Its a fresh water boat spent its whole life in the the great lakes, About a 4 day drive home, yes, a hired captain all the way. Something like 45 locks to negotiate!
Thanks for the coast guard tip, that sounds close by, I'll get on it.
How big is too big for a first boat?
- Thread starter Luke-44
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Its a fresh water boat spent its whole life in the the great lakes, About a 4 day drive home, yes, a hired captain all the way. Something like 45 locks to negotiate!
Thanks for the coast guard tip, that sounds close by, I'll get on it.
Lou_tribal
Guru
Kingston confederation bassin is where I did (well let say tried) mynfirst ever docking. Luckily it was in May when not much boater are out there. Looks like there is always some wind there but it is a very nice place. I cannot wait to go back there next year!
Bay Pelican
Moderator Emeritus
Not clear exactly what you mean by the wife being competent at leaving and entering a dock. Competence comes with experience and for many couples the routine of who is at the helm (while docking) and who handles the lines is long standing, and it works. Switching roles has a risk element that many do not want to take.
If I were incapacitated my wife could get the boat back to harbor where assistance could board and help dock - this is a critical skill, and she has it.
Listening to my wife when discussing this issue is telling in the the use of pronouns. Whereas she will almost always refer to Bay Pelican as "our boat" when talking about damage while docking she says "I am not going to be responsible for damaging "your" boat.
Regarding wifie driving boat or at controls while docking boat...
Mine is in favor of doing neither... but she can. My gal is also real good at lines... so I do the Captain stuff and she does the line stuff. Usually - that is. Couple of times there have been need for her to take the wheel in semi-precarious situations. No prob!
BTW - Linda was school bus driver in her 20's, and, the best at it in the area - won awards galore. She is the best driver of autos and trucks (big or small) I've ever seen/experienced. Accidents are not in her vocabulary.
Wish I could say that for myself! 
:lol:
Mine is in favor of doing neither... but she can. My gal is also real good at lines... so I do the Captain stuff and she does the line stuff. Usually - that is. Couple of times there have been need for her to take the wheel in semi-precarious situations. No prob!
BTW - Linda was school bus driver in her 20's, and, the best at it in the area - won awards galore. She is the best driver of autos and trucks (big or small) I've ever seen/experienced. Accidents are not in her vocabulary.
Wish I could say that for myself! :lol:what_barnacles
Guru
Think of it in terms of how long it takes you to run semi sideways down a skinny walkway.
If you can "crabrun" 60 feet in just a second or two, the 80' is the boat length for you.
No matter what you do, you have to hook the stern and the bow separately. And if the wind and current is howling youll have to run back to the controls and jockey the wild end back to the dock before securing it.
If you can "crabrun" 60 feet in just a second or two, the 80' is the boat length for you.
No matter what you do, you have to hook the stern and the bow separately. And if the wind and current is howling youll have to run back to the controls and jockey the wild end back to the dock before securing it.
cappy208
Guru
That's a 45' line in yellow. So sticking out so far will be a real bear to keep the boat secure. Unless you have two beefy pilings added way out there to support the end of the boat. You will likely need an intermediate pile half way in.
I can see why you have to go bow in. It looks shallow near the bulkhead. Do you have to provide your own float? Or is that community also?
As an alternative the southern most dock seems best suited. (But would involve more skill getting into and out of the corner with out getting tangled up in the slips to the south. But there seems to be shoaling in to the south too.
Mixed bag.
Yup you've identified the problem perfectly.
Thank goodness I posted the questions and the discussion uncovered this issue. The end slip is occupied - not an option, extra pilings or dock changes not easily achieved. It's complicated I'm working with the association board but with regs & bylaws it looks like it will take months to sort out. For those reasons I have to rethink my first boat purchase, not because of comfort level with size etc or learning but because of slip & docking.
Just goes to show that there are a lot of variables to a boat purchase, no wonder finding the right one is so hard. Thanks TF, great learning experience.
Thank goodness I posted the questions and the discussion uncovered this issue. The end slip is occupied - not an option, extra pilings or dock changes not easily achieved. It's complicated I'm working with the association board but with regs & bylaws it looks like it will take months to sort out. For those reasons I have to rethink my first boat purchase, not because of comfort level with size etc or learning but because of slip & docking.
Just goes to show that there are a lot of variables to a boat purchase, no wonder finding the right one is so hard. Thanks TF, great learning experience.
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Time for reality check:
1) If you go cruising you may be out of cell and vhf range
2) If you fall overboard she needs to pick you up
3) Even if you reach Coast Guard they may be hours away
4) 10 hours at the helm, even with autopilot, is a long long day.
5) **** happens
(Heading out to Rhode Island Sound past Newport, ebb tide, opposing wind, 10' seas, decided to take the staysail down. Hands and knees on the foredeck (Yes, I was tethered on) pulling the sail down and securing it, in between walls of green water breaking over my head, kudos to my wife for keeping it on course while I had my hands full and not putting us beam to.)
cappy208
Guru
Forsook. What is this 'Sail' you speak of???? This is a Trawler forum. Full of 'recovering' sailors and ex WAFIs. We do not speak these ill gotten words here!
RT Firefly
Enigma
Greetings,
Mr. 208. "What is this 'Sail' you speak of????" Probably something in the SALON...(whatever that is????)
Mr. 208. "What is this 'Sail' you speak of????" Probably something in the SALON...(whatever that is????)
In recovery
Evil rag boat for sale, Golden trawler now sitting in the slip.Vow to purge all impure thoughts of me ex boat with it's puny 28hp diesel that was faster than my new dream boat with 2 90hp diesels
twistedtree
Guru
First, I haven't read the whole thread, so apologize if this is in left field.
I've always been a proponent of buying the largest boat you can manage (cost, maintenance, etc). This is counter to many who advise getting the smallest boat that will meet your needs.
What seems overwhelming in size, only feels that way for a short time. Then it becomes normal and you start looking for more space. Way more people up-size boats than down-size. Also, there is not much difference in handling a 35' boat and a 45' boat, or for that matter a 55' boat. It will quickly become second nature, and the controls are all the same regardless. I think the only real difference as boats get larger is realizing that you can't move it your self when line handling, so don't try.
I've always been a proponent of buying the largest boat you can manage (cost, maintenance, etc). This is counter to many who advise getting the smallest boat that will meet your needs.
What seems overwhelming in size, only feels that way for a short time. Then it becomes normal and you start looking for more space. Way more people up-size boats than down-size. Also, there is not much difference in handling a 35' boat and a 45' boat, or for that matter a 55' boat. It will quickly become second nature, and the controls are all the same regardless. I think the only real difference as boats get larger is realizing that you can't move it your self when line handling, so don't try.
Well, unfortunately, the whole issue of what he could handle became moot so you can forget his initial question. His issue is now what he can fit in his slip.
twistedtree
Guru
Well, that would be one of those "biggest you can manage" criteria.
That's what I get for not reading the whole thread
Well, that would be one of those "biggest you can manage" criteria.
That's what I get for not reading the whole thread
Well, that was a somewhat late discovery after much advice on the original topic.
Tony B
Guru
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I havent read all of the previous threads so forgive if I talk about something that has already been covered.
It's not always the length that counts - it's the layout. Some boats are roomier than others of greater length. We have a 36' aft cabin model which is very efficient for it's size. Some dont like them because of the constant up and down steps and prefer everything on one level.
From sailboats to powerboat, my requirements were always somewhere between What is the smallest boat I can get away with and the largest I can afford. Depending on your boating area, larger is not always better because not all docks are accomodating like small restaurant and bar docks and even some fuel docks.
Also consider what the admiral feels comfortable driving. Some women are just intimidated by a larger boat.
It's not always the length that counts - it's the layout. Some boats are roomier than others of greater length. We have a 36' aft cabin model which is very efficient for it's size. Some dont like them because of the constant up and down steps and prefer everything on one level.
From sailboats to powerboat, my requirements were always somewhere between What is the smallest boat I can get away with and the largest I can afford. Depending on your boating area, larger is not always better because not all docks are accomodating like small restaurant and bar docks and even some fuel docks.
Also consider what the admiral feels comfortable driving. Some women are just intimidated by a larger boat.
Ultimately it's back to the old 90/10 or similar rule. It's the boat that fits your need 90% of the time best. It will be too big or too small or too this or too that the rest of the time, but you'll make it do. We can all describe the pluses and minuses of various boats and sizes, but ultimately the buyer has to decide which of those is more relevant to himself. That's one reason I believe in putting requirements down in writing and comparing against them, listing those absolute requirements vs those preferred. In this thread, the OP started out not considering one absolute. He's decided he must have one that fits at his dock. Once he figures out what that size is, then it's the best that fits unless he decides that fails to meet some other absolute need and that he'll dock it elsewhere. However, if his use is like his neighbors, then the dock size is likely a good parameter.
IMHO
Satisfaction with a boat is considerably akin to having a satisfying girl friend (or of course, boy friend, if you B a gal!). i.e. There are some traits you like and others ya don't.
Bottom line... satisfaction is not just a state of mind, it is also result of smart choice.
Soooo... before choosing a boat it is best to know what type boat will best fill your desires/needs. Pretty darn similar to choosing a mate, of either gender!
Satisfaction with a boat is considerably akin to having a satisfying girl friend (or of course, boy friend, if you B a gal!). i.e. There are some traits you like and others ya don't.
Bottom line... satisfaction is not just a state of mind, it is also result of smart choice.
Soooo... before choosing a boat it is best to know what type boat will best fill your desires/needs. Pretty darn similar to choosing a mate, of either gender!
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