steve yates
Well-known member
Mainly thinking about docking and reaching pontoon cleats etc, on boats similar to a westerly seahawk or moody 36 but any other pertinentobsebations or experience would be very useful.
Thanks
Thanks
Are mid range centre cockpit boats easy to singlehand?
- Thread starter steve yates
- Start date
GerardV
New member
I own a Westerly Oceanranger that I sail regular single handed. I have no issues with mooring etc.. However I think that a CC or an AC don't differ much in this respect.
neil_s
Well-known member
No problem on my Seal 28 - although it's a bit smaller than the examples you give. Have bow and stern lines lead to coils an the spray hood before you arrive, then you just hop over the coaming, grab the lines, step over the guard rails and jump onto the pontoon. I set up quarter fairleads last winter with the intention of trying the 'motor moor' but never got around to it!
pandos
Well-known member
Have a look at Duncan Wells vids on single handing. He does them in a hr352 ( center cockpit), I have had one of these for 20 years.
Once you get your mind around it I would say a centre cockpit is easier getting on and off a pontoon.
in terms of getting on to a mooring the run between the bow and the wheel is shorter in a centre cockpit...
Although there is no hope of backing down onto a mooring buoy and hooking onto the eye...I have lassooed buoys from the cockpit, by dropping a loop of line over them and the line can be kept too short to end up in the prop if things go wrong..
Poignard
Well-known member
MontyMariner
Well-known member
I've had my Colvic Countess ketch coming up 25 years, about 90% sailed solo. The only thing that can't be done that I can think of is picking up a buoy from the sugar scoop stern 
steve yates
Well-known member
Great, thanks all.
laika
Well-known member
Slightly bigger and maybe it’s just lack of competence on my part but I’ll argue that the centre cockpit of an oceanlord is a less than perfect starting point for single handed berthing. Duncan Wells’s techniques are hugely useful for leaving a berth but the reverse operation at some point generally involves leaving the helm to drop a line over something. Compared with an aft cockpit boat (especially one with twin wheels) there's additional time required from leaving the helm to leaning over the side with a line and with the freeboard and side deck width pontoon cleats vanish from view earlier. I would not choose my boat for single handed berthing.
RunAgroundHard
Well-known member
I sail a centre cockpit, 40’ and it’s easier in short pontoons than aft cockpit boats when coming alongside.
However the point is, aft, centre, there will always be times when you have to leave the cockpit sailing single handed. It comes with the territory.
The good thing about Duncan Well’s stuff is that it sets you up to try different ways using the basic methods he teaches.
For example. I use his centre cleat method to reverse out a pontoon and stop my bow blowing off and prop walk contributing to it. It is a bit hard on my fenders, but works well for my situation.
As always, practice and get to know the boat. Single handed sailing confidence is all about preparation, practice, learning, adjusting procedure.
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RAI
Well-known member
My biggest puzzle in entering a strange new marina single-handed is knowing what kind of cleat, ring, hoop, whatever, is on the outer end of the pontoon finger. I made up a mid cleat spring with a very large carabiner, which handles most alternatives. Once clipped on, I can drive against the spring with the helm hard over, pinning the boat against the finger.