Single Handed Mooring a Leader 805 vs Targa 29 vs Leader 30s

[N D]

Hi All,

Having missed boating for a decade and swapping from sails to power, I hope my question is not too stupid!

My plan is to be able to escape my flat at weekends to spend some time on and by the water (Solent area). I would like to be able to invite friends and their young children sometimes, and sometimes I would head out solo to enjoy the water.

The Leader 805 is a leading candidate, though I am also tempted by the extra space of the T29 and Leader 30s. Being used to mooring a 34 foot yacht, with help from crew, my concern with the T29 is the difficulty of docking solo, being stuck at the wheel. On the flip side, there is the advantage (and cost of course) of having twin engines compared to a single.

I'd be really grateful to hear the thoughts of those of you with real world experience.

Many thanks, Nick

 

[stelican]

Are you Marina berthing or mooring to a bouy

 

[N D]

Are you Marina berthing or mooring to a bouy

Hi,

Sorry, should have said - marina finger berth

 

[philipdawsonladds]

It gets easier with practice,but I recommend the book Stress free motorboating by Duncan Wells - on Kindle too

 

[Plum]

Hi All,

Having missed boating for a decade and swapping from sails to power, I hope my question is not too stupid!

My plan is to be able to escape my flat at weekends to spend some time on and by the water (Solent area). I would like to be able to invite friends and their young children sometimes, and sometimes I would head out solo to enjoy the water.

The Leader 805 is a leading candidate, though I am also tempted by the extra space of the T29 and Leader 30s. Being used to mooring a 34 foot yacht, with help from crew, my concern with the T29 is the difficulty of docking solo, being stuck at the wheel. On the flip side, there is the advantage (and cost of course) of having twin engines compared to a single.

I'd be really grateful to hear the thoughts of those of you with real world experience.

Many thanks, Nick

For me, the main difference between singlehanded marina mooring a sailboat versus motorboat is usually the time it takes you from leaving the helm to being on the pontoon with lines in hand. Many motorboats will take several seconds longer, particularly if the helm is a long way forward of the wheelhouse door on a different level, which makes a big difference in how far the lighter and more skittish motorboat will drift before you are on the pontoon. Recommend you take this into account in your choice of boat.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[alandalus11]

Whichever boat you buy just practice, practice and practice. Go out on a calm day first and try docking on your own, you'll find what works for you best and then try it with gentle winds blowing you off and on pontoon. It's all down to the prep work before you get into the dock so you have everything ready. Getting over the fear first time was my biggest hurdle. What if something goes wrong etc. but after doing it a few times on my own it all started to fall into place.

 

[stelican]

Assum they are all open cockpit and all have midship cleat they should all be equal.
I would recommend getting a mid ship line on first then the boat is going nowhere far.

 

[Momac]

A friend has bow and stern thrusters which he has added a remote control like car key fob . He can step off the boat ante tie it up while controlling the boat with the thrusters . That a great help for him as his wife is becoming less agile.
Perhaps a stern thruster is going a bit far but a bow thruster is certainly of value and a lot better (cheaper) to buy a boat with a thruster already fitted .
Stepping off the boat with a rope attached to the mid cleat is certainly a good plan whether single handed or not.

 

[Elessar]

Hi All,

Having missed boating for a decade and swapping from sails to power, I hope my question is not too stupid!

My plan is to be able to escape my flat at weekends to spend some time on and by the water (Solent area). I would like to be able to invite friends and their young children sometimes, and sometimes I would head out solo to enjoy the water.

The Leader 805 is a leading candidate, though I am also tempted by the extra space of the T29 and Leader 30s. Being used to mooring a 34 foot yacht, with help from crew, my concern with the T29 is the difficulty of docking solo, being stuck at the wheel. On the flip side, there is the advantage (and cost of course) of having twin engines compared to a single.

I'd be really grateful to hear the thoughts of those of you with real world experience.

Many thanks, Nick

I single hand my 46 ft boat quite often. Can be done on any of those boats you mention easily.

Forget the yachtie affection for jumping off. Tie the boat up before getting off!

Either secure a line amidships or secure a stern line and motor forward against it.

Choose the boat that’s best for you and forget which is easiest to single hand.

 

[PeterBoater]

Practise lassooing a cleat from a little distance off, get a long strong boathook to pull the boat nearer the finger and possibly one of those clever gadgets on a pole that can thread a line through a cleat and bring it back to you. Have plenty of fenders on the boat and consider installing some dock fenders on the berth if allowed. Other than that, as said above, practise practise practise, starting in calm wind and water, and you should be fine.

 

[julians]

Do you guys in the UK not just leave permanent lines attached to the berth,set at the correct length,so that when you arrive all you have to do is pick up the lines from the quay side with a boat hook and loop them through your boats cleats? Assuming floating finger berths obvs

Makes single handed mooring muc easier.

That's the med mooring way for your permanent berth.

 

[PeterBoater]

Do you guys in the UK not just leave permanent lines attached to the berth,set at the correct length,so that when you arrive all you have to do is pick up the lines from the quay side with a boat hook and loop them through your boats cleats? Assuming floating finger berths obvs

Makes single handed mooring muc easier.

That's the med mooring way for your permanent berth.

Even better to hang those permanent lines on crutch posts that you can buy and install (if allowed) at a convenient height, so that you probably don't even need a boathook. Doesn't help of course at a visitor's berth.

 

[alandalus11]

Do you guys in the UK not just leave permanent lines attached to the berth,set at the correct length,so that when you arrive all you have to do is pick up the lines from the quay side with a boat hook and loop them through your boats cleats? Assuming floating finger berths obvs

Makes single handed mooring muc easier.

That's the med mooring way for your permanent berth.

I have lines set on my home berth so once along side the lines are ready, but the problem arises when you go to another marina and that luxury is no longer there.

 

[TK Blue MAX]

, but the problem arises when you go to another marina and that luxury is no longer there.

Most marinas are more than helpful in catching lines if you radio ahead and inform them you are single handed or need help berthing.

 

[benjenbav]

I single hand my 46 ft boat quite often. Can be done on any of those boats you mention easily.

Forget the yachtie affection for jumping off. Tie the boat up before getting off!

Either secure a line amidships or secure a stern line and motor forward against it.

Choose the boat that’s best for you and forget which is easiest to single hand.

I have to look away when I see yachties leaping onto pontoons with mooring lines.

Twin engines should make pontoon mooring very easy for a singlehander.

Simply: you put the arse-end in; you loop a cleat; you motor against it and fix the rest of your lines at leisure. End.

 

[benjenbav]

I have to look away when I see yachties leaping onto pontoons with mooring lines.

Twin engines should make pontoon mooring very easy for a singlehander.

Simply: you put the arse-end in; you loop a cleat; you motor against it and fix the rest of your lines at leisure. End.

Apologies, Elessar: I’ve just repeated what you said. Didn’t read it properly whilst trying to fit my thoughts to the rhythm of the hokey-cokey.

 

[Sianna]

I have a leader 805, (without a bow thruster) and moor on a marina finger berth at Bucklers Hard, I find single handed mooring pretty easy now, I had a few interesting moorings initially, mainly me not reading the elements correctly but the 805 is an easy boat to manage single handed

 

[Sianna]

Do you guys in the UK not just leave permanent lines attached to the berth,set at the correct length,so that when you arrive all you have to do is pick up the lines from the quay side with a boat hook and loop them through your boats cleats? Assuming floating finger berths obvs

Makes single handed mooring muc easier.

That's the med mooring way for your permanent berth.

That's exactly what I do

 

[Sianna]

I have to look away when I see yachties leaping onto pontoons with mooring lines.

Twin engines should make pontoon mooring very easy for a singlehander.

Simply: you put the arse-end in; you loop a cleat; you motor against it and fix the rest of your lines at leisure. End.

Yup this technique works well both stern or aft, lasso one to the pontoon and motor the other end in.

 

[julians]

I have to look away when I see yachties leaping onto pontoons with mooring lines.

Twin engines should make pontoon mooring very easy for a singlehander.

Simply: you put the arse-end in; you loop a cleat; you motor against it and fix the rest of your lines at leisure. End.

My wife has just done her powerboat level 2 - after 25 years of messing about in boats without any qualification , and one thing the instructor made her do was jump ashore and pass the lines (fixed to the berth) to someone on the boat, whereas my practice has always been to hook them from the boat using a boat hook. There must be some RYA directive about getting someone ashore as soon as possible..... seems odd to me, the boat hook method has worked fine for 30 years.