Pilot House or Not?

[cortezsailor]

Everything they said and ill add that if you have a flush deck it helps with the visuals for sure, I also find a large hatch directly above the inside steering allows me to still see my sails and mast which makes inside sailing easier.

[bobconnie]

In a well positioned pliot house, you can see your sails. At least the 2 boats Ive had with houses, I could see the main,jib, and mizzen from the house all from the wheel ! only required turning around and looking over my shoulder! I guess some might not be set so or where not ketchs, but I like them I guess thats why it took us so long to find our boat LOL

[SecondBase]

Will you use your boat? (more than a recreational boater) Try to find a working boat without a pilothouse - USCG, PD, FD, towing co, professional fishing boat.

All pilothouses.

If you spend a lot of time on the water, you want an interior - warm, dry windproof, and shaded - helm. My bias is formed from my experience with Westerly Konsort Duo.

[builder dan]

even tractors have cabs these days I reckon a pilot house makes a lot of sense the old sailors who stand out in the cold wind and rain are a bit old school.Just make sure yours has good all round visibility,I recently did a passage in a boat with a pilot house and I couldnt see the main sail ,found it a bit disconcerting.Enjoy your build.

[Kenomac]

Buy a different boat. With all the great deals out there now, why trouble yourself with four years of headaches. Don't do it.

[SecondBase]

Originally Posted by builder dan

even tractors have cabs these days ...,I recently did a passage in a boat with a pilot house and I couldnt see the main sail ,found it a bit disconcerting.Enjoy your build.

Also steering from the stern helm station instead of inside entails looking forward, through & around the house. This takes a getting used to.

Overall a pilothouse is a trade off but a safer and more comfortable tradeoff. Buyers tend to reaffirm the pilothouse on their next boat.
In snotty weather, a pilothouse is safer from a crew fatigue perspective.
It's hard to find a washed overboard story involving a pilot house.
Watch from inside helm much preserves crew strength and judgment during 24 hour ops.

Test sail on a breezy day and check pointing.

[Cheechako]

You could probably consider most Catamarans a "pilothouse". I used to navigate mine from the nav station....

[SecondBase]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

You could probably consider most Catamarans a "pilothouse"....

Right. Drivers of the catamaran popularity / sailing enjoyment. I'd break it out roughly as

1/3 - more space
1/3 - less heeling
1/3 - Pilot House

[Cheechako]

I'm thinkin' 90% less heeling!
I especially liked it for cool night watches.... set the AP, and sit at the nav station with the radar on.

[scoobert]

Originally Posted by bern74

I have recently stumbled into a potential deal on an all aluminum sailboat 44 foot totally unfinished......just the hull and a truck load of parts.

jealous. i was hoping to find such a boat.... pilothouse. i will be adding a hard dodger to mine... wind, sun, are nice in small doses.

[Strait Shooter]

Aluminum pilothouse, Diamond Seaglaze windows and dogged door.
Warm, dry and a kick ass place to pilot from.

[eyschulman]

Another advantage with the proper pilot house you can get up there and mess with your main sail and cover.

[goat]

If you sail year-round in the PNW it's a real luxury. If you do add one, find that sweet spot where it's low enough that you can look over it when sailing from the cockpit yet still high enough to see over the bow when sitting inside. I sailed one before I bought mine and it drove me nuts trying to peer through the cabin to see where I was going. Slant the windows back enough so you can look up at the sails from the inside helm position.