Augustin,  I believe that a sailboat being lived aboard by a man and
wife (or girlfriend)...the usual situation...that cruises...is best
and safest when the cockpit is located in the after part of the vessel
for the following reasons:
     A. The helmsman at the steering station can always observe the
trim of all set sails. This is not always the case in a center cockpit
vessel...unless one looks aft frequently.
     B. If someone falls over the side, the steersman in an aft
cockpit sailboat will be aware of that accident when it happens; not
necessarily true if the steering station is amidships.
     C. Getting underway from a slip, or entering a slip at the end of
a day of sailing can be an "interesting" experience (especially if one
is backing in) if "things" don't go just right. These maneuvers are
much safer and easier if each member of the crew is stationed at the
ends of the vessel...so each can take in or get over lines, and fend
off as necessary. In an aft cockpit vessel, the helmsman can also be
the aft linehandler; in a center cockpit sailboat, he cannot be at the
helm, throttle, and after line stations at the same time.
     D. The aft cockpit station is drier than the center cockpit
station when wind and seas are up and the wind is forward of the beam.
     E. If a collision occurs, one is usually safer aft than amidships
as most collisions take place on the bow and beam...not aft.
     F. When underway with the engine running, an aft cockpit helmsman
can check the color of the exhaust gases and the amount of cooling
water coming out of the exhaust pipe easier than a man in a center
cockpit vessel...and, therefore, will probably make those checks more
frequently and detect possible engine problems sooner.
     G. A man at the steering station in an aft cockpit sailboat is
less likely to get "beaned" by the mainsail's boom...during a jibe...
than a helmsman located amidships.
     H. Aft cockpits are usually lower than center cockpits. Lower is
safer, underway, on the ocean, for people stationed topside.
     I. Many center cockpit sailboats I have visited (the Morgan Out-
Islanders immediately come to mind) appear to be designed that way to
enhance their conveniences for two couples chartering in the Bahamas
or Caribbean. That is, the design provides for a "stateroom" forward
and a "stateroom" aft. The center cockpit, the engine room beneath it,
and the passageway connecting the forward and after staterooms (on
some designs) do the separating. However, those "separators" usually
occupy the beamiest...and therefore the largest...portion of the hull;
yet that area is not available to enhance the room available below
decks for personnel occupation. In an aft cockpit model...it is. And,
since the man and wife (or girlfriend) "crew" usually have no need for
individual privacy, the loss of the after stateroom is no
inconvenience...and, the gain in living space is a big plus.
     J. When sailboats are moored in a slip stern-in...normally, the
desired position...it is usually easier and safer to get on and off an
aft cockpit sailboat than it is a center cockpit model.
     K. Most aft cockpit sailboats have lower freeboards...and,
therefore, less windage...than center cockpit models...a plus,
especially when docking and undocking under windy conditions.
     L. Many aft cockpit sailboats have clean, "traditional" lines;
most center cockpit sailboats do not (Some look like barges).
     These are the reasons I prefer an aft cockpit on a cruising
sailboat with a two-person liveaboard crew. I realize that there are
many knowledgeable sailors that will disagree with some of these
comments...and their position will probably be just as valid as mine.
But, then, that's the nature of all of this...and that is why we have
so many different kinds of sailboats...and sailors. However, based on
my experiences, I think I have it right.             --- Bob ---
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