Rear Helm Forward Visibility

[ezwoo]

I am thinking of moving up to a 48 to 58 foot Sedan Bridge but I am concerned about the forward visibility from the rear helm position. We have to watch the water very closely for deadheads and logs. I'm spoiled by the great visibility of the 44 Sedan Bridge. Are any of these models better or worse for forward visibility than others? Is this a concern to others at all? The rear vision benefits for backing into a slip are obvious. Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[Gofirstclass]

I like my forward helm just because of the forward visibility. I can't see the stern of the boat, and couldn't because of the aft bimini I had put on, so having the helm to the rear of the fly bridge would not benefit me at all.

I don't know what year you're looking at, but some of the older 500 & 550 Sedan Bridge models like mine have the forward helm. Wouldn't trade it for all the tea in China.

 

[bmac]

Ez, I went from an '06 44DB to a 52DB. I find the forward visibility from my helm station almost identical to what I had on the 44. As a matter of fact I think I have the same exact view of the bow and anchor now as I did then. On the 52, the helm chair is much higher than on the 44. My view to the stern is slightly better but I can still really only see my port stern corner down the stairs when backing into my slip. I find the 52 to be even easier to maneuver than the 44, which I thought was a pretty maneuvarable boat to begin with. BTW fwiw, I test drove a 58DB and my observation of the view from the helm was similar to that of the 52, except that you look down the stairs to the starboard side. The 44, 52 and 58 are all great boats.

 

[boltman]

We have the 48db and I can see everything in front of the boat and the stern is a lil tricky but still can maneuver very cleanly .

 

[northern]

I put bike mirrors on my upper helm. I aim them at the back of the boat at the swim platform area. It helps a bit for docking.

 

[Alex F]

Even though I agree with the fact that location of the rear helm of 480/500/52 and alike is not too bad, I think the real issue is when you have your whole crew up on the bridge. SR designed a smaller backrest in the forward seat to allow better view from the helm. However, I think that that seat with direct forward view from the helm would need to be vacant or used by smaller kids. I don't have first hand experience driving these boats and would like to hear more comments with folks that own them and travel with larger crew on the bridge. I would think that on the trips with large party this could be an issue and besides having the limitation of the people on the bridge a captain would need directing folks to move from blocking the view.

I agree with Brian, you initially would imagine that the stern view is wide open, but in reality you're still limited by very similar bounderies we have on boats with forward helm. When statnig by the helm and trying to control the boat I can see right away that the same port side lower corner is my only openning, just like I have on my 420DB.

While we're on the subject, I always wanted to know the reason why SR went with such design? Is this a weight distribution related?

By all means I don't think that rear helm is a show stopper and I'm sure that it's just a matter of short time frame for a captain to get used to it. The boats are in question are great boats and have a lot to offer.

I always loved the position of my helm as it provides best view. It doesn't matter how many people we have on the bridge (obviously we're limited by the weight allowed), but in regards to all the action that goes on (some people seating, some moving around, etc.) there's zero visibility destruction during a cruise.

As with anything, there are always tons of variables, but if I was cruising in the area that's full of debris or lobster pots I would make sure that I'm 100% comfortable having the rear helm. Take few sea-trials with the number of crew you would usually cruise on your boat and get very good feel for it.

Good luck and keep us posted with your experience.

 

[boltman]

The 480 has a rear helm sort of and whe I have passengers directly in front of me they aren't in my line of view because the passengers sit much lower then the captains chair. The whole bridge sits lower than the captains chairs it's awesome

 

[ziekman@cox.net]

Although mine is a 'dancer, and I have never captained a bridge boat, I've always liked the idea of the crew/passengers in your view, with the rear helm. If the captains chair is higher, it would seem to me you've got the best of both worlds.

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