Good point, Bob. Guess I'm most concerned about docking (though most marinas have dock hands I assume) and passing through locks since I've never operated anything over 20'. Most of the comments seem to say with training and planning it should be doable.
Dave
You guys have got me more fired up then ever! I've operated runabouts since I was young and knew early on that guiding the boat was better than controlling it. Sounds like it's the same principle no matter the size (re the title of my first post). Very much the same in flying. Thanks for the...
Sounds great. The one I'm going to see is older (1989) and a little bigger (49). It's one of the reasons I asked my question in the first place. 49 seems big but it's got twins so maybe with some practice it would be alright. We'll see.
Yeah, I wish. I'm getting started late on a lot of things. But I'm runnin' hard! How do you like your Halvorsen? I'm thinking of looking at one in Kentucky.
Great Advice
Thanks to all who chimed in on my question. I'm not looking to impress anybody but I want to be comfortable. I hear you, Mahal. Besides, my first first mate only left me enough to buy a thruster anyhow.
I've read most of those posts and while informative, I was asking mainly from a handling standpoint since I've never been in anything larger than about 20'. Can one man handle docking, anchoring, locking, etc. on a 40 to 45 foot boat?
Been reading the forum for a while and think it's great. Looking to buy my first live aboard/cruising trawler and will be doing it myself (until/unless I can find a suitable first mate). What's the opinion on length and handling restrictions when shopping for a boat to ultimately do the loop...