Up to what Loa boat would you consider it practical to singlehand?

[steve yates]

I understand that to a large extent it depends on the boats characteristics, bit what would most folk feel comfortable with and at what point length do hou start to prefer two up?
Particularly for getting in and out of marina’s , as once in open sea there is a lot less pressure timewise and awareness/ number of tasks wise?

 

[johnalison]

I am not by nature a singlehander but I have had to manoeuvre my boat or move it short distances occasionally. We know that both men and women have sailed round the world in enormous craft, but in and out of a marina requires different skills. My boat is 34’ and weighs over five tons, and I have found this easy enough, though generally with shore lines set up in advance. I think I would be cautious in adverse weather though. For myself, I would think that overall my limit would be around 36’ if sail handling and other tasks were included. I once saw a chap bring his 45’ boat back into his box in Germany very skilfully on his own, and that was nice to watch.

 

[wonkywinch]

I've chartered 36-51 foot boats with friends but generally been only two of us with experience. Had a 42 foot boat share for 3 years but when it was time to buy our own, settled on 38 feet as a good compromise between space and ability to handle alone.

 

[Stemar]

As a size, I'd say around 10m max, but far more important is the way the boat's set up - all lines aft, so you can manage the sails without leaving the cockpit, a reliable autohelm, an electric windlass and all chain rode* for anchoring, and, finally, one of the plethora of clever gadgets for picking up a mooring or getting a rope on a cleat when wind and tide conspire to prevent you getting close to the pontoon.

Yes, you can go bigger but unless you're planning on living aboard, why? A smaller boat is far easier to manage. When she has a strop getting alongside, a tug on a line and she'll shape up; A bigger, heavier boat will just laugh and tug back.


* An all chain rode will stow in a properly designed locker straight from the windlass, so you don't have to leave the cockpit. In my experience, a mixed rode is very likely to jam at the rope/chain splice

 

[dunedin]

It isn't really a length thing.its also equipment, setup and skills.
12m and c8-10 tons (unladen/laden) is probably easier than 8m - IF got the essentials
- bullet proof beliw decks autopilot
- bow thruster with remote control
- electric anchor windlass with remote
- all ropes led aft
- stackpack and lazyjacks
- electric halyard winch
- mid rope with loop led back to genoa winch

 

[ashtead]

I guess this also depends on competency of marina being visited -I have noticed watching vids of berthing in Carribean or US that there seems a far more active role performed by the Marino than found in Uk. I recall a Bowman 48 which was berthed expertly in our uk marina by its singlehanded owner -he had coloured coded lines so any helpers knew which line to take if offering help which I thought was a neat idea -I guess I would have berthed our old Bav34 single handed given it’s lightweight etc at 4.5ktonnes but would really not be brave enough at our current 9.8-if I had to berth due say to sick crew then would back in -it’s when something goes wrong when it becomes exciting though eg engine not disengaging ,suffering a medical emergency when at helm . It also depends on what you are berthing onto surely ? Hammerhead with no tide and to windward might be doable if in emergency .

 

[dunedin]

I guess this also depends on competency of marina being visited - ...

I always assume no marina staff to assist - very rare in Northern waters

 

[Concerto]

I understand that to a large extent it depends on the boats characteristics, bit what would most folk feel comfortable with and at what point length do hou start to prefer two up?
Particularly for getting in and out of marina’s , as once in open sea there is a lot less pressure timewise and awareness/ number of tasks wise?

As a single handed sailor, I can certainly say the first few 100 meters and the last few 100 meters are the most difficult parts of any voyage. The rest of the journey is easy by comparison as it is usually in open waters.

At all times you have to be aware of potential things that could go wrong and work out solutions to prevent problems. This can range from having over sized self tailing winches, all sail controls close to the helm, a reliable powerful autopilot and possibly a back up system, a voyage plan with alternative destinations if the weather gets worse, having a VHF, chart plotter, mobile phone in the cockpit, snacks and drinks readily to hand, etc., etc.

Berthing is the most critical for being prepared, even I can get this slightly wrong at times if you are not prepared for the unexpected. Normally I try to get a berth allocated to my requirements by contacting the harbour/marina in advance of arrival. My preference is berthing bow into the prevailing wind and with the finger to my starboard side. Both of these make slipping out of the berth as a quick burst of power astern gets the boat moving and under control of the rudder, but the propeller kicks to port which also aids the turn out of a berth.

Having fenders and warps ready is critical for berthing. On my 9.7m Fulmar, I have 9 fenders. 2 large ball fenders, 6 big cylinder fenders and one even larger. The ball fenders are close to the the bow and stern on the berthing side a long with the large cylinder gender at the maximum width point, with 3 cylinder fenders each side. For most berthing alongside a pontoon, I have one line 3 times the length of the boat, so mine is 30m. The centre of the line is marked and kept ready in two coils either side of the marker. Each end of the line is fixed at the bow and stern. The marker is about 0.75m in front of the midship cleat when fixed. This creates 2 long loops that each are a combined spring and breast rope. Each loop is loosely folded over the lifeline. This is usually rigged before I enter a harbour as it takes time. As I approach the berth I enter very slowly, at about a quarter of a knot, this means I can use a spring to brake the boat on a cleat on the pontoon - not reverse gear. Then stepping on the pontoon, I tighten the aft breast rope and walk forward with the forward spring and the breast rope. Now the lines can be adjusted to position the boat in the berth.

Leaving a berth is simple as a heavy boat will move very little as you remove the warps. Remove the breast ropes, then the forward spring making sure the bow is closer to the pontoon. Finally remove the aft spring, step aboard and start reversing.

I have berthed larger boats single handed when I was younger. Long keel yachts can be a nightmare to reverse, so best avoided for marinas. The larger the yacht, the heavier the sails become to hoist, tack, or pack away in a bag and lift. The older you become the more difficult this all becomes, so age must become a consideration along with how long you expect to keep sailing a larger boat.

 

[westhinder]

Setting a theoretical limit is just that, theory. I think you will find people work out ways to singlehand the boat they have, in my case 12 m, deep fin, 9 ton or thereabouts, no bowthruster. As others have said, the sailing is the easy bit, harbour maneuvers are critical.
It always boils down to being prepared, thinking it all through and taking things as slowly as possible, and having plans B and C. If the spot you’ve been allocated is not suitable, back out and look or ask for a better alternative.
I have found that trying it on your own and learning from it makes you a better and more confident boathandler.

 

[ylop]

I think I would be cautious in adverse weather though

I think that is exactly when stuff gets messy - sometimes even with two!

I once saw a chap bring his 45’ boat back into his box in Germany very skilfully on his own, and that was nice to watch.

That’s a couple of good points - landing on a hammerhead, a finger, a box, med mooring with slime lines are all different. Doing anything “new” alone is going to be harder. But also coming in and out of your OWN berth should, after enough experience become the simple option - you know what to expect, which side it will be, length of finger, location of cleats, ideal line configuration, protection on the dock already, space to your neighbour, and if they usually have fenders out or dinghies trailing behind etc.

As others have said, the sailing is the easy bit, harbour maneuvers are critical.

At least right up until something goes wrong. A jammed furler, an engine that won’t start, a minor injury or sickness, someone nearby in distress, a random alarm going off down below, the autopilot having a nightmare - at those points having a vaguely competent person on board suddenly seems worth it.

 

[wonkywinch]

It isn't really a length thing.its also equipment, setup and skills.
12m and c8-10 tons (unladen/laden) is probably easier than 8m - IF got the essentials
- bullet proof beliw decks autopilot
- bow thruster with remote control
- electric anchor windlass with remote
- all ropes led aft
- stackpack and lazyjacks
- electric halyard winch
- mid rope with loop led back to genoa winch

- bullet proof beliw decks autopilot
- bow thruster with remote control
- electric anchor windlass with remote
- all ropes led aft
- stackpack and lazyjacks in mast furling
- electric halyard winches

 

[Tranona]

Actual size is less important than the type of boat, its handling characteristics the gear and the way the boat is laid out. Post#5 is a good basis for the gear for a modern boat in the 10-12m, although the electric winch is really not necessary.

I think I got pretty close to ideal with my 2015 Bavaria 33. In mast furling, all lines led aft fractional rig with non overlapping sail, asymmetric on a furler, main sheet in front of the wheel, 2 pairs of sheet winches accessible from behind the wheel. Bow thruster and windlass radio remote operated. For my home berth fixed lines easily picked up from on board. Gave me 5 years trouble free use along the S coast from Poole, although I mostly anchored to avoid crowded marinas. Only real downside from a close quarters handling point of view of that type of boat is the windage, but a strong engine and bow thruster help control.

Older boats are in many ways less easy in this size range as they tend to be designed on the basis of a full crew or not very good going backwards under motor. However, once you identify the limitations it is often possible to modify things or technique to make life easier

 

[MontyMariner]

I sail my 10m centre cockpit ketch on my own most of the time. No lazy jacks or lines lead back, just RR head sail.
I went from a 22 footer to this 33, a bit daunting at first, but soon got the hang of it. The only thing that I sometimes wish I had is a bow thruster.
I can envisage sailing a 45 footer solo if it was set up with more of the modern (expensive) aids such a in boom reefing, electric winches and thrusters.
The hardest thing about being solo with my 33 footer are the seasonal jobs like putting the sails on, taking them off and folding them.

 

[westernman]

236ft should be no problem single handed.



That is of course Alain Colas's boat for the single handed transatlantic race of 1976.
I think he had help when parking.

 

[steve yates]

Bloody hell! What would you call that? Double schooner??

 

[Cerebus]

Note: Vendee Globe (and others). Single handed around the world! 24/7.

It is not LOA it is boat setup, surely?

Caveat: marina use if single handed …. I will say not a lot except smaller the boat the better imho and all controls to cockpit and have as many ‘luxurious’ items (such as bow thruster - some will consider necessary…) as possible.

Can of worms here possibly.

So then it comes down to cost and other variables- a single handed massive 60 footer into a marina would (imho) require forward AND rear bow thrusters, all controls to cockpit, a CV lot of fenders deployed EVERWHERE before entering, lots of comms.

Give me a wee 30 footer…!

 

[dunedin]

One key mindset change for single handing a bigger boat - NEVER step off onto a pontoon until AFTER the boat is tied up, at least temporarily.
Control the boat with engine, ropes and bow thruster if have one - so need to be near controls. Don't try to manhandle from pontoon.

 

[potentillaCO32]

I think concerto gave the best advice on here over how to single hand.

I also mainly single hand and for me up to 32 foot is a size i am comfortable with. Easier to manoevre and also can man handle if needs be. Sails are light enough to drag around and hoist.
I have sailed, effectively single handed, a friends southerly 110, 36 foot, with a bow thruster and it is easy to berth on your own. But i wouldn't want to singlehand it regularly. Everything is slightly too big and heavy. Sails, boat etc. The freeboad is such that jumping off is harder. Everything is slightly more tricky than with a smaller yacht.

So personally 32 foot max.

 

[Minerva]

Similar to above - got a 34ft centre cockpit boat. No lines led aft and prefer that way, less to clutter up the cockpit. Raising and lowering the main is done at the mast under auto pilot.

If it gets hairy and wants reefing then the boat heaves too very readily with the helm over and locked off. Happily done so with the wind >40kts without drama a few times now.

Coming into Marina solo is a line from mid ships dropped over cleat and motor against to get her bum in and secured. Fully crewed or not - I have a rule of no stepping or jumping onto the pontoon until boat is secured.

Like I say it’s a 34footer but if a survey went to plan last year on a 42footer I am confident it would have been directly transferable without too much stress.

 

[geem]

A friend sails a 37 ft Moody singlehandedly. Across the pond, around western Europe, UK. It's probably about as big as a person can manage alone.