Toddler friendly boating

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MarieK

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Hey Guys

Been a while since i posted here - been off starting a family and home making etc etc. Time to jump back in to the world of boating and looking at buying a flybridge in the 40-50 ft range, looking at usual suspects. I do however have a somewhat "new to me" requirement, that is finding a boat and boating lifestyle that is appropriate for a lively 2 year old.

Any advice from those of you who boat regularly with small children, not so much in terms of safety but more in terms of keeping them occupied and it not turning into a nightmare for the parents! Even a "big" boat is a very small space, especially for a Dad who likes to hide ;-)
 
I would suggest a boat that has an open deck, such as my own, which you can use the entire deck safely inside a firm guardrail, not just a wire here and there, although the Corvette is a bit small for you, but perhaps something similar such as a Trader 42 or Grand Banks.
 
MarieK said:
Any advice from those of you who boat regularly with small children, not so much in terms of safety but more in terms of keeping them occupied and it not turning into a nightmare for the parents! Even a "big" boat is a very small space, especially for a Dad who likes to hide ;-)
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Everything they have at home. TV and dish plus DVD with endless repeats of "In the Night Garden" and Peppa Pig etc going on in the background. As they get a little older add computer gaming and consoles with masses of broadband allowance by the time they reach 8. You have no idea how they can chew through 100GB of data watching U-tube and tik tok? all day but they do and it does. In short anything and everything for a substitute nanny.
 
Hi

We've done the kids thing since our eldest was 4 months old - he's now nine and his little sister is 4. They both love being on the boat but they pretty much want to do what they do at home - colouring, reading, tv and arguing. We did move to med boating a couple of years ago and having the good weather has made using the boat with kids miles more fun. They spend hours swiming at anchor or on the beach, fishing, and generally playing outside. Loads of adventures that they'll remember for life. I grew uo on boats, best childhood!
 
I don't think there is any magic involved. We have one very nutty 2 year old who has been boating since he was born pretty much or at least from when he didn't fall out of a life jacket!

We have a west Aus built 40footer. Smallish saloon area but large back deck as all are built here. We have lots of toys, blocks etc and books. He loves going up to the flybridge and driving.. he also loves the baby boat (tender) and his favourite is going to the beach to dig holes.

We do have a small tv (neither my wife or I generally watch live tv) which is full HD and 24" with a Chromecast, an Asus router and a 4g dongle plugged in with a shared 240gb of data with my business contract. This gives him the Peppa pig fix and allows us to watch a film when he goes to bed.

We generally find we can't keep him entertained on the boat fully because he is a bit nutty.. and energetic and mischievous etc.. but fortunately we either have costal destinations where we go ashore and 'visit' or we go to the local island which has stunning beaches and sit on the beach digging holes!

As an aside we have a 6m aluminium cuddy cabin boat which we use for river trips etc, he is fine on that because he can drive and see everything that is going on. The trips are generally only short.

We will be looking at fishing soon to intro him to that and once he's a bit older we'll start swimming off the back (he's been doing swimming lessons since 8w old) but the water is a bit chilly here peaking at about 24deg and on a 40deg day that feels real cold!

Steve
 
BruceK said:
Everything they have at home. TV and dish plus DVD with endless repeats of "In the Night Garden" and Peppa Pig etc going on in the background. As they get a little older add computer gaming and consoles with masses of broadband allowance by the time they reach 8. You have no idea how they can chew through 100GB of data watching U-tube and tik tok? all day but they do and it does. In short anything and everything for a substitute nanny.
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+1
an inexhaustable supply of paper/ colouring books and pencils always helps, as does crab fishing kit, water pistols and several large containers of Lego and other tiny bits of plastic which you you tread on while wearing only socks..
You will need an assortment of board games all hopelessly mixed up in one single box.
Two really vital bits of kit, bottle of something very alcoholic and strong hidden away and a very good hoover :).
Normally find that two longish days are enough to clear up the mess when they have all gone home.
 
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I prefer the sportscruiser layout with kids so I can see them all the time when driving the boat. Also a car seat with belts fixed to the seating is great to keep them in place when mooring.
 
I've got a 40' flybridge, but have been struggling with our eldest, who is 3 years old now. I like to helm from the flybridge, but as soon as we get to any speed at all (even just 10 kts) the little one doesn't like the wind in her face and wants to go down below. I'm having to try various things: hats, scarves, full-face skiing helmet etc to try and keep her happy on the flybridge but am struggling. Last season I ended up leaving busy harbours from the lower helm position which i'm half glad about since it's good experience rather than never using lower helm, but also leaves me a little uncomfortable as it does have its blind spots and compromises my view.

I'm used to being able to give instructions to everyone on board in case i have to make abrupt speed/course corrections, or warn about crossing large wakes etc. With young children this necessitates them being within arms reach, so i tend to follow the little one and helm wherever she is, but sometimes the adult passengers may prefer to remain on the flybridge and means they will not necessarily hear instructions to hang on if we hit a big wake etc. We ended up spending a lot of time at displacement speeds rather than on the plane.

This year we have the added complication that our youngest has reached toddler age so wont be constrained to his car seat with us as he was last year. I'm praying that the eldest is more robust on the flybridge this season...

If i were doing this all again with benefit hindsight, i'd probably wait a couple more years until the youngest was 4+ before going for a flybridge with all the "freedom" that gives. A sports cruiser that forces everyone to stay together may have been a better choice.
 
From father of two - guardrail is an absolute must! A TV helps too to keep them busy, but personally I am not a big fan of parking the tots in front of a screen, so I would recommend all sorts of toys, colouring books and perhaps a dog too - works for me although I understand that for some people the combination of toddlers and a dog on board is just too much...
 
Lots of good advice on here already.

We have four small children. They love our SeaRanger 448 (a trawler style boat, but we cruise at 17kts) because they can run around the whole boat safely from stem to stern and the rails are a good height and robust everywhere. Side decks are also wide, which is something to consider when looking at some boats. Check that the rails around the flybridge are sufficient - many that we saw when looking for ours were very low - fine for adults who can be relied on to sit or crouch, but kids do love to lean over them!

Presume you're in the UK? 3 do a mobile tariff which is about £30 pcm for unlimited data. Get that plus a MiFi device and power it off the boats own 12/24v supply - will keep the iPad or internet TV connected for Netflix etc. much better than tethering to your phone.

We find that cheap sleeping bags (from Go Outdoors) are good for the fly bridge - keeps them snug from the wind and doesn't really matter if they get wet because they dry quickly and have proper duvets on their beds.

Lunch/snack boxes. Before any longer passages, fill these up with things they can eat on the go. Saves you running back and forth looking in cupboards. This was more useful on our previous yacht, especially in heavy weather, but still has its uses. We have larger boxes packed with fruit, biscuits, chocolate etc. that we can keep on deck if necessary too.

Lastly - ideally find an au pair who doesn't get sea sick. We've got about a 50/50 success rate on this. One former girl just retired to her cabin immediately she stepped aboard (along with the seasick labrador). Others have led the charge on the crabbing/fishing duties and been a genuine help.


Have boat toys/books/colouring stuff etc, not ones brought from home. They retain more novelty value that way and avoid you carting stuff back and forth.
 
sorabain said:
I've got a 40' flybridge, but have been struggling with our eldest, who is 3 years old now. I like to helm from the flybridge, but as soon as we get to any speed at all (even just 10 kts) the little one doesn't like the wind in her face and wants to go down below. I
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Our youngest is the same (4 yo) so she always ends up reading in her cabin or the saloon when we're underway, and misses the best bit!
 
I found we spend most time at displacement speed with the kids, gives them freedom to move around, so much so I'm tempted to get a displacement boat.
Also allows them to take over some of the helming, our 6 year old spent at least an hour on the helm on one occasion last summer. As they get older they do like a bit of speed but you generally have to stick to the requirements of the youngest.

Last year was the first time we made much use of the flybridge in a while, as they get older they like it more, usually we just move up there when the weather is great until the kids get tired and then move back downstairs.

For entertainment purposes we have a tablet and just hotspot the connection from our mobile phones, no point in getting another mobile contract, signal from the phone is plenty good these days. Plus gives you the option for it to mysteriously stop working :-)

Bring along plenty of toys and snacks the first few times and figure it out from there. Was down cleaning the boat in the boatyard this weekend and my kids spent an hour building forts and slides with the saloon cushions, they refused to go home with my wife as they were having too much fun....

Just don't expect much in the way of peace and quiet and you'll be fine :-)
 
One thing I will add to the toddler debate is they grow up so quickly. Very soon as they gain a modicum of self preservation at about 7 to 8 they start to take a big interest in what boating can all offer. We found as our kids got older they started playing with water toys / tender etc and set about exploring their surroundings and our anchorage spots. This kind of forced us to follow suite and as it turned out, very much to our benefit. Far from being a hindrance the kids, and catering to them will often make the day. It's something to look forward too :encouragement:

edit.

My daughter here at 6 would struggle to doggy paddle a pool length but is game to give the kneeboard a go .... with dad on standby in case she let go. Simple pleasures. Great memories.

 
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BruceK said:
One thing I will add to the toddler debate is they grow up so quickly. Very soon as they gain a modicum of self preservation at about 7 to 8 they start to take a big interest in what boating can all offer. We found as our kids got older they started playing with water toys / tender etc and set about exploring their surroundings and our anchorage spots. This kind of forced us to follow suite and as it turned out, very much to our benefit. Far from being a hindrance the kids, and catering to them will often make the day. It's something to look forward too :encouragement:
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definitely, the best boating accessory you can get :-)

Plus if your other half is any way boat shy, it's easy to get the kids on side and let them do the lets go boating speech.
 
sorabain said:
I've got a 40' flybridge, but have been struggling with our eldest, who is 3 years old now. I like to helm from the flybridge, but as soon as we get to any speed at all (even just 10 kts) the little one doesn't like the wind in her face and wants to go down below. I'm having to try various things: hats, scarves, full-face skiing helmet etc to try and keep her happy on the flybridge but am struggling.
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In Aus we don't do open flybridge boats, we always either have a Bimini with full sides all round which stays up all the while or a hard top again with full sides (clears etc) all-around. I don't think anyone would use a flybridge uncovered due to the damage the sun can do. It gives the advantage of a sheltered place underway so my little bloke doesn't mind it.. as there is no wind. We have also fitted a triple bench seat to drive from so myself my wife and him can sit in the driving position all together. Obviously good if there is only 3 of you! He sometimes even nods off up there too... Depending on what time we travel..

I don't suppose covering the flybridge is very practical or cost effective for the few years it will be an issue!

Steve
 
Not sure where you boat but would you consider and Broom 42 or 450? Very safe enclosed driving positing and high guard rails alround.
 
My kids keep asking whether that is as fast as we can go - clearly adrenaline junkies in the making. They're also keen on leaning over the rails calling "Ariel, Ariel" in the hope she will appear., and performing dance shows on the forecabin roof whilst we're underway. That made for an urgent call of "get back here NOW!" when I saw white water looming in the Ortac channel last week and we got the washing machine treatment for 10 minutes or so! Glad of a sturdy boat when things like that happen, especially with kids.

We met another family last summer on a Broom 450 - looked very comfortable although I prefer trawler style boats with walk around decks.
 
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