Dartmouth

[Martxer]

Have you trimmed your outboards down fully? That makes a huge difference and you won't bounce around. Getting the angle of the bow correct as you hit the wake is important too.

I find 45 degrees or head on, if not too big, works for me.

As suggested in an earlier post, you could slow down.

Ladies are generally not impressed with speed and tight turns, it's just that men think they are! ( And I have my wife's permission to say so).

PS

I took my 7 metre single outboard sportscruiser down to Brixham. About 100 miles. Pick your timing at the Portland race, I took the inshore route, then turn about 90 degrees to cross Lyme bay for 50 miles.

As long as have a full suite of safety kit and a buddy then it's a doddle. We did end up going nose first into a F5 for the last 15 miles but the boat took it well. In a 2 metre longer boat with twin engines it will be a straightforward trip.

Always have a plan B bolt hole to run to if it gets too rough...

I did read your post about making the trip?. Regarding trimming the motors I have been experimenting with trimming to find the best angle for ride and economy seems to ride best with the motors fully in.
once we are past Calshot she is fine it is just the amount of traffic and wake in that area that have put her off ,last season was our first season boating and while she was still nervous at first she did gain confidence as we were berthed at Lymington last season .

 

[Martxer]

TBH I'm having difficulty regarding a 3 tonne boat as being light or easily buffeted by wakes, but there you go.

its not so much buffeting as the bow can take off most of that 3 tonne is hanging off the stern, a bit more chain in the locker would probably help.

 

[matt8442]

Morning Martxer,
When we started boating my wife was scared of being out on the water, but had seen and heard our friends talking about how great life on the water was, so wanted to keep at it. We started off slowly going around poole harbour and studland, getting her used to the boat, it’s motion and how the waves affected the boat, now four years later we are out and about in most weathers enjoying some great boating, so stick with it, I’m sure your wife will enjoy it more, especially if your down the south coast. Regards the MF our friends had one and they were never happy with the way the boat handled the waves and always ended up aborting days out at poole harbour entrance as it was being rocked by the wakes of passing boats by the chain ferry. Again his wife was slightly nervous about the motion and it just wouldn’t be fun for them. This is no slight on the boat, it could have just been personal choice and user error, but after a year of ownership they got rid of it and got themselves a Jeanneau prestige and love it. Now they’re always out and about and the boating experience for them is another level.
Good luck with whatever you decide on ?

 

[stelican]

I have slowed down for the wakes but a light bow and 2 outboards still makes the bow take off , around calshot / Southampton water the wake can come from nowhere, it’s no big deal but it is for a nervous passenger. I have shown her endless haul over vids that are far worse but she is too far gone .

There are some unusual tidal movements around Calshot when the tide is flowing in opposite direcctions round the IoW and meeting each other off Calshot Then a stiff breeze and a few washes can turn it into a washing machine experience. In lumpy conditions we use to sit in behind the ferry so still made 14 knots.

 

[Meagain]

Personally I think you are making a good decision to try a new cruising ground, waters around Calshot are generally complex and uncomfortable in smaller boats. It’s not as if one location is on your doorstep vs the other. We enjoy around Poole but in the summer around the chain ferry boats rock and roll. For us the driver was to be local so we had to go up in size 35’, I find if you want to enjoy boating ALL crew need to be happy ! Now I have a happy wife (when boating lol) and feels secure we travel to Brixham, Dartmouth and beyond. Everytime we have been there the waters have been great and easy managed, the only difference to note is the tidal range, where Solent is around a metre, Dartmouth etc I think is about 3x that, so just watch how much chain you let out on anchor.

 

[colhel]

Reading between the lines (and many apologies if this comes across as harsh, but I don't know how else to say it ) but it seems to me as if you both haven't got confidence in your boat. The MF does have a bit of a reputation of being light on the front which I suspect will make them feel bouncy (I've never been on one btw) but I'm sure they're still a capable boat.
I think you'd both benefit from having an experienced Skipper taking you both out to help your Wife gain more confidence in You.
And possibly stuff a couple of forumites in the bow for ballast ?.
Worth thinking about too, once your past Calshot you're in the Solent, one past Dartmouth entrance you're in open sea.
I'm hesitant to press "post reply" here

 

[ashtead]

A bad experience for a West Country crossing in a small mobo can put some off serially. I recall meeting in Poole after we had sailed there in a centaur a family who had traveled in a Shetland type with outboard -we had enjoyed a pleasant sale from the Solent if breezy (but centaurs are under canvassed) in about f4-5 . Family in Shetland arrived looking distinctly green looking for the brandy and recounting an experience akin to white water rafting. I think as mentioned above another type of vessel might help so maybe a test on a Prestige might be a useful day out for crew.

 

[dunedin]

Just googled Largs and it does look stunning, distance wise there is nothing in it but heading north is definitely easier than travelling south .
Reason we are looking south is the weather being better.
We are closest to North Wales and looking at some of the pictures posted on here by the welsh mob looks equally stunning.

So perhaps get your 40 foot boat on the Clyde as best of all options

 

[[70521]]

I live in Devon and have visited Dartmouth on many occasions and my mother is from Largs so know the area well.

The Dart is very scenic and there are some great cruising grounds along the Devon and Cornwall coast. Depending where you are there is a lot of traffic on the Dart. Largs the scenery is stunning and there is the best ice cream parlour in the known universe - Nardini's.

 

[nicho]

We were based on the Thames (Windsor) for a few years, and bought a new Sealine F33. SWMBO was perfectly happy, but I hankered after the sea, so transferred to Hythe Marina. The first time out in the Solent, the somewhat “tippy” F33 scared her to death. After a couple of months, I was given the ultimatum, go back to the Thames or stay on the pontoon! I overcame this by swapping to an S37 sports cruiser. Far more stable in the Solent chop, less top heavy and less rolling. She soon gained confidence, and was happy to go to the West Country, and Channel Islands etc It seems ladies do not like boats that roll too much, and there’s no chance she would continence a flybridge boat again.

 

[Martxer]

Reading between the lines (and many apologies if this comes across as harsh, but I don't know how else to say it ) but it seems to me as if you both haven't got confidence in your boat. The MF does have a bit of a reputation of being light on the front which I suspect will make them feel bouncy (I've never been on one btw) but I'm sure they're still a capable boat.
I think you'd both benefit from having an experienced Skipper taking you both out to help your Wife gain more confidence in You.
And possibly stuff a couple of forumites in the bow for ballast ?.
Worth thinking about too, once your past Calshot you're in the Solent, one past Dartmouth entrance you're in open sea.
I'm hesitant to press "post reply" here

I did my pb2 on the boat to gain confidence and I am happy with how it performs however I have no experience of other boats to compare.
The wife has lost her confidence and I think as mentioned it can be like a washing machine and she cannot get over that hence the move.

I wanted to do the day skipper coarse last year but time got away from me, I will definitely do some own boat training once on Dartmouth .
No need to apologise I am not easily offended ?

 

[henryf]

I’ve just read through the post and my immediate thoughts are that the Solent is a lot more sheltered than the West Country where there’s nothing twixt you and America ?

The Solent has really predictable tides which will have a big influence on sea conditions but there are lots of bits of land to help provide shelter and places you can pop your nose into.

As has been said already engine / trim tab settings will make a big difference as will the skipper.

In the Solent a couple of hours can make all the difference to sea conditions. Learn what makes the water tick.

Henry

 

[franksingleton]

We are currently on the hamble and this season have not done much boating despite the brilliant summer. This is because the wife is a nervous passenger and encounters with big boats and big wakes around calshot have put her off a bit.

We were going to get a bigger boat my logic being it would make the wakes of other boats look smaller however she still had doubts about being on the hamble. Last week we had a long weekend at Brixham and the weather was diabolical, we walked to berry head and she said she thought she would feel better being based there.

We had a walk around the marinas and spoke to the staff and all said they had a big waiting list for boats around 40’ . We have managed to secure a berth on the dart for the boat we currently have and so we are now keeping our boat and need to move it for April.

The question is can you recommend a skipper to make the move with me as making the trip myself is currently out of my comfort zone.

As you have a 40’ yacht, I have to assume that you are not a beginner. My advice is to watch forecasts, GRIB data, using one of many apps, Ventusky is as clear as any. Wait until you have at least 3 days with winds predicted to be less than 20 kts from any direction between N and S through E and aim to do it in one hop. You can always drop the main and use headsail alone. If it is getting a bit strong. You can roll in the headsail if you are still going too fast.

 

[colhel]

@franksingleton I think you may have accidentally posted in the motorboat forum.
But I'm sure any passage planning tips from a sailing perspective would be interesting ?

 

[franksingleton]

@franksingleton I think you may have accidentally posted in the motorboat forum.
But I'm sure any passage planning tips from a sailing perspective would be interesting ?

Oops, sorry, yes! Quite correct - on both counts. Assuming it is a displacement boat, similar planning considerations will apply. I guess that you will not want to motor into a strong wind. You would probably prefer an offshore wind. In some ways, wind is more critical for a motorboat than a yacht. Planing motor boats are, of course, highly and critically dependent on wind although on different timescales. I remember discussing the differences with the skipper of a Nordwesrer (have I got the name right?) He planed at 30 it’s but, with any significant waves, speed dropped right off and fuel consumption greatly increased. I found the differences fascinating

 

[Martxer]

I’ve just read through the post and my immediate thoughts are that the Solent is a lot more sheltered than the West Country where there’s nothing twixt you and America ?

The Solent has really predictable tides which will have a big influence on sea conditions but there are lots of bits of land to help provide shelter and places you can pop your nose into.

As has been said already engine / trim tab settings will make a big difference as will the skipper.

In the Solent a couple of hours can make all the difference to sea conditions. Learn what makes the water tick.

Henry

I thought it was an old wives tale about the Solent being sheltered. We have been out in the Solent on a dirty wash cycle and when reached the other side of the IOw the sea has been mirror flat?.

on a serious note as a novice with a nervous passenger it can be hard to find out what makes the water tick

 

[SC35]

I'm not sure if this helps or not, but when I had a Sealine S28, I would slow down before the wake, power up a bit into it, then shout "YEE HAA" really quite loudly as we went over.
Point being, although Mrs SC35 got rapidly tired of the really quite bad cowboy impressions, she didn't associate a wake with anything scary.
If the skipper is confident, that confidence spreads around the boat.

Worst case is the fixed grin ? which gets deployed when things go quite wrong e.g. the radar reflector has just been washed off the arch by green water or a belt shreds itself and we are down to one engine.
The advantage of the Solent is that although busy in Summer, whichever way the wind is blowing, you can usually find shelter on one side of the Isle of Wight.

 

[SC35]

I thought it was an old wives tale about the Solent being sheltered. We have been out in the Solent on a dirty wash cycle and when reached the other side of the IOw the sea has been mirror flat?.
on a serious note as a novice with a nervous passenger it can be hard to find out what makes the water tick

Tide going one way, wind going the other way is a sure fire recipe for a bumpy ride.

But sometimes the weather just has it in for you - I've had a day where the wind switched around at lunchtime resulting in wind over tide both going out and coming back! That doesn't happen often.

A heavier boat and hull shape does make a difference. Current SC35 weighs in at around 9000kg, and squashes small waves entirely.
It's not often I have to reduce speed because of the waves, sometimes near Cowes with the wakes from the bigger boats, but mostly it keeps going at 20kts or so.
A Fairline Targa 38 or Princess V39 would have similar or better wave squashing abilities.

Chichester Harbour entrance is one to watch out for. It's not as bad as the Haulover videos, but you will sometimes see me surfing 9000kg of boat back in.
Attempting to leave the harbour in the same conditions is not a great idea (Tide going out, F5 or more from the South).

 

[Martxer]

Tide going one way, wind going the other way is a sure fire recipe for a bumpy ride.

But sometimes the weather just has it in for you - I've had a day where the wind switched around at lunchtime resulting in wind over tide both going out and coming back! That doesn't happen often.

A heavier boat and hull shape does make a difference. Current SC35 weighs in at around 9000kg, and squashes small waves entirely.
It's not often I have to reduce speed because of the waves, sometimes near Cowes with the wakes from the bigger boats, but mostly it keeps going at 20kts or so.
A Fairline Targa 38 or Princess V39 would have similar or better wave squashing abilities.

Chichester Harbour entrance is one to watch out for. It's not as bad as the Haulover videos, but you will sometimes see me surfing 9000kg of boat back in. Attempting to leave the harbour in the same conditions is not a great idea (Tide going out, F4/5 or more from the South)

Sc35 was high up on our shopping list but as we came out of lockdown all the boats on our list had gone.

 

[SC35]

Sc35 was high up on our shopping list but as we came out of lockdown all the boats on our list had gone.

What's good about the SC35 is that the bathing platform actually has hull sections underneath it ... the bathing platform is not just an oversized tea-tray.
Net result is that you save on Marina Fees and get a boat that handles similarly to a boat one size up.
But it's not a speed machine. Cruise at 20-22kts, flat out maybe 30kts on a good day.
That's enough for us, but it won't impress a Targa 38 owner with twin D6's ?