So my engine panel is down below, and I don't like it.

[speedoo]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

Aloha Speedo,

You have a nice, clean looking cockpit. I'm rebuilding my cockpit so am always looking at cockpit photos.

I intend to put my engine instruments and starter switch in a protected area like just under the bridge deck near the aft end of the cabin when my engine install and cockpit rebuild is done. I don't want to worry about kicking the key or diesel kill plunger while moving around.

Where are your winches? Do you have to move from your steering station to reach a winch handle?

JohnL

Thanks, JohnL.

One of the things about the boat that made me write the (deposit) check was the look and feel of the cockpit. However, it is far from ideal for single handing. The winches are close enough to the wheel that I can have one hand on the wheel and still make adjustments at the winches, which are self-tailers. But to adjust the mainsheet, I have to move too far forward to keep a hand on the wheel. And any tacking or jibing requires me to be hands off the wheel as well. So my autopilot and wheel brake will be used a lot.

In addition, all the halyards and reefing lines are on the mast, and I plan to leave them there. There will be jacklines and I will always use them with a harness/pfd when I'm either solo or in nasty weather.

Possible future changes would be a) relocation of the winches and mainsheet traveler and/or b) ditching the wheel and pedestal in favor of a tiller. However either of these would likely be economically undesirable so I'm going to see how it goes while I coastal cruise for a couple of years before making any drastic changes.

Actually, I could switch to a tiller and store the wheel and pedestal for re-installation for future resale value. The only complications would be the relocation of the engine control and putting a new compass somewhere.

As far as accidentally tripping anything on the engine panel, I plan to cover it with a thick piece of clear acrylic that still gives me access to start/stop buttons and the key switch. Either a flip-up section or cutouts with covers. So I will have that covered, and my planned location for it will provide quick access from anywhere in the cockpit for emergency starts and stops.

Thanks, everyone for the terrific input. Lots to chew on here before I make my final decisions.

speedoo

[SkiprJohn]

Always so many choices and changing one thing to another is always a tradeoff. I guess that's why I get bogged down with decisions about what to do next and my 1 year project has turned into a 15 year project. Good luck on your projects.
Regards, JohnL

[Vasco]

Beneteau made some eighties or early nineties boats with this feature. It was a pita as you had to nip down below if you wanted to start or kill the engine. Maybe they saved a couple of dollars on the harness. Another bad feature of some of these boats was that the engine blower would exhaust right at the companionway so that if you were motoring and hiding behind the dodger all you got was fumes from the engine blower.