Do you know of any examples of builds under 100 feet which have a flybridge/top deck/sky lounge which is an enclosed owner's stateroom? What are the negatives of an owner's MBR on the top deck assuming: -- the boat is crewed and never operated by owners so that a fresh air helm isn't a priority -- has a raised pilothouse -- the foredeck and cockpit have ample outdoor dining/sunning areas -- an interior stair links the saloon to the owner's deck -- the owner couple are seeking a separated living space from their extended family what potential negatives should the owner couple consider before moving forward wtih a top deck owner's deck? Any existing build examples along these lines would be much appreciated!
Hi there, Off the top of my head, I remember Audacious "Ex. Zembra III", a 95' Inace, built 2003 with a study abaft the pilot house on the sky deck, this was converted in 2009 if am right to a master suite. Same setup found as a factory layout on the 2008 built 86' Aurora by Nordhavn. Both are, if you notice, expedition type boats. Are you thinking of converting an existing vessel setup? or commissioning a new vessel? Nothing is impossible if you realize all aspects. Is the weight of the setup going to effect the stability of the vessel or not? Are you willing to sacrifice space? When you go up, decks get skinnier, so if you have a raised pilot house, you can have the master on the main deck, other staterooms on the lower deck, which answers your privacy requirement and gives you the luxury of a full-beam stateroom and better space, layout and amenities than going up a deck. Again, the weights might restrict how certain materials are integrated or require additional costs for weight saving material, for example, instead of having solid marble or onyx finishing in the master head, you might need to go with honey comb to save weight, not a bad idea if that is what you want. Then, the type of vessel, or hull design will tell how the motion will be while you are sleeping at night, at dock, at sea or at anchor, what noises or wind whisper you will hear, it might be nothing to mention, but that nothing might not be acceptable by you. I guess you will get better responses from others around here, so if you have a vessel in mind, toss it in the conversation to get more comprehensive critique and guidance for solutions. I like the setup of having the master stateroom on the main deck, women dig that because of space and light due to use of full beam in most cases , and I personally prefer sleeping below deck in the mid-ship section, but that is just me! Good luck with your quest. Cheers,
Audacious/Aurora Alfred, many thanks for the examples of Audacious and Aurora -- I'd already seen the Captain's cabin on Aurora's bridge deck, while Audacious was new to me -- much appreciated. Planning a new build 75' power catamaran but didn't want to muddy the waters with a specific discussion of my design and more interested in seeing other owner top deck treatments already out there. Skinny decks aren't an issue with a 30 foot beam, while weight considerations definitely are, and all finishes throughout are actually honeycomb. Most likely to go with an on-deck master but wanted to see other top deck owner deck treatments out there, but having trouble finding good examples, and wanting to better understand why.
ABD Aluminum in Vancouver built a 90' expedition yacht called Exodus. She has a magnificent upperdeck master stateroom. Judy
ABD Boats Judy, I wasn't familiar wtih ABD Boats until you suggested I take a look -- love their incredibly high interior volumes which allow for some surprising layouts such as three main deck staterooms on these beamy Explorer builds. I wasn't familiar with Exodus either, but it's exactly the type of Top deck Owner deck layout I'm considering for my new build. As an aside Judy, if I'm ever looking for a brokerage monohull Explorer in the future, you're at at the top of my list as a potential broker -- your posts have been incredibly educational over the last two years since I joined YF, and I can't quite believe that you've responded to one of my rare (second) posts All the best from Asia.
Thank you so much for your kind and generous comments. It's what's great about YF: the sharing of knowledge and you never know whom or how many may be benefitting. The credit goes to Carl, Mr. YF. I have been a fan of ABD Aluminum since I first visited their yard maybe 10 years ago. One of my favorite yards is A.F. Theriault. They built a 82' catamaran called Hayfu II. Take a look at their website. PS. As an fyi, I have proudly come to be associated with trawlers and expedition yachts, but I also sell and have sold megayachts, express cruisers, sportfishermen, catamarans, sailboats, etc. Thanks again! And please let us know how your project progresses. Judy