On Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:47:58 -0400, Wayne.B
wrote:

On Sun, 7 Sep 2008 20:15:49 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

So, maybe the thing to do is to get another Navigator. The one I had was a
"4800 Classic" which is 52'8" LOA. It was a bit too big to easily
single-hand, which is the main reason we sold it. (Plus, at the time, we
also had the 36 GB).

To me one of the key things for easy single handing is a walk around
deck, like a classic Grand Banks. This is particularly valuable when
docking between pilings or between finger piers when you need to get
lines down on both sides as you come in. Easy access from the helm
station to both sides of the boat is important also.

There are other little tricks like leaving your dock lines behind at
the slip when you go out, preferably on raised poles with a hook for
the line. A good anchor windlass with multiple control points is also
valuable.

On our home dock I left the face pilings extra high, about 12 feet
above sea level. This was primarily so the boat could not ride over
the top in a storm surge but it also makes it easy to snag a line
around a piling from the flybridge deck. Typically I will lead a
spring line up to the flybridge in advance if I'm going out by myself.
I've also adopted a new docking approach recently when coming into a
face dock: I slowly approach the dock at an angle, bow first; stop
the boat; secure a bow line, and then crank the stern in with the
engines. At home I have a permanent bow line I can grab with a boat
hook. At a marina with pilings I will loop a bow line around a piling
with a boat hook, or pass a line down to a dockhand on a floating
dock. Once the bow is secure I can crank the stern in parallel using
the engines and rudders. Using that technique I can dock between two
other boats with very little room to spare and with good control.
Everyone always asks if I have thrusters.

Regarding your boat quest, I'd recommend making up a priority matrix
with things like cruising speed, number of heads/staterooms, fuel
range, fuel economy, single vs twins, galley location, flybridge vs
express, offshore vs coastal, stabilizers, etc. Everything is a
tradeoff so it's important to understand the things that are most
important to you. It's a buyers market right now.

MADM, that could mean medium atomic demolition munition, but in this
context it's Multiple Attribute Decision Making. (Or it used to be.)

If interested, I'll explain the technique. It will definitely make you
think.