cockpit enclosure
 

thinking of adding a enclosure on my Hunter 34.anyone have any pros/cons on this?

We took the step with our beneteau 36
 

it has extended our season by about a month on each end- so that is a big bonus as that means almost six months in the water.

don't notice much difference in sailing, at anchor we tend to respond more to wind changes-- but then we already have so much m ore freeboard that will happen any way

funny, we never get invited to other boats cockpits for drinks-- they always cart it over to our mooring....

I have a full enclosure on my center cockpit and wouldn't be without it. Off-shore it keeps us dry and warm. We can close off the entire cockpit with screens or plastic. It isn't hot as we used a light color fabric. In the ICW the screens keep the bugs out which can be a problem in Georgia (horse flys). The tropical sun does a job on the plastic zippers that I will need to replace this Winter.

Stay at home
 

First of all I don't have a full enclosure, just a dodger and bimini, but in my opinion if you want to shut yourself in while on your boat then why not just stay at home and watch sailing videos?

:confused::confused::confused::confused::confused: :confused::confused::confused::confused::confused:

Traveling longer distances one doesn't get the choice of nice warm weather every day. If you daysail your boat or only go out on nice weekends that's great, but some people like to be warm and dry when they travel.

When we took our boat to the Bahamas from the Chesapeake in November, there were few warm dry days. We met may purists wearing full exposure suits obviously not enjoying life, while we were in sweatshirts inside our enclosure.

Don't travel without one.

Being exposed for longer periods of time makes on appreciate some of the comforts of home:laugher :laugher ..;) ......i2f

I have one and I set it up in the winter. I have mixed feelings - not from the anchored/moving aspect, but when coming in to dock under power. Mine takes up the entire cockpit and I have a large cockpit, so it is a bit of a bear when the wind is blowing. In fact, it is flat hard to manage period.

On the flip side, the other 99% of the time is great. You are protected from the weather and it gives you a whole other room. A good one made of Sunbrella is not cheap, though. Make sure you opt to have zip out panels with mosquito netting for when it gets warmer.

- CD

At heart, I'm one of those 'purists', but having sailed boats in the tropics both with and without biminis, I'm coming around to the realization that a bimini is almost a necessity in those regions.

In my own cruising grounds wet is as big a deal as hot, and again I can see the point of a way to say out of the downpour... but for me now, at least for now, using a autopilot remote under the dodger is doing the trick. In the absence of tropical sun I'd prefer to be able to easily see the sails, the windex and the rest of the world.

As far as the various greenhouse enclosures go, again I can see the point of the "extra cabin" and the comfort under way, but my God some of those contraptions are butt ugly and really ruin the looks of a lot of boats.

So in the end, as a purist of sorts and being quite hung up on aesthetics I will probably resist going that way for as long as I can.

It's interesting to note that the two posts expressing the least desire to an enclosure are from Washington and British Columbia. We do some latitude cruising with the seasons, but we are homeport Floridda sailors. There is no way that we would find comfort bakimg in an open cockpit while at anchor after a day's cruise. We keep splash guards/side panels that keep out the spray or funnel in a breeze depending on their set. There is nothing impure about your passive ability to control the temperature in the cockpit! If you don't need it,- Great! If you have an addition that improves your use of the boat.- Better! 'take care and joy, Aythya crew

I spent many years sailing from Toronto to the Bahamas without a full enclosure. I did have a dodger. I sailed with three or four boats from Michigan for five of those years and they all had full enclosures. I used to say they were wimps and that Canadians were made of stronger stuff. About three years ago I had to spend a month in a marina in Miami waiting for my wife. While there I got a full enclosure which I promptly dubbed my "Michigan Room". What a difference!! No more cold nights on watch, no more being tired from scrunching up all the time in the wet and cold. Hate to admit it but I should have done it a long time ago. Those Michigan folks were smarter than they looked. :) With apologies to "Watermusic", "Stargazer" and "Brass Dragon", all from the Davison area in Michigan and all who have recently swallowed the anchor.

"Breathless" with the Michigan room.

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