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Thanks for raising these points, Snapdragon. Especially about the visibility from the wheelhouse. We have been a bit concerned about the forward visibility when underway, for spotting deadheads or other UFO's when sitting back on the settee. Not a problem when standing at the wheel, but...

Ranger.....Cindi's gotten a lot better at being forceful when TELLING the dock bubbas who's "girling" her what line to pull and which cleat to make fast, including the spring line when we want to pull forward against it. (always entertaining to see a well meaning dockster grab a line and hold...

Good call on the same headphone sets that you do. Bought them when we moved from a 46' center cockpit to an aft cockpit 52, for anchoring, as we were concerned about the longer distance from helm to bow. It's worked out that we still are fine with hand signals. But the marriage savers are...

Thanks for this.....Like you, I'm really used to using the spring line to snuggle up to the dock. No matter which boat we wind up with, there'll be a fair bit of relearning tricks!!!

Thanks for sharing this perspective, Mac.....much appreciated. As we know, every boat is a set of compromises.....I think I'll need to get aboard boats with and without walkable side decks to really evaluate what's right for us (geezers!).

Thanks JT. Appreciate the comment on those of us playing our back nine!!! Cheers

Hah, gotcha, I was kidding about heaving the grappling hook. But it does make sense to quickly drop it over the bull rail to keep in place until the lines are all secure, thanks

Good one, Peter. I hadn't thought about hanging fenders from the boat deck up above. Thanks!

Bruce, I agree.....if all else were equal, (or I had the cash to make it so!), I'd choose a boat with accessible side deck(s). We'll have to see how the search goes, but I like learning how either option could work ok.

Docking from a fly bridge does sound like it changes the equation. Definitely another consideration!!! Thanks.

Thanks for the comments Comodave. You're another one for the stern first approach. I like it. It sounds like prepping before getting to the dock is key (like any docking maneuver). the lack of side decks could be a non-issue!.

Portage, I really appreciate your detailed description of your docking process. The stern first approach sounds right, and will be good to practice. Like you, we hate to hand lines to unknown folks on the dock. Inevitably they want to pull hard on the bow line and ruin an otherwise perfect...

Thanks, Jay. We normally sail 2 up, not single handed. (though we like to know either one of us could make it back to safety should anything happen to the other).

Thanks, Osprey. Good to hear your boat w/o side decks is working well for you. I'm not tall, but sounds like it could work better than I originally thought.

Mambo, all good points. I've med-moored many times in Europe, and you're right, I hadn't considered tying up stern to the dock without side decks! Anything is possible, but this could be a real Chinese fire drill!!! Happily, we have no plans to run this boat in Europe. Just thinking of US...

Peter, I appreciate your first hand experience with the N40. Sounds like it might work well for us (though if I had a couple 1000 extra $$$ the N43 does look like a worthwhile upgrade!!!). Thanks!

Steve, I'm enjoying the visual of heaving a grappling hook at the dock from 50 feet away!!! Hopefully the bow thruster will make that unnecessary !!! Thanks!

Thanks Rslifkin. We're usually sailing as a couple, your description of the process makes good sense.

We are currently searching for a small trawler in the Pac NW. Use is cruising PNW, including Gulf of Alaska destinations. We'd like a full displacement stabilized hull, preferably with a raised wheelhouse rather than salon and steering station on one level. A bit of our background: We've...