too late. steel is obvious with corrosion. plastik might be an alterative if it is as heavy build as the old boats.

[DeValency]

Originally Posted by Ibetitsthisway

Cool - some names allready here I did not know before.
Nothing wrong with the 43. Maybe a tiny bit too small for my liking as a live about... I am closer to my 60's than my 30s
But I just saw the old (80's) Nauticat 52 is also what I am looking for).

Ralph - can understand you. I was looking (in the US and Europe) for over a year for a center cockpit with quite few additional conditions, including:
- A production boat - no no no to one-off/custom etc..
- A modern overall design
- North of 1990 circa.
- Good global reputation and knowledge base
- Sloop/cutter
- In mast/boom main furling - pilot house and CC are very difficult to manage things with the main - plus, wanted the best short handed setup
- Reasonable to good condition
- Reasonable price...

Pilot house is a great target for a more comfortable offshore sailing and off season/extended season sailing - especially given my home location in the US Northeast. - As you have learned so far, quite difficult to find, especially if you are following some of my own wish list items above.

While I didn't want a pilot house, one of my first refitting projects was to build a fully enclosed (with removable panels) elevated bimini - it took over 6 months with all kind of vendor delays and my own available time. It created a kind of "pilot house" in the cockpit and proved to perfectly work for us in some rough ocean conditions. - so this could theoretically expand your options, especially for boats with a hard (and if possible extended) dodger/sprayhood.

And speaking about a "production" reputable classic yet modern and very well built pilot house - Nauticat is probably almost your only reasonable choice.

Anyway - get a boat and go sailing ASAP - life is short

[dannc]

Originally Posted by Ibetitsthisway

I KNOW it is PRETTY difficult! Not to mention that I did NOT participate in the tesla or bitcoin rally
Puffins or alike are no option - that way I have to stick to the old buckets from the 70s

I am not an AL fan. Maybe for a new boat it is fine. its main feature is making the boat faster. i dont think fast is important for live abouts. for the argument "flee the storm" there is a large fuel tank and good weather forecast. but with a used boat - you dont see the corrosion until too late. steel is obvious with corrosion. plastik might be an alterative if it is as heavy build as the old boats.

Forgot to mention https://www.hutting-yachts.com/en/. They have AL pilot house boats but I think they are all lifting keel boats.

I am more afraid of hidden rust with steel than the AL corrosion issues. Finding rust on the inside of the steel hull, hidden under insulation and furniture is a real concern. With AL, hopefully any corrosion issues can be seen on the outside of the hull. Somehow surfed into a YouTube video of an AL boat being refitted that is in pretty bad shape from a variety of corrosion issues. It is VERY obvious once the bottom paint was removed. They were doing some serious patching of the holes. My guess was some was corrosion from electrical causes and the build also did not have the batteries in a battery box which cause a bunch of pin holes. The corrosion was fairly obvious.

Rust on the inside of the steel hull is not obvious and much harder to find.

AL is not just about having a lighter boat but a boat that has strength, can take abuse, and not having to worry about having an above the water line paint job.

There are used AL boats on the market but it depends on how much money you have to spend. If the budget is limited, my guess will be a plastic boat from the 70's will easier to find.

Later,
Dan

[Ibetitsthisway]

Originally Posted by DeValency

Ralph - can understand you. I was looking (in the US and Europe) for over a year for a center cockpit with quite few additional conditions, including:
- A production boat - no no no to one-off/custom etc..
- A modern overall design
- North of 1990 circa.
- Good global reputation and knowledge base
- Sloop/cutter
- In mast/boom main furling - pilot house and CC are very difficult to manage things with the main - plus, wanted the best short handed setup
- Reasonable to good condition
- Reasonable price...

Pilot house is a great target for a more comfortable offshore sailing and off season/extended season sailing - especially given my home location in the US Northeast. - As you have learned so far, quite difficult to find, especially if you are following some of my own wish list items above.

While I didn't want a pilot house, one of my first refitting projects was to build a fully enclosed (with removable panels) elevated bimini - it took over 6 months with all kind of vendor delays and my own available time. It created a kind of "pilot house" in the cockpit and proved to perfectly work for us in some rough ocean conditions. - so this could theoretically expand your options, especially for boats with a hard (and if possible extended) dodger/sprayhood.

And speaking about a "production" reputable classic yet modern and very well built pilot house - Nauticat is probably almost your only reasonable choice.

Anyway - get a boat and go sailing ASAP - life is short

Thanks for the idea. it is a very good idea! I did think about it, because there is a couple traveling the greenland ice for 4 (!) years now, who bought a cheap double cockpit boat and put a steel house on the center cockkpit... but honestly: double cockpit is not much easier to find and I not the craftsman that could do this anyway.
I can well refit something - but I cannot build it ....

[DeValency]

Originally Posted by Ibetitsthisway

Thanks for the idea. it is a very good idea! I did think about it, because there is a couple traveling the greenland ice for 4 (!) years now, who bought a cheap double cockpit boat and put a steel house on the center cockkpit... but honestly: double cockpit is not much easier to find and I not the craftsman that could do this anyway.
I can well refit something - but I cannot build it ....

I consider double cockpit as a slave boat... Who the hell would be willing to drive in an exposed cockpit while all the fun is way ahead and inside?.... and what a waste of deck and cabin space.

Adding a semi rigid bimini to a standard center cockpit boat is by far easier and relatively inexpensive - in comparison to a fully built pilot house, even if you need to give it to a pro

[Emmalina]

The most spacious centre cockpit has to be the Herreshoff carribean 50 not many made though something like 14 !