Frequency of Dinner Guests on Board?

[Sailing Shelly]

Hello everyone, my husband and I are new to sailing and this is my first post so hope I am in the right area... 😊

We are just about to close on a Pearson 365 sloop and there is no actual table set up for dining... just 2 individual small flip up tables kiddie corner from each other. This provides a nice open feel...but we are used to eating, playing cards etc at the same table.

There are just the 2 of us, my question is “how often do you end up having dinner guests on board” a rather small sailboat...and is there a need for a larger dining table.

I probably have the lingo wrong...and I have searched online and in forums and cannot seem to find references as to the frequency of extra diners in the salon.

Any ideas from you experienced ones out there?

[Sailmonkey]

Do you do a lot of entertaining at home?

We don’t normally have people over (small boat) but will occasionally entertain in the cockpit.

[Boatguy30]

In general, cruising can lead to more social evenings than onshore. So if you’re keen to have dinner guests, you’ll likely have plenty of takers. Of course if the weather is good where you’re cruising the cockpit works fine.

[Orion Jim]

I’ve only ever been aware of one standard interior layout with a central drop-leaf table. Perhaps yours has been altered? A photo would be helpful.
https://www.pearsonyachts.org/models...365-layout.gif

[GordMay]

Greeting and welcome aboard the CF, Shelly.

[chrisr]

we have a dinner table that can seat 8 comfortably but very rarely have guest to a meal like this. usually our provisions are set up for just the 2 of us so there are logistical issues

on the otherhand, we do entertain quite a lot but it's usually sundowners in the cockpit (which have been known to go on well past sundown too...)

cheers,

[denverd0n]

Originally Posted by Orion Jim

I’ve only ever been aware of one standard interior layout with a central drop-leaf table. Perhaps yours has been altered?

My first thought, also. If the OP's boat has been modified to remove the drop-leaf table, then it should be relatively simple to put one back in.


Here, I found a picture of the standard interior with the table opened up...

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Sailing Shelly

There are just the 2 of us, my question is “how often do you end up having dinner guests on board” a rather small sailboat...and is there a need for a larger dining table.

Probably only have dinner guests down below once every 3-4 months (maybe). Most guests (other boaters) are cockpit events.

But we use our full table below a LOT for our owen meals and game plating etc.

[sail sfbay]

Originally Posted by Sailing Shelly

................my question is “how often do you end up having dinner guests on board” a rather small sailboat...and is there a need for a larger dining table...............

Welcome to the forum and good luck with new sailboat purchase!!

We have guests over for dinner all the time and eat on the folding cockpit table OR and fixed salon table. If you do not have either buy/install a folding cockpit table from any number of manufacturers and build a custom fixed OR folding table in the salon that fits your space (it can also be a wall mounted table that folds down with legs if space is limited).

[Tom and Maje]

We have friends who had a 40' monohull and would always come to our boat for sundowners (cocktails that morph into evenings) because they thought their boat was too small. When your cruising, sundowners are more common than dinner. We've usually had people over to dinner when we've been in a marina.

Maje

[BillKny]

You'll quickly learn that almost all questions about sailing and cruising have the same answer: It Depends.

Now, having said that, you'll still find lots of people on the intertubes who feel the need to have an absolute, definitive answer for you.

The right answer has already been posted above: How often do you entertain at home? If dinner parties are a common occurrence in your land home, they will be on your boat. If you are not a social person on land, you are not about to undergo a dramatic remolding when you are at sea.

On our 52 foot boat we could easily sit 6, and squeeze in 8. We have people over for dinner every few weeks, no more. Rarely more than another couple. There just are not a lot of people who's company we seek out. But that is us...

[redhead]

First of all, congrats on your Pearson 365. I've had 6 or 7 boats in my sailing lifetime and the 365 was my mostest favorite. A good, dependable boat that, with the right sails can keep up a respectable speed. I think/hope you'll love it.

Two things - we did have a dining table that was hinged to fold up against the bulkhead. If it's been taken down, why not just recreate that? I'm sure you can find pictures online of how it should look.

Another thought is that if you're in a warm climate the cockpit, at 11 feet long is more than generous enough to entertain. Everything is so much more casual when you're out there it'll be fine. Memories of my most successful (fun) dinner involved so many people there were people sitting on the companionway stairs and tripping over each other sitting on the floor.

My friends see the boat magazine ads with martini glasses and little black dresses and think that's what it is. In my boat it's more the sound of uncontrolled laughter and great stories and I have no idea what we ate or where we ate it.

I hope you have many years of happiness on your new boat!

[Sailing Shelly]

Thanks for all the feedback.... seems the original large fold down table has been removed and replaced with a small “TV Table” sized table. We don’t entertain much aside from special occasions and playing cards and board games with another couple on Friday nights....

I don’t have a photo aside from the Yachtworld listing... https://www.yachtworld.com/boats/197...sloop-3749828/

[KP44]

Of course, it depends on your lifestyle and where you are anchored - or docked. When sailing near Seattle or the San Juan Islands, we often had meals below deck. Here on the Sea of Cortez, we almost always dine in the cockpit.
Cruisers are non-judgmental and straightforward, in general. If 6 people are dining with only a couple small tables, I am sure everyone will happily eat from a plate held in her/his lap.

[joelhemington]

Originally Posted by Sailing Shelly

Hello everyone, my husband and I are new to sailing and this is my first post so hope I am in the right area... 😊

We are just about to close on a Pearson 365 sloop and there is no actual table set up for dining... just 2 individual small flip up tables kiddie corner from each other. This provides a nice open feel...but we are used to eating, playing cards etc at the same table.

There are just the 2 of us, my question is “how often do you end up having dinner guests on board” a rather small sailboat...and is there a need for a larger dining table.

I probably have the lingo wrong...and I have searched online and in forums and cannot seem to find references as to the frequency of extra diners in the salon.

Any ideas from you experienced ones out there?

While I wouldn't call your boat especially small, the limitations of the galley itself will probably have more effect on your ability to throw large dinner parties than your current seating arrangement. Most entertaining on mid sized boats is done in the cockpit due to the claustrophobia of the salon and the proximity to the grill. That said, it does sound like the previous owner has customized your boat a bit. There are sources for after market salon tables which are usually very easy to install https://www.google.com/search?q=boat...hrome&ie=UTF-8