The Offshore Voyaging Reference Site

Sailboat Deck Layouts

I’m going to use the Outbound 46 as a base to write about optimal deck layouts for sailboats. Information that will help anyone to either select a good deck layout when buying a boat, or fix a screwed-up one on a boat they already have.

Good Deck Layouts Are Rare

That last sentence may surprise many since it would be logical to expect cruising sailboats to have good and functional deck layouts, but as an ex-sailmaker and longterm racer, the thing that never ceases to amaze me is that most boats, particularly those marketed as cruisers, come out of the yard with the rig and deck gear set up so poorly that actually sailing them is nothing but a huge chore, and it takes years for even a knowledgeable owner to sort things out—just read Colin’s trials and tribulations with the rig on his Ovni 435 to see what I mean.

This is so bad that I’m pretty sure that the popularity of in-mast and in-boom mainsail furling systems is in large part because most boats are so poorly set up for reefing that owners have been scared off simple and robust systems and toward complex, fragile, and expensive ones.

I will also write, once more, about speed. I know, we are cruisers, so why do we care? Well, up to you, but to me if we are going to really cruise under sail, rather than just motor around with an oversized flag pole and occasionally unroll a sail attached to it as we see so often these days, we might as well do it properly.

Seriously, a well set-up boat, efficiently reeling off the miles under wind power alone, is one of life’s sublime pleasures, and knowing that we can control the rig and shorten sail quickly and efficiently without automation or brute strength is the cherry on top.

Let’s look at how to do that:


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More Articles From Online Book: Sail Handling and Rigging Made Easy:

  1. Six Reasons To Leave The Cockpit Often
  2. Don’t Forget About The Sails
  3. Your Mainsail Is Your Friend
  4. Hoisting the Mainsail Made Easy—Simplicity in Action
  5. Reefs: How Many and How Deep
  6. Reefing Made Easy
  7. Reefing From The Cockpit 2.0—Thinking Things Through
  8. Reefing Questions and Answers
  9. A Dangerous Myth about Reefing
  10. In-Mast, In-Boom, or Slab Reefing—Convenience and Reliability
  11. In-Mast, In-Boom, or Slab Reefing —Performance, Cost and Safety
  12. Mainsail Handling Made Easy with Lazyjacks
  13. Safe and Easy Offshore Sailing—When to Reef, Part 1
  14. Safe and Easy Offshore Sailing—When to Reef, Part 2
  15. Topping Lift Tips and a Hack
  16. 12 Reasons The Cutter Is A Great Offshore Voyaging Rig
  17. Cutter Rig—Should You Buy or Convert?
  18. Cutter Rig—Optimizing and/or Converting
  19. Cruising Rigs—Sloop, Cutter, or Solent?
  20. Sailboat Deck Layouts
  21. The Case For Roller-Furling Headsails
  22. The Case For Hank On Headsails
  23. UV Protection For Roller Furling Sails
  24. Making Life Easier—Roller Reefing/Furling
  25. Making Life Easier—Storm Jib
  26. Swept-Back Spreaders—We Just Don’t Get It!
  27. Q&A: Staysail Stay: Roller Furling And Fixed Vs Hanks And Removable
  28. Rigid Vangs
  29. Building A Safer Boom Preventer, Part 1—Forces and Angles
  30. Building A Safer Boom Preventer, Part 2—Line and Gear Strength Calculator
  31. Building A Safer Boom Preventer, Part 3—The Details
  32. Why We Don’t Recommend Boom Brakes
  33. Downwind Sailing, Tips and Tricks
  34. Downwind Sailing—Poling Out The Jib
  35. Setting and Striking a Spinnaker Made Easy and Safe
  36. Ten Tips To Fix Weather Helm
  37. Running Rigging Recommendations—Part 1
  38. Running Rigging Recommendations—Part 2
  39. Two Dangerous Rigging Mistakes
  40. Rig Tuning, Part 1—Preparation
  41. Rig Tuning, Part 2—Understanding Rake and Bend
  42. Rig Tuning, Part 3—6 Steps to a Great Tune
  43. Rig Tuning, Part 4—Mast Blocking, Stay Tension, and Spreaders
  44. Rig Tuning, Part 5—Sailing Tune
  45. Cruising Sailboat Spar Inspection
  46. Cruising Sailboat Standing Rigging Inspection
  47. Cruising Sailboat Running Rigging Inspection
  48. Cruising Sailboat Rig Wiring and Lighting Inspection
  49. Cruising Sailboat Roller Furler and Track Inspection
  50. Download Cruising Sailboat Rig Checklist
  51. 9 Tips To Make Unstepping a Sailboat Mast Easier
  52. Rigging Tips Part 1
  53. Rigging Tips Part 2