When constructing boats most builders install the soles before fitting the furniture and joinery. A shiny teak and holly sole is a glorious thing, alternate strips of 1 1/2" (40mm) teak and 1/4" (12mm) holly (a white timber), but not on a cruising boat. These polished areas are far too slippery and it never fails to amaze me that some builders have the audacity to install these highly polished soles. In rough conditions you will have enough trouble staying upright on even the best non skid surface.
A word on sole levels; it is best if the sole can be the same level throughout the boat; this avoids one area where one can trip when moving about the vessel however in the real world this is seldom practical and if you have a pilot house it is impossible. Make sure any changes in sole level are really necessary; raising the sole in the area of the dinette may be worthwhile to allow the occupants to see out while seated. Lowering the sole where it is necessary to gain proper headroom is another valid reason and if your boat has a centre cockpit and you can fit in a walk-through then you may find the sole has to be lowered in the passage way to make best use of the available space under and beside the cockpit.
Plywood will almost certainly be the basic building material used to construct the sole of your boat. Now the question is where do we go from there. Probably the least expensive and best non skid solution would be to paint the sole with deck paint; not very glamorous but very practical at sea. For serious long distance cruising you may have a plywood sole and then choose a varnish that offers some non skid qualities and this sole could have loose mat covers for use when in port. My personal choice is to have a plywood sole and then install fitted carpet that can easily be taken up and dried as required. Lets face it; the area of carpet is so small that you could replace it every few months and still not be sent to the poor house.
Before you add any covering to the sole you will need to decide the location for storage lockers which are located in the bilge. You should carefully cut openings in these areas, saving the cut-outs for use as lids. Another suggestion is to arrange the cut-outs as receptacles for rectangular plastic bins; these are especially useful in the galley area where you may have the space under the sole to accommodate the bins. The plastic bins are available from supermarkets and service stations and come in a variety of sizes. For a superior finish the access locker tops are carpeted and the tops and aperture are edged in flat aluminum trim. A stainless steel ring pull completes this storage arrangement.
When enquiring about a particular boat many people ask ‘how many will it sleep’ and although this is a serious question it should not be the overriding consideration. How many will it live? Although un-grammatical, would be a more sensible enquiry.
Make sure your cruising boat is set up for the least number of people you intend to have occupying the boat on a long term basis. Sometimes one is tempted to treat boats like houses; you may not need a four bedroom home other than for the resale value. Resale value of a boat is very important but the number of berths alone will never sell a boat to a knowledgeable person. As you are setting up your boat for cruising, your most likely buyer will be someone who wants to use the boat for the same purpose. If too many berths are included at the expense of other items then you will not only have suffered the inconvenience of a less than perfect layout, but you will find your boat difficult to sell when you are ready to move on.
The most likely numbers of crew for a cruising boat are the two owners with either two children or another couple as occasional crew or as charterers. If you think you are likely to want to sleep a total of six occasionally then the lounge or dinette can easily be arranged to sleep the extra two as required. So we now have the perfect cruising boat that sleeps two in luxury, two in some comfort and two on a temporary basis.
Even if you intend to charter to one or two couples or a couple with two children, you can then give over your own accommodation to the paying passengers and use the dinette or other convertible accommodation for yourselves. You will almost certainly be last to bed and first to rise so this arrangement will work better than you might think.
To give an example of my own arrangements; our boat K*I*S*S a Spray 28 which has a comfortable double cabin in the bow and a make up double or single in the pilot house. The settees were too short to sleep any but the smallest child. Naturally my wife Gwenda and I used the forward cabins. However, we found that when we had visitors it was easier for us (last to bed first to rise) to give the guests the forward cabin and use the pilot house berths for ourselves. Our current boat is 38 ft [11.58 M] and much more luxurious however we deliberately chose a similar layout and we still follow the same philosophy as far as the sleeping arrangements are concerned.
For offshore cruising you will probably require a least two single berths that are located in a part of the vessel where the motion is the least. These ‘sea berths’ should be fitted with lee cloths and generally designed to accommodate the off watch crew in maximum comfort and should be if possible not be adjacent to the high traffic areas such as the galley, chart table or the head. Unfortunately this perfect recipe for seclusion and comfort when off watch is not possible on most cruising boats. For sleeping in port a double berth is the ultimate for most couples. Add the convertible dinette to round out the full compliment of sleeping accommodation.
All that I have said in the previous paragraphs applies to boats between 35 ft (10.67m) and 45 ft (13.72 m) LOA. For cruising boats under 35 ft (10.67 m) these are best arranged with only two permanent berths. How much additional length should one need to add permanent accommodation for two ? Many intending builders when discussing a new design request us to ‘to just add another 7 ft (2.00m) and fit in two more berths’. Not a sensible option. Those two extra people need s-p-a-c-e; they have to be fed; more stores and water will be needed plus a little more galley space; additional washing will put more strain on existing showers and toilets or create the need for a second facility; larger dining area will be required if' they do not want to have to eat alone and I have yet to sail on a boat where two sittings were considered the norm; and their gear has to be stowed. Finally, the whole crew needs room to move and lounge about in comfort.
For the weekend cruiser you will be able to make many compromises that are not available to the long distance sailor. Four berths in a 25 ft (7.62 m) to 28 ft (8.53 m) sailboat can be acceptable for a few days cruising where you are a family or close friends. As this smaller size range is often all that your budget will allow especially for couples with a young family and you want to retain the interest and cooperation of your mate and the family then you may be wise to choose a boat that is less performance oriented and offers more living space.
Boats grow in interior space in at least two directions when length is added, so we can say that the two additional berths require another 10 ft (3.05 m) resulting in a boat of around 55 ft (16.76 M) LOD. Boats with different waterline lengths and different beam ratios can change the exact overall length requirement, however in general if you intend to accommodate additional crew whether they be family or friends and especially if they are paying guests, then you should decide on your absolute needs before settling on the length, or to be more accurate the size, of your cruising boat.
HOW MANY HEADS?
After you have decided on the number of berths the next most often item is how many heads are required. This is very important area of your boat and some time should be taken in considering the available options; this is especially so if your boat is intended as a live-aboard long distance cruiser. In boats without a dedicated shower stall, a low usage portable shower head attached to a flexible pipe can be led up through the back of the basin and do double duty as a basin tap and shower head. In boats with a LOA of around 25 ft (7.62 m) to say 36 ft (10.97 m) a single head with toilet, hand basin and shower is the norm. Once boats reach 37 ft (11.27 m) then many owners start to consider two separate heads. In my opinion, boats under 43 ft (13.12 m) are better arranged with a single complete head and shower facility. A good compromise is to have a separate shower stall; in practice this arrangement has proven to work out well as it allows two people to be use the separate facilities at the same time.
If your boat is over 43 ft (13.11m) then you may wish to consider two separate heads complete with showers. It is a good idea to have two toilets if your regular crew totals four and essential if there are more than this number aboard on a regular basis. To close this subject I suggest you consider the following alternative options depending on the space available and the number of crew; one roomy head complete with shower; one head with separate shower stall; two toilet compartments, one with a separate shower stall; two complete head and shower compartments.
