Available Sterns

In case you didn’t know, the stern is the back; the place where you stand to steer and there are a number of arrangements you can choose from, each having its up and down sides:

• Traditional
• Semi-Traditional
• Cruiser

The Cruiser stern is the most popular with holiday boat companies because it allows for a large amount of outside space for you and your passengers to stand whilst navigating the system. The characteristics of a cruiser are a waist height tiller, usually a railing you can sit on, the engine is outside under the deck and open to the elements.

Traditional Stern

The Traditional stern is the opposite to the cruiser, it leaves only enough room for one or two people to stand with the tiller between you. It is called the traditional because it is the setup that the old cargo boats used because they were usually paid for the amount of product they could carry and a large comfortable deck at the back meant less room at the front. A traditional can easily be spotted because it has a small place to stand (2-3feet long), a higher tiller to clear the cabin roof and the engine is housed inside.

The semi-traditional is a popular choice these days because it combines features from both the cruiser and the traditional. Semi-traditionals are generally easy to spot because they look like a traditional with a section of roof missing. They have the small outer step of the traditional style stern then, where there would normally be a door into the cabin, there is a section of deck but with cabin walls. This helps to keep your passengers out of the elements whilst still providing the amount of outside space offerred by a cruiser. The engine in a semi-traditional is outside under a deck and the height of the tiller varies. Semi-traditionals are often seen with ‘pram’ covers which provide a collapsible enclosed outside space for all.

Which stern is right for me?
As above, this depends on the type of boater you are going to be. Traditionals are favoured by liveaboards because the amount of internal space is maximised and you won’t get wet whilst starting the engine daily to generate some power or heat some water. Engine maintainance is difficult though for larger jobs because of the enclosed space in which you engine is kept. Checking the oil and tightening belts is easy enough but larger jobs are a little more difficult. Cruisers are favoured by, well…, frequent cruisers for obvious reasons and semi-traditionals are favoured by the indecisive and all weather cruisers.

When buying a boat it is generally best to view a few of each type before settling on a specific stern because you will regret it later on that rainy day when you need to be checking your oil in a cruiser or that day when the sun is shining and you are out on a cruise with your friends only to be huddled up in your traditional.