An Aft Cockpit or a Centre Cockpit Sailboat? The Ultimate Debate

In a Nutshell...

So, you’re wondering whether an aft cockpit or a centre cockpit sailboat is the right choice for you? Well, there isn't a single, straightforward answer, as it all comes down to the sort of sailing you do and what your priorities are. For me, having done a fair share of ocean sailing, the decision is a choice between seakeeping and seaworthiness on the one hand, and interior accommodation and comfort on the other. A well-designed aft cockpit boat is often my choice for serious, long-distance blue water cruising, as it offers a more secure and traditional design, whereas a centre cockpit excels as a home afloat for living aboard, thanks to its spacious and private aft cabin.

Kelly Peterson 46 centre-cockpit sailboat at anchor

A centre-cockpit sloop—the Kelly Peterson 46

The Aft Cockpit: Sleeker, Simpler, & Often Safer
Digging Deeper: More Than Just the Cockpit
Steering: The Feel of the Helm
Practicalities of Carrying a Tender
Budget and Resale Value
At-a-Glance Comparison
Summing Up
Frequently Asked Questions

I can still recall more than a few years ago when a pal and I were at the London Boat Show. He’d been dragged into the aft cabin of a brand new 45ft (14m) centre cockpit sailboat by an overly enthusiastic salesman. After a moment of wide-eyed silence, he turned to the salesman and quipped, "Good Lord, it's a fornicatorium!"

The salesman was speechless, but I knew exactly what he meant. This wasn’t a cabin; it was a king-sized walk-around bed with en-suite facilities, a space that would’ve easily stood comparison with a top-end honeymoon suite. That huge, luxurious aft cabin, completely separated from the rest of the boat by a long, walk-through passageway along the starboard side, certainly provided a level of privacy and seclusion rarely found on a boat. In a harbour, it’s an in-port refuge par excellence.

At sea, however, this sort of aft cabin is a different story. In anything other than flat calm conditions, it’s pretty much a waste of space other than as a storeroom, as anyone trying to sleep in that king-sized bed would find themselves rolled straight out onto the cabin sole.

Many sailboat manufacturers, wrestling with the cost versus size versus accommodation conundrum, see such a commodious aft cabin as a huge selling point. The result is that they produce centre cockpit boats that end up being less than successful for offshore cruising. In my view, the need for headroom to accommodate the aft cabin and the walk-through passageway leads to an unnaturally high cockpit sole. This results in a design that doesn’t make for a seaworthy sailboat.

The feeling on board such a boat is that you’re perched insecurely on top of it, rather than being protected securely within it.

But it isn’t always like that. It is possible to produce a smaller centre cockpit sailboat with a comfortable double berth aft cabin without compromising the security of the cockpit, but that often comes at the expense of a walk-through passageway. Instead, access to the aft cabin is through a forward-facing companionway from the cockpit.

There are at least three issues with this design:

Facing directly into the elements, the companionway gets very wet in bad weather.

When the companionway is left open to the cockpit, as it must be to provide light and ventilation, there's almost no privacy for the occupants if other people are on board.

It's too remote from the rest of the accommodation. Shut away in the aft cabin, what chance is there of hearing the anchor chain graunch in the stemhead when the boat drags its anchor?

As a seasoned sailor who’s spent a lot of time on the water, my view is that a centre cockpit sailboat is great for cruising, but only if:

The sailboat is big enough to provide access to the aft cabin from within the interior accommodation below without compromising the security of the cockpit.

The boat has sufficient "proper" seaberths with lee-cloths for all off-watch crew.

Otherwise, it's an aft cockpit sailboat for me.

The Aft Cockpit: Sleeker, Simpler, & Often Safer

An aft cockpit sailboat, by contrast, feels like a more conventional and secure design. The cockpit is lower down, closer to the water and the boat's centre of motion, which can make it feel more stable and less prone to the "rolling" sensation that some centre cockpit designs suffer from. This low-slung design is more traditional and often results in a sleeker, more balanced appearance, especially on boats under 40 feet.

Aft cockpit designs also tend to offer a more direct connection to the water, with easy access to the stern, which is a real bonus in warm climates. You can have a large, walk-through swim platform, which makes getting in and out of the water for a swim or stepping into your dinghy much easier. It also makes Mediterranean-style stern-to mooring a simple affair.

But, as with any boat design, there are trade-offs. The main one is interior space. Since the cockpit is pushed back, you lose the room for a massive, full-beam aft cabin. Instead, you usually get twin quarter cabins or a smaller, less private aft berth. The saloon may be larger and brighter, but the sleeping accommodation is certainly less luxurious. From an ocean sailor’s perspective, this can be a blessing; a smaller, snugger cabin can feel more secure in a seaway.

A Bowman 45 aft-cockpit cutter at anchor

An aft-cockpit Chuck Paine design—the Bowman 45

Digging Deeper: More Than Just the Cockpit

While the cockpit design is a key consideration, it's just one piece of the puzzle when selecting a blue water boat. To understand the full picture, you need to look at all the qualities that make up a proper ocean-going vessel, which is why I put together this guide to The Essential Features of All Good Cruising Sailboats.

Beyond the main debate, there are other aspects that we should consider when choosing a sailboat, all of which are influenced by the cockpit’s location.

1. On-Deck & Onboard Motion

The location of the cockpit can have a huge impact on a boat's motion. On a centre cockpit sailboat, you're positioned closer to the boat's pivot point, which is generally considered to be around the keel. This means you’ll experience less fore-and-aft pitching motion when sailing into a head sea. However, because you're higher up, you’ll be on a wider arc of roll and will feel the side-to-side motion more, which some sailors find uncomfortable.

Conversely, on an aft cockpit boat, you’re further from the boat’s pivot point. This means you will feel more of the fore-and-aft pitching, but less of the rolling motion.

2. Visibility and Sail Handling

From the elevated position of a centre cockpit sailboat, you often get a better view over the deck and surrounding seascape, which is a big help for navigation and spotting potential hazards. However, if the boat has a deck-sweeping genoa, you might have a blind spot under the foresail.

When it comes to sail handling, the position of the mainsheet traveller is crucial. On many centre cockpit boats, the traveller is on the aft deck, behind the helm, which means you have to leave the security of the cockpit to make adjustments. On a well-designed aft cockpit boat, the mainsheet traveller can be forward of the companionway, keeping it out of the way of the cockpit, but on some boats, this can make it more difficult to reach from the helm.

3. Engine Access & Maintenance

One of the great practical advantages of a centre cockpit sailboat is the engine access. Because the engine is usually located under the cockpit sole, it’s often in a dedicated engine room with space to work around it. This is a massive bonus for a long-distance cruiser who needs to carry out their own maintenance and repairs. On aft cockpit boats, the engine is usually located under the saloon steps or a quarter berth, and can be much more difficult to access.

4. Storage

Aft cockpit boats generally offer more on-deck locker space, as the space below the cockpit isn’t taken up by a cabin. On centre cockpit sailboats, you might have two large lazarette lockers instead, but they aren't always as big and they are often located next to the aft cabin’s berth, which can be noisy.

Steering: The Feel of the Helm

The steering system on a sailboat is a direct extension of the sailor's senses, and it's a difference that's often dictated by cockpit design. Aft cockpit sailboats, especially smaller ones, are frequently tiller-steered. A tiller provides an instant, unadulterated feel for what the rudder is doing. It’s a simple, reliable, and powerful system, and when you’re not sailing, it can be lifted out of the way to free up the cockpit.

By contrast, nearly all centre cockpit sailboats are wheel-steered. A wheel provides more mechanical advantage, making it easier to handle large rudders and bigger boats. The downside is that a wheel takes up a lot of space in the cockpit, and the steering system itself is more complex, with more moving parts that could potentially fail. For the long-distance sailor, the simplicity and directness of a tiller often offer a greater sense of security.

Practicalities of Carrying a Tender

For any serious cruiser, a good tender is an essential piece of kit. A centre cockpit sailboat, with its large, uncluttered aft deck, offers an ideal platform for a set of davits. You can lift a dinghy clear of the water, keeping it out of the way of waves and making it easy to launch and retrieve at a moment's notice.

On aft cockpit boats, the swim platform and lower stern can make davits more challenging to install or use effectively. Many aft cockpit sailors resort to hoisting the tender onto the foredeck, which can block visibility and make for a wet passage in a head sea. The ease of tender storage is a definite plus for the centre cockpit design.

Budget and Resale Value

The decision between these two boat types also has a financial dimension. As a general rule, a centre cockpit sailboat will be more expensive to buy than a similarly sized aft cockpit boat. This is due to the greater complexity of the design and the additional interior volume and luxury they offer.

On the flip side, the market for a centre cockpit sailboat is more specific; they appeal to those who prioritise living space and long-distance cruising. Aft cockpit boats, being more common and versatile, tend to have a broader appeal and can sometimes be easier to sell. It's an important factor to consider for any prospective boat owner.

At-a-Glance Comparison

Feature	Aft Cockpit Sailboat	Centre Cockpit Sailboat
Accommodation	Often smaller aft cabins or twin quarter berths; larger saloon.	Spacious, private aft cabin; often with en-suite facilities.
Seakeeping	Slightly more pitching motion; less side-to-side roll.	Less fore-and-aft pitching; more side-to-side roll.
Safety	Lower to the water; can be more prone to taking water on deck in following seas.	Higher and drier; less likely to be pooped by a wave.
Engine Access	Often tight access under the companionway steps or a bunk.	Usually excellent access in a dedicated engine room.
Steering	More likely to be tiller-steered on smaller models.	Almost exclusively wheel-steered.
Tender Storage	Can be challenging; often stored on the foredeck.	Ideal for davits on the aft deck.

Summing Up

Choosing a sailing boat is always a matter of compromise. There is no perfect boat, and the debate between an aft cockpit and a centre cockpit sailboat really boils down to what you want from your time on the water. If your priority is a luxurious, spacious home afloat for harbour cruising and living aboard, then a centre cockpit sailboat, with its large, private aft cabin, could well be the perfect choice. But if you’re looking for a sleeker, more traditional design that is focused on seakeeping and safety for serious blue water passagemaking, then an aft cockpit boat is likely the better option. The key is to weigh the trade-offs in design against your own sailing ambitions and decide which compromise you’re happiest to make.

This article was written by Dick McClary, RYA Yachtmaster and author of 'Offshore Sailing' published by the Royal Yachting Association ( RYA) and member of The Yachting Journalists Association (YJA).

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the best size for a centre cockpit boat?

Centre cockpit sailboats typically work best on boats over 40 feet (12m), as this size allows for a full walk-through from the saloon to the aft cabin without compromising the height and security of the cockpit. On smaller boats, the design can often feel cramped and awkward.

Are centre cockpit sailboats safer?

While the high, dry position of a centre cockpit can feel more secure, some designs can feel exposed. Ultimately, the safety of a boat depends on its overall design and construction, not just the cockpit type. In a big following sea, a centre cockpit sailboat is less likely to be pooped (have a wave break into it) than an aft cockpit.

Do centre cockpit boats look 'fat'?

On boats under 40ft, centre cockpits can have a bulky or 'caravanny' appearance. However, on larger yachts, the design can be aesthetically pleasing and well-proportioned.

Is it hard to dock a centre cockpit sailboat?

Because the helm is further forward, it can be more difficult to reach a piling or a cleat from the wheel. However, being closer to the boat’s pivot point and spring lines can make close-quarters manoeuvring easier, especially when short-handed.

What are some examples of well-known centre cockpit boat builders?

Some of the most respected centre cockpit boat builders are Hallberg-Rassy, Amel, and Contest. These builders have a long history of producing high-quality, ocean-going cruising yachts.