Best Stern for Single Handed

[Roper]

33 minutes ago, MtB said:

Does the OP have a dog then?

 

 

Yes, this is the creature in question - on a Kates narrowboat

 

[cuthound]

I went off cruiser sterns when I watched an inebriated man moor next to me and then trip over the taff rail, tumbling head first into the cut.

 

At least with a trad or semi trad stern you would fall in feet first... 

[IanD]

3 minutes ago, cuthound said:

I went off cruiser sterns when I watched an inebriated man moor next to me and then trip over the taff rail, tumbling head first into the cut.

 

At least with a trad or semi trad stern you would fall in feet first... 

Unless suicide seats are installed... 😞

[Guest]

6 minutes ago, cuthound said:

I went off cruiser sterns when I watched an inebriated man moor next to me and then trip over the taff rail, tumbling head first into the cut.

 

At least with a trad or semi trad stern you would fall in feet first... 

 

Cough.....

 

 

[IanD]

12 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

Cough.....

 

 

AKA "suicide seats"...

 

Ricky at Finesse told me Tim Tyler wouldn't fit them to one of his hulls, if I wanted them I'd have to get somebody else to add them on. Fortunately I didn't... 😉

Edited May 21, 2023 by IanD

[Guest]

Just now, IanD said:

AKA "suicide seats"...

 

Yes I know. However they never managed to kill me or Mrs. M_JG in five years.

 

Frankly its a daft name for them.

[IanD]

Just now, M_JG said:

 

Yes I know. However they never managed to kill me or Mrs. M_JG in five years.

 

Frankly its a daft name for them.

They didn't kill you, but I believe they've killed others, hence the name.

 

Whether you have them fitted is entirely your decision 🙂

[Guest]

Just now, IanD said:

They didn't kill you, but I believe they've killed others, hence the name.

 

Whether you have them fitted is entirely your decision 🙂

 

Lots of things 'kill' people if they are misused.

 

We didn't actually have them fitted. They came with the boat.

[IanD]

7 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

Lots of things 'kill' people if they are misused.

 

Difficult to see how "sitting on them" is "misuse", since that's obviously their intended use... 😉

 

I wasn't the one to coin the term, and that's what both Ricky and Tim called them, as do other posters. If you're happy to have them then that's your choice, just like not having them was mine... 🙂

 

Back to the OPs question, for a single-hander a trad stern is the best choice in most people's view, especially if you aim on using the boat and travelling all year round. If you want to be more sociable with more people on board then a semi-trad or cruiser stern may be better, a cruiser stern is more miserable when boating in bad weather offers more outside space in summer. Pram hoods are an abomination in the eyes of many, as are big cratch covers. YMMV... 😉

Edited May 21, 2023 by IanD

[Guest]

Just now, IanD said:

 

Difficult to see how "sitting on them" is "misuse", since that's obviously their intended use... 😉

 

I wasn't the one to coin the term, that's what both Ricky and Tim called them. If you're happy to have them then that's your choice, not having them was mine... 🙂

 

We would use them when moored to increase the outside social space at the stern. If you sit on them whilst underway you are in the arc of the tiller, I say that constitutes them being misused.

 

Even when I did try them whilst underway I found you inevitibly found you were unable to steer properly as you couldnt move the tiller much towards the side you were sat.

 

So they were consigned to being used when moored and quite useful they were too.

[IanD]

8 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

We would use them when moored to increase the outside social space at the stern. If you sit on them whilst underway you are in the arc of the tiller, I say that constitutes them being misused.

 

Even when I did try them whilst underway I found you inevitibly found you were unable to steer properly as you couldnt move the tiller much towards the side you were sat.

 

So they were consigned to being used when moored and quite useful they were too.

 

You may well have used them safely, but going by the boats I've seen travelling with and sitting on them most boaters don't, maybe because they don't know of the risk... 😞

 

It's a bit like giving someone a chainsaw and after they've chopped their leg off saying "Oh, didn't you know you should have been wearing chainmail gloves and chainsaw trousers? How silly of you..."

 

I believe there are several recorded cases of boaters being tipped over them by the tiller and dying or being badly injured as a result. Fitting them seems irresponsible to me, unless boaters are made well aware of the risk -- which I don't think most are.

 

If you're aware of the risk and don't sit on them when underway -- and especially not in a lock or when reversing -- that's fine for you. Not everyone is as knowledgeable though... 😞

Edited May 21, 2023 by IanD

[Guest]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

 

You may well have used them safely, but going by the boats I've seen travelling with them most boaters don't, maybe because they don't know of the risk... 😞

 

It's a bit like giving someone a chainsaw and after they've chopped their leg off saying "Oh, didn't you know you should have been wearing chainmail gloves and chainsaw trousers? How silly of you..."

 

I believe there are several recorded cases of boaters being tipped over them by the tiller and dying or being badly injured as a result. Fitting them seems irresponsible to me, unless boaters are made well aware of the risk -- which I don't think most are.

 

If you're aware of the risk and don't sit on them when underway -- and especially not in a lock or when reversing -- that's fine for you. Not everyone is as knowledgeable though... 😞

 

There are also cases of people tipping over the rail of a cruiser stern. So should these be removed because people are not aware of the risk of sitting on them?

 

The answer is no.

[MrsM]

7 hours ago, nb Innisfree said:

Where on a trad stern would a large dog fit!? 

Absolutely! I shudder at the sight of dogs squeezed on the back of trad sterns. Looks very risky to me. If I was a lone boater with no dog then I would defo have a trad, but as a non-liveaboard couple with a dog and lots of friends the cruiser stern is bang on.

[IanD]

9 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

There are also cases of people tipping over the rail of a cruiser stern. So should these be removed because people are not aware of the risk of sitting on them?

 

The answer is no.

 

That's your opinion. You do realise that other people are allowed to think differently?... 😉

 

I should also point out that on a cruiser stern you can stand or sit safely forward of the arc of the tiller, on a trad you can't.

 

BTW, the answer is not to ban them, it's to make damn sure that people are aware of the risks of sitting on seats near the tiller. I'll bet that most boaters with them fitted aren't, or think "Oh, it'll never happen to me". And mostly they're right -- except in the occasional tragic case when they're not... 😞

Edited May 21, 2023 by IanD

[Tony Brooks]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

 

That's your opinion. You do realise that other people are allowed to think differently?... 😉

 

BTW, the answer is not to ban them, it's to make damn sure that people are aware of the risks of sitting on seats near the tiller. I'll bet that most boaters with them fitted aren't...

 

How many people have stepped or fallen off an unguarded trad stern? It seems a fairly common occurrence to me., yet we don't hear calls to have them guarded. It strikes me that there are some very strong views here that have not been explained except in terms of strong personal preference, like the comments about pram hoods.

[Guest]

7 minutes ago, IanD said:

 

That's your opinion. You do realise that other people are allowed to think differently?... 😉

 

I should also point out that on a cruiser stern you can stand or sit safely forward of the arc of the tiller, on a trad you can't.

 

BTW, the answer is not to ban them, it's to make damn sure that people are aware of the risks of sitting on seats near the tiller. I'll bet that most boaters with them fitted aren't, or think "Oh, it'll never happen to me". And mostly they're right -- except in the occasional tragic case when they're not... 😞

 

I would also point out that there is a greater length of cruiser stern rail to tip over when compared to two small seats.

 

Btw, its you that has a problem expressing an opinion that differs to yours.

[IanD]

4 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

I would also point out that there is a greater length of cruiser stern rail to tip over when compared to two small seats.

 

Btw, its you that has a problem expressing an opinion that differs to yours.

Not in the slightest, I always point out that other opinions are available 🙂

 

Apart from arguing for the sake of arguing with me -- and seemingly, saying that these seats are not a bad idea, whatever they're called -- just what have I posted that you're objecting to?

 

And please don't put words into my mouth like "you want to ban them" when I've said exactly the opposite... 😉

Edited May 21, 2023 by IanD

[Guest]

8 minutes ago, Tony Brooks said:

 

How many people have stepped or fallen off an unguarded trad stern? It seems a fairly common occurrence to me., yet we don't hear calls to have them guarded. It strikes me that there are some very strong views here that have not been explained except in terms of strong personal preference, like the comments about pram hoods.

 

I think the differennce is that going over seats or a rail you would tend to go in head rather then feet or side first.

2 minutes ago, IanD said:

Not in the slightest, I always point out that other opinions are available 🙂

 

Apart from arguing for the sake of arguing with me -- and seemingly, saying that these seats are not a bad idea, whatever they're called -- just what have I posted that you're objecting to?

 

And please don't put words into my mouth like "you want to ban them" when I've said exactly the opposite... 😉

 

You do know that it takes two to have an argument?

 

Coming from the member who takes arguing for the sake of it to a whole new level that comment is utterly priceless.

 

[IanD]

8 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

I think the differennce is that going over seats or a rail you would tend to go in head rather then feet or side first.

Which is exactly the problem with seats at the stern like in the photo, whether it's a trad or a cruiser stern. If you get knocked backwards by the tiller while steering standing up on a trad then you might not even go overboard but be left hanging on to the tiller, and if you do go overboard it won't be head-first.

 

Against this, it does give somewhere to sit instead of stand while steering on a trad, so they do have a plus point. Whether this is worth having given the (small but possible fatal) risk is a decision for the boater, but they should at least be made well aware of the risk when they buy (or hire) the boat.

8 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

You do know that it takes two to have an argument?

 

Coming from the member who takes arguing for the sake of it to a whole new level that comment is utterly priceless.

 

 

Yes it takes two. Funny how so many of the arguments like this -- with me and others -- are with you then, don't you think? And that -- as here -- you're usually the first to start playing the man, not the ball?

 

Pot, kettle... 😉

Edited May 21, 2023 by IanD

[Guest]

1 minute ago, IanD said:

Which is exactly the problem with seats at the stern like in the photo, whether it's a trad or a cruiser stern. If you get knocked backwards by the tiller while steering standing up on a trad then you might not even go overboard but be left hanging on to the tiller, and if you do go overboard it won't be head-first.

 

Against this, it does give somewhere to sit instead of stand while steering on a trad, so they do have a plus point. Whether this is worth having given the (small but possible fatal) risk is a decision for the boater, but they should at least be aware of the risk.

 

Why are you explaining this to me?

 

Haven't I already made it clear in the post you quoted I am fully aware.?

[IanD]

2 minutes ago, M_JG said:

 

Why are you explaining this to me?

 

Haven't I already made it clear in the post you quoted I am fully aware.?

I'm not explaining it to *you*, other people read posts too you know... 😉

 

You seem so determined to pick an argument that you can't even see when I'm agreeing with you. Bye-bye, again...

Edited May 21, 2023 by IanD

[Guest]

Just now, IanD said:

I'm not explaining it to *you*, other people read posts too you know... 😉

 

Then why quote me?

5 minutes ago, IanD said:

 😉

 

 Bye-bye, again...

 

As @mrsmelly says. Bye 'soft lad'.

[booke23]

To the OP.

 

Garnering opinions is fine, but it really your own opinion is what matters. Each have their pros and cons, go and hire one and see what you think. 

[IanD]

8 minutes ago, booke23 said:

To the OP.

 

Garnering opinions is fine, but it really your own opinion is what matters. Each have their pros and cons, go and hire one and see what you think. 

Or better still, hire more than one type and see how they compare for you -- and if it's nice and sunny, try and imagine what it would be like in cold wind and rain.

 

Sometimes the real-life advantages and disadvantages of each type aren't everything you might think of before trying one... 😉

Edited May 21, 2023 by IanD

[Tony Brooks]

27 minutes ago, M_JG said:

I think the differennce is that going over seats or a rail you would tend to go in head rather then feet or side first.

 

As you may well do if you tripped on a dolly, T stud or the mooring rope, and the one time I went over the rail it was bum first where the tiller pushed my waist over first whilst trying to pull/snatch a well grounded boat off the mud. My own fault. If it had been on a trad it would certainly have been flat on my back with feet towards the prop. I think the danger is overstated and differs between stern type.