45ft Steel Cruiser Single Handed

[Lewisdb]

Hello and thanks in advance for any advice.

I'm giving very serious consideration to putting in an offer on a boat this weekend.

The only thing stopping me is the size. She's 45ft, with a 13ft beam and I'm wondering how easy a boat of this size would be to control from the bank single handed for the occasions when I need to more up on my own?

I'm thinking getting a line on the central cleat cleat would do the trick to be able to step ashore?

She won't be back in the water until after the servey so I'm going in a bit blind..

Any advice gratefully received

 

[PCUK]

A heavy steel boat will do what you want and won't skitter about like plastic. You will need to practice a lot to begin with. After that no problems.

 

[dunedin]

How much experience do you have, and how much single handing?
An experienced skipper could probably single hand a boat of that size and weight safely, but it isn't for beginners. If things go wrong a lot of mass to do damage, to other boats and you (your body, not the boat).
I have done a lot of single handing in a smaller boat, weighing 10 tons. Key things that assist are bullet proof autopilot and a bow thruster with remote control. Does your intended have these as a starter?
And never try to "control from the bank" something that heavy. Yes a mid rope led to the genoa winch is a big help, but needs to be attached whilst still on board. Never step off until the boat is fully secure and stationary.

 

[Tranona]

You don't say what sort of boat and where you are using it.

 

[Metalicmike]

Very dodgy solo, a lot of weight to control especially if it has high coamings making it more awkward to step onto a pontoon. You need the confidence to be able to maneuver her very accurately to almost a standstill in adverse conditions or be sure of shore hands.

 

[oldgit]

On a non tidal river, less of challenge than in other waters.
You would need to be on your toes maneuvering a single engined boat in the pontoon puzzle of many tidal marinas
..............then add that brisk wind which always appears just as you arrive back.
A bow thruster would help mightly.
.

 

[Lewisdb]

You don't say what sort of boat and where you are using it.

She's a De Groot 45. A Dutch cruiser and I'll be mainly on the Gloucester and Sharpness shipping canal.

 

[Stemar]

I had a small boat for years and, when she got stroppy, as they do, I could tug on a line, and she'd shape up. My friend's boat, twice the size of mine, would just laugh and tug back. Your 10 tonner won't even do that, she'll just ignore your efforts if she has something else in mind. The positive side to this is that, once stopped where you want her, she won't be so easily distracted by a gust of wind.

 

[oldgit]

One assumes a serious look has been carried out on the hull condition internally regards corrosion by somebody who knows what they are looking for.
A clever shiney new coat of paint can hide an awful lot of problems on older steel boats, latent problems are much harder to hide on plastic boats.

 

[Tranona]

She's a De Groot 45. A Dutch cruiser and I'll be mainly on the Gloucester and Sharpness shipping canal.

Does it have a bow thruster? that makes control a bit easier but for regular cruising and mooring up that is a big boat for a singlehander. If however you are buying it for a liveaboard with occasional movement then not difficult to organise some help.

As oldgit says buying an old steel boat is a risky activity. Assume it is this one apolloduck.co.uk/boat/de-groot-45-for-sale/468439 looks OK based on the sketchy details, but its low asking price reflects the lack of market attractiveness. A survey by a specialist is steel boats is wise.

 

[NormanS]

Having cruised in a 60ft boat for 30 years, I do have some experience with large heavy boats. There is a fundamental difference from smaller, lighter boats, in that you simply do not try to push or pull the boat by hand.
Determine which way the prop walk pulls the stern, and if at all possible, berth that side to. It's then quite simple to approach the berth carefully, with bow in, then a touch astern to stop her, and at the same time bring her in alongside. Rig a spring. Experience will show which fairlead is best, probably about abreast of the mast. Having made fast the spring, drive gently ahead with the helm over enough to keep her in alongside. You can then rig all the other lines required.

With a bigger heavier boat, things happen slower. The wind won't suddenly blow you off the berth, and although the gear will be heavier, you have far more deck space on which to handle it.

It comes down to the question of whether you have the ability and confidence required.

I don't know how old this particular steel boat is, but be very aware that steel rusts, and generally in the many inaccessible parts where regular maintenance is difficult, and may been missed. A very thorough survey is essential. If she is being sold cheaply, there's probably a reason. Caveat emptor.

 

[Tranona]

Having cruised in a 60ft boat for 30 years, I do have some experience with large heavy boats. There is a fundamental difference from smaller, lighter boats, in that you simply do not try to push or pull the boat by hand.
Determine which way the prop walk pulls the stern, and if at all possible, berth that side to. It's then quite simple to approach the berth carefully, with bow in, then a touch astern to stop her, and at the same time bring her in alongside. Rig a spring. Experience will show which fairlead is best, probably about abreast of the mast. Having made fast the spring, drive gently ahead with the helm over enough to keep her in alongside. You can then rig all the other lines required.

With a bigger heavier boat, things happen slower. The wind won't suddenly blow you off the berth, and although the gear will be heavier, you have far more deck space on which to handle it.

It comes down to the question of whether you have the ability and confidence required.

I don't know how old this particular steel boat is, but be very aware that steel rusts, and generally in the many inaccessible parts where regular maintenance is difficult, and may been missed. A very thorough survey is essential. If she is being sold cheaply, there's probably a reason. Caveat emptor.

Have a look at my link to see the boat in question plus where it is kept and how used. Probably rather different from the boat you had.

 

[NormanS]

Have a look at my link to see the boat in question plus where it is kept and how used. Probably rather different from the boat you had.

And so?

 

[Tranona]

If you had bothered to look at the boat some of your suggestions would not be appropriate - for example it is twin screw so unlikely to have prop walk. While rigging a spring is a valid technique he is talking about mooring on a river bank. The boat does not have a mast and is steered from either inside the saloon or the flybridge, neither of which make it easy for a single hander to do much about handling mooring lines in a hurry. He does indeed have a potential challenge. He has already been advised by 2 posters to have a specialist survey.

Always worth reading all the information given in the thread before commenting.

 

[JOHNPEET]

Firstly, I would echo other comments in that it is crucial to have an older steel boat properly surveyed by a surveyor with plenty of experience with steel boats of the type and age appropriate.
I have a 12m steel boat of 17,000kg displacement (full tanks) which is not too dissimilar in design layout to the Degroot in question. I’m on a summer swinging mooring on the Menai Strait so plenty of tidal flow and a marina berth for the winter (Oct to March). I have twin engines and no bow thruster. I single hand quite often and with careful forethought given to weather and tidal conditions don’t have a problem with handling the boat. Quite comfortable with anchoring, picking up moorings and entering and undertaking manoeuvres within the marina. The trick with close manoeuvres is to use short nudges in gear to make required headway and allow the momentum of the boat to make headway. Much easier to use an additional nudge in gear than to try and slow or stop the boat because of excess momentum. The majority of close manoeuvres are made on the engines only with little rudder being used. A call on the vhf usually secures some valuable assistance with shore lines from the marina staff when required. Obviously making sure that fenders and shorelines are well prepared in advance. All approaches to a mooring or manoeuvres within the marina are made from the fly bridge which benefits from good all round visibility.
So my understanding is you have a riverbank mooring? The ease with which you will be able to use this single handedly, will depend to some extent on how much distance there is fore and aft of your vessel to your neighbours! It’s going to need lots of practice and to begin with I suggest with crew - just in case you need urgent assistance with something to avert any disaster and impact to self confidence.

 

[NormanS]

If you had bothered to look at the boat some of your suggestions would not be appropriate - for example it is twin screw so unlikely to have prop walk. While rigging a spring is a valid technique he is talking about mooring on a river bank. The boat does not have a mast and is steered from either inside the saloon or the flybridge, neither of which make it easy for a single hander to do much about handling mooring lines in a hurry. He does indeed have a potential challenge. He has already been advised by 2 posters to have a specialist survey.

Always worth reading all the information given in the thread before commenting.

Maybe the OP might have been better advised to have posted in the Motor Boat section. There would be people there who would have actual knowledge. A boat described as a 45ft cruiser is very unspecific. That was the information that I was basing my comments on.

 

[MisterBaxter]

I don't think the handling will be a problem for the use you have in mind, which I take to be continuous cruising liveaboard on the G&S. I used to keep a 57', 19 tonne narrowboat on the Avon and had no trouble single handed, even when the river was up a bit and flowing faster.
Would you be mooring on stakes on soft banks? If so you do sometimes need a bit of agility - you can bring the boat up close and to a standstill, but you'll sometimes then need to jump off with a midship line onto a sloping and uneven bank. The trick is to throw long bow and stern lines out onto the bank first, then throw three stakes and a mallet, then jump with the midship line and get busy.
But overall if you're in good physical condition you should be fine. I would take my boat up to Bath and through the flight onto the K&A single handed, including the Bath Deep Lock, without much stress.

 

[PaulRainbow]

If you had bothered to look at the boat some of your suggestions would not be appropriate - for example it is twin screw so unlikely to have prop walk.

Twin engined boats do have prop walk, in some cases lots of it. That's why they have counter rotating props, one cancels the other out. The big advantage is that you can select the engine that gives you the desired direction of prop walk.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Twin engined boats do have prop walk, in some cases lots of it. That's why they have counter rotating props, one cancels the other out. The big advantage is that you can select the engine that gives you the desired direction of prop walk.

Yes I was just about to post the same thing. My boat is GRP not steel, 48’ twin shaft diesel, weighs about 15T I think. It’s pretty easy to park it accurately using just the throttles and unassisted, although a stiff crosswind makes things materially more difficult.

 

[PaulRainbow]

Yes I was just about to post the same thing. My boat is GRP not steel, 48’ twin shaft diesel, weighs about 15T I think. It’s pretty easy to park it accurately using just the throttles and unassisted, although a stiff crosswind makes things materially more difficult.

We have similar boats, mine is a Mk1 Princess 45. I never use the wheel for parking, the engines work much better. Getting alongside is straight forward enough, but you'd need to be pretty sprightly to get from either helm to get a line ashore.