SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Top 10 Sailboats Easiest & Best to Single Hand

211K views 65 replies 43 participants last post by  boss 
#1 ·
Hello Sailor's
There are some great sailors on this site. In your opinion. What sailboats would you consider to fall into a top 10 category for easiest and best to single hand sail in a coastal environment. This would also include the possibly of living aboard? ( length 30 to 38 foot ) Use Up and Down the East Coast, Bahamas
Thanks
Diceman
 
#37 ·
I get your wife's perspective, as she would be alone, with no way to help herself, if you fell overboard or became incapacitated. OTOH, just about anyone can learn to use the radio in 5 mins.

As for the OP, if one is pursuing the idea of singlehanding anyway, it doesn't really matter if the passengers can't help. Although, in some circumstances, an incapable passenger can be a burden.
 
#30 ·
Just about any boat can be sailed solo within reason and with a bit of thought/work leading lines to a location you want, especially with an autohelm of some type.
It's everything else that gets to be a problem especially as size goes up, docking, raising anchor, moving sails.
I know I can get a 38' boat into a slip, getting it moored solo is where it gets very interesting. (I don't own a 38' boat). No problems if there a couple people to catch lines on the dock.
I'm very much a solo sailor, only had people on board twice this past summer. My boat is my happy place where I go to get away from everything, don't want people messing up my solitude! This may very well change when I retire and no longer have to deal with customers and quotes day in and day out. I'm really not that anti-social, probably would be without a boat though!
 
#32 ·
I sail singlehanded most of the time on the best and easiest boat for me sail (36.5 ft, 18,000 displacement, three sails). I know quite a few singlehanded sailors and for the most part they all believe that their boat is the best and easiest boat for them to sail singlehanded. These boats are old boats, new boats, fast boats, slow boats, little boats, and big boats with 1, 2, 3 or 4 sails. The best I can tell is the only thing these boats have in common is that the boats have been setup for singlehanded sailing by the skipper based on their preferences.

So I suggest the easiest and best boat to sail singlehanded is the boat that fits your sailing needs, you are comfortable on, and you know. Just get out there and start sailing.

Garner
 
#33 ·
I agree that setup is critical. It is easy to rely on things like roller furling and autopilots to allow us to single hand. It really hurts trying to do a head sail change on your knees with the bow dropping out from under you when the autopilot quits and no one else is aboard.
 
#34 ·
Whenever a question like this comes up (best boat to solo), the answers are usually what attributes of a boat make it good to single hand, not what boats. What may be even more helpful to the OP, is what attributes would make a boat UNDESIRABLE for single handed sailing. There are some undesirables that could be changed (mainsheet out of reach), and some that couldn't (sail plan too big to be handled by one person).
 
#35 ·
The easiest boat I have seen to singlehand is a boat with in-mast furling. You don't have to hoist two heavy sails up the mast. You don't have to lower the mainsail, furl it neatly on the boom, put on a mainsail cover. When you want to sail, you unroll the mainsail, and unroll the jib. When you're done, you roll up the jib and roll up the mainsail. If you need to reef the mainsail, you just release the outhaul, and pull in the furling line, just like the furling line on the jib. You don't have to leave the cockpit to furl or unfurl them, or to reef the mainsail.

With advances in sail design, in-mast mainsails are available with a better, more powerful shape than in the past.

An elderly singlehander could easily handle an over 40' boat with an autopilot.
 
#36 ·
We sail a Jeanneau DS40 with the helm on the forward bulkhead. I single handed her my first year out from Miami to Hadley Harbor and back and anchored or picked up mooring balls most of the time. I never had to leave the cockpit to do anything except drop the hook. All sailing is done from the cockpit and easily handled right next to the helm.

My sig other joined me the next year and we have been out ever since and I do most of the sailing as she does pull watches on overnights and helps with furling the genny and does a bit of trimming on the genny and that is about it. There is a lot of room for 2 people as we have lived aboard now for something like 8 years. She is a go anywhere boat as we have sailed both sides of the Caribbean and crossed the Atlantic with a 2 person crossing and now year 3 in the Med.
She is shoal draft so when we spent 2 winters sailing the Bahamas we had no issues with draft. And she sails really well and can be quite fast.

We do not think we could have found a better boat. And if at any time I would have to sail by myself I would not hesitate sailing her anywhere.
 
#39 ·
Ease of single handing is more about how you rig than what boat IMHO. Things that really help include autopilot, roller furling jib, smaller jib (fractional) and bigger main vs big genoa and smaller main, lines lead aft if done well (can be too much friction if not, lots of threads on that), a main sheet reachable from the helm, primaries located within reach, slab reefing lines lead aft, well maintained systems because you are more reliant on them, chart plotter on the pedestal, VHF remote mike as well, etc., etc.

Size - when we had the 52 I single handed it rarely and it wasn't hard at all, but the issue is if something goes wrong you might not be able to handle it without help. For example, hefting the dead weight of a sail in a bag exceeded my capability. But with power winches and power in mast furling, and a thruster you could argue when everything works it's easier to single hand than our current boat, 38 ft. Of course when things break, it's a different story. On offshore legs, I'd frequently take on younger stronger crew to help if the .... hit the fan.

IMHO you could take any high 30's low 40's boat, and rig it for good single handing. With more technology and systems dependence if you're comfortable, you can go bigger, but I will say we broke stuff on the 52 in far away places, and it was a PIA when that happened.
 
#40 · (Edited)
Would suggest some of the diversity of answers reflect factors not mentioned. Will try to explain by example.

Setting- prior to current boat had a PSC 34. She sat on a mooring in Marion. We had launch service. She was a total dream to single and often would take her a fair distance up or down the coast. With a mooring regardless of weather could berth her by myself. With launch service getting stuff on and off the boat was no issue. She was a strong boat so no concerns if the weatherman got it wrong. Now spend summers in Barrington. That PSC would be on C dock. Narrow slip with with finger docks shared. Would need to wiggle out of berth and then wiggle out to get to channel. Without bow thruster and good control in reverse difficult. In a crosswind or heavy wind a tight sphincter situation. Would be reluctant to leave depending on weather as due to concern about coming back. Our current boat is on AA dock. Straight shot out. No neighbor on finger. Given not shared able to modify for us. Able to have room to get pushed in to finger by cross wind and sort things out once a spring is set. Current boat is 10' larger than prior. Once in the ocean bigger is better and ease of sailing the same. In fact due to winch placement and deck set up the O46 is if anything easier. Being able to lift the dinghy on davits by myself is a big deal. Cruising pulling a dinghy is. PIA.

Sailor- Jon likes things at the mast. Less complexity. The one thing that makes single handing hard is not when everything works but when it doesn't. Without line organizers there is no chance a twist in the line will cause a jam in an organizer or clutch. I have bad wheels. Due to knees getting to the mast is harder. I'm willing to flake and reflake all lines to eliminating twist. I'm willing to go through each line when putting the boat to bed to make sure there is no twist. This takes time. If the boat is to used as a day sailor a PIA. This is true for a Nonsuch, Freedom or Outbound. This is not much of a concern for a boat with stuff at the mast.

Where you sail- on a Marion to Bermuda we were soundly beaten by a Nonsuch 36'. At the time owned a Tayana 37'. Race was a reach to far reach in mostly 10-20. But if you need to go down wind on way out and beat home, which most of us do, and you will be cruising in all wind speeds any cat rig especially with the fat mast of an unstayed rig will not perform like a sloop. Especially if you have an asymmetrical or like light air sail. Cat rigs usually give some helm going to weather. Especially when it's blowing dogs off their chains. A sloop, solent or cutter is easier to balance. Different hulls track better or worse. Even with just the wheel locked or let free the PSC, the Outbound and even racing one off I owned would track straight once sail plan was balance. Suspect you won't get that from a cat rig except in ideal settings. When singling this is a great help as you can leave the helm for a moment to take care of a detail. Just walk away. If I had the Bucks would build a CF schooner with square head sails. The business of one sail is probably over rated. Remember schooners were for "A man and a boy" to sail in all weathers. Sail sizes were smaller. Options greater. So even without powered winches big boats were easily sailed.
 
#42 ·
B- just wonder if you ever had the opportunity to sail a cruising schooner such as a Murray Peterson or a Daniel Bombigher or a staysail schooner like a Cheribini?
Tack- just throw the wheel over.
Reef and lazy- just throw off a halyard to strike a sail.
Now with no need for gaffs a schooner or ketch with a decent size mizzen may be the easy rig to raise,strike and reef. Performance hard on the wind maybe slightly worse than a sloop.DDW as well. But most cruising avoids those points of sail if at all possible. Hate wing and wing. Reluctant to leave on AP when doing that and gentlemen don't beat to weather. Actually usually fall off to 40-45'apparent just for comfort.
 
#44 ·
It's not the boat as much as to how you have it set up. My last 3 boats, 27', 34' and now 41' have all been set up for single handing. I spend most of my time on the water by myself and with my dog. What works for me is a roller furling head sail. Changing a headsail when its blowing the seas are big isn't as much fun as I used to think it was when I was young. I have lazy jacks for my main and I really like this system. I fly a 4 full barton main that really sets well but is really big. I have never felt real comfortable with a furling main. A good auto pilot really helps. A lot of people want the lines lead back. Except for the furling head sail I prefer having the main halyard, and reefing done from the mast. If something goes wrong I'm going to be on deck anyways. I have found that when its really blowing and ruff that I have better control and feel safer at the mast where everything starts and terminates. Jack lines are must if your going to go it alone. Best advice…. figure out what is going to go wrong and then set up your boat in a way that you can solve the problem when your on your own...
 
#51 ·
I'm curious what makes you feel safer at the mast. I understand the argument for control.

I prefer to be at the mast only because if something goes wrong that I have to go forward anyways. I like to be able to handle the halyards while Im reefing or dropping a sail. Even with Lazy Jacks I don't like to drop the sail from the helm. It seems that the only time I have issues is when its blowing pretty strong and I really like to respond quickly. Sprinting from the helm and a pitching deck isn't as much fun as getting positioned first in my own time and at my own pace.
 
#52 ·
I follow your rationale, but it seems more an argument for control. Everything should work fine from the cockpit, the vast majority of the time. When something does go belly up, that sprint is inadvisable, but I'm not sure I see a sprint as terribly likely.

Anyway, thanks for the input.
 
#54 ·
Sailing solo is "easy" on any boat reasonably well set up. It's docking, mooring, keeping watch and all the other fun stuff that is the problem.
One day last summer it took me 3 or 4 cracks at getting into my dock, wind was howling and on the beam, kept blowing me away from the dock into the boat next to me. Finally took the leap of faith with a couple long dock lines in hand, landed on the dock and all was good!
 
#56 ·
I single hand my boat, most of the time. Sometimes I ask for help but it's usually very easy by yourself.

This track on the ipad would be a typical sail for us. Against a bit of current - and into a very light (under 5 kts at times) wind - you have to love sailing in conditions like this. These are our home sailing grounds and we know the water, (and ledges), well.

Boats under power (both sail and power), will pass you. A few will even be annoyed in the tight quarters as they may have to slow down to allow your right of way.



All the work in a tight sail like this, is in tacking the headsail. We have a 130% on the roller furler.

Good timing helps as the lower boat speed (2-3 knots) makes for slowish - but steady - tacks with our boat (long keel with attached rudder and centerboard down).

There is a pause in handing the genoa sheet as the wind lays the sail on the shrouds. Then you can release and hand the sail over to the leeward winch.

This is the one maneuver it helps to have someone on each winch. I can do it alone, I just have to move faster.

In these conditions, you hate to give up any of your hard earned boat speed as you coast through tacks in the lee of land close off your bow.

In my mind, an easier boat to single hand would have a self tending jib or a small -easy to tack- headsail. But with our old yawl, most of this tacking would be done with the main and mizzen sails cleated and self tending.

 
#57 ·
Good on you Tom.

Was taught a few tricks to make things easier.

As soon as you tack set up lazy sheet for next tack. Two wraps and pull until just short of moving clew. Now able to tack without using a winch handle or pushing the button if I time it right.
Before tack set up traveler so you won't need to move car on next tack. May have to go on deck to do if dodger in the way.
Use Solent not Genoa. Have mast head rig. Self tacking jibs kill ability to shape head sails and kill boat speed on a masthead. Moving a car is easy if you do it before a tack. In general easier to single with just head sail on a masthead. May be easier with just main on a frac. but like both sails up.
Forget docking if at all possible. Pick up moorings or anchor.
If high winds pick up mooring ball from stern backing down straight into the wind. You can use bow thruster to move stern around and to steer the boat. Rudder won't do much as you are going too slow.
Put pendant on stern cleat. Thread dock line through it while it's on cleat. Bring that line outside shrouds and to bow. Run through anchor roller and to windlass or winch on mast. Ease pendant off stern cleat. Go forward and tighten dock line until you can slip eye of pendant on bow cleat.
If you want to pick up pendant from bow overshoot it a bit to windward. As boat drifts back you can snag it with a boat hook and get it on bow cleat before it's loaded and too hard to hold. If you miss drift back so no chance of fouling prop make a circle and try again.

Was scared ( and still am) of singling my boat. Oddly on passage it's actually easier to run by yourself than my smaller boats. It's much bigger than anything I had previously. Now realize things go slower on a bigger boat. Boat is much more forgiving so you can move slower. Underway size doesn't matter. Berthing is the issue but surmountable with a bit of forethought.
 
#59 ·
Was scared ( and still am) of singling my boat. Oddly on passage it's actually easier to run by yourself than my smaller boats. It's much bigger than anything I had previously. Now realize things go slower on a bigger boat. Boat is much more forgiving so you can move slower. Underway size doesn't matter. Berthing is the issue but surmountable with a bit of forethought.
Same here, but I seldom have crew, so I was forced to either learn how to singlehand the boat, or sit at the dock. The only time I find sailing singlehanded challenging is when the weather suddenly pipes up. It's difficult to tuck in a reef alone when the boat is already bucking and heeling. The best solution is to get the mainsail reefed before the wind hits.

The other challenge is maneuvering in close quarters and docking. I won't try to discuss the whole subject here, but the most useful tip I can offer for docking singlehanded is that, whether you are docking alongside, or in a slip, the first line that you usually want to attach is a breast line. A breast line, from a cockpit cleat to a piling, will limit the boat's ability to drift fore and aft, and will give you time to attach the other lines without being rushed.

One other tip I can offer is that you look at an article in the July 2012 issue of Cruising World magazine, at pg. 58. It's the best illustration I have seen of various methods of docking alongside and coping with favorable and adverse winds and currents. If you can't find a copy of it, you might be able to order a back copy from the publisher on it's website. Some of the maneuvers described there can be done singlehanded, and some require one crew. I have just now emailed a request to Cruising World, asking them to post a copy of it on their website.
 
#60 ·
Thanks S6- other trick I found helpful is playing "let's pretend ". When the bride or crew is with me I pretend I'm alone. She's hanging off the shrouds ready to drop down on the finger pier. Even better is to have line handlers on the dock but ask them to not make a move until requested. Last summer we were berthed next to a $2.5m Zeelander or some type of spaceship. Raised the pucker quotient a bit.

We are now at a level where we are playing the same game with her pretending to be alone.

Think everyone should try this exercise both for docking and evolutions such as reefing, striking, raising and tacking sails. We sail >90% of the time as just a couple. I feel much better knowing she can run the boat by herself if I get sick or hurt. I further think if you are cruising having a boat so big you can't single her is unsafe. I think this size is mid forties for us but accept it may be bigger for some.
 
#61 ·
I've never taken our current boat off the dock alone. However, often just being the two of us, I find myself "single-handing, with passengers". We may even have guests that are more of a liability than a help and I ask them to just sit in place. I can raise and douse sails, tack, jibe, etc, all alone (both sails on furlers). Autopilot helps too, but I can brake the wheel, if I have to. I would not want to have to remove a sail alone and it would be near impossible to go up the rig to fix a problem alone. I can get her off and on the dock in either calm wind or an on-dock wind that will pin me down to it, while I run the length of the boat. If things were sporty and I was truly alone, I would just wait for a better weather window. If cruising, that becomes an option.

Interestingly, we have a condition at our current slip that I'm highly inclined to wait out, regardless of number of crew. To get in our slip, we have to make two opposing turns, while backing down a fairway that is narrower than our LOA and then essentially parallel park between two other vessels. With wind in excess of 20kts from the north, it is a nightmare to get the stern to move, before the bow is blown off. We've done this in as much as 25 kts, but I swear, every time it's above 20kts, I claim we're never coming back in those conditions again. If I was single-handing, I would mean it. :)
 
#62 ·
I am currently trying to master single handing a 40'. It is actually easier than my old 26' in all areas EXCEPT docking!
My berth unfortunately has a stiff cross breeze most of the time, however I am treating this as a learning curve that I need to master eventually, so what better way to learn than everyone time you come into your own berth!
One thing I need to do is make the stern line secured on the dock accessible as I come alongside. I have a ton of advice, but I still can't work out a simple solution yet (my dock is flat and aside from the dock cleats there is nothing else)
Onwards and upwards!
SB
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top