Set up for Singlehanding

[hpeer]

One thing that I found important is to have a good preventer setup. For me it can remove substantial anxiety, which allows me to relax more and enjoy and get some needed rest.

[El Pinguino]

Having spent some time pondering I have finally worked out what is going on with the main sheet... it goes along the boom and then works its way back aft along the starboard side deck... interesting. Yes I know... I am a bit slow on occasion.

So with that sorted I reckon she is all good to go.

[wesevans]

To be a successful single handling boat I want one that can hold course on most points of sail without constant corrections of the helm. This usually translates into a long keel and skeg hung rudder or full keel. you need good lateral stability. Other considerations are the ease of reducing sail. It helps if sail trim can be handled from the cockpit.

[Juho]

Originally Posted by Juho

One more viewpoint to singlehanding.
1) Autopilot is a must to free your hands and eyes for something else.
2) Furling sails and remote windlass are the easiest approach to avoid jumping between the foredeck and cockpit (or not to go there at all). Ability to reef quickly (from the cockpit if possible) is important.
3) Jacklines and harness to keep you in the boat.
4) Communication devices to get assistance (if needed) when coming to a marina.
5) Radar and AIS with alerts to wake you up at night.

One more addition
2) ... + bow thruster.
It would not harm to have a similar thruster also at the stern, but these are not common, at least in the small boats.

[Juho]

Double copy removed.

[Sandero]

It may be a good time to revisit signle handed sailing. One of the themes of single handed sailing is the single hander needs to do ALL the tasks that a crew would do and some of them need to be done simultaneously.

For example something as basic as self tailing winches enable the single hander to put all his strength toward the cranking and even enable him to keep his eye on things at the same time. Tailing is often the task of a second crew!

Some of the tasks may take more time... when you have do every one of them in sequence as opposed to simultaneously.

Roller furling is another "crew" for the single hander... as would be mainsail furling systems. I've taken to using a Milwaukee drill with a winch bit to drive the winch... It's one thing to change a sail at dockside or at anchor... but underway you want all the help you can get and that may include the auto pilot and an engine.

AP will keep the boat head to wind or whatever course works for the sea state and wind. But you need an engine to keep the boat from being blown off. For this purpose a wind vane steering is no use... You need a pilot which will hold a set course. A stout below decks unit which drives the rudder post would be optimal. The control head should be where you can see plotter / chart... the sea around around you and probably be close to the helm/manual steering. A remote control can be handy for anchoring as well... if you can steer from the bow.

A windlass and all chain rode not actually a second crew... but like the power drill for driving the winch... it will make anchoring a mental not a physical exercise. YOU do the thinking and your "devices" follow your commands! When you anchor... you have two more crew... a windlass and a helmsperson!

Reefing also is a helluva lot easier with the AP and the motor. And how about a gybe? How do you steer, work the main sheet quickly enough to do a safe and smooth gybe? I use the motor and slowly turn the AP to dead downwind pulling the sheet tight as I do it... and they tweak then AP to the other tack and slowly release the main. This can be down without the motor for sure... and is most of the time... but the AP really makes the gybes a mental exercise.

GPS Plotters of course are like having a navigator. A display in the cockpit allows the single hander to have his navigator working for him right there not down below in the secure cockpit.

In general, rigging all the running rigging to the cockpit is another thing that allows the single hander to do multiple tasks... be in what would be two places at once... or being two instead of one.

How about the lifting crane for the OB which the single hander can move his motor from the pushpit to the dink without any assistance?

My lovely crew when I single hand:

Allison, the Alpha autopilot
Max, the Maxwell Nilson windlass
Millie, the Milwaukee right angle drill
Vinnie, the Volvo engine
Sally, (lots of them) self tailing winches
Gail, the Garhauer lifting crane
Dutch, the Dutchman sail flaking system
Ray, Raymarine MFD w/ radar

I never leave without them!

[patprice]

Hi Sandero

That Milwaukee drill with a winch bit to drive the winch sounds like a great bit of kit. Can you give more details of what it exactly is.
Is it powerful enough to raise someone up the mast....I mean with two people
I am in Tasmania or Greece and hope such a tool is available.
Thanks
Pat

[Sandero]

Millie is fabulous. She has a lithium ion rechargeable battery... they come in I think 3 sizes... the largest is best.

YES you can hoist an adult up the mast. Of course if the bosun helps a bit it's better. I put the wife up.. because she doesn't want to put me up and I've put staff from the boat yard up to lube a connection on the mast head at 50' up!

I use the motor at the end of a day's sail... motoring in and anchoring so I recharge the batt which is not drained from a single use... but I keep it topped up. It's a D handle right angle drill. Look up winch bit and they sell them or you might find them online cheaper.

You'll love Millie!

[Orion Jim]

She has no bridgedeck. I'd want a two foot washboard which could be locked in place at all times when at sea. Any water that comes into her cockpit would flood the accommodation in a heartbeat. Other than that she looks like a great bluewater vessel. Everyone has to decide what modifications to add to improve handling and make it right for them. If you have no singlehanded offshore experience then take it slow. No sense modifying something then regretting it afterwards. If I spent a few weeks with that boat making it fit my preferences I'd take it anywhere. Make sure you can depend on all her systems, from the seacocks to the rig. Your life depends on it.

[Foolish]

There are lots of good comments here. I'll add that there is a FREE book available for download that will teach you a lot about what you want in a good boat for singlehanding, and lots of techniques too:
http://sfbaysss.org/resource/doc/Sin...rdEdition2.pdf

[thomm225]

No setup is really necessary.

If you sail a smaller boat say 30' or less and sail single handed most of the time, it's pretty easy to figure out

[JPA Cate]

boxertwinjeff,

If you're getting serious about that boat, with the deck fiberglass over marine plywood, you will want to look very carefully at all of the deck penetrations, inside and out, to ascertain if you have a deck re-build job in your future.

To the guy interested in the Milwaukee right angle drill: That bit of kit is not imported into Australia at this time. Maybe you can find it in Greece, or maybe get it shipped to you from the US. Make sure the battery re-charging is compatible with your boat's system. We have both 110 & 240 on this boat, and use our 110 inverter to re-charge our Milly. Ours has no difficulty sending Jim to the masthead.

Ann

[patprice]

Thanks Ann
Good info re the drill...
Seems I'm a dingy ride from you!
We live up in North West Bay.
43 01.2 and 147 17.4. Yacht out front.
If you are passing by....say Hi
Pat and Penny

[JPA Cate]

Originally Posted by patprice

Thanks Ann
Good info re the drill...
Seems I'm a dingy ride from you!
We live up in North West Bay.
43 01.2 and 147 17.4. Yacht out front.
If you are passing by....say Hi
Pat and Penny

Hi, there,

What a lovely invitation. We're in Port Cygnet now, for the festival, and will be hither and yon for a bit.

So, is the lat/lon you posted on land, or near your mooring? Just kidding, I think from the possie we can possibly infer the house, it's just that there are a lot of fish farms and a lot of moorings thereabouts.

Cheers,

Ann

[patprice]

Ann
Both. We live on the foreshore and yacht on a mooring in front.

No problems with the farms but we will watch your progress on this forum and we might catch up. Enjoy Cygnet.

How long are you in Tassie for?

Apologies to Forum readers at this thread for this transgression!!