I would recommend not moving the winches. Better to modify your seatbacks. The genoa sheet needs clearance and free access when sailing. The sheet will be lying on the cockpit bench and released on one side, and hauled in on the other each time you tack. The crew or single-hand skipper will need lots of room. Don't make the seatback any higher than the cockpit coming. In fact, it is sort of designed as a backrest. Maybe dispense with a seatback?
I do agree not to move the winches, especially since you do not have a lot of sailing experience. The winches re-location can be complex and issues only appear when navigating in demanding conditions. Unless you do have advice from several experienced sailors, it would be safer to limits cockpit modifications to a minimum. You may think that all sailboats have poor seat back ergonomic, but usually there are reasons for all boats to be alike ( not only due to ‘tradition’ ). My two cents. Keep posting.
I would recommend not moving the winches. Better to modify your seatbacks. The genoa sheet needs clearance and free access when sailing. The sheet will be lying on the cockpit bench and released on one side, and hauled in on the other each time you tack. The crew or single-hand skipper will need lots of room. Don't make the seatback any higher than the cockpit coming. In fact, it is sort of designed as a backrest. Maybe dispense with a seatback?
I do agree not to move the winches, especially since you do not have a lot of sailing experience. The winches re-location can be complex and issues only appear when navigating in demanding conditions.
Unless you do have advice from several experienced sailors, it would be safer to limits cockpit modifications to a minimum. You may think that all sailboats have poor seat back ergonomic, but usually there are reasons for all boats to be alike ( not only due to ‘tradition’ ). My two cents. Keep posting.