How large trawler can I single-hand?

[O C Diver]

No problem on our aft cabin boat with wide side decks, cockpit, transom door and easy step off side doors. Can't see how it could be any easier unless a solo voyager went totally wireless (and electronics trusting which I'm not).

I was thinking more along the lines of a boat without side decks or aft cockpit, where you climb down a 6' ladder on the transom to the swim platform.



Ted

 

[Wayne]

'Lo All, I just thought - not all folks are familiar with the Albin 43 aft cabin boats. They are easy to dock, as they normally have twin engines and walk around decks. Add to that, doors on opposite sides of the lower helm - so that you can drive/back into the slip, and quickly reach for the lines. I always pre-positioned the boat hook to pick up the lines. I kept her at my own dock, which was "drive through" in that the dock and starboard pilings were always adjacent to the starboard side and 3 free standing pilings on the opposite side. There was adequate water for the approach and departure paths. I always had lines ready to just drop over cleats. When away from my home dock, I also pre-positioned dock lines onboard for easy docking. When docking in wind (never much current at my dock) I first picked up a spring line with the boat hook as the boat slowly moved into position, then simply dropped it over the center cleat. As soon as the boat started to tighten the line, I countered the momentum with the engines, then eased the boat against the tightened line - usually with one engine to gently hold it in place against a piling while I picked up the stern or bow lines and the fore or aft spring lines and the bow or stern lines as applicable that were easy to put onto their respective cleats. Then I could move the boat against the prevailing wind with the engine(s) and pick up and secure the rest of the lines. When the Celestial was docked under normal circumstances she had 8 lines attached, plus a stretchy breast line that kept the boat pulled over to the dock. There was also a breast line that kept the boat from hitting the dock if a storm passed and the wind gusts tried to push her into the dock (the lines were set up so the boat was a little closer to the dock. The five main pilings were 50' in length sunk 25' into the bottom. They were set to form a 50' x 25' slip.


For Hurricane Michael, she had all lines doubled with upwind lines tripled. Didn't help, she pulled 3 of the pilings out - one ending up "slingshotted" up into the cabin, about 4-5' sticking out. The 4th 50' piling is now tipped over to about 45 degrees, when the lines slipped up and off. I can't tell what happened to the center piling on the dock, as the dock was destroyed as well. Michael was a Category 5 Hurricane - hope to never become acquainted with one again.

 

[Seevee]

Unless you have pax that you know have some experience and sense (everyone thinks they're a seaman because they used to ride on gramps's pontoon boat on the lake), better they stay pax and not pickup crew. I worry about overboard, human extremities between hull and immovable objects, "helping" by yanking on dock lines, etc.

Leadership is in large part knowing the capabilities of the led. Training can occur underway if there's the time and setting. Most of the time, on a social outing, that's not going to happen. IMO, with some exceptions, it's better to single hand the boat and let the pax have a good stress free ride. If you luck out and have real crew, then you can think about "commanding" them and letting them help.

Totally agree, and I could argue to just dock solo if there's an experienced boater on your boat but doesn't understand your docking profile, or doesn't want to. I give them and unimportant line and simply tell them to tie it to a cleat when I tell them. And by that time, I've got the spring on and in idle forward and the boat ain't going anywhere.

 

[Seevee]

55

I never single handed my 47 nor my current 55. However I was waiting for the fuel dock to open in Ensenada MX when I guy came in with a Norhaven 65. He had port and stb control stations and bow/stern thrusters. He had three feet space with me in front and about the same in the stern. He parallel parked perfectly while his wife was still asleep. No wind but a bit of a surge. I was amazed.


Recently I tried to dock my 55 in a strong (15kn?) wind that was blowing directly off the dock. My wife needs to get off at the swim platform. I tried three times to swing in to get her off and failed. I had to back the boat in to the dock to get the stern line hooked, then tried to use the bow thruster to swing me around. Still had to jump off and wrestle the bowline in after I doubled its length, threw it to her and scrambled down. It took all of my strength to pull it in against the wind. I probably should have had her take the thruster control to help me with it but I was making progress and didn't think of it at the moment.

I'm sure you don't mean she had to jump off the boat before it was totally secured to the dock.



I could argue STRONGLY, that no one gets on or off the boat unless it's securely tied... and that means with ALL the lines, not just one. Never had a slip where that couldn't be done.

 

[Seevee]

I know a guy who this year completed his second Great Loop with a side trip to The Bahamas in a 53-footer single-handed. He is in mid-seventies and, as of three weeks ago, was cruising the coast of Maine.

You're talking about Herb Seaton? His boat is what? .... 50ft or better? and not particularly easy to handle... high sides, etc. Great guy and quite skilled.

 

[ksanders]

My thoughts on this whole single handed thing are simple. I think that at least up to 50’ a single person can dock many boats by themselves in both benign and windy conditions.

You need a docking plan. You need to have pre thought out how you are going to get your boat tied to the dock in both easy and difficult situations.

Here is the challenge. In bad conditions you NEED to be able to get your boat secured quickly at two points. You can mitigate this somewhat by a REALLY tight mid cleat line and that will buy you some time to get to the bow and or the stern.

So... when thinking about boats think about worst case and choose a boat that allows you to be successful by yourself.

My thoughts are that you need a helm near the center of the boat with direct access in just a couple steps to either side with a mid cleat and a line for initial securing. Then you need pretty quick access to both the stern and the bow to set more lines.

So... when considering boats use this as one of the criteria. Stand at the helm and imagine yourself going through a difficult docking evolution.

The style of boat will then choose itself for you.

 

[ghost]

Bull rails with a wind or current pushing off and no help? I can almost always find the confidence and timing to get a stern line on without leaving the boat. I use the transom door onto the swimstep and can safely kneel at dock level to get a short line on. I then use the walk around to briskly get back to the helm. Rudder hard over to the dock, offshore engine fwd, dockside engine reverse. By the time this in in place, the bow may very well have drifted as much as 45 degrees out or even a tad more. Once she’s chugging a little and holding her own, wait for a gust to pass and momentarily lull, get a little more power on the outside fwd engine vectoring the thrust and have patience. She will come.

With bystanders, and bull rails, I’ll still do about the same thing. If I let even most boaters handle the stern line, no matter how I emphasize it MUST be a short line, They will try to hurry and it will be 10 feet long when I get the boat in gear, which is completely useless and now I have to try to release the line and somehow not get it into the running gear. I’ve never had success coaching others on this one and just learned that no matter what, this step is on me.

I’m 51 feet overall, aft cabin with walk around and about 48K pounds.

I came in during a storm once, waited a few hours for the wind to die a little and it was still blowing about 40kts straight off the dock. No chance to use a stern line whatsoever. One crab fisherman noticed and came out to help. Kept throwing a line from the mid cleat, but by the time he got it under the bullrail, did not get a second loop around and he would lose the tug of war. Third try, I put the boat hard against the breakwater and he got the second loop and enough friction to hold. Tied the boat up securely and took the ferry home, came back a week later to get the boat. Single handing in February can be a bit sporty.

I used to get her along side and step off the swimstep and quickly walk to grab midship line. One really close call thinking I had the stern line secure in too big a hurry, big gust and almost let the boat drift away. Climbed onto the bow at the last moment. Complacency will get you when confidence morphs into arrogance. Now I pretty well insist that I don’t leave the boat until I have a line tied securely from the boat first.

Sometimes you can’t help it, but if it’s going to storm, wait for better weather. After slugging it out all day by yourself, you won’t much care how graceful you look coming into the dock, just that you do no damage to other boats and don’t get yourself or others hurt in the process. You can’t always control somebody else taking a chance they shouldn’t. Better to avoid the situation if you can.

Anyway, lots of people get along without a full walk around and it takes up a LOT of inside cabin space, but for me, I like the trade off. I don’t have every answer, but do believe that single handing can be done reasonably well if you can stay humble enough to exercise prudent judgement for the conditions. My personal shortcoming is that I tend to take on more risk by myself than when I have crew to help. I’m not trying to be a cowboy, there is literally nobody around to witness or impress, just that I simply refuse to put risk onto others I’m responsible for. It’s counter intuitive and sneaks up on me. Kind of “how did I get here again?” So factor that in, if you share that trait.

 

[psneeld]

psneeld,

I follow your and others logic of arriving bow in and using a long after bow spring over a cleat, then power forward with wheel and throttles favoring away from the dock.

Question is, what have you (or others) found to be the best way of securing that 1st line to the cleat.
One option would be a competent dock hand.

But what method do you find works best to secure that 1st spring line if single handing and no one on the dock to help?

All you need is a dock line eye dropped over one or if you cant get that on....use a real long one with both ends secured to the boat and drop the whole bight over the cleat.


In both cases drift back before starting forward so the line stays on.

 

[Aquabelle]

Bull rails with a wind or current pushing off and no help? I can almost always find the confidence and timing to get a stern line on without leaving the boat. I use the transom door onto the swimstep and can safely kneel at dock level to get a short line on. I then use the walk around to briskly get back to the helm. Rudder hard over to the dock, offshore engine fwd, dockside engine reverse. By the time this in in place, the bow may very well have drifted as much as 45 degrees out or even a tad more. Once she’s chugging a little and holding her own, wait for a gust to pass and momentarily lull, get a little more power on the outside fwd engine vectoring the thrust and have patience. She will come.

With bystanders, and bull rails, I’ll still do about the same thing. If I let even most boaters handle the stern line, no matter how I emphasize it MUST be a short line, They will try to hurry and it will be 10 feet long when I get the boat in gear, which is completely useless and now I have to try to release the line and somehow not get it into the running gear. I’ve never had success coaching others on this one and just learned that no matter what, this step is on me.

I’m 51 feet overall, aft cabin with walk around and about 48K pounds.

I came in during a storm once, waited a few hours for the wind to die a little and it was still blowing about 40kts straight off the dock. No chance to use a stern line whatsoever. One crab fisherman noticed and came out to help. Kept throwing a line from the mid cleat, but by the time he got it under the bullrail, did not get a second loop around and he would lose the tug of war. Third try, I put the boat hard against the breakwater and he got the second loop and enough friction to hold. Tied the boat up securely and took the ferry home, came back a week later to get the boat. Single handing in February can be a bit sporty.

I used to get her along side and step off the swimstep and quickly walk to grab midship line. One really close call thinking I had the stern line secure in too big a hurry, big gust and almost let the boat drift away. Climbed onto the bow at the last moment. Complacency will get you when confidence morphs into arrogance. Now I pretty well insist that I don’t leave the boat until I have a line tied securely from the boat first.

Sometimes you can’t help it, but if it’s going to storm, wait for better weather. After slugging it out all day by yourself, you won’t much care how graceful you look coming into the dock, just that you do no damage to other boats and don’t get yourself or others hurt in the process. You can’t always control somebody else taking a chance they shouldn’t. Better to avoid the situation if you can.

Anyway, lots of people get along without a full walk around and it takes up a LOT of inside cabin space, but for me, I like the trade off. I don’t have every answer, but do believe that single handing can be done reasonably well if you can stay humble enough to exercise prudent judgement for the conditions. My personal shortcoming is that I tend to take on more risk by myself than when I have crew to help. I’m not trying to be a cowboy, there is literally nobody around to witness or impress, just that I simply refuse to put risk onto others I’m responsible for. It’s counter intuitive and sneaks up on me. Kind of “how did I get here again?” So factor that in, if you share that trait.

Exceptionally good write up.