Bow rails?

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Bruce B

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As we inch closer to committing ourselves to the American Tug 395, we keep finding options that we are struggling to decide on.
One is the availability of a bow rail that goes back as far as the cockpit! With and without a gate near the pilot house door for quick exits when docking...
Safety is good but I wonder if this is really necessary...
Ok people, I'd like some opinions please.
Bruce
 

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Bruce B said:
As we inch closer to committing ourselves to the American Tug 395, we keep finding options that we are struggling to decide on.
One is the availability of a bow rail that goes back as far as the cockpit! With and without a gate near the pilot house door for quick exits when docking...
Safety is good but I wonder if this is really necessary...
Ok people, I'd like some opinions please.
Bruce
Click to expand...
I am elated with the rail extending all the way back to the cockpit. (I'm 75 now and it comes in handy!) Also, although I don't have a pilot house, if I were to buy a boat that had one, I'd definitely opt for the door. Easy access forward for anchoring, attending to fenders, traversing locks, etc. If you don't get those two things on a new build "you will regret it!" :blush:
 

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Codger2 said:
I am elated with the rail extending all the way back to the cockpit. (I'm 75 now and it comes in handy!) Also, although I don't have a pilot house, if I were to buy a boat that had one, I'd definitely opt for the door. Easy access forward for anchoring, attending to fenders, traversing locks, etc. If you don't get those two things on a new build "you will regret it!" :blush:
Click to expand...

The door is not an option as it comes in all of the American Tug pilothouse's, there is a door on each side actually. There is an option for a gate in that rail that I am questioning. I'm guessing it is there to allow quick access from the pilothouse door to the dock through the gate.
It is probably a good idea...

Maybe this way I will be boating into my 70's and beyond too?
Bruce
 
Greetings,
Mr. BrB. YES! Full length rails with the gate FOR SURE!!!! Rails and handholds. Safety IS good! View is secondary in a rough seaway.
 
Yes, get the rails with the gates.
Make sure they are STURDY. Light rails are OK if everything is peaceful.
If someone loses their balance, trip or cross wave, it is surprising
how much force they can hit that railing with.

Ted
 
Bruce, I suggest that you walk forward and back on a 395 a bunch of times and see what you think. The deck on the side of the saloon is narrow. You will not be walking it just hanging onto the side rail if you have one. You will always be keeping at least one hand on the lower rail on the boat deck. So, since the side deck is narrow, will the rail catch your legs as you make your way forward and back?

Most of the time, I don't think you will be using that side deck anyway. I would like do without the full rail. I think it would get in the way.

As I said, see if you can find with and without and walk both. At the very least, walk one of them a lot and see of you think it would be a help or hindrance.

Remember, while the AT has great railings, on that narrow deck you won't be using it to hang onto.
 
Interesting Dave,
We drove to Essex today to visit the boat we hitched a ride on earlier this week. I wasn't thinking about the rails this trip...
I'm sure that we will be heading back to see the boat again soon so I will walk back and forth a bunch of times to see how it goes. I think finding one with the full rail package will be difficult so we may just have to use our imagination!
Bruce
 
Bruce B said:
Interesting Dave,
We drove to Essex today to visit the boat we hitched a ride on earlier this week. I wasn't thinking about the rails this trip...
I'm sure that we will be heading back to see the boat again soon so I will walk back and forth a bunch of times to see how it goes. I think finding one with the full rail package will be difficult so we may just have to use our imagination!
Bruce
Click to expand...

Yup. When you do walk the side deck, try to get a sense if the rails will be a help or a hindrance. If a help, go for it. But if the decks are so narrow that you can't walk, but have to shimmy, then consider going without. You might also get the names and phone numbers of existing AT 395 owners and see what their experiences are.
 
Well, while I was typing this up a bunch ahead of me said much of were I was going but I'll say it anyway.

I can't give a yes or no so, it depends.
To me the more hand holds the better and I would prefer side rails.
Some boats, I would prefer rail all the way round with well placed gates but...

Boat by boat, I would consider other factors as well.

How high are the bulwarks? Some are just the right height to be a pivot point for an old man with balance issues in a rolling sea.
How wide are the side decks and are they stepped going forward?
How easy is fender placement with side rails?
Are there rails on the side of the house?
Will there be children or pets aboard? With side rails you can add a run of nice taut (black?) canvas to an appropriate height between the stanchions
to restrain pets.

Bottom line; how will I be using the boat and the walk around?

Looking at all the Google images of that boat, I like the look of rails all the way back.
https://www.google.ca/search?hl=en&...0...1ac.1.64.img..0.16.912...0i30.nNzAxRdU-8s
 
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Unless you are going to routinely walk down the full length of the boat, I would get the short set. Because I don't like being in the salon looking out the windows between bars.
I leave the pilot house to grab a bow line while my first mate gets a stern line. We don't walk the narrow sides.
 
Pgitug said:
>... Because I don't like being in the salon looking out the windows between bars. ...
Click to expand...

Sounds like jail!

This forum is a great place to get some help and ideas! I suppose there is a reason so many seem to be built with the short bar set.
Many thanks!
Bruce
 
Hawgwash said:
Yeah, I understand but I was referring to the builders shaving every buck they can. Less rail, smaller rail et at.
Click to expand...

Oh... I get what you are saying. Sometimes I am simply slow!

I'm sure the reality of building boats and staying in business is a difficult one though. I have been impressed with the willingness AT has to discuss changes to the basic boat. It seems that they will at least consider anything!
It seems that they are building a strong, safe vessel
Bruce
 
rails to the cockpit

I am the proud owner of the 3rd boat American Tug built. It's a long step down to the dock from either pilot house doors, If you do in fact plan on using either pilot house door on a REGULAR basis forget the gate-- it will become a pain in the ass. If the conditions warrant you needing a rail for safe passage bow to stern use the salon!! I speak from experience on this topic. If you want to know what your boat wil look like in14 years pm me and i can send you a few pics--steveand tina AMERICAN PRIDE--hull 003:flowers:
 
Self explanatory - avatar and photo.
 

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steveandtina said:
I am the proud owner of the 3rd boat American Tug built. It's a long step down to the dock from either pilot house doors, If you do in fact plan on using either pilot house door on a REGULAR basis forget the gate-- it will become a pain in the ass. If the conditions warrant you needing a rail for safe passage bow to stern use the salon!! I speak from experience on this topic. If you want to know what your boat wil look like in14 years pm me and i can send you a few pics--steveand tina AMERICAN PRIDE--hull 003:flowers:
Click to expand...
Probably the best comment yet. Heard it from an owner and it just reinforces; it depends on the boat.
 
Hawgwash said:
Probably the best comment yet. Heard it from an owner and it just reinforces; it depends on the boat.
Click to expand...

Agreed. Now Pig's comments are helpful but I think the side decks on the NT 37 are narrower than the AT 395.

One thing that helps getting on and off the side of the boat near the Pilothouse doors would be a fender step. We used them on our sailboats and our new boat came with one on either side. We have a very high freeboard and yet U can still get on and off pretty well even with really bad knees.
 
Nsail said:
I didn't forget anything. I was simply answering his question.
Click to expand...

I appreciate all of these responses actually!
We are making a rather large change from our comfort zone of sailing and although we are not exactly novice boaters (wife has done 2 Atlantic crossings, 1 Pacific crossing, numerous trips to Bermuda, the Bahamas etc, I've done more than most but less than she has) we are not exactly accomplished power boaters!
Sometimes these simple questions are difficult to figure out without the perspective many of you have. Reading these answers tends to make the picture much less fuzzy!

As we move forward in this process I'm sure the nature of the questions will evolve and we will begin to figure more of this out for ourselves.

In the mean time it all helps!

In the example of the original question I asked, it somehow never even occurred to me that I might have an unobstructed view through the windows! On the boats we have owned, there is simply always something obscuring your vision. From lifelines to rigging and sails, it is simply a fact of life. Forget the fact that ports in most sailboats are not even positioned where you can see what interests you without moving! At 6'3" I tend to have to duck down to see out and my 5' tall wife has to stand on something!

Nothing is obvious to us yet in regards to a trawler/tug... looking forward to making the switch!

Bruce
 
Bruce,

While you may be comfortable it may be a good idea to ask the person who will be handling the lines what they think.

Jill likes/wants the high rails as a margin of safety when she is rigging the lines and fenders.
 
Our boat has the same two pilot house doors and the rear door to aft deck. We use the side doors to go forward and the rear door for access to the aft deck..period. The fenders and lines used aft are stored and easy/safe to deploy from the safety of the aft deck and the bow and mid ship lines are accessed from the pilot house. If we had full width walk around sides it may be different. Walking through the saloon once or twice a day to do this is not a problem IMO.

You will not always be docked on floating piers. We have had to use the side gate for boarding, often. Low tide, side door and high, swim platform.
 
Most folks go on the bow to anchor , which is usually in calm waters.

We have hand rails on the fwd cabin , and a 4 ft deep 15ft x 15ft cockpit (after deck) so no rails for us.
 
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