Some call them pilothouse boats, some deck saloons. There’s frequent confusion about which is which with this variety of yacht.

Some of them have a raised coachroof to allow for more light through larger windows, others include raised saloon seating to provide panoramic views over the anchorage when seated.

Several also have a secondary steering position inside. The deckhouse option offers the main benefit of an extended sailing season.

You’re far more likely to go winter sailing if you can pop below to warm up between tacks and dry your oilies using hot air from the heating system.

Whichever it is you choose the advantages are obvious, although more so the larger the vessel gets.

When the saloon is raised along with the navigation station the all-round visibility is a delight; especially if you can steer from inside, even if only by joystick or autopilot display.

One downside is that the galley can be forced below, a few steps down from the saloon, leaving the cook detached from the rest of the crew when preparing a meal.

The ideal is to have all the working areas at deck level and just have the sleeping accommodation below, but this requires a good overall length to squeeze it all in.

One alternative, and to me the ultimate deck saloon yacht, is a catamaran.

If you’re weighing up the pros and cons before investing in an offshore cruising yacht, a catamaran is definitely worth considering.

Best pilothouse boats and deck saloons: 20-25ft

If you like old woodies and want to stay small then you could do worse than to track down a Warington-Smyth designed, 7.5m/24ft 6in Falmouth Pilot 6T.

Long-keeled and carvel-constructed using pitch-pine on oak frames, she is a tough cookie which is more than capable of battling through rough seas.

Below, she has an aft-facing chart table, that uses the settee end for a seat, and a compact galley just large enough for a two-burner hob/grill and a sink.

The saloon settees are a good length and dead straight, while the heads has a bi-fold door which opens outwards to the locker opposite for privacy from the saloon.

The forepeak has two comfortable 6ft+ berths but the anchor chain pipe comes down right between the two, so a vee-berth isn’t practical.

She doesn’t have an inside steering option or a raised saloon, but she does have 6ft of headroom, a spacious cockpit, cavernous cockpit lockers and loads of character.

Back in the 1980s my wife, 10-year-old daughter and I cruised for six months of the year in one, each time covering up to 3,000 miles, so I can vouch for her ‘liveability’ and steadfast performance at sea.

At just under 26ft LOA, the Newbridge Pioneer Pilot is one of the smallest of its kind.

Designed by Bill Dixon (of later model Moody fame), she was built on the same hull as the Pioneer but had a raised deck house added.

This does nothing to improve her already top-heavy looks, but gives more living space and the option of an inside wheel for rainy days.

She was renowned for having such a roomy interior for a 25-footer, enabled undoubtedly by her broad sections and tall coachroof and topsides.

An open-plan interior design meant she actually had six berths on paper (with the forepeak berth extended) and a decently sized saloon, although it isn’t raised up like the nav station and galley.

The quarter berth is a genuine double and the heads is in the starboard quarter, which isn’t exactly cramped but there’s little room for showering on board.

Most were built with bilge keels, but fin-keel and centreboard options were offered too.

The Newbridge Pioneer Pilot was no racing machine, although she sails better than many of her era, even with bilge keels.

A junk rig was also offered new, which is a surprisingly easy sail plan to cope with, especially single-handed.

Best pilothouse boats and deck saloons: 26-30ft

As mentioned earlier, I believe a catamaran to be the ideal ‘raised saloon’ vessel and liveaboard yacht, although you’d need a healthy budget to buy one of the more recent designs as few are smaller than 40ft.

That said, some older catamarans are well worth a look, not least the ‘futuristic for its day’ Prout Sirocco 26.

The British yard Prout was famous for their sturdy cruising catamaran designs in the 1970s, 80s and 90s, and had a range of some 12 different models during that time.

The Sirocco was its smallest in the range but still offered a huge amount of accommodation for her size including a large double berth in the forward section of the saloon, three hull berths, a roomy heads compartment and excellent galley and nav station amidships in opposite hulls.

She could seat at least six around her large dining table, where you had clear views outside and plenty of light coming in through the large portlights.

Although sloop-rigged, her mast is stepped well aft, keeping the mainsail small and easy to handle, while the powerful genoa did most of the work.

Light and well-balanced under sail, she’s not as quick as a modern cat but isn’t slow, particularly on a reach.

Like most early Prouts, she could be motored with an outboard or by a centrally mounted, inboard diesel engine driving through a steerable outdrive leg that can be lifted clear of the water when sailing.

Designed by Angus Primrose (of early Moody fame), the Trident Voyager 30 is another Tardis-like deck saloon boat moulded by Trident Marine in the 1970/80s.

The yard built three boats on the same hull, the Voyager 30, the centre-cockpit Warrior 31 and the aft-cockpit Challenger 31 cruiser.

Some were factory-fitted out, others were bought as a hull and deck for finishing at home, so interior quality varies.

Inside is spacious and very bright, thanks to a high coachroof and huge windows.

She has a large chart table facing aft and a very well-appointed, L-shaped galley opposite with ample worktop and stowage.

Her saloon is conventional, with two long straight settees around a drop-leaf table for six.

The heads, forward of the saloon, is small but useable and there’s a large hanging locker opposite.

Depending on how the Voyager 30 was finished, the forecabin has twin staggered bunks or a vee-berth. along with a large forehatch for light and open lockers/shelves above each berth.

She has a deep, safe cockpit and her simple sloop rig is easy to handle.

She sails well, with all the usual traits of a long-keeled yacht with an unbalanced ‘barn door’ rudder.

The helm can get heavy if over-pressed, but she tracks like a train and her generous displacement results in a gentle motion and ability to make way in rough seas.

Best pilothouse boats and deck saloons: 31-35ft

The long-keeled, ketch-rigged Beneteau Evasion 32 is a surprisingly good sailing yacht, capable of making comfortable passages in fresh or strong winds and rough seas thanks to her generous ballast and displacement.

She has a compact, deep and secure cockpit, but due to the height of the coachroof, the helm has to look forward through the windows of the deckhouse or stand up to see ahead.

However, the windows and single full-height glazed door provide plenty of forward visibility for most sailing situations.

High topsides and a raised cabin provide bags of space below for living aboard long term.

The views from the saloon are excellent and the four-person dinette works well for dining and when converted for sleeping.

The galley is opposite but, like all linear galleys, it isn’t ideal for cooking on the go but is great at anchor.

The inside steering position has full control of the vessel, including engine controls, a comfortable helm seat and plenty of instrument space.

Below is a comfortable lounging saloon with a U-shaped settee that converts into a double berth, while the roomy heads and shower are opposite.

The forecabin and vee-berth aren’t huge, but more than adequate for two adults sharing.

Her ketch rig is stout, with the main mast well forward and the genoa tack attached to the end of a 2ft-long bow plank.

The mizzen is small but is only really there for balance, unless sailing with storm jib and mizzen in a gale.

Under sail, she’s nicely balanced and stays on course thanks to her long keel.

She can get a little heavy on the tiller when pressed, but the ketch sail plan is easy to reduce single-handed if needs be.

And if the wind dies, her powerful 40hp diesel engine will get you home safely and in good time.

What stops many of us from moving to a boat that offers more protection from the elements is usually the thought of ending up with the sort of motorsailer you might find popular in the Outer Hebrides.

The Moody Eclipse 33 isn’t one of these. First launched in 1988, the Eclipse 33 (of which 254 were built) was produced for just six years but proved highly popular with those seeking a modern-looking and better-performing deck-saloon yacht.

Below she offers a surprising amount of comfortable living space.

The raised saloon seating is a real boon, giving you a fantastic all-around view of the anchorage and providing enough seating for four to dine in comfort or six for cosy drinks.

The large deckhouse windows also make the entire saloon, galley and navigation areas bright and cheery, whatever the weather.

She has berths for six in a good size vee forward, a surprisingly roomy double aft and a pull-out double in the saloon if you really want to pack them in.

Her galley is also well-equipped with more stowage and worktop area than you usually find on a 33-footer, and I’ve seen smaller heads in a 40ft boat!

At first glance, you think she’ll perform like a typical motorsailer – dogged but slow.

But she has the hull lines of a reasonably modern yacht, so performance under sail is not unreasonable.

The outside helm is no different to any aft-cockpit yacht, although the high coachroof slightly restricts the view forward.

In the Mk1 version, the internal steering linkage can feel a little stiff, but she’s not heavy under sail, even when pressed.

The Mk2 (post-1991) saw the introduction of a simple autopilot controller which replaced the inside steering wheel.

They came with fin or bilge keels, the latter still providing very reasonable directional stability, even in rough seas.

Downwind, though, she needs a cruising chute in light winds for sure.

In obvious competition to the Eclipse 33, although only 72 were produced in total, the aft-cockpit Westerly Riviera 35 was quickly launched in the same year.

Based on the well-respected Seahawk 34/35 hull, she had a raised coachroof with large, wrap-around style windows and dual inside/outside steering positions.

The hull of this voluminous, cruising hull also became the basis for the aft-cockpit Falcon, Kestrel, Oceandream and Oceanquest.

Large windows make it light inside, with nice views outside from the saloon seating and galley while cooking and eating, plus a good all-around view from the inside steering position.

I’d be tempted to raise the dinette seating a little to make the best of the large windows.

The linear galley is well laid out but not easy to use at sea without extra security measures for the cook.

She has two spacious cabins, including a large forepeak with an offset double berth and a roomy aft cabin in the starboard quarter.

The curved dinette seating is not good for sleeping on, though.

The heads, between the saloon and forecabin, is also a good size, bright and airy.

Despite being originally created by renowned performance yacht designer, Ed Dubois, the Riviera hull was built for comfort, not speed.

She has high topsides, a wide beam, a high cockpit sole and a displacement/LWL ratio on the heavy side – none of which do her any particular favours when sailing.

These negatives are, however, partially countered by the balanced spade rudder, short keel, shallower underwater sections and long waterline.

On a reach, average passage speeds of around 5.5-6 knots are common, with a hull speed close to seven.

Her generous displacement comes into its own when faced with big seas, where her weight prevents her from being knocked off course easily by big waves.

The Seastream 34 is an attractive yacht, which is tough as old boots and built to sail in all Northern European sea states while keeping its occupants warm, cosy and safe below.

Originally designed as a ketch, some (usually home-fitted-out versions) were later fitted with sloop rigs.

Performance under sail is that of a typical 70/80’s cruiser, but the sheer momentum of her near 8-tonne displacement powers her through most rough seas with ease.

If that fails, they were usually fitted with a 42-65hp diesel engine powerful enough to hit hull speed at cruising revs.

Being from the era when GRP was laid up as thickly as possible, but resin was expensive and hard to get, they inevitably tended to develop osmosis over time.

But, being so substantially built, getting this fixed is simple enough, if a little pricey.

Factory-built models had a good-sized dinette arrangement in the deck saloon.

Opposite was usually a row of lockers for handy stowage, topped by a chart table.

Once again the views outside are excellent from the saloon seating, which is great when the weather’s a bit nasty, but you don’t want to get claustrophobic inside.

Most factory models had full-wheel steering and engine controls below and there is plenty of room for mounting instruments.

The comfy padded helm seat is also rotated to add a seat to the dinette when required.

Stepping down you arrive at a large, U-shaped galley equipped for a family of four at sea for weeks.

Sleeping arrangements varied, but most had six berths, two in the forepeak, a convertible dinette and a couple of pilot berths.

The heads, between the galley and forecabin, go right across the boat, with privacy achieved by extending the door fully open.

Not many 34s were built as the moulds were destroyed in a fire, so they’re fairly rare.

They might be a bit long in the tooth now, but at the right price, they make a great renovation project.

Best pilothouse boats and deck saloons: 36-40ft

The Finnish-built Degero 38DS is a seriously pretty, 12m deck saloon yacht built to a very high standard and able to tramp across open oceans worldwide, and in all weathers. She has classic hull lines, deep bulwarks and an attractive rising sheer leading to powerful, high bows.

The deckhouse is quite low and sleek, blending into the coachroof nicely. Inside, she has a sumptuous and significantly raised saloon seating/dining area offering excellent all-around views from inside.

Opposite is a raised inside helm station with a comfy swivel seat, small chart table, steering wheel and instrumentation.

Going forward, two steps down the galley is well equipped and gets plenty of light from the large deckhouse windows, although it’s a little tight space-wise as opposite is the single berth midships crew cabin.

The forecabin is spacious, warm and cosy and has ample stowage, a huge double berth and access to the large heads with a separate shower stall.

Going aft from the saloon is the aft cabin, which covers the full width of the stern.

It has a seat, lockers and a large double berth under the cockpit.

The Seldén sloop rig is over-specced, so you can trust it isn’t coming down in a hurry, while the sail plan is quite generous and her underwater sections streamline, making her easily capable of 170-180 miles per day on long passages under sail.

Though they don’t often come onto the market, the Degero 38DS is very stoutly constructed and has top-quality fittings, making the yacht ideal for a blue water cruising couple with occasional guests.

Another popular deckhouse world cruising yacht is the elegant Peter Ibold-designed Endurance 38, moulded by renowned UK laminator, Colvic Craft; not to be confused with his earlier ferrocement 37, the 38 was only ever built in GRP.

Like most of his yachts, she has a pronounced sheerline and overhanging clipper bow with a long bow plank.

It takes an awful lot to blow this stunning yacht off course as she is very stiff under sail thanks to generous ballast, deep fin keel and deep, semi-skeg rudder.

She also has a more modern, streamlined shape underwater rather than the long keel of the earlier 35, so she’s a bit quicker all around and more agile through tacks.

Her deep aft cockpit offers security in all weather conditions and a certain amount of protection from the tall wheelhouse.

Despite being 38ft overall, her sloop/cutter rig is easily handled by one person as all of the sheets are led aft, within reach of the large wheel.

Some boats were customised by the yard, others were home-finished, so not all layouts are the same.

While her saloon seating isn’t raised for a better view of the water, she is very bright and airy thanks to her large windows and at least the cook gets to see what’s going on as he or she stands in the long, U-shaped galley.

Sleeping accommodation can be limited, but cosy and spacious, with a decent-sized owner’s forecabin and good size heads.

There’s no accommodation beneath the cockpit so guests have to slum it on the convertible couch or the single quarter berth.

These boats have a sound reputation as a ‘round the world yacht’ and are built to last, so even early models can still be found today in far-distant seas.

Personally, I always liked the older style Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 40DS, when it looked more like a traditional pilothouse yacht rather than the trendier ‘eyebrow’ style coachroof introduced in later models (2007+).

Although it was unusual for any production boatbuilder to produce a deck saloon-type yacht under 50ft, Jeanneau led the way.

Despite not being what I’d call a true ‘raised saloon’ yacht, where you can see the water outside from the settee, the large windows let in loads of light and still allow a good view from the seated position and an excellent one if standing.

The saloon is cosy, having a large U-shaped dinette and plumply padded settees, with room for six around the table to eat.

Opposite are two fixed seats with a small table between them, ideal for coffee, additional dining, or as a chart table.

It was intended as the latter as there is a large instrument console above it plus stowage for paper charts inside.

In many ways, it makes sense to have a multi-use table these days, when the majority of us navigate using a multifunction display (MFD) at the helm.

The boat was offered in two layouts, with two or three cabins.

The two-cabin model has one large aft cabin plus a deep cockpit locker, while the three-cabin version has a smaller cabin in the starboard quarter.

Both have a spacious owner’s cabin forward with ensuite heads, vanity desk and seat, along with a second heads and shower aft.

The galley is a good size, but access to the second aft cabin requires you to go through it first. On deck, the 40DS has a big cockpit and nice, wide side decks.

She has a gated transom leading out to a deep boarding platform, which is ideal for anchoring off and chilling, although you do end up paying for another few feet in a marina.

She also has an ideal sunbathing ‘pad’ along the forward section of the coachroof and plenty of working deck space for anchoring.

As well as being very comfortable below, the 40DS offers reasonable sailing performance, due to her deep fin keel and spade rudder.

She’s agile and well-balanced and, has all lines led aft for easy handling The winches are a stretch from the helm, though.

There was no inside wheel option but those who wanted one simply fitted an autopilot control console inside.

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