C&C 27 Association – Deck layouts
How the deck is to be laid out depends to a large extent on what the boat will be used for, and on the size and skill level of her crew.
Two of the boats shown here use deck organizers. In a seemingly retrograde step, a successful crew on a similarly sized boat has switched to separate, identical turning blocks forward instead of deck organizers. The advantage is that if a deck organizer is damaged (admittedly a rare occurence), the whole fitting may become unusable. Individual, identical turning blocks can be swapped around, so a block from a less important function can be swapped into the position of one that has been damaged.
Selene
Kat's Paw I
Towser
If you race, you may want to put the spinnaker and headsail halyards on the same side, so the handler has them together. Having them on the high side is a nice idea, but remember that the high side changes, as most boats approach the weather mark on starboard tack and the leeward mark on port gybe. Take your pick, but here's one rationale for putting the genoa and spinnaker clutches on the port side.
"On a triangular course, you typically approach the leeward mark (third
mark) on a port tack. Since the spinnaker take-down is typically the point
of maximum confusion, noise and screw-up, I find it handy to have the halyard
clutches on the high side at this time, away from the actual spinnaker coming
in under the boom and over the lifelines.
"Also, whenever we are running a windward-leeward course, we still prefer to come in to the leeward mark on port tack, as this simplifies the issue of hardening up on the genoa and driving out from the mark. So again, the port side becomes the high side, keeping the person working the cabin-top high and away from the person tailing the genoa." – Marcus Opitz, Carriden
Marcus doesn't emphasize it, but there's also value in keeping people apart in the confines of our rather small cockpits.
Do you have or have you seen an interesting alternative? Use the submission guidelines found in The Fleet.
