Fly bridge?

BaltimoreLurker said:

If I'm in a hurry to get somewhere I'll drive or fly. I'm on the boat to be on the water, not to rush to some destination.

Just sayin'.

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Yeah, but eight knots is pathetic. Ten, twelve or even fifteen is still plenty slow enough to enjoy the sights and the experience and still make some progress before you die. Eight knots you might as well be on the Kon Tiki.

Marin said:

Yeah, but eight knots is pathetic. Ten, twelve or even fifteen is still plenty slow enough to enjoy the sights and the experience and still make some progress before you die. Eight knots you might as well be on the Kon Tiki.

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I have been passed by sail boats. But, I'm just not in that much of a hurry. I get enough of that in pretty much every other aspect of life off the boat.

rwidman said:

How about "To each his(her) own." ? Can you go along with that?

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Absolutely. I don't think I've ever said that if people don't do what I do or like what I like they're wrong. I may think they're wrong or foolish or whatever but that doesn't make it so. I'm just expressing an opinion which is what 99.99999 percent of the stuff on forums like this is.

Marin said:

Yeah, but eight knots is pathetic.

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Eight knots is screamin'. Try 6.3, or 7.3 if I push it. Still, I should be able to pass by Eric's 30-foot Willard. ... Such speeds increase my odds of being the stand-on vessel.

rwidman said:

Marin, you're really digging here and I don't think you're going to find anything to convince us that your preference is right and everyone else is wrong.

How about "To each his(her) own." ? Can you go along with that?

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I think there are two fundamental truths about this site.

1. Marin's opinion is always right.

2. Mark will always post a picture of Coot no matter how tangential it is too the subject matter at hand.

Andy G said:

Mark, you may need to keep close to your windows, and Marin to eyeball your Orca too.While RT he snuggles up with Barry all arguing over the view.

What you all don't seem realise is a flybridge is needed too, for where else can a trawler captain keep an eye on his mutinous crew?( My sincere apologies for anyone with poetic appreciation)

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Not much chance to sneak down-the-blouse views from here.

Northern Spy said:

I think there are two fundamental truths about this site.

1. Marin's opinion is always right.

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If you believe that then you've got far greater issues than where you drive your boat from, what kind of anchor you have, or whether you prefer stand alone to computer-based chart plotting.

Northern Spy said:

I think there are two fundamental truths about this site.

1. Marin's opinion is always right.

2. Mark will always post a picture of Coot no matter how tangential it is too the subject matter at hand.

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As to me, it is probably due to spending lots of time with my girlfriend, a former photo-journalist.

And here's what those whales Marin goes eyeball to eyeball with think of us:

Killer whale approaches a motorboat and speaks the boat’s language - 22 Words

My guess is that this was the Orca that was transported from Poget Sound to (I think) Clayoquot (sp?) Sound on the west side of Vancouver Island. It would come up to boats looking for attention and a handout of food. I believe it was killed by a boat prop strike but I could be wrong.

Marin said:

If you believe that then you've got far greater issues than where you drive your boat from, what kind of anchor you have, or whether you prefer stand alone to computer-based chart plotting.

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You forgot pilothouse window slant...

Fly Bridge....

Even though we live in the Northwest we spent most of the time on the flybridge between May and September as long as it wasn't raining. Being addicted sun worshipers as long as it wasn't too cold or the conditions too snotty we really liked the view from up top. As far as tight maneuvering the view of the corners of the boat and just how close we were to docks, the beach, other boats was far superior from on top. I had a great alarm system that would alert us of pretty much everything that would cause too much harm. Personally I liked to get as far away from the machinery as possible while underway.. With a engine room under foot the main helm was like sitting on the hood of a truck.
HOLLYWOOD

Peter B said:

Sorry guys, but I think Marin is actually right to some extent here, as I have also observed a similar phenomenon. It is almost a surreal feeling driving from so high, that even so many who scream past, semi-planing or planing, too close to other boats seem so oblivious to the effect it has on others. It just seems soooo smooth...how could it not be smooth to everyone else?...and they are so above it all, they almost feel like they are not physically part of the space they are traveling through. Just a thought...?

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Anecdotally I think you may be right. Despite my deep loathing of the cowboys who pass within 15 feet creating wake 3-4ft deep causing us to wallow/head up/head away I had not reached the stage of suggesting they display what is in effect "a break with reality". Even that may be too kind, they are really just a...holes whose boat operation reflects their conduct in everyday life. And they do seem to often drive from up top. BruceK

Peter B said:

suspect that is why so many who scream past, semi-planing or planing, too close to other boats seem so oblivious to the effect it has on others. It just seems soooo smooth...how could it not be smooth to everyone else?...and they are so above it all, they almost feel like they are not physically part of the space they are traveling through. Just a thought...?

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While not related to the value or not of flying bridges, this does relate to having good all-round visibility which you certainly do from a flying bridge. Judging by the number of boaters we see with big, plowing boats that put up a tsunami of a wake at speed and who never vary their speed regardless of who or what is nearby I can only assume these folks never look back at their own wakes. Or they don't realize what their wakes can do. Or perhaps from a flying bridge their wakes don't look as high.

Regardless it is this apparent oblivion to what's behind them that I find so obnoxious rather than where the skipper happens to be driving from. We learned early on from boating with people like Carey to always check our wake whenever we are in situations where a wake could have an adverse affect on other boats be they kayaks or boats our size. It takes about two seconds to turn around and look at what your boat's doing to the water. It never fails to amaze me how many boaters either don't think of it, don't care, or don't have the ability to judge the nature of a wake.

That's one advantage to driving from a flying bridge---- your wake is right there in your unobstructed view to the rear. Judging from their behavior, it's pretty amazing the number of people we see driving from a flying bridge who apparently never bother to take a look.

Made the trip from Port Angeles to LA entirely from the FB. Except for some chilly night watches, it was quite enjoyable. Very important to have a comfy chair and a good Otto, for the long stretches. KJ

Marin said:

Yeah, but eight knots is pathetic. Ten, twelve or even fifteen is still plenty slow enough to enjoy the sights and the experience and still make some progress before you die. Eight knots you might as well be on the Kon Tiki.

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Marin - - >Sounds like you're subliminally wishing for a Tollycraft (or other good brand) 34' to 40 planing hull tri cabin or sedan. Tolly 34”: 16/17 knot cruise at 1 nmpg, whenever desired! 7.5 to 8 knot hull speed at 2 nmpg, whenever desired! 6 knots on one engine at 2.75 to 3 nmpg, whenever desired! 22 knots WOT, whenever required... at nmpg!! If I was disgusted by my boat s much as you intimate and often say you are (in many posts) regarding how much your GB displeases you... I'd sell quickly and get something that does please me. But I almost forgot! You feel Tolly as well as other really good construction, seaworthy, comfortably laid out; bullet proof build-outs, and virtually carefree boats simply don’t meet your visual objectives/standards... but GB that you dislike for many reasons does??? Just makes me/us all wonder!

Marin, I think the GB in the original story had an older model radar on board.

You can have all the visibility and radar on board, but if you don't turn around and check or look at the screen it does no good.

When we are at our higher cruising speed we are doing about 27 knots. That's approx 30 mph. Many times fishing boats and runabouts will see us coming, and pull out ahead of us. They think they will not have to deal with us. Most never look over their shoulder. They don't usually answer radio calls, and they don't look back. Moonstruck has duel air horns, but many don't hear that. I will not pass them without their knowledge, but will fall in behind waiting for the first opportunity to get around them. If they will slow, I will too and give a good pass. You can imagine the surprised looks on their faces when they finally turn and see that big bow behind them. Some will do some crazy things. I will motion for them to slow. Most won't, so I wait for a wide enough place to go around them. Most guys in runabouts have never been passed by a cruiser before.

Moonstruck said:

Marin, I think the GB in the original story had an older model radar on board.

You can have all the visibility and radar on board, but if you don't turn around and check or look at the screen it does no good.

When we are at our higher cruising speed we are doing about 27 knots. That's approx 30 mph. Many times fishing boats and runabouts will see us coming, and pull out ahead of us. They think they will not have to deal with us. Most never look over their shoulder. They don't usually answer radio calls, and they don't look back. Moonstruck has duel air horns, but many don't hear that. I will not pass them without their knowledge, but will fall in behind waiting for the first opportunity to get around them. If they will slow, I will too and give a good pass. You can imagine the surprised looks on their faces when they finally turn and see that big bow behind them. Some will do some crazy things. I will motion for them to slow. Most won't, so I wait for a wide enough place to go around them. Most guys in runabouts have never been passed by a cruiser before.

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Moon Man Don... What 's Moonstruck's gph at 27 K. How many K's she doing at WOT? 1000 ttl hp, correct?

In more than 30 years of boat ownership and 8 boats (7 power, 1 sail) I've never owned one with a flying bridge. However, I've been a guest on numerous boats with them and I certainly have liked being a passenger and riding up there in almost any weather. But then I'm a guest, and it's not my responsibility to run the boat. What a glorious feeling indeed. <smile>

But when I operate my own boat, it's not the same at all. I don't get to relax, crank the tunes, and check out. I feel I have to pay attention to every aspect of the boat from the engine, to the passengers, to the situation around me. And I don't feel that I could responsibly do that from a console like the one in the attached image. Not to pick on this boat - a local Defever 49 on yachtworld - but that's what a lot of real-world flying bridges look like.

So maybe you've got a newer boat with a bimini (or hardtop), great duplicated electronics with all the cartography, a remote engine monitoring system (video preferred), and easy access to the lower deck. Well, ok then - I think you could responsibly run your boat from there if you planned ahead.

Art-- You're correct. Tollycrafts are not a boat we would ever consider were we to replace our GB with something else.

We don't hate the GB. It's served us well for the past 14 years and probably will continue to do so. We have a lot of other interests besides boating and some of them are pretty expensive so buying a different boat just to go faster is not a value-added proposition, at least not now. It doesn't change the fact we despise going slow, but we don't despise it enough to warrant sacrificing some of the other things we like to do.

And it's a fun hobby boat, which is part of the reason we bought it. Sort of like having an old car that one likes to tinker with and fix up. I like working on the exterior wood and other projects and find it quite relaxing when I have a chance to do it.

I still own the Land Rover I bought new in 1973. It was my only vehicle for the first ten years of its life and it was amazingly dependable. But today it needs some help. It's top speed without blowing up the engine is about 50 mph. These days I hate driving 50 mph. But that doesn't change the fact that I want to fix up and continue using the Land Rover because it's the right vehicle to use in certain applications. The GB is the same.

Depending on a lot of things we may end up upgrading to a different boat down the road. If we do there are only two contenders and both of them can cruise at 15 knots or more. Or we may stick with the boat we have now. We'll see.......

I love tuna towers.
That should drive Marin right over the top!

HopCar said:

I love tuna towers.
That should drive Marin right over the top!

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A tuna tower actually has a purpose. If I was doing the kind of fishing that benefits from being on a tuna tower I'd have a boat with one.

Marin, would one of those new boat options be the GB 43 Europa with the Zeus drives? They would be your ideal craft and capable of your ideal speed I think, from previous posts on the subject, if I remember correctly..?
http://www.bluewateryachtsales.com/new-models/100/

No, that's way more money than we'd spend on a boat. I like the idea of the Zeus drives but not the price tag.

Moonstruck said:

Marin,

You can have all the visibility and radar on board, but if you don't turn around and check... it does no good.

When we are at our higher cruising speed we are doing about 27 knots. That's approx 30 mph. Many times fishing boats and runabouts will see us .

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"There are none so blind as they who will not see".
The cowboys either don`t give a damn,or enjoy seeing mayhem in their wake.
When Moonstruck is doing 30 mph, I assume she is fully planing. Most planing boats leave surprisingly little wake. It`s the turkeys at 15 knots dragging the stern causing deep wake. Some runabouts have stern water tanks to fill, making the stern lower, accentuating wake, giving who/what they are towing thrills,and everyone else trouble. BruceK

Once while crossing Rosario Strait we were being followed by five or six Orca that gained on our 8kts and closed to about 50ft. before turning away. It was a great perspective that we had for about 5 min. We would not have the pleasure if we had not been on the bridge.

BruceK said:

"There are none so blind as they who will not see".
The cowboys either don`t give a damn,or enjoy seeing mayhem in their wake.
When Moonstruck is doing 30 mph, I assume she is fully planing. Most planing boats leave surprisingly little wake. It`s the turkeys at 15 knots dragging the stern causing deep wake. Some runabouts have stern water tanks to fill, making the stern lower, accentuating wake, giving who/what they are towing thrills,and everyone else trouble. BruceK

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Bruce, because Moonstruck is a 30,000# boat with a V hull, there is still enough wake at speed to do some screwy stuff to a runabout caught unaware in a big quartering sea. It could spin them in to us. You are right though. When planing she throws less wake as she is riding up on her bow wave. If Moonstruck's V didn't carry all the way aft, and she had flat sections aft the wake would be much flatter. Although she would not track or handle following seas as well. Everything is a compromise.

We give everyone a chance to slow down, or wait for enough room to swing wide and pass. Some slow to a speed with their bow in the air. They don't know how to pass properly. We've done that subject before.

A FB is one of the first things on the list of rinky dink things commonly found on an ice cream boat, more often referred to as a yacht ... The kind of boat 99% of us have. The FB is about as necessary as Micky Mouse ears.

In case you haven't guessed the above is a narrow minded opinion.

manyboats said:

The FB is about as necessary as Micky Mouse ears.

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Dissing Mickey Mouse??? Now you're really hitting low.

manyboats said:

A FB is one of the first things on the list of rinky dink things commonly found on an ice cream boat, more often referred to as a yacht ... The kind of boat 99% of us have. The FB is about as necessary as Micky Mouse ears.

In case you haven't guessed the above is a narrow minded opinion.

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My phoney stack is functional!

Besides, one of my earliest memories was chasing a plastic toy tugboat along a street gutter during a rain storm.