Cockpit Platforms

[footrope]

Our dodger height is perfect for me, standing flat on the cockpit sole. I can see over it just enough. My wife, just a few inches shorter, has to look right through the horizontal top, which is not satisfactory, especially in the traffic we get in Elliott Bay and the waterway leading to our marina, or when she handles the helm when docking/undocking the boat. So, I've been thinking about a solution for awhile. Standing on the seat to steer puts either of our heads in the danger zone for the radar which is on the pole at the left side of the cockpit, which is another reason for a platform of some kind. We get lots of fog this time of year, so radar is going to get used.

The attached graphic of a simple platform is supposed to be about 4 inches tall and as wide as required to put the 45 degree side blocks in the perfect spot to use as footholds while heeled over. We have worn antiskid in the cockpit behind the wheel, besides our unfortunate heights.

Any suggestions on materials? Is this a bad idea? I've seen angled blocks in cockpits for footholds before, but never a small platform. We don't need/want to cover the entire sole back there. I thought this would be an interesting question to post to the board. Thanks in advance.

 

[Tom Metzger]

I might be a little concerned about stepping on the angled portion and rolling an ankle. Having just sprained an ankle, I am a bit sensitive about where I put my feet.

 

[Art Mullinax]

Rounded step

I've seen boats that have a rolled (rounded) helmsman seat. What if you designed it rounded? As the boat heels, your wife can stand at the apex. There wont be a ledge to fall off of?
Art M.

 

[NateHanson]

I like the idea, but I'd be wary of the abrupt angle as well. I'd either round it off like many raised helm seats, or perhaps consider a fold-down step if it's something you don't want to contend with all the time. Is there enough space to mount a smaller folding step under or opposite the binnacle, large enough to comfortable hold your wife's feet, yet small enough to fold out of the way when not in use? You should make sure that if it's a permanent step, you don't have to stoop when using the wheel to keep a comfortable grip on the helm.

 

[Mike Thomas]

I guess we shopped for wives in the same isle at the wife store. "Short and likes sailboats" isle #5

I actually tackled this problem in the spring. I made mine from mahogany. With two stringers running port to stbd and (aprox) 3/4 x 3/4 slats screwed down to the stringers running for and aft. I designed it so that it fits snugly into the back of the "T" cockpit on my E-29. The aft wall of that space is curved so once the top slats were cut to the correct curvature, the platform can't slide around. I attached some spare sheet around the perimeter to keep it in place. I also curved the stringers and the unit acts as a great foot-hold when heeled over. The plan was to remove it when the wife is not at the helm but I found having the foot holds so helpful that I left it in place all season. It took very little time to make, looks great and works great too.

I'll try and take some pics this weekend if you want.

Mike T

 

[footrope]

How the platform turned out

I finally got to work over the Seattle winter of 2006-7 and constructed a step out of Trex. I got the gray since it looked a little like weathered teak or mahogany. It is sturdy and functional. We tested it this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday there wasn't any wind in the late afternoon when we went out, but the motoring test was good. My wife could see over the dodger just fine. It helps to get me up higher and see debris in the water - and we have a lot of it around here. So, being higher isn't annoying for me. It is wide enough to allow the helmsperson to slide over far enough to see around the mast.

It is 5 inches tall and is easily removable. It's mounted with a pair of table brackets and is very stable without any retaining screws. The white pad for the boat side of the bracket is 1/4" King Starboard XL. The backside has a larger 1/4" Starboard XL piece to spread the load. I may have to change that later.

Sunday we went out again hoping for 10-15 knots wind. We got 18 knots to start the test so we hoisted to the first reef and went close hauled to close reaching and had some gusts that put the rail down. We found that we could stay behind the wheel in the gusts and the traction on the dry Trex was good. Standing was easiest with one foot off the step on the high side. When sitting on the coaming, the bracing was good, but the sharp edge is going to have to be cut on an angle and I think I will double the thickness of the overhang on each side before I cut the angle.

So, more testing is needed, but I'm encouraged by the results. I can't begin to explain how I got the brackets located, but the combination of the curve in the wall of the seat/lazarette and the 8.25 degree droop of the bracket made the math and the mock-up process interesting. I appreciate the perspectives in the responses. I think flat works OK, but we'll see how the summer goes.

 

[msFootrope]

I guess we shopped for wives in the same isle at the wife store. "Short and likes sailboats" isle #5

I would not classify myself as short at 5'6", but I do love sailboats like your wife.

I really like the step that Craig built however. The extra 5 inches of height puts me well above the dodger and is much more comfortable than steering standing on tip toes or than standing on the seat and bending over to the wheel. It puts me at just the right height to see everything I need to see. The step off the platform doesn't bother me at all, even though Craig wants to modify the edge somehow to make it more comfortable when sitting on the coaming and putting your foot against the platform. I found that having one foot on the platform and one foot on the cockpit floor was perfect while heeled over with the rail dipping in the water. I'm really looking forward to using the step this summer.

 

[Loren Beach]

Stand and deliver...

An alternative way to look at the problem is to reconsider from where the Helmsman/person does his/her actual steering. :nerd:

To go back to basics of guidence, all Ericsons were once tiller steered, and while this proved to have marketing disadvantages by the late 70's, it nonetheless let all heigths of helmspersons sit on either combing and steer with the end of the "hiking stick" held gently in hand.

Opinion: With the sudden growth of the sailing market due to the oil shortages in the early 70's, the sail boat industry found itself accomodating a raft of new purchasers with no small-boat background and no understanding of steering any device other than with a wheel like their autos. A generation passes; and here we all are.

While there are times when I really like the wheel that came on our boat, like docking, much of the time the wheel does cause "human interface" hassles. Standing is tiring for very long. If we sit on the stern seat area, it takes two cushions for me to see adequately, and for my shorter wife, three cushions. And, once seated on appropriate heights of wobbly closed-cell foam, one has to reach forward quite a bit to hold onto the wheel rim. Since this is the legacy of modern cockpit design, we all accept the imitations, including me...

Now, to plan B. I just sourced a reasonable deal on a larger wheel. Like many Ericsons and Olsons from the same era, our boat had a larger-than-average standard SS destroyer wheel, a 36".
The E-33(RH) in our moorage has a 44" wheel, and both of the other O-34's I am familiar with down in California have the 44". Having helmed these boats I really like the way you can sit out on either combing and see forward and still *easliy* reach the rim of the wheel, even if you are 5'4".
So I just got the larger wheel installed and am doing some overdue upgrades to the guard and some touchup to the paint on the guard brace plate.
(Every project leads to at least two others...)

The T-shape cockpit is wide enough to potentially accept a 48" on either of these boats, but the step around would be harder when moving forward or aft in the cockpit. you might want to cut out a cardboard 44" circle and tape it into place and see if the T-section of your particular cockpit allows for this increase in diameter. Check for clearance on any nearby seat hatches, too.

Anyhow, this is another way to solve the forward vision problem, perhaps.

Food for thought.


Loren in PDX

 

[Emerald]

I think Loren aptly sums this (steering progression) up. The PO of Emerald did a very simple thing that has worked well for us. He put a large cooler to sit on. It's a deluxe cooler with a cushion that snaps on so it's even "comfortable". The one modification I've made is to tie the handles off to the stern pulpit so it can't slide. Before I did this, heeling was very exciting, as the seat would go out from under you at the worst times. The cooler has the added advantage of now being stowage for some of the items I'd just as soon not have below, like a gallon of stove fuel. The cooler is white, and I've checked internal temps in the sun, and it stays nice and cool. This way, I figure if something like the alcohol leaks, I'm not filling the bilge with vapor, and in the meantime, I've got a nice perch with good visibility

 

[footrope]

Great comments

A friend with a CT38 installed a salvaged pedestal chair on his original flat seat. He cut the tube down to the right height. It swivels and can be removed, but I can't recall if he recessed the base or did some other clever arrangement to preserve a flat place to sit whilst sipping wine. It's kind of power yacht-y, but it looks OK. I'm pretty sure he only uses the chair when he motors. Anyway, he can stow the chair and have a regular seat when he's sailing or parked.

Ellen says she never sat anywhere but on the rail when steering a tiller boat, but feels she has to sit behind the wheel to drive the E38. Some practice will cure that.