New Boats

[Pete Cooper]

I am asking this question here rather than other forums as people on here actually sail rather than talk about sailing.

I was reading the boat test of the new Beneteau 34 in the current edition of Yachting Monthly. It looks like a very nice boat, though somewhat out of my price range.
Now to my question. The chart table is aft facing, yet Beneteau used to provide a forward facing chart table even on much smaller boats. This seems to be a common thing on many other makes as well. Why have many manufacturer's gone for an aft facing table, when to my mind a forward facing table is better?

[Nick]

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Two main reasons I would guess:

1/ Quarterberths have gone out of fashion. Many older boats used the end of the quarterberth as a seat for the forward facing chart table (eg Sigma 33 and many others).

2/ Less time spent at the chart table / lower priority. Many chart tables are now 'nav stations' with plotters and GPS etc rather than paper charts, so less time is spent sitting at them.

Why do you think (and I agree) that a forward facing table is better though? With an aft-facing table face to face communication with crew in the cockpit may be easier on some boats. Who has got an aft-facing chart table and what do you think about it?

[Rowana]

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Who has got an aft-facing chart table and what do you think about it?

I have an aft-facing chart table, and it works well. It is Stbd side with the GPS/Log/Depth on a hinged arrangement that I can swing out into the companionway and read from the cockpit. Swing it round aginst the inner bulkhead, and it's above the chart table. I like it.

[DaveS]

My chart table faces forward, using the unfashionable quarter berth as a seat. For actually working at it, however, I either sit there facing forward, or stand facing starboard, depending on which way the folded chart is orientated. One benefit of a forward facing table like this is that looking down the companionway the chart is about 45 degrees to "right way up" in either orientation. I often have a quick look down at the chart for "the bigger picture" rather than zooming out on the companionway mounted chartplotter. (One of this year's projects is to fix this to a swivel bracket, but since this is now the third year that I've been meaning to do it, we'll see...)

I take the point about communication between navigator and helm being better with an aft facing table, but since I normally single hand I can talk to myself wherever I am.

[Pete Cooper]

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Why do you think (and I agree) that a forward facing table is better though?

I suspect it is an orientation thing. The Moody has a forward facing table, thought the earlier ones were sideways facing. On my wee boat I use the saloon table as a chart table, and again I sit forward facing at it. I mostly single hand, so it is handy to be able to glance below and see the chart in the 'correct' orientation, but I take the point that facing backwards might give better communication with the driver.
In more recent boats with a forward facing table, the seat is usually tucked in behind the heads door, with the bulkhead providing a backrest - which reminds me that with an aft facing table a backrest is usually missing.

[Booby Trapper]

I was at the Boatshow in Southampton last year and was surprised that many of the new boats don't have chart tables. Some just had a small table about 18 inches square. I think the manufacturers are assuming everyone is using laptops or chartplotters.

[sahona]

Last boat had (an impressive) forward-facing chart table. This one faces aft but is less used because the wheelhouse tends to duplicate the purpose.
I seem to recall the professionals preferred facing aft in articles I have read.
You grey-funnel line guys can add to this - navigators and radar ops....
I think you need to be able to slot your body into a comfortable. useable ,workplace -any time, any angle Direction doesn't matter.