Required width for two a person centre console?

Discussion in 'Boat Design' started by IronPrice, Sep 4, 2017.

  1. IronPrice
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    IronPrice Senior Member

    Does anyone know how wide a centre console should be to shelter (with a screen) two seated adults?

    I cant find a guideline anywhere.
     
  2. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Three feet minimum, I'd suggest, but more would be better. You have to factor in what the minimum gap you have between the console and the sides, you can accept. You really don't want to have to squeeze sideways through there.
     
  3. PAR
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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    There's no set standard and 24" (610mm) is considered a butt width by most, though this is generous, particularly on a skinny butt or boat. Sit two of your well fed friends on a bench and measure the distance they can tolerate, if forced to like each other for a few hours. Add a couple of inches (50mm) and call this the minimum. Naturally butt over flow and elbow room can come to play with these dimensions a little, so use your best judgment and call it done.
     
  4. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    The first measurement to consider would the distance separating the internal sides, in an 8 feet beam boat, it will be about 6'6", if you allow 18" clearance each side, which would be a quite comfortable gap to negotiate, that gives you 3'6" which would be quite adequate for most pairings.
     
  5. jorgepease
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    jorgepease Senior Member

    Also check that most of the Ttop guys fabricate stock size seats and some tops as well at a much better price than having one custom made.
     
  6. JSL
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    JSL Senior Member

    What is the boat size????
    If a 'busy' console (Search and Rescue, Patrol, etc) and/or larger people aim for at least 48" (24"/person). A local 30' SAR boat has 53" wide console and 11" side clearance for decks.
    Regardless, the 'skipper' should be 'comfortable' and not have any distractions.
     
  7. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Pertinent question, I am guessing it is a trailer boat, so 2.5 m max. Could be narrower.
     
  8. IronPrice
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    IronPrice Senior Member

    20160523_120234.jpg A photo of my boat is attached. It's 6m water line length. Internal beam is 2m at deck level. The sides flare out, so despite having 0.22m wide gunwales the distance between gunwales is still about 1.8m. The gunwales could be rebated about 0.1m on each sides, where they run past the console to provide more room for getting past. There is no particular need for wide gunwales beside the console.

    I'm in NZ, so stock seats, consoles etc are not an option. There is limited choice and it's all very expensive. I would prefer to fabricate something myself.

    It will be quite the project to turn it into a centre-console, but you can get a lot done in an afternoon with a grinder and a welder. I can cut and tack weld myself, but I'd get a professional to finish the structural welding. The plan would be to: -
    - Retain some of the front deck;
    - Weld in a casting deck, with side storage to brace the front;
    - Remove the spray dodger
    - Add a center console.

    The motivation is to make the boat more manageable (anchoring, trailering etc) when I'm boating by myself - usually the case now the kids have left home. I'm just looking at feasibility for now.

    I realise weight distribution is important. I have scope to shift the fuel tank to maintain or improve the current weight distribution.
     
  9. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    Seems a shame to be butchering that, you will knock thousands off the value, centre consoles are much less popular than what you have there. I'd be selling and buying a CC ready to go. Another consideration is the "wetness" of the boat, you really don't get a vast amount of protection from flying spray, behind a CC screen, especially if the boat is known to be a prolific producer of spray. You'd know its characteristics in that department.
     
    Last edited: Sep 5, 2017
  10. IronPrice
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    IronPrice Senior Member

    It's a dry, boat. The gunwales and spray dodger generally stay dry. In a quartering wind, when planing, the back corner gets a bit wet. The hull is old (1987), so worth very little. 80% of the value is in the engines and trailer, which are newer and can be sold separately.

    CC offerings are very limited in NZ, and those produced all lack the necessary storage and layout (e.g. casting decks) to make a CC work as a fishing boat. If I want a decent CC, I have to scratch build or modify something ...
     
  11. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    What brand/size is it ?
     
  12. IronPrice
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    IronPrice Senior Member

    It was custom built in NZ by a company called Bluefin. They were around in the late 80's and early 90's. At a time when everyone in NZ else was building alloy boats very light to allow small engines to push them, Bluefin were building tanks. My boat is 20' long and the hull plates and structure are 6mm alloy. the structure is partial height stringers and bulkheads at about 350mm spacing in both directions.

    The guy who started the company sold up and the brand still exists but with much lighter boats. A 20' Bluefin now has ~4mm hull plates.
     
  13. Rurudyne
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    Rurudyne Senior Member

  14. Mr Efficiency
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    6mm is certainly overkill, but I'd be surprised if it wasn't still a boat with good resale.
     

  15. IronPrice
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    IronPrice Senior Member

    In the NZ used boat market the resale value on older boats is in the engines (and the trailer if it's newish). Older hulls just aren't worth much, second hand.
    Thanks very helpful. I also found some info from Lowrance on viewing angles for fish-finders, which is also useful.

    After reading around a lot and measuring a few boats About 1,200 mm seems to be a comfortable width for a two person console. About a 400 mm gap to the gunwales (at mid-thigh height) seems to be enough to move past comfortably.
     
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