Center vs Aft Cockpit Sailboats

[The Perfessor]

I have a 35' aft cockpit O'Day and a 43' center cockpit C&C. The C&C is heavier and has higher freeboard. At first it felt like it heeled more, but the clinometer said differently. I like sailing them both; both will soak you if a side wave hits you right. The boom on the center cockpit is higher; the only thing that is somewhat annoying is having to go up the mast three steps to attach the halyard. The upside to that (haha, see what I did there?!) is that the boom is high enough that I don't have to worry about it whacking me in the head when I stand upright in the cockpit. In the O'Day, I can get whacked if I'm not ever vigilant.

I looked at center cockpit sailboats in the 35' range (O'Day made one), but to another posters point, it's hard to maximize the space like on a 40' plus boat.

As for seeing around the genoa, I have pretty much the same visibility on each boat. My opinion, FWIW.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by MJH

I search my "Boat Notes" folder and came up with these:

#13. A 35 foot LOA is about the minimum to make a center cockpit configuration successful. (unknown author)

#23. 43 feet is pushing the lower limit for a center cockpit boat. --Bob Perry

#101. Most people would agree that the most attractive interior layouts require a center cockpit but the best deck arrangement for sailing is an aft cockpit. Bob Perry slng 10/05p46

I think #101 explains why there are center cockpit boats; its the aesthetics and not the sailing they are interested in.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

To complement my #19 response above, a once friend had a Spencer 1330 ketch (44') that I sailed on a number of times. It was a nice boat and softened my opinion of center cockpits. He had a custom fiberglass dodger with automotive glass windows forward install that was to die for. It required the main sheet to be somewhat redesigned aft and worked very well. I must confess on bad weather days it was a nice boat to be aboard. Perhaps the best part of the boat was the engine room that had abundant room to work in...very practical. I never saw what was forward of the salon. However, I think that my 42ac has the same living space in the salon and galley.

My preference is still for an aft cockpit.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[Grandwagoneer0]

There are pros and cons to both types depending on how, where, and type of sailing you do. Personal preference really. Not a big deal to me on either one really

[Subtandard]

Six years ago I moved from a 31-foot aft cockpit Westerly Berwick to a 34-foot CC Westerly Ocean Dream. The CC boat has way more living space - reason for the move. The cockpit is dryer. The motion no worse. Seeing around the genny when out all the way is a problem - I just furl it a turn or two when near anything to see.

Your experience will depend on the boat you choose and what you do with it.

[Nibiruwayne]

Originally Posted by PHK1

hi - i am considering a 35 ft center cockpit sailboat -i have always had aft cockpits. Given in a CC, you are forward and higher, is there any problem seeing around a gennie ? in my aft cockpit, i can always look under it.

Also, there must be more side to side, fore and aft movement in the CC cockpit because it is higher - is this noticeable compared to aft boat ? also, given the boom and sail are relatively higher, does this noticeably increase heeling compared to an aft cockpit boat.

Tx for any help.

I've had both. The center cockpit helped get the wife and guests on the water for more comfort and feel a little safer out of the elements under the bimini. More pendulum motion from being higher off the water. No question that a CC gives a lot more interior living space and can accommodate generators, etc. more easily.
I prefer the aft cockpit because you're at the lowest center of gravity, and if you're older, an aft cockpit and a pilothouse are a great combo, especially in any cold weather.

[JBsurfin]

Originally Posted by PHK1

hi - i am considering a 35 ft center cockpit sailboat -i have always had aft cockpits. Given in a CC, you are forward and higher, is there any problem seeing around a gennie ? in my aft cockpit, i can always look under it.

Also, there must be more side to side, fore and aft movement in the CC cockpit because it is higher - is this noticeable compared to aft boat ? also, given the boom and sail are relatively higher, does this noticeably increase heeling compared to an aft cockpit boat.

Tx for any help.

I have a Dickerson CC ketch, no wetter than other sloops I've had, visibility is not an issue and my cockpit is not any higher than what a sloop would be. For me, I've had no issue in rough seas. So with everything else with boating.. it depends on the boat and what you see as + and -.

[MicHughV]

I've had two CC boats....my first boat I built...a Roberts 38, and my next boat a Landfall 43.
The Roberts was a ketch, and had the cockpit quite a bit forward so as to provide space for the aft cabin...it was workable, but that Roberts should have been an aft cockpit. The walk-thru' passage to the back was a tight fit...I had a dodger and bimini, so getting wet was not an issue.....but I think 38' is a tad short for a CC. it can be done, but some compromises must be made.
The Landfall was a cutter, obviously had a bit more length...another 5'..so the cockpit was further back. It had two companion ways, but only the forward one was ever used.
To make the walk-thru' tall enough, cockpit was a little higher. 43'....in my opinion is the bare minimum for a " workable" CC.
When all is said and done....I think a minimum of 46' is really required for a successful CC. LOA is only one component, to make a CC work, you also need a relatively beamy boat.
I know there are a variety of smaller CC boats and I've been on them...space is at a premium...
Getting wet is only really an issue when hard on the wind. I don't think CC boats heel any more or any less than an AC.
Boom height was neither an issue on either boat. Even on an AC boat, the boom will likely extend back over the cockpit, or at very least to the dodger.

As the above poster says, every boat is a compromise...only you..can decide what you can live with and what you can't live with.

[raahell]

The design of a sailboat's topsides have a huge influence on the interior - and visa versa. That's especially so when comparing CC to AC designs for a given LOA, beam and hull form. It's almost impossible to design an advantage into a sailboat design without sacrificing something else, so it all comes down to your preferences in sailing.

CCs give a feeling of security although generally they are going to be smaller (narrower) than the AC. This seems counter-intuitive since the CC is in the beamier portion of the boat but this is because a CC has to give space for the internal passageways that will connect the fwd and aft cabins. Some older CCs don't have connecting internal pasageways. Access to fwd and aft cabins always has to be made from the cockpit. Most sailors don't accept this tedium these days, though it would provide an excellent daily workout for the legs which tend to be under-exercised when aboard for long periods!

I've found that docking a CC is a bit more tedious - especially if short or single handed - because you have to get up and out of a CC to get to the aft lines whereas they are immediately at hand from the helm station in an AC.

When I find a CC that I like it's for these typical reasons:

• Very accessible, roomy engine compartment.
• Side passage will have a dedicated work area, adjacent the engine room access
• Roomy owners aft cabin with sufficient head height in the passageway and easy direct access to the cockpit
• Still relatively roomy salon

What usually turns me off CC designs is:

• larger beam and fuller hull form (in order to fit the cockpit and side passages) than an AC of same LOA/displacement. This will tend to reduce the boat's ability to perform well close to the wind
• "Tubby" outward impressions. CC aesthetics are harder to manage for the naval architect because of all that necessary mass near mid-ship. This is less so as the boat's LOA gets longer, allowing the proportions to come back to harmony.

For the reasons above, I've read that CC sailboats make less sense below 40' LOA and in my experience that's true, but I'm sure there's the odd exception due to very well executed work by the design team. However the designer has often been constrained by being forced to come up with a CC version based on a hull form originally designed for an AC boat. This forces compromises.

If you read the article https://www.boats.com/boat-buyers-gu...ng-yachts-usa/ you'll see that not one of the sailboats mentioned is below 42' LOA

[admiral 31]

While sailing my aft cabin boat I have never had any problems looking under my Gennie
it is more a matter of how high the foot of the sail is cut.


With the center cockpit being nearer to the center of the boat you are subject to a lot less pitch.


My boom is no higher than it would be if the boat had an aft cockpit



With an aft cabin the feeling of security in the cockpit when in rough weather outweighs any possible disadvantages (says my wife) & for once I actually agree with her.

[MicHughV]

Interestingly, while I was building my Roberts, I got to know two guys building trimarans, both around 36'. Both were built with an aft cabin, accessible only from the cockpit. Either one, was at best, suitable only for a small single child, and both ended becoming a " storage area".

There is a practical limit on what you can squeeze into a small space.

[clakiep]

Originally Posted by PHK1

hi - i am considering a 35 ft center cockpit sailboat -i have always had aft cockpits. Given in a CC, you are forward and higher, is there any problem seeing around a gennie ? in my aft cockpit, i can always look under it.

Also, there must be more side to side, fore and aft movement in the CC cockpit because it is higher - is this noticeable compared to aft boat ? also, given the boom and sail are relatively higher, does this noticeably increase heeling compared to an aft cockpit boat.

Tx for any help.

It all depends on the overall size of the boat. If to small with a CC either the aft cabin or the cockpit or the saloon will be to small to be usable. Motion wise a CC is an advantage, and the fact that the comand post is closer to bow and stern also. In the range of 40 to 50 feet LOA a CC is wetter when sailing upwind, as the spray generated by slaming into seas is more aimed towards it.

Capt. Claus - ocean tramp of the eighties

[Jim Cate]

and the fact that the comand post is closer to bow and stern also.

Only on boats where the NA was M. C. Escher!

Jim

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Only on boats where the NA was M. C. Escher!

Jim

yeah I gotta see that boat!

[PaintedKite]

Three advantages to "modern" aft cockpit boats:

1. Access to the water. In the Caribbean or Adriatic, we're in-n-out of the water all day -- even underway. Gotta luv the drop-down transom.
2. Hosting happy hour WITH social distancing. Newer boats have ENORMOUS aft cockpits that allow 6 or 8 people to spend time together without being too close.
3. Line handling when Med-mooring or backing-in. Helmsman can handle the stern lines when docking -- huge advantage when short-handed.

So, yeah, when "island hopping" in Croatia, Virgin Islands, etc, a CC boat would be a nuisance. Long-distance voyaging, though, is another matter entirely.

[CassidyNZ]

Interesting how opinions differ. I find no advantages at all from my CC during long-distance voyaging. All of the advantages on my boat are when I’m on anchor or sailing short hops between anchorages.