Cockpit Sole above Waterline height?

What is the appropriate distance the cockpit soleshould be above the waterline?

If it matters- this is on a 32' aft-cockpit design.

 

A self draining cockpit sole should be no less then 6" above the LWL, in my opinion, but many feel this is too close, preferring 8". I have seen them lower then this, but have not thought it wise. If it is not a self draining cockpit, then the sole height can be anything you want.

 

Thanks! Right now I have it drawn in at one foot above the waterline, but this is causing some head-room trouble as I am considering a radar arch over a portion of the cockpit so the traveler can be on top of the arch and I won't end up with a knee-knocker in the cockpit.

So on to my next, related question: how much verticle disctance do I need between the top of the radar arch and the bottom of the boom to fit a traveler and mainsheet? If it's too much room I suppose I could do without the traveler and design for a split mainsheet mounted to the sides of the radar arch....

Also, how much verticle room should I need for a split mainsheet, as well?

 

Arch Clearance

I'm not a big fan, but take a look at any of the new larger Hunters. They have the traveler on an arch. From recollection the boom rests about 6" above. I haven't sailed on any exotic racers, so there are probably some great ideas out there, but the Hunter layout of sheets, halyards and winches keeps the cockpit relatively clear of the piles of rope found in many cockpits.

 

6" from the top of the arch to the bottom of the boom? That's either amazingly efficient use of space or frieghtening small and under-strength sheet hardware. I think I could come up with ~1' of space, I'll have to double-check.

I'm not really a fan of this, and am worried about the visual effect on what I wanted to look more like a classic cruiser. However the alternative- having the traveler bisect the cockpit -is unacceptable.

Thank you for your help, everything else seems to be coming along nicely with this design!

 

More important than the hight above sea level is the drain rate.

If it will take more than 5 min to drain after being pooped it will be dangerous.

Scuppers or overboard drain should be able to free the cockpit in less than 2 min , after filling.

This will be ez to measure after the boat is built.

FAST FRED

 

Arch Clearance

Ok, maybe it's closer to 8". Depending on the geometry and how the traveler is attached to the arch (on top or flush mounted) you only need room for a 3-4" block. Massey Marine (Tampa/St. Petersburg Office - The Harborage Marina) lists several new 36'. A picture is worth a thousand words, take a field trip this weekend

 

The radar arch kind of blows the classic looks right of the hatch. Can the traveler go at the end of the cockpit or is there a scoop transom on this classic cruiser?

 

I had originally thought of placing the mizzen traveler on the transom's top, and placed the mizzen mast (free-standing cat-ketch with equal height masts) so the end of the boom was directly above that point. However, the booms will be 13' long (300sq.ft. of sail per mast) and it seemed that mid-boom sheeting would be the only way to make travelers useful at all. As it is, I put the travelers 10' from their respective mast-base to accomodate an 8' dingy be stored on the cabin-top aft of the main-mast.

The transom is verticle, to make it easy to mount a Cape Horn self-steering system.
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