Upstairs in the Flybridge

Following yesterday's post about the pilot house helm, today we will head upstairs to the flybridge. All in all, here in the Pacific Northwest, I think use of the flybridge while underway is kind of spotty. Some people totally enclose their flybridge so they can keep it warm. 

I feel we already have a great helm in the pilot house that is enclosed, with everything we need. 

Flybridges are awesome when anchored or docked though. We have had several memorable dinners at anchorages in the B.C. and the San Juans. 

So with that in mind I went for kind of a minimalist approach with electronics and controls.

HYG Craftsman contemplates first cut for controls.

I used the same approach of keeping the left hand side mostly open. I spec'd only one Garmin MFD. For how often we will drive from here, I think that is sufficient. We can bring up a tablet and remote any of the screens from below over WIFI. The Garmin displays are about $7,000 apiece, so I can't see filling up the helm with them just for the sake of it. 

The color CAT engine displays I showed in yesterday's post are also shockingly expensive. One display can do split screen and show data for two engines, so that's what I opted for up here in the flybridge.

Seeing this picture I am lamenting the fact that I didn't have them do a remote drawer for the keys like I did in the pilot house. I think that's the first thing I have seen where I say "hmmm, should have put more thought into that one." Wont' be the last, right?