Sailing on the Cheap Boatlife
Some performance builders, like HH and Seawind,
have also taken the approach of installing twin cabin-back wheels set well
outboard thereby providing the best of all worlds. Note, in the case of the HH,
the twin helms are slightly elevated, allowing you to look out over the
cabintrunk. Aboard Seawind’s 1190 and 1260 models.
The helms are set at the same level as the
cockpit, with visibility around the angled-in cabintrunk or through a set of
large windows. In either case are able to enjoy excellent visibility in pretty
much every direction while still enjoying much better protection from the
elements than you would from a station set farther aft.
In addition to protection from the wind and
spray the other big advantage to cabin-back helms are their lower profiles,
which in turn means a lower center of gravity, less windage and room for a
lower boom position and a bigger mainsail with a lower center of effort.
On the downside, cabin-back models can be more
costly (especially for dual stations) and being located on the aft bulkhead
take up room in the cockpit. In a raised configuration, they can also leave the
person at the helm feeling a bit isolated from the party in the cockpit below,
though separation is typically not so great as aboard a flybridge boat. Aboard
some models, the separation has been successfully minimized as to be almost
nonexistent.
In recent years there has been an increasing
number of steering stations popping up inside the accommodation space and on
centerline. This configuration is typically reserved for carbon speedsters like
those built by HH, Gunboat and Kinetic. However, they are also an option aboard
the Maine Cat 38.
Steering from inside provides the ultimate in
comfort, especially at night or in inclement weather. Typically, it’s just a
step or two outside to a set of control lines and winches at the base of the
mast. The controls can also be run inboard, as is the case with the Maine
Cat—very civilized sailing, indeed!
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