Biggest size for single handing?

[ip485]

I single hand the IP at 50 foot, including in and out of the marina. Electric nearly everything and bow thruster of course helps. Larger boats are not a problem until something major goes wrong - and even simple things with a crew are more of an issue with one up, for example if you get the mooring wrong moving a 23 ton vessel around is a challenge by yourself! On a more serious not any serious failures at sea become a pita, sails are pretty heavy and large and dragging them around in the unlikely event is seriously demanding. All the time all is well it isnt a problem.

 

[ianj99]

I too have seen people have difficulty with their boats, many of them with crews. Perhaps you should spend time in the Med where there are many singlehanded and couples cruising quite happily in bigger boats, and also observe those with bigger crews getting into trouble, particularly with mooring, just through straight incompetence.

There is no shame in asking the marina office for assistance when berthing in adverse conditions.
If it is out of hours, I would find another berth, eg a visitors one, as these are often easier to get into and then move to my own berth when conditions improved.
Quite often, those in nearby vessels will come to your aid without having to be asked, and I am always standing by if I see a situation where my help could be needed, without waiting to be asked.
Sadly, others will just sit there are wait to see if you mess it up..

 

[DannyB]

I single hand a 39 footer, and to my mind, entering and leaving marinas is the biggest challenge, although picking up a mooring buoy is the only real problem, I find it easier to anchor. Sailing it is no problem, but I tend to reef early, which is a good habit anyway. I'm in my late 60s with a dodgy back, so if I can do it anybody can.

 

[Tranona]

There is no shame in asking the marina office for assistance when berthing in adverse conditions.
If it is out of hours, I would find another berth, eg a visitors one, as these are often easier to get into and then move to my own berth when conditions improved.
Quite often, those in nearby vessels will come to your aid without having to be asked, and I am always standing by if I see a situation where my help could be needed, without waiting to be asked.
Sadly, others will just sit there are wait to see if you mess it up..

As always it depends on the context. Home berths are usually easier because you can have permanent warps made up to size, or use aids such as a pole on the end of the finger to hang the lines. The aim is to be self sufficient and that is a combination of a suitable boat and gear plus learning how to cope with different scenarios. In my case, I am "lucky" in that my berth is east/west and the finger is on the north side. Winds are predominantly in the southern half round to west, although east at this time of year. This makes it much easier to control the boat and use the wind and I reverse in. North winds are more of a challenge as they blow the bow off, but the thruster helps - although sometimes one has to accept that it is a day to stay in port! Pity because north winds are great for sailing on our bit of south facing coast.

Visiting a commercial marina is different. As you say, best to ask for help if you think you need it - before you start rather than when you are in trouble. Personally I am wary of bystanders assisting rather than marina staff. Some are fine, but difficult to determine before they spring into action.

 

[doug748]

What do people think is the optimum size for single handing?
As a liveaboard cruising yacht? A friend said 40ft but I think that might be a big big for getting in and out of marina's.
What are the panels thoughts?

I would have thought 30 something feet but at the lower end, maybe 35ft.

There will be enough accommodation for even a fat bloke and room for guests, and fast girls, now and again. Ay sea it will be reasonably dry and capable and not outrageously expensive to run and maintain.

The worst thing about singlehanding is being stuck in a marina paying £30 a day, whilst the boat next door has 10 on board all chipping in a few quid.

 

[Tranona]

I would have thought 30 something feet but at the lower end, maybe 35ft.

That may be your view, but it is clearly not shared by others. Suggest you look at the question from their point of view, and not from yours and you might then see that it is not only practical to have a larger boat than that in such a situation, and for many even desirable.

If it were not practical and or desirable, why would builders make such an effort to build boats that meet those requirements?

 

[GHA]

I have been a liveaboard on my 36' steel ketch for a year and am always single handed.

Quick question - not meant to be judgemental in any way..

Living aboard, how often do you go in and out of marinas?

The liveaboards I know usually mostly only move the boat for a reason - like moving to a new place or leaving the anchorage to get some diesel or stock up in the nearest town. In and out of marinas going for day sails just doesn't really happen. There are a multitude of good/bad features for a singlehanded liveaboard boat, ease getting in and out of marinas is just one, not even near to the top of the list either imho.

 

[doug748]

That may be your view, but it is clearly not shared by others. Suggest you look at the question from their point of view, and not from yours......

In answering the OP's question:


"What do people think is the optimum size for single handing?


It's actually quite tricky not to use my own point of view.

 

[Tranona]

In answering the OP's question:


"What do people think is the optimum size for single handing?


It's actually quite tricky not to use my own point of view.

So, maybe you should look up from your own point of view and consider the question from others.

There is no one single answer, nor an opinion that is superior to others. There are so many variables, and as I keep on saying, you can only give an answer in terms of the context in which the boat is being used and the person who is using it. Hence the wide variety of answers and there is no absolute optimum.

So you might consider 35' big enough but the evidence is all around us that others don't - and can give very good reasons why this is the case.

The OP is presumably asking the question because he is getting conflicting views - because there are conflicting views. So simply saying "in your opinion" is not helpful.

 

[doug748]

So, maybe you should look up from your own point of view and consider the question from others.

There is no one single answer, nor an opinion that is superior to others. There are so many variables, and as I keep on saying, you can only give an answer in terms of the context in which the boat is being used and the person who is using it. Hence the wide variety of answers and there is no absolute optimum.

So you might consider 35' big enough but the evidence is all around us that others don't - and can give very good reasons why this is the case.

The OP is presumably asking the question because he is getting conflicting views - because there are conflicting views. So simply saying "in your opinion" is not helpful.

I have looked again at my post 25..

...and your responses. There seems to be a surreal disconnect between the two.

I should go out for a sail.

 

[purplerobbie]

Just to clarify.
I'm meant live aboard cruising. I can get into my home marina berth in most weather so not really a consideration . I'm more concerned about going into a strange marina. I wouldn't like to go down a trot of yachts looking for a berth only to have to reverse out. Some marina's are really narrow and quite easy to get into a lot of trouble.

I have a 40 foot boat at the moment and as long as it all goes my way it's fine for single handed. But it only takes a gust at the wrong moment pushing you onto something that you don't want to be pushed on to and all hell breaks lose.
You can't be on the helm and tying the boat up at the same time.

Sailing isn't a problem. In mast reefing and everything controlled from the cockpit make life a lot easier.
A good autopilot helps.

A friend said the best thing to do is anchor out then go in by dinghy to see exactly what you're getting into.

 

[Tranona]

Just to clarify.
I'm meant live aboard cruising. I can get into my home marina berth in most weather so not really a consideration . I'm more concerned about going into a strange marina. I wouldn't like to go down a trot of yachts looking for a berth only to have to reverse out. Some marina's are really narrow and quite easy to get into a lot of trouble.

I have a 40 foot boat at the moment and as long as it all goes my way it's fine for single handed. But it only takes a gust at the wrong moment pushing you onto something that you don't want to be pushed on to and all hell breaks lose.
You can't be on the helm and tying the boat up at the same time.

Sailing isn't a problem. In mast reefing and everything controlled from the cockpit make life a lot easier.
A good autopilot helps.

A friend said the best thing to do is anchor out then go in by dinghy to see exactly what you're getting into.

You have really answered your own question. It is what you are confident in handling in the circumstances you might come across in your style of cruising. If you experience particular difficulties (and the one you mention is a big fear) analyse it to determine what the barriers are and then devise a way of dealing with them. In your scenario a bow thruster is top of the list. It enhances the ability to control the boat if you need to - but I suspect (like me) you will find once you have one it is more of a comfort factor. That is, you know it is there should you need it.

An alternative, as you have suggested is to avoid situations where you have doubts - but in a sense this is defeatist as well as often inconvenient. Just part of the learning process. You get better at the difficult things if you confront them.

So the real answer to your original question is the optimum size for you is the one that meets your expectations and you are comfortable with - not necessarily the same as suits others.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Manoeuvring a boat in close quarters is a matter of knowledge, practice, practice and more practice which results in a level of skill that enables one to cope with most situations.
The two biggest boats I have single handed were a Pacific Seacraft 44 and a Valiant 50 both had bow thrusters and both were easier to reverse and dock than my old Vancouvers although they at 27 and 34 foot were perfectly easy to single hand in and out of tight berths. I did get it wrong on the odd occasion but well fendered no harm was done. I have also seen people cock up straight forward berthing on boats from 20 foot to 70 foot. There is no hard and fast rule.

 

[PaulRainbow]

That may be your view, but it is clearly not shared by others. Suggest you look at the question from their point of view, and not from yours

Huh ?

Surely the OP is asking for peoples opinions ?

Of course, you are the forum expert on seeing things from others point of view, not.

 

[Tranona]

Huh ?

Surely the OP is asking for peoples opinions ?

Of course, you are the forum expert on seeing things from others point of view, not.

I have no problem with opinions - provided they are set in context. Just stating "in my opinion" is helpful to nobody.

And yes, I try and answer a question from the point of view of the questioner if it is possible. Otherwise I give the context for the answer or an explanation as to why that answer (or opinion) is given.

Why do some people find it so difficult to explain why they hold a particular opinion?

 

[maby]

Just to clarify.
I'm meant live aboard cruising. I can get into my home marina berth in most weather so not really a consideration . I'm more concerned about going into a strange marina. I wouldn't like to go down a trot of yachts looking for a berth only to have to reverse out. Some marina's are really narrow and quite easy to get into a lot of trouble.

....

Our first two boats were pretty painful in reverse and that led me to regard handling astern as rather important. We always stay in marinas and I really wanted a boat that I could reliably park backwards into a space just three or four feet larger than the boat itself. When we were evaluating potential purchases for the third and fourth boats, I insisted on having the opportunity to test out close quarters manoeuvring in general and reversing in particular.

The result has been our current boat which will turn on a sixpence and arguably handles better in reverse than forward. It has a wide, open transom - almost as wide as the boat is amidships. I can step around the wheel and steer in reverse facing in the direction of travel and the throttle is high up on the binnacle meaning that I have full control of the boat in reverse without ever having to take my eyes off the pontoon and surrounding boats. When I get into the berth, I can leave the engine in tickover astern to keep it pegged to the pontoon, then calmly step off through the transom to come round to the midships, take a line and make fast. It really is very easy.

 

[doug748]

Tranona

Huh ?

Surely the OP is asking for peoples opinions ?

Of course, you are the forum expert on seeing things from others point of view, not.

Got him bang to rights there

I have no problem with opinions - provided they are set in.......

Why do some people find it so difficult to explain why they hold a particular opinion?

Post 25 again?

I was rather proud of putting six reasons for my opinion into the 6 lines.

The more you ramble on, the more I think you have read another post and replied to mine in error.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

It would be interesting to know who has single handed what to go with there comments.

 

[PaulRainbow]

It would be interesting to know who has single handed what to go with there comments.

I haven't commented much, but i single hand a Westerly Discus. My marina parking is always done stern to and i'm not prone to crashing into things. I manage locks and buoys on my own. If i go into a strange marina i always say i'm single handed and if i spot an easy berth or a hammerhead i tie up and go to look at what i've been allocated.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

I haven't commented much, but i single hand a Westerly Discus. My marina parking is always done stern to and i'm not prone to crashing into things. I manage locks and buoys on my own. If i go into a strange marina i always say i'm single handed and if i spot an easy berth or a hammerhead i tie up and go to look at what i've been allocated.

Sensible approach but I get the impression the OP was thinking + 40 foot