What is a boat?
A boat is a hole in the water into which one pours money
We have had boats all our lives. We grew up in traditional Norwegian boats along the Norwegian coast, and we have learned to deal with weather and wind, joys and dangers, repairs and maintenance. We have learned this from the previous generation, who in turn learned it from the generation before them. Norwegians are a seafaring people.
The Norwegian folk boat is called a “snekke”. It is usually a double ender. Below you can see Jarle in the 1980s and 1980s aboard the family boats.
What is a sailboat?
The fine art of getting wet and becoming ill, while going nowhere slowly at great expense
If you want to explore the ocean outside your own safe fjord, you need to have sails. You need to learn to sail. You need to learn how to harness the wind for propulsion. Unfortunately, it took many years before we realized this, but when it first dawned on us, we went all in. We sailed our first sailboat from Norway to the Caribbean and back, a trip that took 13 months.
What is a pilothouse sailboat?
A pilothouse sailboat can hardly sail, and is not a great motorboat.
After spending a lot of hours out on the ocean, we have learned that life is not only summer and sun, bikinis and Piña Coladas. Life at sea can be challenging some times, especially at night. Then a pilothouse sailboat will solve all your problems. So, what do we do? We buy a Nauticat 38!
A pilothouse sailboat features a raised, enclosed saloon with panoramic windows and often an inside steering station, making it ideal for year-round cruising in cold, wet, or variable climates.
A pilothouse sailboat provides protection from weather, better visibility, spacious interior, suitability for liveaboards and long-distance passages. Whether you’re eyeing a classic like the Nauticat 38 or a modern deck saloon design, the pilothouse sailboat might be the right thing for you.
Key Advantages of Pilothouse Sailboats
- All-weather protection and inside helm
- Panoramic views & natural light in saloon
- Ideal for liveaboard comfort (insulation, heating)
- Safer watch-keeping in rough seas
- Often heavier displacement = stable & sea-kindly
Potential Drawbacks
- Higher windage
- Potentially slower in light air
- More complex build and expensive
Who is a Pilothouse Sailboat for?
- Couples/families cruising north/Baltic/Med off-season
- Liveaboards
- Passagemakers avoiding extreme bluewater racers
Top brands for Pilothouse Sailboats
Several respected brands lead in pilothouse and deck saloon sailboats, delivering strong protection, comfort, and seaworthiness for liveaboard or all-weather cruising. Standouts include Nauticat, Bestevaer, Garcia, Wauquiez, Moody, Sirius, Nordship, Tayana, and Amel