Secure Cockpit

Safe and Secure with Bow
Thruster Joystick and
Windlass Remote
Control

The cockpit on a blue water cruising yacht needs to be safe and secure. Wide open, shallow cockpits may be great for cocktail  parties  or entertaining at the docks but they need to be more secure in an open seaway.

Ideally, the helmsman can wedge himself/herself in  without the risk of becoming airborne. Airborne is bad!

Cruisers prefer settees long enough for a full grown adult to sleep outside in the warmer climates. Not always, but occasional is nice.

As a cruiser, you will spend many hours in the cockpit. You will be more comfortable if the coaming is angled outward. This simple design feature keeps the top of the backrest from digging-in just below your shoulder blades! Nice.

Perhaps the most important piece of equipment in the cockpit is the helm. Traditional chain and cable systems routed around a steering quadrant below decks are susceptible to wear and stretch. This can result in excessive “play” in the wheel.

Higher-end cruising boats use  more dependable direct steering . It is a rack and pinion  arrangement much like race cars for more precise control.