which boat?

[TrawlerMI]

Planning to purchase a 36 footesh trawler and leave the land behind forever! Have narrowed my search to 2 boats, either the Monk 36 or the American tug 365. My problem is I do not know enuf to make the decision! I will be a liveaboard and after a year of shakedown and great lakes cruising will then do the Great Loop and beyond. The crux of my problem, being that I will be single handing all the time, is that the monk has 2 pilot house doors but the tug has none. The tug is actually my heart's choice but the monk is my brain's choice! The BIG q is Could a careful planning ahead skipper successfully dock and lock the nondoor american tug??

 

[RCook]

I'm confused: American Tugs do have pilothouse doors. Like my Nordic Tug, easy to dock single-handed, especially with the help of thrusters.

 

[Donsan]

Are you considering have a new AT 365 built? Don't see any used models on YW at this time.

As already stated, the AT 365 has 2 pilot house doors and their location makes single handling easier than the Monk. In addition, every AT 365 I have seen had at least a bow thruster and many also have a stern thruster.

 

[TrawlerMI]

Apologies to all. This poor dumb child has too many trawlers running around in my head. All are correct in their statements, the boat I should of said was my heart's choice is the new Helmsman 31.

 

[TrawlerMI]

Heartfelt thanks to the 2 skippers who took the time to try and help me, even tho my initial post left a lot to be desired. Am surprised no one else commented on the feasibility of solo cruising a trawler with no pilot house doors. Maybe it's cause the two main helmsman chiefs are here on this forum or maybe it's just a dumb question. Bye

 

[DavidM]

Anything is possible. You will no doubt be docking from the lower helm. It will take another 2-3 seconds to go from that helm back out and around to the side to pick up your line to throw over a pile, cleat, or to a dock hand. Not impossible.

Would I prefer to have two doors from the lower helm? Sure but if that was the only downside, then weigh that against all of the up sides for the Helmsman. But frankly I think that the Monk has lots of upsides as well.

Oh, and you might want to change your profile data.

David

 

[Sailor of Fortune]

How about a cockpit docking station? Just another set of controls makes life easy for single hander. Either boat would work, I like the AT better, just a personal choice! Nothing against the Monk.

 

[High Wire]

The Monk has more room to be a full time cruiser.

 

[FOG]

Just finished the Erie and Oswego canals about 3 weeks ago doing the Great Loop. I try and single hand our Prairie 36 as much as possible as my wife has minimal strength in her hands. Under normal conditions it’s possible. But looking back at the 30 locks, normal conditions were less than 50% of the time.

Wind and malfunctioning lock valves were the most frequent culprits. Couple that with most locks only having lines from the top requiring a person on the bow and the stern.

Highly recommend getting an extra deck hand to help with the locks even if you only need them half of the time.

 

[BandB]

It would be valuable to have extra hands for the locks. However, I would also set up the boat with everything needed to be the dream single handed boat. That would mean bow and stern thrusters (hydraulic or oversized electric) and controls on the side decks or portable so you could carry to any deck. Yacht Controller is probably the most used of those but there are others out there.

 

[BruceK]

I have a single fwd door, adjacent to the stbd helm. It is very handy,to access a line left on a post, to accept a line,and especially for reverse docking when I stand outside in the walk around deck and reach in to trhe controls via the door. I`d not want to be without it.

 

[DC36Monk]

If you're going to live on it or cruise for significant periods, buy the Monk. They are very comfortable and quite seaworthy. And, can be single handed with appropriate lines. Helmsman is a nice boat but nowhere near the boat the Monk is. But, I'm probably not objective.

 

[Pgitug]

You should have a pilot house door to single hand. So you already know the answer.

 

[Joe Pica]

Look at the Great Harbour N-37

Hard to beat all the attributes of the N-37. Twin skeg protected props and huge rudders, unbelievable room in a 37' boat, walkin stand up engine room, 3' draft, 14' air draft, self stabilized, huge fiberglass tanks, walkaround decks. Not many made 20? and only one used one (Young America) on the market in the US.

 

[TrawlerMI]

A terrific boat, just no flybridge!

 

[Joe Pica]

Some came with the flybridge as an option. Very easy to add a simple flybridge accessed by steps that fold down from port side salon roof. Simple to add to existing electronic controls as only require another station and hydraulic lines from lower helm. Keeping the electronics mast that can drop permits maintaining the low air draft to clear brides to do the Western Erie Canal

 

[Exctyengr]

I chartered a Monk 36 a year ago to cruise up in Desolation Sound. I thought it was a great boat! Handled well with a single screw and bow thruster. Very comfortable for my wife and I. Good visibility from the fly bridge and from below. Galley convenient, engine access was quite good. Not much not to like

 

[Arch]

I have done exactly what you are planning for the last five years. All single handed. After more than 150 locks, 20,000 miles and countless dockings at new to me marinas there are two things I would not do without: walk around decks and doors on both sides of the cabin/pilot house. The Monk 36 is a fine coastal cruiser and quite comfortable.

Arch

 

[ksceviour]

I'll throw in my 2 cents here as well. There has to be a ton of boats out there that can be single handed with some practice (full disclaimer, I've never done it). We have a 35' Oceania Sundeck which we enjoy very much however if I had to choose another similar sized boat it would be the Monk 36. Two of my buddies have them and they are very well designed for cruising. Sundecks have a lot of freeboard so windy conditions really affect them and reaching a cleat from the back is not as easily done.

What prevents me from single handing (other than my wife always wanting to go boating) is the lack of helm windlass controls.