Driving from the fly bridge or not?

I have an ER with full crawling headroom. Yeah I wish it was bigger but my budget and use didn't allow/call for for a bigger boat.

This would be such a different discussion over at YachtForums . . . . . you know, where they say "We Know Big Boats!"

Some TF members have some really large vessels, whereas some of us, eh, not so large.

This really is not a one-size-fits-all discussion.

Hotrod said:

After crawling on my hands and knees, banging my head more than once, I literally got struck, in the engine room, doing a strainer rebuild. Sat there for 3 hours , till my wife came , and helped me out That did it!

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Sometimes it doesn't pay to do some kinds of work without a helper or at least an observer. That's a safety rule.

WesK said:

Sometimes it doesn't pay to do some kinds of work without a helper or at least an observer. That's a safety rule.

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A couple weeks ago I was working on the boat and stepped backwards into an open ER hatch. Fortunately, no injuries except to my pride. Could have been bad however and I was on the boat alone.

dhays said:

A couple weeks ago I was working on the boat and stepped backwards into an open ER hatch. Fortunately, no injuries except to my pride. Could have been bad however and I was on the boat alone.

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I did almost the same thing. I left the floor hatch open to dry out the bilge. I left the boat and when I came back, for some reason, instead of setting the puppy down in the cockpit, I opened the door and walked in carrying her. I stepped into the open hatch. I must have landed on the exhaust elbow because I didn't go down very far and the pain went away in a few hours. It could have been much worse.

Hotrod

You got me beat. On the Hatt I was back behind the engines working on the generator and tried to turn around. Got a cramp in one leg and stayed there for an hour u till I could get out. After that I had a dream that I got stuck behind the engine trying to fix a no drip seal when the bellows broke, I was stuck and went down with the boat. ?

Bigsfish said:

Hotrod

You got me beat. On the Hatt I was back behind the engines working on the generator and tried to turn around. Got a cramp in one leg and stayed there for an hour u till I could get out. After that I had a dream that I got stuck behind the engine trying to fix a no drip seal when the bellows broke, I was stuck and went down with the boat. ?

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Wifey B: A lot of things one really needs two people for and at least a second person aware of where and what is being done. My older neighbor called me one day and needed us to hurry over. She was stuck under a Christmas Tree. She was decorating it and it fell over on her. Still makes you think what if some freakish event and she got hit in the head and knocked out. She did have us not say anything as her husband had run to the store and told her to wait until he got back. She told him at dinner though.

Bigsfish said:

... After that I had a dream that I got stuck behind the engine trying to fix a no drip seal when the bellows broke, I was stuck and went down with the boat. ?

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Think I've got you beat there. My most frequent dream is that I'm back at work for US HUD Inspector General! (Geez, after 15 years retirement!)

My nightmare is our fly bridge and excellent ER access have both disappeared.

markpierce said:

Think I've got you beat there. My most frequent dream is that I'm back at work for US HUD Inspector General! (Geez, after 15 years retirement!)

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Wifey B: That's like the Newhart dream. You dream that you wake up and all these years have just been a long dream and now you're back eight years ago. That was certainly a unique ending for a show.

Sometimes I feel like my life must be a dream because it's more wonderful each day and better than I ever imagined life could be.

As to the OP's question - it depends. My boat has fully functional upper and lower helms. Lower helm visibility is, at best, OK when operating at low speed. Planing - unsat for my taste. I've never operated from the lowr helm unless in "open" water, really lousy weather, and at low speed. After operating the boat for a while, all the navaids are at the upper (FB) helm. I like the 360 visibility, the FB is 4 steps off the aft deck, easy up, easy down. The lower helm is mostly nautical saloon decor.

I'm perfectly happy on the FB in what passes for most winter weather down here. That amounts to wearing a jacket. I just don't care for oxygen tents - my FB is covered by a bimini, period. If I were in the PNW or northeast - I probably wouldn't have bought this boat and I would probably want a real pilothouse.

As to ER checks, accessing my ER while underway is forbidden. The confines are too extreme, everything down there is either hot, hard, sharp or all three. I do have two cameras (one shoots forward, one shoots aft - neither catches outboard of the engines) that display on my Garmin. I would only expect them to show me steam, streaming water, or flames. They're not going to catch slow leaks or more minor issues. If a long (for me) transit, I'll "pull over" occasionally, shut down the mains, and make the sweaty crawl to check things out.

Then again, this is not a TransPac boat. It's a coastal cruiser.

All boats are a collection of compromises. I have friends who never (or rarely) leave the confines of their air conditioned pilothouses while underway. I actually like the occasional slap in the face by spray - the price I pay for being out in it.

sbu22 said:

... I actually like the occasional slap in the face by spray - the price I pay for being out in it.

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Slap of spray spoiled by pilothouse windows:

That's what I'm talking about, Mark. Of course, down here, it's usually 80 degree water.

WifeyB

If you think your life is a dream then it is! Mine is more realistic like I'm walking around look for the turd that can be picked up from the clean end. Such a nightmare! LOL

Bigsfish said:

Hotrod

I was back behind the engines working on the generator and tried to turn around. Got a cramp in one leg and stayed there for an hour u till I could get out. ��

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One of the things I noted when buying my boat last year was the amount of "unused" space in the engine room. Made it really easy to up-size my sanitary system in the portside "unused" space.

Six months later, I had to redefine "unused" when I was juuust barely able to contort myself around the poop tank to access the portside water pump. Enlightenment struck when I couldn't get any traction/leverage to extract myself.

Remember the story of the guy in Utah who had to amputate his own arm to escape from the rockfall?
:lol:

markpierce said:

Slap of spray spoiled by pilothouse windows:

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Where are those pictures of your lovely Perla on your bow in that spray?

AlaskaProf said:

One of the things I noted when buying my boat last year was the amount of "unused" space in the engine room. Made it really easy to up-size my sanitary system in the portside "unused" space.

Six months later, I had to redefine "unused" when I was juuust barely able to contort myself around the poop tank to access the portside water pump. Enlightenment struck when I couldn't get any traction/leverage to extract myself.

Remember the story of the guy in Utah who had to amputate his own arm to escape from the rockfall?
:lol:

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Seemed like a good idea at the time, right?

FlyWright said:

Where are those pictures of your lovely Perla on your bow in that spray?

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She's wise enough to occupy the bow only in benign conditions.

Mr. M P

Love the boat shoes on the model at the bow.

Bigsfish said:

Mr. M P

Love the boat shoes on the model at the bow.

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Our decks aren't plastic.

Or teak, I hope.

There's another one to go with that one, Mark! The one with the wave cascading over her left shoulder. I think it's a 3-shot series. It's a classic!

FlyWright said:

There's another one to go with that one, Mark! The one with the wave cascading over her left shoulder. I think it's a 3-shot series. It's a classic!

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Not that I can recall or find.




Conditions are usually more hospitable at the stern.

Hey Mark... I really like your boat and know you love it!


However, the last photo in post # 263 is one big reason I really enjoy piloting from the unobstructed 360 degree view on our flying bridge.

Art said:

Hey Mark... I really like your boat and know you love it!

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So do I...it's one of the saltiest looking TF trawlers on the Web!

It is salty looking especially with the sail up.

Art said:

I'm lucky in that the two huge, gas-spring assisted easy lift hatch sides [whose leading edges meet together in center of salon sole] are each piano hinged on their outer edges. Although I've not tape measured the opening by length and width... my guestimate is the opening provided by both hatches [with no center beam] amounts to around 6' x 5'. Berber carpet lays uncut over recessed piano hinges and under trim that borders hatch edges. When closed the hinges are non apparent and the hatches other three edges are bordered with carpet trim.

When both are pulled open [and then standing upright] they provide grand expanse over the engines as well as fairly ez access to most other equipment; e.g. batt bank toward aft, two 100 gal tanks to either side and gen set toward bow.

Slotted teak wood walk-way between engines with stand-up room galore.

It is a bit of a stretch to get directly over top of the tranys and can also be same for topping off the rear most wet cells on batts.

There is also room in multiple areas of the engine compartment for relatively ez access to items such as pressure water pump, water heater, trim tab hydraulic pump and its reservoir, batt charger. etc

I've had a few marine professionals get into out Tolly's engine compartment for various reasons. Each mentioned the expansive room and great layout.

MOF... when Linda and I were first aboard this boat [and in a short time of looking we realized this was/is the boat for us] I was standing on the engine compartment's teak walk-way when we winked at one another.

The big, stand-up engine compartment is one of many reasons we own this 1977, 34' Tollycraft tri cabin.

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I have full access on both engines. With center walkway. My gen is under the rear aft deck. !970 Egg Harbor 37.
All hatches you lift out of the way completely if desired. Carpet goes over the edges of hatch openings and all hatches.

In this pic, I am getting ready to haul engine out of bilge to rebuild in the cabin.

Codger2 said:

So do I...it's one of the saltiest looking TF trawlers on the Web!

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Saltiest looking and used in the most benign conditions. There's just something about it though that makes it so personally Mark all the way. He's so in his zone with his type boat, his type boating and very happy with it. Actually, a good lesson for all of us to find the boat that is perfect for ourselves and the style boating that is. Then for Mark, if it's a long distance cruise, he likes go to with hundreds of friends and a crew of hundreds on a cruise ship and do so in the lap of luxury.

You see the meals on his boat, you see Perla relaxed. Now, that should be the goal for each boater, not to copy his boat, but to find the boat that brings you the enjoyment he gets from his.

Art said:

Hey Mark...
However, the last photo in post # 263 is one big reason I really enjoy piloting from the unobstructed 360 degree view on our flying bridge.

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That view is looking through the saloon The pilothouse has windows looking sternward, overlooking the saloon's roof.

All

It really is a neat looking (salty ?) boat. It's not for me but that OK as my boat isn't for someone else but that doesn't mean I can't appreciate something that is unique.