>....single handed and can give a recommendation of boat model? Hard to recommend any particular boat model as everyone's requirements and preferences will differ. Some ideal attributes would be easy-to-negotiate deck all the way around the boat, easy access to the main deck from the helm station (or at least one of the helm stations), a sufficient number of well-placed and strong cleats, conveniently placed hand and grabrails, easy access from the boat to the dock on both sides of the boat, good boat maneuverability and responsiveness (twin engine or single engine-with-powerful-bowthruster), easy-to-launch-and-retrieve dinghy system, and (this may sound silly) the ability to rub against or bang into things like pilings without sustaining hull or superstructure damage or marring. These attributes would tend to rule out boats with narrow side "decks" aka "ledges," boats with high freeboard, particularly in the stern with full-width aft cabins, the so-called "widebody" models of some boats like Krogen which run one side of the main cabin all the way out to the edge of the hull (more space inside but no walkaround deck on the "widebody" side), boats without at least one side door beside the lower helm station, boats that are operated only from the flying bridge, boats that carry their dinghy high on a main cabin overhead, and boats with small, lightweight, or no rub rails. All that said, there are plenty of people who successfully single-hand boats that in theory should be difficult to single-hand. One approach might be to narrow down the field of boats you are interested in and then try out examples of each with an eye toward single-handing the boat even if you have the owner, check-out skipper, etc. on board with you. By the way, I did not single out the Krogen widebody as an example of a poorly designed boat. Far from it, and I think the widebody design is a clever way of gaining more interior space without compromising the overall design of the boat. But the lack of a side deck on the port side could make things difficult for a single-hander. ______________________________ C. Marin Faure GB36-403 "La Perouse" Bellingham, Washington