Passage maker desirable feature questions?

[Codger2]

. She's a 1983 45' CHP with a 400hp Cummins

This is surely not a passage making style boat.

It wasn't stated to be one. It was simply a statement to Kevin Sanders point of not needing a Nordhavn or Krogen to cruise the waters of Alaska.

 

[angus99]

Greetings,
With a moniker like Angus you could have been....

Thanks, wish I had his chops.

Actually, this is the Angus I'm named after.

 

[yachtbrokerguy]

It is better to be cruising on a Sea Ray than dreaming about a Nordhavn. Peter mentions insurance and you will not get offshore passagemaker insurance unless you have paid crew or lots of experience.
After you have been boating a few years you will learn what is important to you for features in an offshore boat, and for learning a coastal cruiser can get you the sea time.

 

[mahal]

It wasn't stated to be one. It was simply a statement to Kevin Sanders point of not needing a Nordhavn or Krogen to cruise the waters of Alaska.

That is a nice looking boat. To me, when a pilothouse design has a flybridge on top of the pilothouse instead of behind, it usually messes up the lines. But not
with this one. The low profile flybridge doesn't harm the lines at all.

 

[Codger2]

That is a nice looking boat.

That's exactly what I thought when I first saw her from a distance. The closer we got, the more I liked her and was very surprised at the make, year and model.

 

[twistedtree]

Newbie here with several questions regarding the pros and cons of certain features on blue water trawlers. Not sure if this should go under General Discussion or Liveaboards…

My envisioned scenario is a couple crewed 50’-60’ liveaboard passage maker, basing out of the PNW, with an emphasis on cruising Alaskan waters. I don’t own a boat, have never owned a boat, and am merely day-dreaming about Nordhavns & Kadey-Krogens.

That said…

1. Wet lockers: How do they work? Convenience or something you can’t live without?

2. Pilot house berthing & head: For a couple crewed trawler making overnight ocean passages, is an enclosed off-watch pilot house cabin truly useful or is an open-air berth behind pilot house seating adequate? Under the same conditions, is a pilot house head just nice to have… or a critical feature?

3. Forward vs. aft pilot house design with regard to embarking and recovering tenders: Pros & Cons? I am especially interested in difficulty considerations under rough conditions or emergency.

4. In some boat interior schematics, I have seen showers incorporating small oval tubs and a bench. Are there advantages to this style over a conventional shower stall?

5. Things never being equal, I’ll ask anyway: For a live aboard lifestyle, would you rather have more salon length or more aft cockpit (and lazarette) length?

Thanks in advance...

I'll presume that as a starting point we are talking about a boat that is sea worthy enough to cross oceans, and we are just talking about the accommodations and other niceties.... So focusing on layout and niceties;

1) A wet locker would be nice, but I don't think critical. I wouldn't reject a boat without one.

2) I think the key for off-watch snoozing is to have the sleeping party accessible if needed. Alseep on a bench in the pilot house places the person close at hand, but is probably not the most conducive to good sleep. A pilot house berth is more conducive to good sleep while still being close at hand, but someone in a nearby stateroom can be just as accessible.

As for a head, yes, a pilot house head is a great convenience, but you can probably get to and from any other head in the boat nearly as quickly, so I wouldn't worry too much if you have to walk a few more steps to go pee.

3) Aft pilot house arguably gives a better ride, but usually mean a forward boat deck. And a forward boat deck can mean reduced visibility and more difficult launching and retreival. I've never done a forward launch myself, but understand that getting someone into the dinghy on launch to unhook the davit can be a real challenge, especially with a high freeboard like you will find on a sea worthy boat. And you have the same problem getting the davit reconnected for retreaval and the person back on board before lifting. I don't know how you would do it, but somehow people manage. I've also seen dinghies very effectively block the hatches that are supposed to let light into the forward below deck.

A forward pilot house can be a rougher ride, but offers better visibility and results in an aft boat deck for easier dinghy launching.

4) I'll never understand a tub on a boat. Maybe tubs help sell the boat to the Mrs? But other than as a dock, it will be useless, and just imagine the quantity of water.

5) Tough question on how to allocate Salon vs Cockpit space. Your expected cruise area may make the outside space more attractive. I've also found that people who typically travel with company make very different decisions about boat layout than people who typically travel as a couple. If you have a lot of kids on board and engage in a lot of water activities then I can see the cockpit being more heavily used.