Captains chairs vs bench seating

Style. It's what accounts for most aspects of modern boats. Goes right along with white seats.

In my latest design, a 54-footer, I wanted to have a captains chair that you could walk around. But our sales manager is saying that ALL his clients MUST have a two-seat sofa. So the only way to the wheel now is passing in front of the passenger, although we have a side door at the captains side.

Perhaps this is part of the dream for boat buyers..?

Captain's Chair = Classic, salty dog sailor. Chart, nav, get there. No BS, bells, whistles or showboating. Get out of my wheel house. Aaarrrrrr!!!

Helm Couch = Husband / Wife, mingle, enjoy, relax, entertain. Come look everyone! Have a seat! Let me give you a switch, button and gauge tour!

I'll cast my vote for the single swivel....

OMG! That doesn't look pretty at all. Look at those ugly Furuno thingies stuck there on stands and that wheel. It doesn't look anything like the wheel in a Bentley. And what's with all those buttons and gauges? You must be a..a..a..a.."boater". So tacky. It's like getting to your destination safely is your main concern. You should replace all of that wood with white plastic and maybe a nice white carpet under your feet. Maybe a few chatskis in a mauve color to dress it up. I'm sure an interior designer could fix it.

And even worse, those window frames, how unsightly, who was you interior designer?? should be sent to the goolag !!! and , that funny bubble thingy, my, ohh my..what is the world coming to.?

This type of attitude is why I only occasionally read this forum now. The "you are not a real boater unless you have this kind of boat and that kind look, blah, blah, blah".

Let me see, I've done 3000 miles of cruising this year and gasp, I have a bench seat. Even worse... I have an Italian boat! Oh my god, I even bought it new!

My wife and I run an 85' have been through some wicked weather, cruised the Carribbean, and been in northern British Columbia where the remoteness is deafening. No aids to navigation up there.

Some of you guys -- especially the jaded so-called professional captains -- should start remembering what boating is about and quit being so critical.

Whoa GoPlay! I think you've completely misinterpreted NYCAPT's post. That entire paragraph was written tongue-n-cheek. I thought it was pretty funny.

For many of us, this is exactly what a helm SHOULD look like. On the flip side, I love the modern helms in some of the Italian boats too.

It's all good brother!

For the record one of the boats I've been captaining the past few years is a 50' Viking Sport Cruiser with a bench seat and the lower helm seat is inside the guest seat. The 51 Bertram I used to run has pedistal seats where the passenger had to have a close relationship with the helmsman to pass. My entire last passage was indeed total tongue in cheek. Sometimes we take ourselves too seriously and fact & figure posts can get a little dry. The helm in question would be an ideal for my tastes, but different tastes is what makes the world interesting. I do however take issue with some design features that seem to forget the environment they're intended for. Some manufacturers don't curry my favor for what I feel are good reasons. Hopefully, when they read critiques it gives them food for thought. However, a boat has to suit the needs of the owner. That may mean a 180' Feadship or a 23' Rinker. SInce I'm not buying either, someone elses choice doesn't matter. All our members though try to impart their experience here to help others make informed decisions. Rarely will you find a rubber stamp here. Sorry if my brand of humor offended you. Hopefully you got something out of the exchange despite it.

NYCAP, I didn't mean to single you out. You are probably a very dedicated guy at what you do.

At this risk of highjacking this thread... At the end of the day, yachts are objects for pleasure. Some people buy because of the image, others because they like the process of boating. Some people get excited about trawlers, others fast looking express cruisers.

Heck, there is a strong argument to be made that some trawlers are all about style and have little to do with fuel efficiency nor superior seaworthiness. Those people are buying trawlers exactly for the image, much like the people who bought H1 Hummers.

Buy what you like. What you like may be the wrong trade-off for someone else.

The advice on this board can be very good and I have learned from others. The sometimes righteous responses, though seem to be incongruent to what pleasure boating is about.

I have a good friend who loves his 55' boat and boating, but is amused that every boat we look at a boat during a boat show, I want to go through the engine room. He never sets foot in the engine room, let alone concern himself about wiring runs. I fully encourage him to enjoy boating the way he wants to: hands-off -- especially since he has a captain.

I have another friend who has a 60' Nordhavn but rarely ventures offshore and will never leave except in perfect weather. It sure takes a long time to travel the west coast, especially given an 8kn speed!

Who's getting the most out of their boat?

Back to bench seats... the reality is, most owners and if they have captains, their captains, never use the boat enough nor in meaningful conditions where a bench seat or a captain's chair will make any real difference.

For me, a bench seat is great for socializing and being with my wife at the helm. I would, however, rather have a captain's chair for the 12 to 24 hour runs that we sometimes do.

All's good. Anything that gets people to use their boats makes me happy. While they're playing I try to interject a bit of knowledge, but enjoying one's boat is key. Although, about the Nordhaven owner that doesn't go offshore. .

This Kingship came with a bench seat, it now has 2 short pedestal mount seats on the box where the bench was mounted. My main issue (especially with this boat since it has quite a rolling moment) is that it's difficult to secure yourself in a bench when at sea, plus the bench was too low for the application and had no head rests. Now it's possible to be secure and comfortable.

Captains chairs...bench seating...but no mention of...board seating like that which my old 1963 13-foot Boston Whaler came with. Anything more than a one-foot chop at speed resulted in a serious spanking.

I once drove a 46 Bertram motoryacht whose lower helm was equipped with Recaro seats which, I believe, came out of a Ferrari. They fit your backside like a glove and, on a 4-to-6 foot day to Bimini, were supremely comfy.

The difference between the seats is balance dictated by style. If you look at the helm placement with the bench, which makes the skipper more a part of the party, you'll generally find it forward. If you put a pedestal there you'd find the ride in a quartering sea akin to being on a roller-coaster. Lowering you center of gravity is a more comfortable feel in moderate seas. Of course in heavy seas you want to sit further back and you need the higher seat for visibility. Since your center of gravity is higher you want a seat that secures you better.

I obviously like the chair look too. I just need to get a more comfortable one with a cup holder

Seating & Boat choice

54Conqueror: What a beautiful looking helm, which boat is that?

As for seat, bench, plastic helm, timber traditional...Thank God we are all different and like different things!
How else would plain girls get married and goofs get the stunner!

Ironic that this thread started when I am wondering why the 58 Hatt YF has a helm arrangement like a bus, everything else about the boat I like, but the helm looks like an inconvenience they had to have, in the old brochures they even had curtains to shield the windscreen. Personally, had bench and chair and prefer a nice comfortable seat and prefer a pilothouse...BUT seem to find whatever boat I buy is the perfect boat, until it's time for a "new" adventure.

Thanks Kafue.

That's the flybridge on my 1954 53' Chris Craft Conqueror.

I much prefer a captain's chair with armrests like a Stidd chair. It offers more support and control in a rough sea and is more comfortable when you're actually running a yacht 10 hours a day. I have never seen an owner use the bench seat with another person sitting next to them. But the trend nowadays is owners are buying larger and larger yachts and thinking they are going to safely run them by themselves.........