What is this door for ?!

So you can catch and throw lines as there is no other way to do so. Very stupid design, to have a mate standing on a weenie gangway as you're docking.

Puts you closer to the water for reeling up the fish.

like you know to operate windlass with anchor on hull (that not case with bow roller anchor) you really need to see position of your anchor chaine, with the bow V of the hull some of yacht you can't see from the top, so architect designed platform form bow crew to operate windlass and indicate to the captain position of chaine.

GUYS, it's to throw and retrieve the bow lines, if you look at both sides, there is NO other way to tie the vessel up.

It's Designer 'shorthand' to say he's a moron who's never been to sea before.

That new big Feadship that was at FLBS with the Axe bow has the same setup.....Form over function seems to be the norm these days.

Seems that most 80M+ yachts have these and all commercial vessels as well

I've managed to anchor 65 & 75m yachts with just the skipper and one crewman on the bow without the need for these complicated doors.

It just takes a bit of knowledge and experience to design a good mooring layout.

It's a diving platform to go check the set of the anchor.

It's an observation deck for guests you've gotten tired of.

It's a platform to toss a hook over and sneak back onto the boat without being seen.

It's a platform for a game of King on the Mountain at sea.

Because if you look carefully, the hause pipes are on either side of the door on the deck below the top deck and there are no cleats on the deck above it, hause pipes, or way to get to the cleats. The foward 2 cleats are inside of the door on either side of it.

Why is this a "very stupid design"?
This type of platform is becoming more and more prevalent, as germanyachting mentioned.
Advantages:
1. Looks like there is a helipad on the bow.
2. The windlass, foredeck mooring areas under cover and protected from the elements
3. LOTS of additional interior space by enclosing the bow area
4. Seems much safer to have a "mate standing on a weenie gangway" as opposed to leaning over high bulwarks. Better visibility of the anchor as it is coming up.

If the guest is daring enough, a herring can be held in one's mouth and talented and motivated dolphin will leap out of the ocean to snatch the herring from the pursed lips of the guest. Makes for great GoPro footage.

It is an enclosed mooring deck, there would be no way to tie the vessel up forward with out this door, it will also serve as a platform to observe the anchor coming home and reduce the damage of stem wraps and the flukes digging into the hull. Many boats need these that have open decks but the designers have gone so mad that the Bulwarks are so high and or thick that its impossible to safely handle mooring and anchoring duties without a set.

They are considered part of the shell when the deck is enclosed and will show up on the AMS as open or closed .

I am surprised that on a forum that claims to know big boats there are so few people who actually do have any experience with them.

Fishtigua, Things have changed beyond belief since your days on Noahs Arc.

It's a stupid design because the gangway on the several I've seen have like the opecmare paserelle design where the safety "railing" consists of a few poles that come up as the gangway comes down or out and has 1/2" rope around it. There is nothing solid to lean on, and really pull ropes with or really keep you from falling overboard as the boat and bow thruster are maneuvering (which on this size vessel the bow thruster is very dangerous if you fell in and it was operating). If they have a solid railing you could put your body weight against to assist with lines. Instead you're relying on a monkey ball with a light line thrown, then someone on the dock pulling the dock line as you go inside and feed it, but can't really see what's going on outside the boat as your feeding it, so really a 2 man process.........Honestly it's one of those form over function type of designs IMO.

> The railing on the pic in the original post looks pretty sturdy and substantial.
> Relying on a "monkey ball" with a light line thrown is a pretty standard practice on large commercial vessels. And is a 2 man process. Although I do not have any experience on large yachts like this in the picture, it would seem they ought to have enough crew to be able to devote 2 crew members to this task. It would be safer that way, for sure.
> If you think a bow thruster is dangerous if you fell overboard when it was operating, you would be aghast at seeing a supply boat coming alongside a sesimic survey vessel underway at 4 knots ... with the crew handling lines from bow doors just like this one.
> Form over function?? Seems the opposite actually. The bow doors are functional to allow an enclosed mooring deck. The doors cannot be a cheap addition to the vessel, so I highly doubt anyone would be adding them just because they like the way they look.