Double your pleasure, double your fun, with Doublemint Doublemint
Doublemint gum. (Sorry, but when I was 3 years old I had a real crush
on those animated twins that danced across the TV...
which just goes to show the power of Madison Ave back then.)
You're right that you'll double the maintenance. You would probably
mount your expensive instruments on the back of the big party table, so
you can see them from either helm, and put a simple multi-control by
each wheel.
Some guys are really into big wide hineys, but I like them skinny. They
say that a wide stern surfs better downwind. My skinny IOR boat surfs
pretty darn well, and frankly has surfed through some pretty scary
stuff. When's the last time you saw a fat surfer? <VBG>
I think the point of dual wheels is so you can see well when heading to
windward at a steep angle of heel. If you have a lot of crew that makes
sense, but if you're pleasure sailing you probably won't have a full
crew. If you're pleasure sailing you'll probably will have at least one
type of self-steering system. If you have a self-steering system, you
can leave the helm alone and deal with lines, make a sandwich, or even
take a good look around.
Madison Avenue strikes again... Many new boats are designed to sell to
retirees, who have seen pictures of 'round the world' racers on
performance monohulls, which usually have two wheels. Then they get
'practical' and order an in-mast furling system, which is convenient but
really can't provide decent sail shape. Then they go out on the ocean
and get scared witless and spend the rest of their retirement years
motoring or at the dock. But that big wide transom, and that big
cockpit table, provides room for dock parties where they swap stories
that they read about in Sail Magazine. And even 32 foot boats have two
'bathrooms.'
Uh oh, I think I'm ranting. Gotta go.
Wal
PS. Happy Labor Day. BTW, it's called Labor Day because it's nine
months after New Years Eve... it actually has nothing to do with work.
Richard wrote:
I imagine twice as much maintenance, twice as many instruments to purchase, and twice
as much to go wrong. <snip>
Has anyone sailed a twin-helm boat? What were your impressions? Do we want one?
Is this the future of boat design?
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