I completely agree with SO’s post on learning a new boat. Takes years, even if you’ve done it before. I was speaking to a delivery skipper about a problem he had aboard a boat he’d delivered dozens of times. Lost electrical power to a few systems, while underway. There turned out to be a fuse bank, separate from those behind the nav station, that were buried in an obscure place he never knew about.

On the other hand, dual helms are a matter of personal preference, not a bright line. We find they allow the cockpit to be a better living space, as no one is ever climbing around the helm. On several hulls I’ve sailed with them, the aft section can be too wide to helm from the center and ever see around a salt sprayed dodger, so the dual helm is more functional. If anything, it is important to have autopilot controls at both helms and that does add cost. All depends.