Pilothouse Spray questions

Hello fellow design fanatics,

I've been looking at Bruce Roberts' Spray designs for quite some time now. I'd like to build a < 40 steel pilothouse vessel with lots of fuel capacity for extended voyaging. There are two configurations that interest me--both are rather standard, but #2 has a twist.

Sorry this post is so long, but I want to include all relevant details. Most are pretty basic though. Please read-on if you dare:

Option 1).

Center cockpit with bulkhead-mounted steering and wheelhouse/hard-dodger. This design would be similar to Nauticat Motorsailor, except that the wheelhouse would function more like a sailing cockpit; that is, it should be self-draining and the aft and main cabins should be water-tight/resistant, similar to a regular sailboat. Also, it should probably have a canvass enclosure for the back half fo the cockpit because I'm not sure if I want the Nauticat-style side doors.



Option 2).

Aft cockpit with bulkhead-mounted steering; possibly a transom lazarette; and here's where it gets tricky...

For engine/fuel storage and maximum interior room, it should have a raised deck saloon that's about 1.5' above an otherwise flush deck. Since the deck-saloon roof is raised, the wheelhouse/hard-dodger and cockpit floor would also need to be raised by an equal amount (otherwise I won't see over the raised deck-saloon, obviously). That leaves some extra room under the cockpit floor. Here's where it gets really tricky...

I want a longitudinal, centerline queen berth directly underneath the cockpit floor. There should be about 1-meter headroom between the mattress and cockpit floor; head should be aft! Crawl-in access should be via a sliding panel behind the hatchway steps (the steps might need to be moved to enter).


Ok, if you've read this far: Thanks! And I sincerely hope it wasn't too boring.

Option #1 seems straight-forward: It's almost like a Nauticat. By the way, I grew-up in the early 80's sailing Nauticats, so I know what they're about. The Spray's hull seems well-suited for this configuration.

Option #2 is a bit tricky for me, because I've never seen this configuration in a Spray. I've seen similar configs in other boats, but perhaps without the type of under-cockpit berth that I mentioned. And I've also never seen a flush-deck Spray under 40-ft...nor a Spray with a raised deck-saloon AND a full-height wheelhouse/hard-dodger.

So, here're my questions:

Would there be enough room under a Spray's cockpit for such a berth?

Does anyone have any Spray pictures such as my description of Option #2?

BTW, I like the Spray hulls because they're W-I-D-E! I'd rather build a wide boat than a long boat. I'm open to other hull styles though, as long as they've got comparable volume to the Spray's. If this thread generates some discussion, then I've got some more questions.

Thanks for your input!

Kristian