A Sailing Liveaboard Lifestyle
Vessel control under power is another issue.
“Maneuvers in close quarters will require engine controls on both helm stations
and changing helms,” says Franck Bauguil of Leopard Catamarans, whose company
doesn’t subscribe to the “helms on the hull” concept. “In order to avoid
constant movement between the two helms, electronic screens and repeaters will
need to be replicated at both stations.”
Not that these kinds of problems are
insurmountable. Aboard the Excess12, for example, Groupe Beneteau has designed
a fairly handsome and workable canvas bimini that curves in from outboard
without having the look of a space pod. The Excess also addresses the control
issue by offering the option of engine throttles at both wheels.
Finally, to ensure easy water access, the
Excess 12’s twin helms are equipped with a pair of double seats that fold up
and out of the way when not under sail to provide clear access to the nearby
swim platforms. Beyond that, by far the greatest challenge with an aft-helm
configuration is visibility to the opposite bow.
Some designers will tell you that you can just
look through the saloon, but the reality can be problematic at best. That said,
this is another area in which Excess has done an excellent job of allowing the
person at the helm to see all four corners of the boat. “You can actually see
down to the tip of both bows.
And we’ve made the glass in the doors and
windows clear, so you can also see through the saloon at night,” say Excess
director Frederic Signat. At pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum from
twin wheels aft is a single “flybridge” helm perched atop the cabintrunk, a
configuration that is especially popular in charter.
Some Leopards and Lagoons and all the cats in
the Bali product line feature flybridge steering. “The majority of our
customers spend 90 percent of their time on the hook and 10 percent moving to
the next anchorage,” says Bruno Belmont of Group Beneteau, which owns Lagoon.
“For them, the location of the steering station
should minimize intrusion on cockpit comfort, and the flybridge does that
perfectly.” As an added benefit, the flybridge effectively adds a fourth
social area (in addition to the aft cockpit, the forward lounge/trampoline area
and the interior saloon) at the same time it also opens up room on the main
deck below.
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