Inside .vs. Outside Helms

[Maynard Rupp]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

Well, Gigabite did 18kts into 6-8s with some 10s and 12s thrown in for nastiness, and I won't tell you that I "liked it."

But we broke NOTHING, and the salon was not rearranged, nor was the galley. I didn't need a kidney belt either, but I DID need foul weather gear - it got darn wet up top.

I wouldn't do this sort of thing on purpose, but when you get caught, you get caught.......

What 'ya figure the burn is on those 12s at 18kts in the 60? Maybe 60-70gph?

Ge Karl...We ran in 10' seas off New Jersey enroute to Florida. I did not need foul weather gear on our 36. In those conditions I operated from that awful inside helm. Very dry and right next to the coffee pot. Now who said inside helms should be taken out???

 

[Genesis]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

Ge Karl...We ran in 10' seas off New Jersey enroute to Florida. I did not need foul weather gear on our 36. In those conditions I operated from that awful inside helm. Very dry and right next to the coffee pot. Now who said inside helms should be taken out???

Yeah, well, your 10' seas in the Atlantic aren't normally on a 5-second period.

Try 'em in the gulf sometime and you'll get a whole new level of respect for "ugly" with sea NUMBERS that don't look all that bad.

A "3-5 day" in the atlantic is often not bad at all, as its frequently mostly (or all) swell. Over here it almost NEVER is....

 

[Maynard Rupp]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

Yeah, well, your 10' seas in the Atlantic aren't normally on a 5-second period.

Try 'em in the gulf sometime and you'll get a whole new level of respect for "ugly" with sea NUMBERS that don't look all that bad.

A "3-5 day" in the atlantic is often not bad at all, as its frequently mostly (or all) swell. Over here it almost NEVER is....

The seas had a 10 sec. period and wern't real bad for a Hatteras. The point I was trying to make is the value of an inside helm vs. wearing foul weather gear and eating salt water. I do that on my racing sailboat, but sure don't like it.

 

[Genesis]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

Yeah, well, there are days I certainly understand that.

The next "big" Hatt I own will have an inside helm - if I buy a "small" one it might be an open..... just for a "hang around" boat for the next 5-6 years...

 

[Boss Lady]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

I got a Yachtfish for this very reason. Enclosed lower helm above the rear stateroom, and a fly bridge too! You can still see to fish and backing into a slip is a breeze. The only thing is the cockpit is too small by today's standards for serious fishing, but we do everything on standup gear anyway. If I were a serious marlin guy, I would put an extension on the cockpit and build in some freezers and bait stations, I might do that next winter.

 

[Genesis]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

The 48 or 58 YF are kinda like my "on the list" boats....

 

[MikeP]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

On our 53 MY I have spent at least as much time piloting from the lower (inside) helm as from the FB. If given a choice to eliminate one of the positions, the FB helm would have to go.

 

[ThirdHatt]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

Mike, I agree whole-heartedly. It is HOT most of the year down here on the Gulf Coast, FL and Bahamas where I go boating. I always start my day from the flybridge and cruise until mid-morning when it starts to get hot then I move to the lower helm and pilot from the comfort of air conditioning. I will usually go back to the flybridge when coming into port for visibility. I would not want to give up either helm, but if I had to thew flybridge would most certainly be the one.

I know of a local guy that had a 53MY (he recently moved up to a Hatt 74CMY) and he removed the LOWER helm in favor of an entertainment center! I figured he planned to keep the boat forever, but he moved up and actually found a buyer for his 53MY. To each his own!

 

[thoward]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

You know, I heard Hatteras made Enclosed Flybridges. Heck there was even a rumor they put air conditioning and a fridge in there .

Honestly I like the open flybridge for a short trip here and there but if I am going to be up there in nasty weather or for hours on end the enclosed is the way to go. My only complaint is it does make it a little hard to see in tight spots.

 

[MicroKap]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

I love my enclosed flybridge. No need for a lower helm. It's nice and quiet. There's a perfectly located Destroyer wheel that allows me to steer with my feet while sitting on my custom helm seat. If I want to back the boat in and I want better visibility for the cockpit, I just walk out the door and outside on the port side of the flybridge is a second helm station. My 6' height gives me the ability to still see the bow of the boat. Also, you don't have to put up with the loud screeching sounds from your VHF. You can keep all volume controls set for normal listening levels. Putting a regular computer in an enclosed flybridge is also easy to be used for everything from navigation software to logging onto the Hatteras Owners Forum while in your own dock or distant ports.

An enclosed flybridge beats an open one hands down. You also don't have to worry about eisenglass, strataglass, EZ2CY, etc. (and you have windshield wipers and washers). If you want to be "away" from the commotion, it's great. If you want to be part of the excitement, open the side and rear windows and the door.

 

[Fanfare]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

I run almost 100% from the open flybridge. I can feel the wind and see all around. Only thing that gets me down below is lightning or a lot of rain. In the old days I would go below to run at night because that was where the radar and searchlight were. Now I have a waterproof LCD Furuno radar on top and can stay outside. I seem to have much more situational awareness out there than inside. Nice to have the option though.

 

[Maynard Rupp]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

I love my enclosed flybridge. No need for a lower helm. It's nice and quiet. There's a perfectly located Destroyer wheel that allows me to steer with my feet while sitting on my custom helm seat. If I want to back the boat in and I want better visibility for the cockpit, I just walk out the door and outside on the port side of the flybridge is a second helm station. My 6' height gives me the ability to still see the bow of the boat. Also, you don't have to put up with the loud screeching sounds from your VHF. You can keep all volume controls set for normal listening levels. Putting a regular computer in an enclosed flybridge is also easy to be used for everything from navigation software to logging onto the Hatteras Owners Forum while in your own dock or distant ports.

An enclosed flybridge beats an open one hands down. You also don't have to worry about eisenglass, strataglass, EZ2CY, etc. (and you have windshield wipers and washers). If you want to be "away" from the commotion, it's great. If you want to be part of the excitement, open the side and rear windows and the door.

In was glad to hear that the windows open on the old 60' convertable's flybridge. I don't think a single window on the new Hatteras convertables opens. What's with that. I know tracks are tough to maintain, but that would make boating like being in an office building with a water view.

 

[luckydave215]

open or enclosed bridge?

Out here in San Diego, it's comfortable on an open bridge year round, the boat is lighter and faster, and rolls less as well. The visibility is lot better too.
With a full enclosure and a hardtop, it stays dry in the bridge, but it's open air if I want. The weather is nice enough here that I run the air conditioning 15 days a year at most, and it doesn't get cold, so why carry around all that extra weight, especially up so high?
4,000+ extra pounds 15 feet above the water line is why so many enclosed bridge models have stabilizers.

Now, if the weather was hot, humid, and miserable all the time, (hint-hint) I'd think an enclosed bridge was great.

 

[Paul45c]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

I can't myself see the win-win for the enclosed bridge except for in a cold climate. I'm in one of those hot humid places (like fishing here in the summer!), and though a/c would be nice in the bridge while my buds are in the cockpit fishing, it would be a non-starter as I'd be too isolated to do them any good at all...they'd have to throw something at the rear bridge door to get my attention or something. And when I wasn't fishing but running instead at 18-20 kts., I wouldn't be needing any a/c even in the summertime with all that wind on the bridge.

Ah, well, having that more modest 45 makes this just an academic discussion!

 

[luckydave215]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

If I lived in Seattle, (cold and wet) or used my boat mostly for long distance travel like Ross does, an enclosed bridge would make more sense, but I live here, and I'm an angler.

And I have the need for speed.

 

[ThirdHatt]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

This has turned out to be a very interesting thread because some sportfish guys prefer an open flybridge and some prefer it to be enclosed. IMHO, motyoryacht guys have the best of both worlds! They have an enclosed helm AND an open flybridge! Neither is perfect for all occasions or locations. To me, having a choice in a boat (dual helms) is the ultimate luxury.

 

[Genesis]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

As a former sportfish owner I VASTLY prefer an open bridge, but believe me, there are days I'd have loved to be able to totally close it up and HEAT it!

 

[Paul45c]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

This has turned out to be a very interesting thread because some sportfish guys prefer an open flybridge and some prefer it to be enclosed. IMHO, motyoryacht guys have the best of both worlds! They have an enclosed helm AND an open flybridge! Neither is perfect for all occasions or locations. To me, having a choice in a boat (dual helms) is the ultimate luxury.

Can't really argue with that, Byron...nice to have both.

 

[luckydave215]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

All right, I admit it, some times it gets a bit chilly, even in San Diego. When that happens (not often) I roll down the "back door" of my full enclosure and plug in a small 110v space heater. Fortunately I have four 110v outlets on the bridge, so no extension cords to deal with. It's surprisingly effective, and heats up the entire space pretty well. (T shirts are comfortable) Another thing a bridge heater is good for is keeping the eisinglass free of condensation for those wee hour fishing trip departures. Just set it on the lowest power setting before going to sleep the night before, it works like magic, and I don't even have to close the whole thing up.

 

[Ross Macdonald]

Re: 60' Battlewagon

Dave is correct on the value of the enclosed bridge on long runs here. We will run 35 hours straight and with the seat/berth on the bridge, I can sleep (sort of) off watch and still be right next to the person in the helm chair. The windows slide open on both sides and aft and it lets a nice breeze in if necessary. But again, he's correct in that I would not want to make long, 10 kt. passages on an EB without stabilizers. To verify that, all you have to do is turn them off in a beam sea, then back on to see the effect. Pretty dramatic...