Crew Accomodation - A New Precedence?

Hi,

There are a number of things that can be done to improve the lot of those who live in the Crew Cabins.

Noise and Noise transmission are the bane of many. On a busy boat where there are nearly a couple of bodies in bunks the traffic of other working crew up and down stairs and the crew passage can sound like sledge hammer blows to this trying to sleep. The use of a soft material or carpet makes such a difference in these areas.

The wall sections should be sealed right up to the deck above to reduce the noise that carries over from one cabin to the next - the bathroom exhaust is a prefect sound conduit on one well know mega yacht brand.

Decent capacity drawers not just a nice drawer front and a matchbox sized interior.

Hard wearing easy to clean surfaces, good lighting in the bathroom, bunks as wide as possible - all small things that can make so much difference to the occupants.

Also the use by some yards of a slot under the door for the Air Cond return is another place where noise and light can cause disturbance to the cabins. The air can easily be routed through a grill in the wall.

Another one but maybe not your department is where the crew cabins open onto or are near the Crew Mess/Lounge -supply wireless headsets and make the crew ( or anyone else watching TV) wear them when the cabins are occupied during normal working hours or underway.

I went around the world on a yacht where my cabin opened directly into the Crews Mess. I used to do the 04-0800 and 16-2000 watch everyday we were at sea. The non watch keepers used to watch TV and scream and shout in the crews mess long into the night.

Some of them no doubt learn't words that they had never heard before. This would calm things down for a few days unless they had been heavily into the wines, when nothing short of disabling the TV would stop them.

It wasn't till the last part of the journey that we got the headset deal setup. It made such a difference.

Some good ideas there. So as not to be long winded and redundant check the thread: Crew Quarters/ claustrophobia

Hi Hobbit and welcome to YF:s!

My "cliché" is; A good design makes a happy yacht!

As many of my early yacht concepts were designed onboard a yacht in the southern France, I had all the input for crew areas surrounding me..

This is an old design that has extensive crew areas: http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/6434-post73.html

What is also important is the crew and guest separation and that it is possible to handle and maintain the yacht with less crew. On this design you can see how the gensets are in separate areas so you can work in a relative silence with one while the other is running a. o.

Another one I can add is that I am 6'3 and many US Captain's and crew are tall. Make bunks that are long enough. It is also very nice to have a bunk you can actually sit straight up in. Having plenty of storage space- both drawers and closets are very nice considering that many of the times you are living on board 24-7 and the owner is only on-board 1 week every 12 weeks. Well lit, lack of noise, large shower/head area. Having a combination shower/head irks me to no end.

Interesting topic Hobbit. If this thought is out of order, just ignore. But with so many yachts over 200', are there any that have more than one crew lounge/mess?

Kelly Cook

Way back when I first visited Trinity in New Orleans (2003) I went aboard a new yacht that was just days away from leaving for the Fort Lauderdale show....I was sort of let loose to look at the yacht and went down to the lower decks. I walked into some small room and had an immediate panic attack...I got cold chills, rapid heartbeat....a terrible sense of claustrophobia....where was I?? In one of the crew quarters!!!!

I do not know if I had an epiphany in that tiny cabin, but I decided then and there that I would NOT force any future crew in to a cabin that I would not be comfortable in....I remember a near argument with the person who I thought would one day be my interior designer. I was told by that designer that I was "too worried about my future crew"....BAAAH....as I drove back home, I got about 5 miles west of the New Orleans city limits and decided that the int. designer I had spoken to was NOT going to be for me....

I already know that I will make my future crew quarters as big as can be possibly made, with long enough bunks for any tall folks as well as anything that I can think of.....

Cheers,

There is no need to make your crew quarters comfortable. You can always find someone desperate or nieve enough to take the job. As an added bonus they will probably work cheaper as well. You'd trust your yacht and your family's lives to such a person right.

"My research has led me to believe all crew areas had to be provided with natural daylight. The pictures of kismet suggest that this is not the case, with the crew mess (tank dk) supplied with only artificial light. Can anyone explain why this has been allowed?"
Wow! And I thought I'd been spoiled (see thread: Crew Quarters/Claustrophobia). Granted, you're talking about much larger yachts (Kismet) than I work, but I like the way you're thinking. What can be done with the under $10 million yachts though?

Hi,

A very good reason for this is the fact that the MCA don't allow portholes (or bunks) to be underwater anymore especially the opening type.

I understand that there is a simulated portlight used on Kismet and a couple of others that have this setup.

Our old 1955 64' had portholes and hatches in crew and captain's quarters (off the galley toward the bow). The bunks were only 6' in crew and 6'1" for the captain, but still... hanging lockers and drawers in each, and a captain's full head.

Wonder what changed over the years?

People lived simpler, but captain's and crew were respected. Today many people think that having money makes them better than the people who serve them. You see it in restaurants every day. These people of course are too stupid to understand that this gets them eating some very interesting meals.

I kind of like not having natural light in the crew stateroom. If you're doing a long delivery and doing day and night shifts, it enables you to have total darkness which makes it easier to fall asleep during the day. Maybe it's just me????

Curtains do the same job- have you tried these?

More about Daylight

From what I have been able to read in the MCA Large Yacht Code (LY2), requirements for crew accomodations in this relation to Hobit's question are as follows:

Location of Crew Quarters: "When it is neither reasonable nor practicable to site crew sleeping accommodation amidships or aft, and above the deepest waterline as required, measures taken to ensure an equivalent level of crew health and safety should be agreed with the Administration. Sleeping accommodation with the deckhead lining below the deepest waterline is not permitted. It is recommended that where such accommodation is sited partially below the deepest waterline it should be arranged such that in the event of damage to the watertight compartment in which the accommodation space is situated, the lining should not be immersed. - Sect. 21.1.3"

Portlights: "Portlights fitted in the hull of the vessel below the level of the freeboard deck should be either non-opening or of a non-readily openable type and be in accordance with a standard recognised by the Administration. - Sect. 5.4.3"

Lighting: "An electric lighting system should be installed which is capable of supplying adequate light to all enclosed accommodation and working spaces. The system should be designed and installed in accordance with section 8. - Sect. 21.3"

Ventilation: "Effective means of ventilation should be provided to all enclosed spaces which are entered by personnel. Mechanical ventilation should be provided to all accommodation spaces on vessels which are intended to make long international voyages or operate in tropical waters. As a minimum, mechanical ventilation should be capable of providing 6 changes of air per hour, when all access and other openings (other than ventilation intakes) to the spaces are closed. Air conditioning systems are to provide a minimum of 25m3 of air per hour, per person accommodated in the ventilated space during normal operating conditions. Enclosed galleys are to be specially considered, and where air conditioning is not fitted should have, as a minimum, a mechanical supply of 20 fresh air changes per hour and a mechanical exhaust of 30 changes. - Sect. 21.7"

I did see not any mention of a requirement from MCA for natural light or opening portlights in crew cabins or other areas such as a galley or mess. Kismet's crew cabins are above the waterline as specified, while placing NON-SLEEPING crew areas below. It would seem a reasonable compromise especially given the resulting increase in space available to crew use.

MCA MSN 1792(M) Edition 2.

Hi,

And a statement such as this should instill serious dis belief in this government sponsored department?

Location of Crew Quarters: "When it is neither reasonable nor practicable to site crew sleeping accommodation amidships or aft, and above the deepest waterline as required, measures taken to ensure an equivalent level of crew health and safety should be agreed with the Administration. Sleeping accommodation with the deckhead lining below the deepest waterline is not permitted. It is recommended that where such accommodation is sited partially below the deepest waterline it should be arranged such that in the event of damage to the watertight compartment in which the accommodation space is situated, the lining should not be immersed. - Sect. 21.1.3"

Highlighted are two funny old words that appear in very large corporate contracts and financial agreements worth hundreds of millions that are much more serious than yachting.

When the less than chosen few are reminded that have have failed to notify their clients of the fine print , these words are always used to supposedly remind the poor unfortunate who trusted the blurb without using his legal team and glasses to review the fine print.

If the first poster is as he says a Yacht Designer with any experience surely he would know the answer to basic questions like this?