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Old 09-17-2012, 08:20 PM   #4
Marin
Scraping Paint
 
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Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 13,745
Quote:
Originally Posted by GalaxyGirl
2. If a flybridge has an enclosed hard pilothouse, does this make the boat unstable for offshore and rough seas, or does it depend on the boat. Can stabilizers correct that, or does it depend again?
To paraphrase psneeld, that's a bit like asking how long is a piece of string. The viability of a flying bridge will depend totally on the design, configuration, and construction of the boat. In the PNW/BC/SE Alaska it is very common today to have the flying bridge on fishing boats like seiners totally enclosed. Usually with an aluminum (I assume) structure. Newer boats are usually built with enclosed flying bridges from the outset--- see photos of Yankee Boy below--- and the flying bridge then becomes more of a pilothouse.

If the boat was designed to have a flying bridge, like our GB for example, it will be safe as houses as long as you are sensible about using it. Don't allow a ton of people up there, particularly in rougher water. Be mindful of the boat's construction. Most recreational cruisers like GBs support the flying bridge with what in essence are the window frames. So they're not made to support huge amounts of weight.

The higher you get above a boat's axes of pitch and roll the more magnified the motion will be. To the point where it can be downright uncomfortable. So if you want a boat with a flying bridge it's a good idea to have both upper and lower helm stations so one has a reasonably comfortable and stable place to drive when it gets rough.

A lot of people prefer the elevated flying bridge for driving the boat. The view is certainly nice and many people feel they have a better idea of the boat's position during close-in maneuvering and docking. My wife and I don't--- we much prefer the perspective from the lower helm--- but a boat with upper and lower helms gives you the choice.

All this said, a boat with an added home-made flying bridge, or a heavy home-made flying bridge enclosure, may be trying the limits of the boat's stability under some conditions. Stabilizers-- passive or active--- can certainly render a boat's ride more smooth. But active stabilizers can quit and passive ones could conceivably break. So I would not want a boat that was dependent upon stabilizers for safety.

As to Hatteras I suspect you brought some smiles with your "are they even seaworthy" question. I know very little about Hatteras boats but I do know that they are extremely well built and some of their models are very well suited for long, open-water passages.

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