Mast or arch?

[tiltrider1]

I do not have a preference. They both have advantages and disadvantages. Masts are easier from a maintenance perspective. Arches are easier when incorporating canvas.

 

[SIBERNUT]

Canvas will be attached, but driving the change is radar secure mount point. (And of course garrotte elimination)

 

[Nick14]

Arch on my Helmsman 38 Sedan. Bimini top attaches to the arch for support.

I think a mast looks better, more traditional, but an arch opens up the entire flybridge space to be usable.

 

[SIBERNUT]

Wow, very pretty boat!

 

[Nick14]

Wow, very pretty boat!

Thank you

 

[Jklotz]

Yea, I have to agree. That is a great looking boat.

 

[DavidU]

We elected to get an arch. We added a fridge and grill up top which worked out great. The fridge and grill are on the inside of the arch on the starboard side with the settee on the port side. The space between the two works really well. We would not have been able to do that without the arch. We have found the area up top great for entertaining and enjoying the day after a cruise. The arch allows for better sight lines too.

Curious,
With your current setup on the H38E do you think you would have room for a davit and 10’ dingy or so? I realize that you essentially eliminate that aft space for socializing, but would appreciate your opinion as to how “tight” that configuration would be with dink and davit with grill.

 

[BruceK]

Great looking boat!
The Australian "Clipper 40" which I suspect has related manufacturing origins, often cantilevers a dinghy davit off the aft end of the FB, preserving use of the FB.
I`ve always called the "radar arch" the "roll bar', but that`s more applicable for "sports boats" than trawlers.

 

[Bmarler]

Curious,
With your current setup on the H38E do you think you would have room for a davit and 10’ dingy or so? I realize that you essentially eliminate that aft space for socializing, but would appreciate your opinion as to how “tight” that configuration would be with dink and davit with grill.

If you look at the pictures, the railing design divides the living area from the rest of the deck space. There’s a boom installed already for the dink, but no chocks yet. Looks pretty well thought out to me.

 

[Nick14]

Yea, I have to agree. That is a great looking boat.

Thank you

Here's a thread on the boat and build -

https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s64/new-helmsman-model-38-sedan-64684.html

 

[Nick14]

Great looking boat!
.

Thank you

You may notice it resembles your boat, which was the intention.

Helmsman created and introduced the model at my request (= pestering), taking the previous 37 Sedan and stretching it 2'3" and presto, the 38 Sedan. They were flexible in accommodating my requests, including my sketching out the interior layout I wanted.

 

[DavidU]

If you look at the pictures, the railing design divides the living area from the rest of the deck space. There’s a boom installed already for the dink, but no chocks yet. Looks pretty well thought out to me.

My question related to the davit and dink on top along with the grill option was actually to Helmsman who owns "Mishy Jean", a H38 pilothouse. Nick14's beautiful sedan does have plenty of room for all the above. The more I look at the bridge on the 38 PH it seems it would probably not be suited for trying to squeeze all the above up top. If someone has done it and says it's fine, I'd love to hear that as well.

 

[chanprr]

My question related to the davit and dink on top along with the grill option was actually to Helmsman who owns "Mishy Jean", a H38 pilothouse. Nick14's beautiful sedan does have plenty of room for all the above. The more I look at the bridge on the 38 PH it seems it would probably not be suited for trying to squeeze all the above up top. If someone has done it and says it's fine, I'd love to hear that as well.

On the 38E which I had until August 2022, an Achilles 11' RIB fitted nicely athwartship on the FB cockpit cover, a few inches forward of the aft rail. The dinghy took up most of the width of the FB cockpit cover. At the dinghy stern there was enough room to leave the 6HP OB tilted up. The Nick Jackson #600 pipe davit wasn't in the way as it was just forward on the port side rail. It took about 15 minutes to launch and retrieve the dinghy from/to the FB extension, but for me, that was not an inconvenience.

 

[DavidU]

On the 38E which I had until August 2022, an Achilles 11' RIB fitted nicely athwartship on the FB cockpit cover, a few inches forward of the aft rail. The dinghy took up most of the width of the FB cockpit cover. At the dinghy stern there was enough room to leave the 6HP OB tilted up. The Nick Jackson #600 pipe davit wasn't in the way as it was just forward on the port side rail. It took about 15 minutes to launch and retrieve the dinghy from/to the FB extension, but for me, that was not an inconvenience.

Robert,
Had you opted for a grill/fridge option to starboard forward under the arch, do you feel that would have worked or just been "too much"? And, I don't recall if you opted for the single helm and U setee or the center helm with two chairs and the L, or if that would matter?

 

[Nick14]

My question related to the davit and dink on top along with the grill option was actually to Helmsman who owns "Mishy Jean", a H38 pilothouse. Nick14's beautiful sedan does have plenty of room for all the above.

FWIW the upper deck on my 38 Sedan has about 15 ft of open space between the back of the flybridge seats to the aft rail, room for a dink and whatever else. It’s all on one level.

 

[chanprr]

Robert,
Had you opted for a grill/fridge option to starboard forward under the arch, do you feel that would have worked or just been "too much"? And, I don't recall if you opted for the single helm and U setee or the center helm with two chairs and the L, or if that would matter?

David, We didn't need the FB grill/fridge option since we prefer to have a BBQ on the stern rail or swimstep staple. The 46 also comes with ample freezer space and icemaker. The 38E FB helm control station was centerline with two captains chairs. I had a mast but found that a mast is an obstruction when entertaining guests on the FB extension, so the 46 will have an arch. Having the 38E was a terrific experience and guided many of the design changes Scott agreed to for the first 46.

 

[DavidU]

FWIW the upper deck on my 38 Sedan has about 15 ft of open space between the back of the flybridge seats to the aft rail, room for a dink and whatever else. It’s all on one level.

It's a great boat! If we wanted a sedan, your boat would absolutely fit the bill. From every picture, calendar to online, it is striking. And it's still tempting, but we prefer stairs, and the fact I retired last February and we are around each other more now, than ever, we see the value in a salon (separate) space, and a pilot house (separate) space. With those, hopefully we can meet in the middle at night, forward.

 

[BruceK]

Thank you

You may notice it resembles your boat, which was the intention.

Helmsman created and introduced the model at my request (= pestering), taking the previous 37 Sedan and stretching it 2'3" and presto, the 38 Sedan. They were flexible in accommodating my requests, including my sketching out the interior layout I wanted.

That`s very kind, and I do see the resemblance.
I`ve attached the listing for an early(sold) Clipper 40, the pics may be of interest. They are well regarded here for their sea going capability. Unfortunately Clipper has recently gone out of business.
https://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/power-boats/clipper-40/296186
Includes pics of the dinghy davit rack, both with and without dinghy in place.

 

[Nick14]

…but we prefer stairs,...

I get that. I prefer a raised pilothouse over a sedan for visibility, but far more important to me are full walk-around side decks protected by bulwarks. I want to be able to safely and comfortably get around all the boat.

lol, stairs. I’ve gotten to the age where I prefer to avoid any stairs, because all of them present a wonderful opportunity for tripping, falling, and face-planting myself at the most inopportune times.

I also spent FAR too much time away from my wife during my working career. Flying a quarter to half a million miles a year was typical. Couple of years hit a million air miles, and one year, an insane 2 million. Now we want to spend as much time together as we can.

 

[Nick14]

That`s very kind, and I do see the resemblance.
I`ve attached the listing for an early(sold) Clipper 40, the pics may be of interest. They are well regarded here for their sea going capability. Unfortunately Clipper has recently gone out of business.
https://www.boatsonline.com.au/boats-for-sale/used/power-boats/clipper-40/296186
Includes pics of the dinghy davit rack, both with and without dinghy in place.

Thanks! If the Clipper 40, or your Integrity 386, were available in the U.S. I may have bought one of those (new or used). But they weren’t. I even contacted Integrity early in my search, but the logistics of importing an unsupported boat from Australia to the U.S. were too daunting. Besides, the current Integrity models are nowhere near as good looking as your boat is.

Amazing similarities in interior layout! I guess there are only a few different ways to lay out the space in a 38-40 ft Sedan style that make sense.

 

[Bmarler]

My question related to the davit and dink on top along with the grill option was actually to Helmsman who owns "Mishy Jean", a H38 pilothouse. Nick14's beautiful sedan does have plenty of room for all the above. The more I look at the bridge on the 38 PH it seems it would probably not be suited for trying to squeeze all the above up top. If someone has done it and says it's fine, I'd love to hear that as well.

My mistake sir, carry on.

 

[Helmsman]

Curious,
With your current setup on the H38E do you think you would have room for a davit and 10’ dingy or so? I realize that you essentially eliminate that aft space for socializing, but would appreciate your opinion as to how “tight” that configuration would be with dink and davit with grill.

The placement of the grill and fridge up top really doesn’t affect where the dinghy would be placed on the rear flybridge. The fridge/grill combo is exactly on line with the rear of the seat. I will be on the boat later today and will try to remember to get a couple of pics so you can see the layout in detail.

I am not putting a dinghy up top. I haven’t added davits yet on the swim platform but plan to by this fall. I will want to have that addressed by the time we leave for the Gulf in late fall.

 

[Ric]

Two views of our bbq platform on the upper deck. Below the bbq is a refrigerator, and aft of that is storage (propane tank above, locker below). It is forward of the arch and therefore under the bimini, which has yet to be completed.

 

[Hippocampus]

One concern for some is shadowing solar panels. Easier to avoid with a tower than arch in many cases.

 

[Bmarler]

One concern for some is shadowing solar panels. Easier to avoid with a tower than arch in many cases.

agreed. i have a panel on each side of the mast with separate controllers for each. that way if the mast obscures one panel the other isn't affected. an arch would definitely be problematic for me.

 

[Ric]

Our solution is to place the panels on the bimini forward of the arch.

 

[SIBERNUT]

FREE - mast off a 30'

Made the decision to go arch, mast free to those on the forum. Not too bad for an 84, wiring for masthead and spreader lights is good.

 

[Jklotz]

Made the decision to go arch, mast free to those on the forum. Not too bad for an 84, wiring for masthead and spreader lights is good.

To me, that sounds like a good idea. I love the traditional look of a mast, just looks so "nautical", but it breaks up the space too much. A trawler should be, first and foremost, functional. IMHO, it's really cool they give you the option.

 

[Skip Vail]

Arch on my Helmsman 38 Sedan. Bimini top attaches to the arch for support.

I think a mast looks better, more traditional, but an arch opens up the entire flybridge space to be usable.

Hi Nick, I just started the process with Scott for a new 38S build for possible delivery here in NC December '24 and will complete the contract in the next few weeks. Love to see more interior photos of your boat and in time chat with you directly. Sincerely, Skip Vail

 

[fgarriso]

We have had both in the same boat. It came with a folding mast but ran out of room very quickly. We changed to a folding arch which is much better. Now have room for larger radar and many more antennas.