Living Spaces


Project Logs

Winter, 2010

After templating and planning the major  interior design, I installed the main bulkheads into the entire boat, effectively re-creating the salon.

Research

Fiddles
Navigation Station
Navigation Station – Charts & Chart Table
  • The working surface should be stoutly constructed and large enough to hold at least a chart folded in thirds.  (Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts, p. 224)
  • Below the surface, there should be a shelf or drawer for stowage of several charts. In larger boats, a second area for bulk chart stowage can be nearby; otherwise, stowage can be under the cushion in the navigator’s bunk.  (Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts, p. 224)
  • The work area should be next to the companionway to facilitate communication…and to avoid carrying a very delicate sextant all the way forward or aft in a rolling or choppy seas.  (From a Bare Hull, p. 36)
  • The surface should be at least 32” x 25” to give space for folded Admiralty charts; plus it should allow for about 4 inch margins on top and on one side where one can place plotting tools while flipping or turning the charts.  (From a Bare Hull, p. 36)
  • (See image of a good below desk chart storage from Upgrading the Cruising Sailboat, p. 57)
  • What constitutes a “decent-size chart table”? In my opinion, something on the order of 36 inches long by 30 inches deep or bigger.  (Cruising Handbook, p. 131)
  • A large shelf below the working surface will permit ready stowage of all the charts needed for a particular passage. All other charts can be rolled up and stowed on the cabin overhead, either under lengths of shock cord or in permanently mounted long tubes.
  • It is almost impossible to stow charts flat and unfolded on a cruising boat; therefore the choice is to either fold and stow them flat or roll them. I much prefer to fold them. It is exceedingly aggravating in rough weather to have to deal with a chart that has been rolled. You can’t hold its edges down with weights because they will get thrown off – and you may be hanging on with one hand, leaving only one hand free to flatten the chart and do your chat work. If charts are rolled, they should be rolled with the chart on the outside (not on the inside); when they are laid out flat, this at least stops the edges from constantly trying to roll to the center.  (Cruising Handbook, p. 134)
  •  I once had an oversized clipboard, big enough to hold a chart. I clip one side with the clip and the other end with an oversized rubber band to prevent flapping on the wind. I took it on the cockpit and looked at it while steering. This could be a reasonable alternative in a small boat.  (http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f121/the-chart-table-32505-3.html)
  • For inshore work I want a waterproof chart holder that I can read at the helm, or near.Going indoors to see just what the bottom is supposed to do next is a bit too nervy when there’s three liners behind, two freighters ahead and a strong wind on the bow.Planning and marking are best done at the mooring.Ready access is then required in our busy water  (http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f121/the-chart-table-32505-3.html)
  • And, in the cockpit, I find regular NGA or Admiralty charts folded inside a clear waterproof valise works well even if things are a bit wet…..and I always thought the second best use of cockpit cushions were for holding down a chart  (http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f121/the-chart-table-32505-3.html)
  • When folding charts, you want as few creases as possible. it is best to fold them to fit the chart table so that you don’t have to add extra creases when you use them. Ideally, the chart table is big enough to handle most charts with a single fold in them (they should be folded with the chart on the outside). On our old boat, we ended u storing most of our charts under the berth cushions, which worked quite well.
  • [The chart table should be] half the size of an Admiralty chart…with nothing else on the table but the chart  (http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f121/the-chart-table-32505.html)
  • I am leaning towards a forward facing chart table. That is roughly 32″ deep by 42″ wide…LATER…When all was said and done the area left after allowing for electrical panels, RO Unit controls, navigational books etc. was a flat table that was 32 deep and 35 wide. However, based on what I’ve heard from this group and other Ingrid 38 owners that seems to be a generous area.  (http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f121/the-chart-table-32505.html)
  • My chart table is 32″ – 35″ wide by 22″ – 23″ deep……  (http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f121/the-chart-table-32505-3.html)
  • On my Roberts 36, pre-laptop days, the chart table would hold a half folded almiralty chart, lift up to store implements under, and along the side storage to hold quarter folded chaerts. Pretty standard and worked well.  (http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f121/the-chart-table-32505-3.html)
  • If the table is as large as 36 x 28 inches, you will be able to open a rolled-up chart all the way and pin or tape it to the table without having to worry about maneuvering your parallel rules or protractor over folds.  (Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts, p. 142)
  • …the one thing I’d change if I could about my chartable, would be to make it a bit deeper….say 2″-3″ deeper, making it 25″ – 26″ deep…and just a few inches wider…..But, all in all…..I like it a lot….  (http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f121/the-chart-table-32505-3.html)
Settees
  • Bunks should not be placed too far outboard. If they are, they will be too narrow for normal use, too heavily tapered, and skewed well off centerline. There is a tendency to push bunks way out to the side in order to gain floor space…floor space has little value…. Indeed, under sail a narrow cabin sole may well be more comfortable and safe than a wide one, since the bunks provide support for people who are sitting or walking.  (Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts, p. 130)
  • In fore-and-aft alignment, each bunk should be as nearly parallel to the centerline as practical. Otherwise, when the boat heals, one bunk will end up being lower than the other, putting your feet above your head on one tack and the reverse on the other. The designer and builder should use the centerline, rather than the outer skin of the boat, as a reference point….[this space] allows for a bookshelf or small stowage bin for personal items, either of which will help insulate the sleeper from the clammy condensation on the inside of the hull…  (Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts, p. 131)
  • The minimum length for bunks is 6’6”, and the absolute minimum width is 24 inches (28 – 30 is best). Bunks should be as nearly rectangular as possible. If there must be a taper, keep the foot no narrower than 20 inches. With that little space, sleepers may have to lie down with their ankles crossed. Blankets do not fit tapered bunks, either.  (Desirable and Undesirable Characteristics of Offshore Yachts, p. 131 – 2)
  • The back rests should be slanted about 15 degrees to provide comfortable seating. The seats should be about 20 – 22” deep to provide luxurious seating, yet to be necessarily snug-sea berths. We have found that 20 – 22” is a perfect compromise. Anything less than this dimension is useless as a berth and not quite comfy enough to slouch back into a seat. Anything over 23 inches is too wide as a sea berth (of course we’re both built like toothpicks), for one is tossed about in rolling seas. As a seat, it will be also too wide, for the edge will cut behind one’s knee….  (From a Bare Hull, p. 36)
  • The back rests do not necessarily require upholstery or padding. It is easier to have doors opening to lockers if no upholstery is in the way. If he backs are sloped, they will prove to be comfortable, if they are not quite soft enough toss cushions can be utilized.  (From a Bare Hull, p. 36)
  • Bunk lengths should exceed the person’s height by at least 4 inches, especially if the person sleeps on his stomach, thereby extending [their] toes.  (From a Bare Hull, p. 150)
  • For sleeping purposes, settees need to be at least 21” wide (excluding any seatback cushion and preferably 24″). However, they can taper at both ends if hull curvature makes this necessary. To be used for seating, the settees should have dimensions similar to the ideal cockpit seat; that is, the top of the seat cushions should be 15 – 18” above the cabinsole, the seatbacks should be 15 – 20” high, and the backs should be angled outboard about 15 degrees….With an 18 inch seat height, there should be a minimum of 16” of legroom in front of the settee. If the height is lowered, more legroom is needed – for example, 20” with a 16” seat height and 24” if the seat is dropped down to 12 inches (not desirable).  (Cruising Handbook, p. 142)
  • …anything other than square corners at either end of a settee can result in discomfort when lying down. Something that is not so obvious is that the settees need to be parallel to – or at least more or less so – the centerline of the boat. If not, one end of the settee/berth will be higher on one tack and the other end higher on the other tack, creating problems for anyone trying to sleep.  (Cruising Handbook, p. 142)
  • For seat depth here are some averages from an architectural handbook as well as other sources:
    • Restaurant Booth = 48.26 cm (19″)
    • Table Booth = 45.72 cm (17.8″)
    • Chair = 35.56 cm (14″)
    • Stool = 35.56 cm (14″)
    • High Work Seat = 45.5 cm (17.9″)
    • IMG0948 = 40.64 cm (16″)
    • IMG1270 = 53.34 -> 60.96 cm (21 – 24″)
    • Screen shot 2010-11-30 at 10.43.19 PM = 45.72 -> 50.8 cm (18″ – 20″)
V-berth & Forepeak

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