I went out on a Mottle 33 today courtesy of one of our fellow seabreezees.
It was my first close look at a boat with a centre cockpit.
It was very interesting with obvious pluses and minuses when compared to a conventional boat plan.
Has any one got a preference for one layout or the other?

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Bundeenabuoy said..
I went out on a Mottle 33 today courtesy of one of our fellow seabreezees.
It was my first close look at a boat with a centre cockpit.
It was very interesting with obvious pluses and minuses when compared to a conventional boat plan.
Has any one got a preference for one layout or the other?

Over 40 feet good for centre cockpit. Some smaller like Dunc 37 and mottle are good.

As I said in the Mottle 33 thread, when punching to windward on an Adams 33, be it a Mottle or Naut, the centre cockpit will be WET.

Haven't you just put a VDS 34 in Tasmania called Oui Cherie under contract??

I feel sure that would be a faster and more ocean capable yacht than an Adams 33.

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cisco said..
As I said in the Mottle 33 thread, when punching to windward on an Adams 33, be it a Mottle or Naut, the centre cockpit will be WET.

Haven't you just put a VDS 34 in Tasmania called Oui Cherie under contract??

I feel sure that would be a faster and more ocean capable yacht than an Adams 33.

I actually find it a very dry boat.

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cisco said..
As I said in the Mottle 33 thread, when punching to windward on an Adams 33, be it a Mottle or Naut, the centre cockpit will be WET.

Haven't you just put a VDS 34 in Tasmania called Oui Cherie under contract??

I feel sure that would be a faster and more ocean capable yacht than an Adams 33.

I actually find it a very dry boat.

Is that with or without a dodger? When we sailed Cryptic in the Whitsunday passage there was a fair chop and we got a bit wet but I would not say excessively so.

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cisco said..
As I said in the Mottle 33 thread, when punching to windward on an Adams 33, be it a Mottle or Naut, the centre cockpit will be WET.

Haven't you just put a VDS 34 in Tasmania called Oui Cherie under contract??

I feel sure that would be a faster and more ocean capable yacht than an Adams 33.

Hi Cisco,
Sorry if I inferred that I had put it 'Under Contract'.
It wasn't me. I was just informing fellow seabreezees of the impending sale.
Still looking.

Agree with Southace, over 40ft a centre cockpit starts to work. Back cabin starts to be large enough to work and you do not bang your head on the passage. Is also very nice for privacy if you have a family; used to have a centre cockpit 45fter and it allowed three separate living areas. Or four including the cockpit / pilothouse.

Under 40ft the aft cockpit starts to make more sense with cabins / toilet at the back, with the space under the cockpit used for beds etc.

Ilenart

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Bundeenabuoy said..

cisco said..
As I said in the Mottle 33 thread, when punching to windward on an Adams 33, be it a Mottle or Naut, the centre cockpit will be WET.

Haven't you just put a VDS 34 in Tasmania called Oui Cherie under contract??

I feel sure that would be a faster and more ocean capable yacht than an Adams 33.

Hi Cisco,
Sorry if I inferred that I had put it 'Under Contract'.
It wasn't me. I was just informing fellow seabreezees of the impending sale.
Still looking.

Hey, sick of the swanson already?

I have a centre cockpit and for single handing the setup is great . She is a manitou 32 ,tiny aft cabin good for sleeping only but that leaves the main cabin free of my bedding and clothes etc ,so I end up with a fair bit of storage . For docking I love it , just drop a line over the cleat on the dock and my centre cleat is by my hand so she just gently pulls into the dock, get out attach the other lines. With a crew ,not so great.

Love my swanson 38 , not really a centre cockpit but close ?

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UncleBob said..

Bundeenabuoy said..

cisco said..
As I said in the Mottle 33 thread, when punching to windward on an Adams 33, be it a Mottle or Naut, the centre cockpit will be WET.

Haven't you just put a VDS 34 in Tasmania called Oui Cherie under contract??

I feel sure that would be a faster and more ocean capable yacht than an Adams 33.

Hi Cisco,
Sorry if I inferred that I had put it 'Under Contract'.
It wasn't me. I was just informing fellow seabreezees of the impending sale.
Still looking.

Hey, sick of the swanson already?

No never, but I am considering a larger boat.

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cisco said..
Is that with or without a dodger? When we sailed Cryptic in the Whitsunday passage there was a fair chop and we got a bit wet but I would not say excessively so.

I never had a Dodger for the first 3 years I owned my boat and I didn't find it wet. Mine is high sided I would definitely say a lot better than average.

The Adams 35 is fairly much the same hull but was designed for metal construction and about 2 ton more displacement. The 35 has higher topsides without raising the cabin top.

The 33 and 35 are Joe Adams designs, not Adams/Radford.

Classic yachts.

Adams 31 Centre cockpit here. The aftcaft is small, good for sleeping only, but as mentioned, keeps bedding etc separate from the rest and great storage. Biggest plus for me is the useable cockpit/aftdeck space. Aft cabin top is quite low. So plenty of space with 6 people on board spread out between the cockpit and seating on near the pushpit. Never been wet with the dodger and feels safer with deep seating position in the cockpit when it gets rough. I would not hesitate to get another.

My preference for aft cockpit is not so much for dryness because on yachts 35 foot or less a 6 foot difference of cockpit position is not going to make that much difference to staying dry.

The appeal for me is simplicity of steering gear. Most yachts 35 foot or under have the option of tiller steering which gives the best feel for how the boat is steering. Then when the rudder is transom mounted it gets even better giving the maximum lever arm between keel and rudder making the steering as light as possible.

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jbear said..
Love my swanson 38 , not really a centre cockpit but close ?

What a ride !!!...I am a big fan of Swanno 36 and 38 's , fine, good looking and capable yachts . Had a Swanno 36 years ago that circumnavigated twice and was just perfect in all weather conditions.
If I ever get back into a larger cruising yacht, I will be looking out for a Swanson 38...bang for buck, hard to find a better ride IMO

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cisco said..
My preference for aft cockpit is not so much for dryness because on yachts 35 foot or less a 6 foot difference of cockpit position is not going to make that much difference to staying dry.

The appeal for me is simplicity of steering gear. Most yachts 35 foot or under have the option of tiller steering which gives the best feel for how the boat is steering. Then when the rudder is transom mounted it gets even better giving the maximum lever arm between keel and rudder making the steering as light as possible.

Looks beautiful!

Thank you.

The greatest cliche.
No boat is perfect.Every boat is a compromise.

Bundeenaboy, my only piece of advice is to sit down and seriously define your needs. Yours! Not anyone here! Or there!

Oh! Bear in mind that the time, effort and money you go through every time you change boats takes its toll. Trust me! I know! A mutual friend of ours once remarked how I change boats more often than he changed underwear! Bandaid boats, no more!!

To answer the actual question you asked?

I prefer the height and visibility afforded by my centre cockpit. I'm 5ft...only! This may be irrelevant to your needs.

I love, love, love the 3-way access to the engine-bay my centre-cockpit affords.

As a liveaboard, I love separating my living space from my sleeping space.

My cockpit seats are 6ft long...plenty to stretch out on.

Yes, I have wheel steering. Not as intuitive or responsive as tiller but, hey, I'm not in a hurry. My racing days are DEFINITELY over! Plus, cruising, who wants to be a slave to the helm???

Emergency steering? I have it set up underneath my bunk. It won't be ideal, however, it's there. Part of the design. Doable! It's a fallback!

In terms of wet or not wet going to windward?? Really? Who doesn't have a dodger these days? Unless you're racing? If so, you wouldn't want the windage of a dodger and you're more than prepared to get wet? No brainer!

If you want to come to sunny Qld, I'd love to take you for a sail. However, only you know what's right for your particular set of needs.

Different strokes for different folks. I prefer an aft cockpit and a tiller. The only problem with this configuration is the usually cramped engine compartment. As SV Wavesong mentions the access to the engine is usually excellent in center cockpit boats. The ideal for me personally would be an aft cockpit yacht with a centrally mounted engine.

Yep, all the above, as we all differ wildly in the ideas dept.

I sailed on Twodog's Mottle and it was dry as dry can be sailing from south to north in N-NE winds about 14-16 knots.
I did struggle with the wheel as my Adams luckily had tiller steering which l loved.
The cramped inside space was disappointing for my 185cm height and my son would have found it even more so at 204cm. Better than my boat on headroom but the passage to the rear is scary and the rear cabin is rather small.
Engine bay and approach is excellent, no questions there.
My Adams 28 is a dry boat and l do not have a dodger and beating into seas above 6+ feet was not too bad inside the cockpit.
It was not dry, thou. I would not try crossing oceans in my tub and the Mottle would fare much better there.
I loved the open cockpit to the stern and the helm was light and precise with the transom hung rudder on my 28.

Did you have a look at Catamarans, John?
For ageing beauties like us, it is a valid option, we only need a paradigm shift in our way of thinking...