Can I captain a mini-yacht?

We moved up a few years ago from a 30 ft express cruiser to a 50 ft Viking SC, and I find docking the 50 ft boat easier. We bought the boat in NY and I worked with a captain (NYCAP from here) for a few days and then we took the boat home. Our next boat will be in the 65 to 70 ft range, and I would do exactly the same thing. But I plan to get my CG license in advance, then work with a captain for a few days, until I am comfortable with docking.

As others have mentioned, the upkeep is the biggest deal. You should go into a 60 ft boat with your eyes wide open understanding the amount of upkeep. There is a lot of fiberglass/gel coat, exterior cushions and canvas, and teak that require regular maintenance to keep a boat looking good. Then you have two big diesels and their sea water systems, diesel generator, and running gear with big props, all needing regular maintenance. You will have three heads and showers, two or more refrigerators, lots of carpet, three televisions, one or two sound systems, satellite systems, and two completly outfitted helms all needing some degree of upkeep.

How you want to use the boat will have a lot to do with what boat is best to get. Also, how much navigation skill and weather related knowledge you will need will depend on your type of usage. With your experience, some common sense and training, docking will not be a problem.

I'm in the same situation with my wife for a deck hand. We had one "disagreement" while docking a few years back. These kind of "disagreements" only seem to happen between a husband and a wife After we were all tied up and settled we had a long talk that we should have had before.

1) That is that there can only be one captain. It can be her or me but it can't be both. Marriage is an equal partnership but docking ain't.
2) I'm not yelling at her - I'm yelling so she can hear me. I'll say please, thank you, sorry, etc. - after the boat is tied up.
3) It doesn't matter if its hard or frustrating. Just try again. I'll bring the boat around again if I have to but you're the only one on deck so its you or nobody.
4) Don't worry about getting the lines perfect the first time - just get the boat tied up and we'll adjust it later for boarding, tide, etc. (This was the root of our "disagreement")
5) Don't take instructions from anybody on the dock.
6) If you see me making a "mistake" let me know once but after that it's all my fault.

This really applies to anybody on deck but most people, other than wives/girlfriends, automatically defer to the operator/captain of the boat.

Before we get near the slip I make sure we have dock lines out and in position. Any fenders that I want out may also be deployed at this time. I also brief my crew on wind / current and which line I "need" to hold the boat in place.

The better you can communicate ahead of time the less stressful cruising will be. When you are considering boats make sure you look at how much help you'll be in handling the lines from wherever you will be operating the boat from.

As long as not the whole harbor can hear you, it is OK...

Not at all. Deckhands are more likely than not to be whomever is around. It's up to the captain to keep them safe. And I taught my wife how to drive a car and run a boat so I have some experience there as well. What I was getting at is that deckhanding a bigger boat can get to be serious business and a captain can teach deckhanding as well. I see though in your later post that you're not opposed to taking lessons, just don't want a permanent captain. That's smart and entirely doable.

lol.

No for that I use the PA system. Actually it was more the tone of my voice than the volume she objected to. "Command Voice" is never popular with the wives - unless they're using it

The 2002' or newer 63' Hatteras MY (then became the 64') sounds like it is ideal. It has the dinghy on the FB, cruises at 22-25 knots, has no teak, is very comfortable, has laundry, the systems are fairly simple. However you do have to turn around to talk to guests etc.

The 58' Searay SB or even the prior 56', is another good choice. You can have guests sitting in front of you on the flybridge, has laundry, simple systems, cruises at 25 knots, However has the dinghy on the swim platform, and is less capable then the Hatteras (less range and a little less of a seaboat.)

Another thing to look at, and NOT rule out is a nice Sportfish. A 54' Hatteras SF is a great seaboat, can have the dinghy on the bow, cruise at 33 knots, has a nice cockpit, which you could get a nice sunshade made for, comfortable with washer and dryer. The helms on SF usually have seating for guests in front of the helm. Also the Hatteras or a viking or? usually don't have any teak and exterior maintanence is usually not too hefty as long as you stay away from a tower. I think you could find everything you're looking for in a smaller size......even in the lower 50' range, whereas with a motoryacht you're looking at a larger boat (mainly to get the dinghy off of the swim platform). I have a customer with a 50' Post that has a 14' Nautica on the bow and it fits comfortably.

Mark, a washer/drier is a fairly common item on a 50' to 60' boat. Most aren't good for much more than a T-shirt or towel though. There have been a few discussions about them here, and some recommendations. Check the search feature.
Regarding tone, it's amazing how few people know what their voice sounds like. Just watch Idol some time. When my wife is mad she has a sarcastic tone that makes me want to smack her (would never do it). I had a client once who was quite deaf & wore a hearing aid. He ticked off every worker he'd hire because he sounded like he was calling them idiots when he was just asking for information. I'd always stand ready to intervene. Communicating properly is the captain's responsibility. You don't want your deckhand arguing with you or walking off when you need a line tied off NOW. You also don't want cold spam & kibble for dinner after a long day cruising if your DH happens to be your wife. Watch for the 'F-him' body language when you give orders and be prepared to adjust. 'My way or the highway' is seldom a good attitude on a boat.

Mark

welcome to YF... you got some good advice/info above although based on your experience and comments I dont think you should worry too much about the transition. the only issue may be finding an underwriter who understands that you are qualified for the jump.

i've always said that the bigger the boat, the easier it is to handle, especially when moving from IOs to inboard diesels. the big difference will be that you rarely need to use the throttles thanks to the amount of torque you get from the diesel and the big props. the larger the engines, the less power you use / need. for instance, leaving the slip with a diesel trawler you may find yourself leaving the engines in gear until you're almost out of the slip whereas on higher performance/larger boat, you will get them in gear twice for 1 seconds at the most. Keep a pair of 1000hp diesel in gear for more than a couple of seconds and you will quickly gain too much momentum.

this is the one thing that cause the most issues to folks stepping up.

As to being able to run the boat without relying on your wife, it shoudn't be a problem. I'm used to run my own boat alone (53 Hatt) or even the 70 Johnson that i captain and 99% of the time it makes no difference. It all comes down to preparation and layout.

preparation is obvious: before docking, I set my lines and fenders. If I have crew, we review the landing and decide on the line sequence depending on conditions.

Layout is probably the most critical thing. on the traditional styled pilothouse boats with doors by the helm you are just a few steps from your spring lines so they're easy to pass ashore even without crew or deck hand. With a flybridge boat, it's a little more tricky but having a set of engine controls on the aft deck make it a breeze. well worth adding to the boat.

and obviously the heavier the boat, the less effect wind has when docking...

As others mentioned, the stakes are a little higher with a larger boat and there are things who ever is on the boat with you need to be aware of as they can get hurt with a larger boat. as a captain, you need to realize that you wont' get away with sloppy handling as you would on a smaller boat. This is why I usually dont' let untrained folks help me out when docking (either friends or people on the dock). Last thing you want is someone thinking they can hold the boat against the wind without cleating the line... or getting a finger caught in a spring line as you're springing into position.

"Mark, a washer/drier is a fairly common item on a 50' to 60' boat. Most aren't good for much more than a T-shirt or towel though."

not really.. the vented combination washer-dryers work very well for the medium loads you'll get with 3 people of board... the key is to get a VENTED model, it's the non vented models whcih give these units a bad name.

I think he was referring to the size mostly. Most of the ones I've seen, about 90% of the time, will only hold 3-4 mens t-shirts......or 2 towels in them.

well, i've had a vented splendid for years now and just put in a queen sheet set in there... with clothes, i usually put in 3 or 4 polos/Tees and couple of pair of shorts (or one pair of jeans) at the same time.

so yes, you have to do the laundry more often but on a small boat where space is limited, it's worth it. when i pulled the full size stackables out 6 or 7 years and isntalled the Splendid i was able to reclaim about 12 cu ft or storage.

and with the combo I dont' have to redo the load if forgot to transfer to the dryer 3 days early

obviously, this works on a personal boat, not on a charter baot.

dude, I am in the same position as you are, but I plan to spend about 2.5mil for a new boat. I willl have a captain until I can assure my wife and I that we can command the YACHT in any situation. Don't go cheep, the deep gives no quarter....spend the money

Yesterday's load (on land): 2 Q sheets, 4 pillow cases, 4 bath towels, 5 hand towels, 7 shorts, 4 pair of jeans, various sall stuff. All dried in 68 minutes. Life on a boat does take some adjusting. However, most better marinas have laundy facilities.

Well, it's like when you look at cars. First you look at yachts for around $500k, then you want nicer/larger/newer so you talk yourself into spending $1mill.......then keep going.......some people do though.

Sounds normal to me. It seems to happen every time I shop for anything.

Mark,

Last year my wife and I made the jump from a Sea Ray 330 Sundancer to a Sea Ray 550 Sedan Bridge. The 330 had twin gas engines, this one has twin Cat diesels.

I think this boat is easier to drive/maneuver/dock because it's a lot heavier and moves more slowly when maneuvering around docks and backing into the slip.

My wife is not the most enthusiastic deck hand but is very competent at line handling. She is learning to drive the boat but not yet ready to dock it or back into our slip.

We went to the sedan bridge style because we want to do more long distance cruising up into British Columbia waters and didn't want to do it in an express cruiser. We got tired of being down in the cave (express cruiser cabin) and wanted more visibility. I like the flybridge on the 550 Sedan Brdige because it can seat 12. There's lots of room for guests and that seems to be where they congregate. I have the forward helm on the flybridge and that works well for us because I like to let guests take the helm. When they're driving I can stand behind them to watch what they do.

I would suggest you get rid of your prejudice against "mass produced" boats. The manufacturers tend to stick with a design and get the bugs worked out. That's not something that can be said as easily about boat makers who produce only a few boats of a certain model.