phillippeterson
Senior Member
- Joined
- Nov 11, 2020
- Messages
- 391
What is the biggest boat you would have if you were handling by yourself? Or, for us, handled by 1 1/2 persons. My wife is not adept at things like handling a can opener - much less a boat. Her contributions in life are great, just not mechanical.
Yes, it's plain that some folks have the experience and skills to do amazing things. And this answer will be different for everyone. There won't be an iron-clad rule coming out of this question.
And then there may be folks like me. I'm certainly both ignorant and naive. And my imagination gets me into predicaments sometimes. What I think I could do and what I really can do are usually different. I do have some experience on boats far from land in the Bering Sea, the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and other places - as casual crew. I do have quite a bit of coastal experience either solo or with others on board. I can fly a floatplane and a helicopter (I'm an instructor in both). I've been flying forty years and still earn my living that way but would honestly evaluate myself as only average (I hope I'm at least that good). I can rebuild an engine. I can use a chainsaw.
I'm aware of energy management, as in, don't approach a dock any faster than you want to hit it.
I have sailed a 60 foot sloop single handed. My imagination tells me I could handle up to a 70 foot trawler.
I'm not looking for an evaluation of my skills, just an opinion from you on what might be reasonable with regards to docking, anchoring, and general operation of a somewhat large trawler. We would often have other guests or family to help with getting underway, but would mostly be just the two of us.
It seems like most modern trawlers equipped with thrusters, joysticks, etc. wouldn't be "that" hard to handle. And, from flying for personal missions as opposed to the commercial operations I usually do, I often make the decision to wait it out when conditions aren't right. A schedule is the worst thing to have on a boat or plane.
I'm kind of more interested in what size YOU could handle and I'll extrapolate from there.
I have my big boy pants on so let the comments fly.
Yes, it's plain that some folks have the experience and skills to do amazing things. And this answer will be different for everyone. There won't be an iron-clad rule coming out of this question.
And then there may be folks like me. I'm certainly both ignorant and naive. And my imagination gets me into predicaments sometimes. What I think I could do and what I really can do are usually different. I do have some experience on boats far from land in the Bering Sea, the Atlantic, the Pacific, the Indian Ocean and other places - as casual crew. I do have quite a bit of coastal experience either solo or with others on board. I can fly a floatplane and a helicopter (I'm an instructor in both). I've been flying forty years and still earn my living that way but would honestly evaluate myself as only average (I hope I'm at least that good). I can rebuild an engine. I can use a chainsaw.
I'm aware of energy management, as in, don't approach a dock any faster than you want to hit it.
I have sailed a 60 foot sloop single handed. My imagination tells me I could handle up to a 70 foot trawler.
I'm not looking for an evaluation of my skills, just an opinion from you on what might be reasonable with regards to docking, anchoring, and general operation of a somewhat large trawler. We would often have other guests or family to help with getting underway, but would mostly be just the two of us.
It seems like most modern trawlers equipped with thrusters, joysticks, etc. wouldn't be "that" hard to handle. And, from flying for personal missions as opposed to the commercial operations I usually do, I often make the decision to wait it out when conditions aren't right. A schedule is the worst thing to have on a boat or plane.
I'm kind of more interested in what size YOU could handle and I'll extrapolate from there.
I have my big boy pants on so let the comments fly.
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