Life is Good on the Krogen 44 - Kadey-Krogen Yachts

The Krogen 44Above left: The clean and bright guest/day head. Above right: The desk and Pullman berth ofthe den/guest cabin. I would opt to replace the Pullman berth with several long shelves for theship’s office. There can never be enough practical storage space on one’s cru<strong>is</strong>ing home!The view from the inside helm <strong>is</strong> outstandingforward and to each side. Two rectangular, 16-inchwideports are on the aft bulkhead for a degree ofv<strong>is</strong>ibility astern. The 26-inch teak wheel <strong>is</strong> anotherKadey-Krogen tradition.None of the pilothouse windows open (so theydon’t leak, either), except the two aft ports, but thedogged Dutch pilothouse doors open out to the sidedecks. If you like the look and feel of a Kadey-Krogen pilothouse, you’ll love the one on theKrogen 44. It inspires confidence.Forward AccommodationsFour steps down from the saloon bring us to alayout that’s perfect for a couple. Immediately onthe port side <strong>is</strong> a full head with separate shower(with seat), a freshwater Vacuflush toilet, twoopening ports and an aft-facing vanity with sink andmirror. The liberal use of light-colored laminates,overhead lighting, and teak or cherry trim creates abright, clean-feeling head. The Corian vanity countermatches the Corian counter in the galley.Across from the large head <strong>is</strong> what Kurt calls theden, a space evolved over the years to serve as theship’s office, reading room, and occasional guestcabin. An L-shaped setteepulls out to become adouble berth, and a swingdownPullman berth overthe desk transforms theoffice into a grandchildren’sfantasy nookand bunk room.Given the fact that mostKrogen owners are retiredcouples who aren’t lookingfor regular and frequentcompany, th<strong>is</strong> den concepthas much to recommendit. I think it <strong>is</strong> a moreeffective use of space thana second dedicatedstateroom. In fact, I’d nixthe berth over the deskand add more shelves forbooks, printer, and cru<strong>is</strong>ingguides. The den does havelarge, fiddled shelves anddrawers and lockers,however, and there <strong>is</strong> alsoan engine-room accessdoor, complete withinspection port and outside light switch.Moving forward to the bow area along the25-inch-wide companionway, I found a stackedAsko washer and dryer just forward of the guesthead on the port side. From there, steps lead upinto the master stateroom.When Kadey-Krogen eventually offered an <strong>is</strong>landqueen berth in the master stateroom on the Krogen42, instead of a head in the bow and a custom bedfitted against the starboard side of the hull, thecompany and its customers never went back. So itwas no real debate on the layout of the master inthe new 44.The <strong>is</strong>land queen <strong>is</strong> central in the stateroom; theheadboard <strong>is</strong> a solid bulkhead (the coll<strong>is</strong>ion bulkhead,in fact). Under the mattress <strong>is</strong> a cavern of storage, plussix deep drawers for clothing. Th<strong>is</strong> stateroom offersh<strong>is</strong> and her hanging lockers, four 14-inch openingports and a large overhead hatch, all of which helpmake the cabin bright and inviting. And thewoodwork <strong>is</strong> lovely: Kurt told me the yard uses solidteak for all doors, and the only veneer <strong>is</strong> on bulkheads,which are carefully matched to look continuous.Several sole hatches open into separate bilges foraccess to the 228-gallon stainless-steel water tank,Reprinted with perm<strong>is</strong>sion. Copyright 2005 © Trader Publ<strong>is</strong>hing Company (888.487.2953) http://www.passagemaker.com