Boat size VS Docking alone ???

[Nick1150]

One of the features I search when I buy a boat is the layout as far as the ability of docking the boat alone. When I mean alone I mean all by my self. I have owned 7 boats till now but all of them were below 27 feet and I could easily dock them by my self. I am in the process of upgrading to a 32 to 36 ft boat and I was wondering if you people dock your boats alone like me.

The main reason I want to be able to dock my boat alone is that I want to have the ability to go for a small trip (lets say 3 to 5 miles) alone on a working day for example and charge MY "batteries" for the next working day. No wife, no kids, no dog... just me and a glass of wine!!!

Which is the size according to your opinion that one MUST have help when docking....

To ease the discussion I understand that different kinds of boats (Fly, Open, HardTop, etc...) is a very important factor for the specific purpose, as it is the way of docking (bow, stern, side, etc...) in a marina. Finally I understand that there are many products outhere (Bow & stern thrusters, remote, etc..) that help the process of docking.

So the question is... which is the size that one person can feel confident and stress free when docking alone ?

Nick

 

[wattsn]

I have a Sealine S38, having gone from a Maxum 24 footer to a Fairline Targa 30, and regularly take her out on my own which often means tying up in the lock on the way out and back in after/prior to berthing her. I have no problems at all doing it all single handed.

I have made things easier for me though with the fitting of pontoon fenders on my berth and also a couple of correct length lines attached to the pontoon cleats with mooring compensators. When I bring her back in I just dock correctly, then jump off and attach the pontoon mooring lines. When she is safe I then deal with the proper mooring lines and springs etc.

I would say though that I would not wish to go much bigger although did single handed skipper an S42 in Denia last year and that was no more difficult than this one. Do as much as you can to make things easier for yourself and take things as slowly as possible.

The one thing I have to remember though is not to clean the hull without first having attached the pucker mooring lines. Did this last weekend with just the mooring compensators attached and of course the boat moved away from the pontoon and I promptly followed it falling in to the marina. Cold and embarrassing

Of course, mine is an open cockpit sports boat so probably not quite as easy on an enclosed cockpit/flybridge boat.

 

[Nick_H]

I don't see any problem at all single handing a 36 foot boat, and a lot bigger for that matter. So long as you can lassoo a cleat from a few feet away, just get a rope secured round your mid cleat and a cleat on the pontoon and bob's your auntie's toy boy. Buoys, piles etc. will be no problem if you invest a few quid in one of the proprietary snap on hook wotsits

If there's a strong cross wind then VHF the marina/harbour as you enter and ask them to send a bod down. I'd happily single hand my almost 60 foot flybridge now, and have done several times when dropping off for service work, antifouling etc.

 

[Nick_H]

Just noticed you're in Greece, so lots of stern-to mooring with anchor down? I'd have thought that's still OK, though i've had little experience of it. I suppose you just have to let out enough chain that you're not being pulled away from the quay too quickly, so you have time to get a stern rope on, then tension up with the windlass afterwards.

 

[hlb]

Not sure size is anything to do with it, It's more to do with wind or different situations.

 

[Tidnock]

26' sports boat, no walkways, single engine, bow access through centre opening windscreen, low rails, if the tent is up reduced access to fenders. 30' plus sports boat, generally none of these

 

[Nick1150]

Thanks

Yes in Greece most of our mooring is stern oriented. Still in our shelter is already connected with the marinas BIG chain, and lines are already prepared with cleats to ease the process of mooring, so no problem about that.

In fact the question is more theoretical and from your first answers I can understand that the most important factor is the pre-adjustment of the equipment and the process and less the size of the boat. So if I am correct from 27 ft to 36 ft will not make any difference at the mooring.

What about Flybridge boats ?

Is there enough time to leave the cockpit and get the lines ?

Only open boats till now you see

 

[Tidnock]

Thanks

Yes in Greece most of our mooring is stern oriented. Still in our shelter is already connected with the marinas BIG chain, and lines are already prepared with cleats to ease the process of mooring, so no problem about that.

In fact the question is more theoretical and from your first answers I can understand that the most important factor is the pre-adjustment of the equipment and the process and less the size of the boat. So if I am correct from 27 ft to 36 ft will not make any difference at the mooring.

What about Flybridge boats ?

Is there enough time to leave the cockpit and get the lines ?

Only open boats till now you see

Cyril Smith no, Bolt yes

 

[Whitelighter]

I had a 33ft open Bavaria, twin sterndrives and no bowthruster. Easy peasy to handle on my own, did it numerous times.

Slow and steady is the general rule, plus do all the fidly bits like fenders well in advance

 

[Doghousekeeper]

What about Flybridge boats ?

Is there enough time to leave the cockpit and get the lines ?

You can get various gadgets that allow you to control your engines remotely (even wirelessly, I believe, although I have no experience with the wireless variety). With one of those it doesn't matter where you are on the boat - you could work from the foredeck, side deck, or aft deck if you needed to and just put down the remote beside you while you handle the ropes.

I guess if you combine that with the Volvo IPS system or similar you'd be able to singlehand a very big boat if you had to

 

[powerskipper]

size

It depends on conditions and where you are putting the boat. but I have single handed so far up to about a 58ft boat.

 

[Moonshiners]

If you have very good access to a midcleat (boat and shore) and you can put it on tight while you sort yourself out then you should be fine. Targa (Bonita) springs to mind as ideal, I also always run a bow-line back to the stern cockpit for ease of single handed berthing. If the wind picks up and it gets a bit out of control you can always ask the marina staff, or someone on a Pontoon to come and take a line.

 

[Renegade_Master]

Nick H not sure about anchor down normally one secures the bow with the slim line, though I cant answer for Greece.

Definately would not allow anchors to be dropped in our Marina far to many things to snag it.

 

[JohnRob]

Not sure size is anything to do with it, It's more to do with wind or different situations.

This is spot on. F37 flybridge is piece of cake single handed in settled conditions. In a f5 you can have been blown off your mooring by the time you get down the f/bridge steps to the ropes.

None of the above is a problem if there is a friendly person on shore, but you can't always rely on that so you just need to choose your conditions - they won't change much in the time it takes to sink a glass of wine.... ;-)

 

[Nick_H]

Clive, there are relatively few places in Greece with ground lines AFAIK, in most places you still need to drop anchor as you reverse to the quay. Sounds like that is changing though, as the OP says his marina has them.

 

[Nick1150]

Clive, there are relatively few places in Greece with ground lines AFAIK, in most places you still need to drop anchor as you reverse to the quay. Sounds like that is changing though, as the OP says his marina has them.

Thats true for our island marinas only... Apart from that, in all marinas near Athens, where is usualy our permanent berthing, we do not drop anchors, since we have ground lines years now.

 

[SnaxMuppet]

For me the issue is not one of size... it is one of control.

If there is no wind, no tide and there is a clear, unrestricted access to an alongside berth, then I can see no issue with bringing the boat alongside, stopping it, walking ashore with the fore and aft lines and simply tieing her up. Once you have stopped then without wind or tide she isn't going anywhere is she...

Add wind or tide, even a little, then it is a different proposition altogether. Now you have an issue of control and for me it is simple... if the conditions are such that it might require action at the helm then it cannot be done safely alone.

I singlehand my boat in most conditions because it is just 21ft and the way I rig the warps I can easily man-handle the boat once ashore. Clearly, with any boat that is much bigger, or should I say heavier, then this will be difficult to do safely and I would be reluctant to singlehand berth except in ideal conditions. If the wind is blowing directly onto the berth then it might be fine as again, there is not likely to be any control issues, but if there is a strong wind from anywhere else then controling the boat will be difficult from anywhere other than the helm.

Having said that there are still conditions, even on my little boat, that I feel are not sensible for me to singlehand when it comes to berthing especially if it is a finger berth, with limited width and a strong beam wind.

So, it depends on circumstances and conditions... there cannot be a fixed boat size as even a very small boat in the wrong conditions will require 2 people to berth safely. Similarly, in ideal conditions you could easily berth a 90ft'er singlehanded.

 

[Nick_H]

Having said that there are still conditions, even on my little boat, that I feel are not sensible for me to singlehand when it comes to berthing especially if it is a finger berth, with limited width and a strong beam wind

I don't get that, finger berths are easy to single hand onto, whatever direction the wind is from. It doesn't matter how many on board, there's only one can steer the boat into the berth, so no disadvantage to being single handed there. In the worst case, if the wind's blowing you away from the finger, then fender up well and rest against the boat next to you, or if there's no boat then berth on the other finger and warp the boat across. If the wind is blowing you in or out of the berth, then you have low windage, so not a problem either.

I think with reasonable boat handling skills, appropriate gadgets, plenty of padding, and a VHF to ask for help when needed, most boats can be single handed in most conditions, though of course it makes sense to try and avoid strong winds or tides where possible.

 

[barfly4657]

"There are still conditions, even on my little boat, that I feel are not sensible for me to singlehand when it comes to berthing especially if it is a finger berth, with limited width and a strong beam wind."

Rig fenders on both sides and park against the other boat or 'wrong' pontoon and haul yourself across. That's the textbook way but I admit to a mental block about doing it!

 

[SnaxMuppet]

Yes, I know the technique regarding finger berths but if you are happy leaving your boat in a strong wind and taking your lines across another boat and walking round to tie up then you are welcome to do it.

Also, not all boats are afffected by the wind the same. I have a small, light boat and it can be VERY difficult to get in to a finger berth with a strong beam wind. There have been times when I couldn't get enough forward speed to get in to the berth before the boat started a side drift so fast that even fendered I would have run a risk of damage.

I think it is not very friendly to knowingly risk damaging other boats and I won't do it.

It is one thing doing things like that when you have a crew to take the lines across... if it does go pear-shaped you are still on board and can recover the situation or the crew can move a fender to fend off.

I hope you don't try to do it next to me.