I was standing in the rain in the harbor watching people commission their boats and wondered, "What boats are good in the rain?" As I watched people, it was evident many boats are not good in the rain. Here's a few thoughts I had.

#1. BIG. Yup, bigger is better in the rain. Lots of space and ventilation makes living aboard in the rain more pleasant. Places to get wet clothes off, dryer spaces within the cabin. The same goes for housing(tents, cabins), foul weather shrinks spaces that on a sunny day are pleasant.

#2 DRY. Maybe this is #1. Cabin leaks are no big deal on occasion but to be aboard for days of rain, they would drive you crazy. A wet boat is intolerable in the rain for me.

#3 Music.

THUNDERHEAD, 49'(rule #1), has these good rain boat traits. She was designed by Philip Rhodes and built in Germany in 1961 for a racing client. The biggest plus in today's rain is the Rhodes hard dodger on this boat. Not only does it have a large dry bench(bridge deck), the hard dodger allows large quantities of good dry ventilation to move through the cabin.

Better still, you can see the aft bulkhead is all plexiglass(as designed in 61) so there's great light in this boat. Crew can sit out of weather underway or at anchor inside the hard dodger. The main companionway is just forward and to starboard. You climb down a spiral staircase and there's a piano(#3) at the base(originally, may still be there, it would brighten up a dreary day-assuming you play...).

Putting the wheel so far aft was a big mistake, especially in the rain(no boat is perfect). I realize now, the Amel in the background is a good rain boat too just not as photogenic.

What do you think makes a sailboat pleasant or intolerable in the rain?