Cabin layout

[davidpm]

I've been on a bunch of boats 34 to 40 lately.
Many if not all of them have the same use of the main cabin area.
A port side U shaped seating area, often curved with a big table in the middle.

Is this really a good use of the space?
Are there other good options?
Is this what you have? Do you like it or find it a waste of space?

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by davidpm

I've been on a bunch of boats 34 to 40 lately.
Many if not all of them have the same use of the main cabin area.
A port side U shaped seating area, often curved with a big table in the middle.

Is this really a good use of the space?
Are there other good options?
Is this what you have? Do you like it or find it a waste of space?

For coastal cruising that layout with an aft head is my favourite, It gives a good dining area for a group and an extra double berth when needed. It also has a spacious feel, which really counts at anchor or dockside. The curves don't add much except a bit of style. Bob Perry has commented on this in his writing, saying that people seek out "corners" when seated and I totally agree - a circular dinette is not welcoming or comfortable but it does look good.

If I was going offshore I think I'd prefer opposing settees with pilot berths but still with the head aft.

[mm2187]

I own a NY-36 which has an interesting open layout. The seating for dining is just aft of the companionway on top of the endine compartment. Just behind the v birth up forward is the head to port and a locker to starbord. The sink and oven are just aft of the head, and the chart table is just aft of the locker.

[bljones]

I thought the old (here I go, being "historic" again) Lancer 36 had a great layout.

[treilley]

I like the layouts with an L shaped dinette with a table that folds up against the bulkhead. Much safer while under way. The downside is that there is only one way to get into the seating but with mostly just the two of us, this is no problem.

I also like an aft head although we also have a forward head in the fore peak with a Pullman master berth just aft of it. The forward head gets used while anchored and the aft while under way.

[Faster]

I like the idea of a U or L shaped dinette area - centerline tables completely block up the middle of the boat when deployed, making passage forward (or aft) to the head or whatever more difficult, esp with a crowd.

OTOH pushing the accommodations out towards the hull to make room for all that has a pretty serious impact on storage space. Our boat has a moderate 11 foot beam on 34 feet, but our settee and centerline table are well inboard leaving tons of storage outboard and plenty of handy handholds and no '8+ foot tumbles' if you stumble when heeled.

[bobperry]

David:
Sailboats have a weird, tapered shape to them. Some weirder than others. Interior components generally come in box like increments. The designer has to decide which part of the boat will impose the least amount of compromise on each interior component. V berths are a perfect example. There is not much else you can jam up into a pointy bow that will work well. You can move the head forward but that will push the rest of the layout aft. I could go down the list but I think you get the idea. The a lot of the layout does or should come from practical, or ergonomic considerations. Counter top heights, berth heights, settee heights, counter depths, clearance around the head, berth widths, settee depths. These all put a lot of pressure on the designer so that they all work to produce a usable layout that is also appealing. Novel layouts can work but over time we have distilled a fairly rigid approach to layouts that has pr oven to offer the best use of space. From there it's all fine tuning.

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by treilley

I like the layouts with an L shaped dinette with a table that folds up against the bulkhead. Much safer while under way. The downside is that there is only one way to get into the seating but with mostly just the two of us, this is no problem.

I also like an aft head although we also have a forward head in the fore peak with a Pullman master berth just aft of it. The forward head gets used while anchored and the aft while under way.

That's one of the layouts in the Catalina 42 and also in an Islander (36?) that Bob Perry drew - with the pullman berth and large head it makes an extremely comfortable liveaboard layout, as does the Lancer listed earlier, but not so great if it's bumpy.

[SloopJonB]

Originally Posted by bobperry

David:
Sailboats have a weird, tapered shape to them. Some weirder than others. Interior components generally come in box like increments. The designer has to decide which part of the boat will impose the least amount of compromise on each interior component. V berths are a perfect example. There is not much else you can jam up into a pointy bow that will work well. You can move the head forward but that will push the rest of the layout aft. I could go down the list but I think you get the idea. The a lot of the layout does or should come from practical, or ergonomic considerations. Counter top heights, berth heights, settee heights, counter depths, clearance around the head, berth widths, settee depths. These all put a lot of pressure on the designer so that they all work to produce a usable layout that is also appealing. Novel layouts can work but over time we have distilled a fairly rigid approach to layouts that has pr oven to offer the best use of space. From there it's all fine tuning.

Bob, what is your personal feeling about the pullman berth interior you did on that deckhouse Islander you drew - I think it was 36' IIRC.

[treilley]

Originally Posted by SloopJonB

That's one of the layouts in the Catalina 42 and also in an Islander (36?) that Bob Perry drew - with the pullman berth and large head it makes an extremely comfortable liveaboard layout, as does the Lancer listed earlier, but not so great if it's bumpy.

That is why we use either the salon or aft cabin when sailing over night if it is bumpy.