That's one of the main reasons we bought a 350 Mainship. As years unfurl the side decks become a necessity for safety when preparing to dock and docking.
The last thing I want is the admiral trying to set fenders with one hand on the rail leaning over the waters edge. When your knock'in on 70 you just cant jump as far as you think you can. I believe safety before comfort IMHO, but I think we've found a good balance with this boat.
Cheers
J.T.
As others have said, side decks vs. more cabin space is a purely personal decision with no right or wrong. It's what works for
you.
I'm in the exact same situation as you are, and feel the same way. 25 years ago I was willing to trade away walk-around side decks for some more interior cabin space. But at my now advanced age, no way. Full walk around side decks were an absolute must-have deal-breaker for me in my latest (and likely last) boat.
We're all victims of our own past experiences. My experience on my prior boat, one with narrow side decks (about 5") that I (foolishly) tried to make into walk-arounds by adding railings, was,
instructive. Painfully so.
The only way to walk on a deck that narrow (at least with my size 12D feet) was shuffling with my feet in line. About 10 years ago, in a fast-moving docking situation, with opposing winds and currents blowing the boat around and towards nearby expensive boats and hard damaging things, I tried moving quickly to fend off. My foot got caught in a rail mount, my body twisted but the foot didn't, and I destroyed the meniscus in the left knee. Arthroscopic surgery removed about half the damaged meniscus, and the knee has never been the same since. Age was creeping up on me even then, and taught me a lesson I can never forget.
In my 'younger' days I was willing to play trapeze artist and gingerly traipse my way along 5" wide side 'decks', clinging to railings, to hang fenders or handle lines. At this age, never again. If I tried to do that now (or heaven forbid send the Admiral), we wouldn't last a day before one of us took an unscheduled swim.
Luck (and winds and currents) being what they are, I've often found myself in docking situations in tight spaces. I personally prefer trading off some interior cabin space for the ease and safety of movement on full walk-around decks protected by bulwarks (to obviate the chance of a foot slipping through an open railing). My priority is to be able to get to any and all parts of the boat easily, safely, and in any weather or sea state.
But that's only my own personal choice based on my experiences and boating needs. It's only the two of us on the boat virtually all the time, never with more than maybe a couple of guests for short times, so maximizing interior space isn't needed.
Your mileage may vary.