Ahoy Y'all. Still trawler shopping for something in the 40'-44' range.
Question # 1: I've been pretty sure that one feature I definitely want is an inside helm. But I've seen a bunch of boats that were gorgeous, that we would have bought in a minute, except that they had no inside helm.
Question # 2:. Of the boats we've found that had an inside helm, some had an entry door right next to the helm station. Others did not. Any thoughts about how important that side entrance is?
Well, Scott, I think if you added up the votes, the answer is yes on both counts. Better to have both than not, essentially, and I totally endorse that also.
To my mind, the only sort of boat that one might argue only needs the upper helm, is if it is one not likely to be taken that far off shore. So no long cruises through mucky weather - day sailing mainly. Also, access up there must be quick and easy, and the boat ideally be able to go faster than most of ours on here. Why? Because those boats feel so much smoother on the semi-plane, they are not affected nearly as much by waves and wakes, as they skim over them, rather than roll with them. But even so, come getting caught out in mucky weather, and they would long for a lower helm.
The down side to this type is the folk up on the flybridge seem blissfully aware of the havoc they can often create behind them, because it all feels so smooth to them. So, unless they've travelled previously in slower boats, and been rocked violently by passing semi-planers, (full planers of smaller size not so much), they probably don't even realise what they are leaving behind them. This is not a dig at anyone, but just an observed fact, as I'm sure it is usually unintentional. We have on occasions been rocked so badly by a wake I hate to think what might have happened if we had been up top at the time. Worse still, if in transition from up to down or vice versa, and not seen it coming in time to take the evasive action we usually resort to. However, something to be remembered is in a seaway, they are coming at you all the time, not just in groups of 3-4 like wakes.