Yachts with a crew???

It depends on who you are and what you mean by require. But yachts above 80 feet usually is a full time job to maintain. You will find crew cabins on boats from around 50 feet. And some people can not even handle a 16-footer...

Yacht Crew

Normally I assist Yachts with Crew from 65 foot to xxx.
There are 2 different type of clients
1. They want to use the Yacht private and so no Crew no other people on.
and than it ends up at around 75-80 foot with limited navigation areas.
2. Owners want to be pampered and therefore in need of 2-4 Crew even on a 80 footer and unlimited navigation areas.

A Crew is also able to safe a lot of money for shore based services and maintenance work and your Yacht is always in "sail away " conditions.

Than it also depends on the Flag and if you run your Yacht commercial you have to fill the "Safe Manning" requirements. That affects Yachts above 24m load-line.

The most important issue to employ a Crew is to spend a lot of time in checking references and to speak with past employers.
Or use a professional Crewagency

And if you have the capabilities of a captain.
Like my father is pretty experienced with boats since he was very young.
He is also licenced to be captain on yachts up to 200 tons (or feet?).

Because we might look for a 55 footer.
Is that seize possible to sail solo? In most cases we will be with multiple people to help out,
but if the boat just has to move from one harbour to another...

Yes you could handle a 55 foot boat by yourself. Just depends on your skill level.

and the local atmospheric/tidal conditions.

i've run my 53 alone for years, it all depends on your experience and most importantly on the layout of the boat. this is in my opinion far more important than size. for instance on the 53, i dock from the lower helm and i am only a few steps from my spring lines. with that layout even if I had anouth 25 ft of boat bhind me, it really woudlnt' make a difference.

on the other hand, if you take a flybridge boat with no lower helm, even 45' could be challenging when it's windy because of the time it takes to get from the helm to the spring lines.

when i move the 70 footer that i run north and south in the spring and fall, i usually do most of the trip alone as well and it's no problem. it's a skylounge but i have a control station on the aft deck so it's just as easy as my 53. if i didn't have the controls aft, i probably woudln't be able to single hand it.

but as others have mentioned it's not about the docking alone, it's about the maintenance. unless you want to spend a lot of time working on the boat, even during trips, a captain makes a lot of sense once you get over 65/70

and then there is the insurance underwriter who will make the final call based on the boat and your experience... they may not insure you on a 50 fotoer depending on your expreience.

read my post above...

anything is possible with the right layout and experience. not knowing your experience level and the kind of boat you are looking at, nobody can answer your question.

Very true.

Reading your post makes me wonder why so many manufacturers make things like a lower docking station optional if they even offer it. On my 58 footer I was lucky enough that the right boat at the right price happened to have the cockpit docking station option - it's a real life saver. Great sight lines and easy access to get off the boat. If I had to dock from the upper helm or lower pilothouse, the visibility would be much much worse and the time to get off would make docking a real challenge. I would probably get a remote control to make things manageable.

Like others have said it depends on the boat and your ability.

I used to hear 70' quoted as about the limit for a capable couple to run. The last boat we had was a 50' DeFever (actually a 48' with a custom swim platform). I would single hand it around the marina and local area, house with a dock was only a few miles away, without too much concern. I would not have gone offshore or any distance without at least someone who could function as a deckhand and relieve me at the wheel. Running it and maintaining it are two very different things. I was able to set my own hours for work so could be working on the boat pretty much whenever I wanted. Even with that flexibility I hired a lot of stuff out that a captain would have done.

You could single handle a 55' by yourself. But you'd be totally insane to run any boat without a second person on board. Anything can and will happen. I've seen plenty of engine failures, bow thruster/stern thruster failures, fires, loss of steering, major health issues, and just about anything else. One person cannot safely manage a lot of these issues solo.

The most important Asset of a Captain is his decision making process and mitigation of risks. And, running a vessel solo is a major risk no matter how you slice the pie, and totally un-necessary.

I can't agree more.
I once had to move a single prop Nordhavn 55 from one dock to another in a small crowded marina. Piece of cake because the boat had 3 outside remote helmstations, a bow and stern thruster.
Untill the (electric) trusters cut out because of overheating. The space I had was to narrow to make speed so I had no steering at all anymore while basically adrift in a crowded marina. I was happy to have two of my crew on board...

I have a captain for my 43, its more for the maintainence and the ability to have it always ready for when I or family want to use it. As time is not a commodity I have a lot of due to my work, it just makes sense to have someone to maintain and move, prepare the boat for use, its also good not to have to clean / wash down after a weekend out.

So I guess its more of a lifestyle choice as well as capability.

But you can't compare having a captain in Hong Kong with having a captain in the US

your right, but he is from australia, retired fishermen, and the boat spends a lot of time in the phillippines & vietnam. better fishing and cruising grounds.

But in my opinion, i buy a boat for privacy.
So if you have a crew, the privacy is lost.

If you have a mega yacht, i can understand it that you must have a crew.
But for a yacht up to 65 feet... That boat is too small for me to have unknown people on it.

To sail a boat solo might be harder if you have a boat above 45 feet, but those should be rare occasions. And we do everything ourselves, cleaning etc.

I guess i'm just lucky with my dad, since he has over 20 years experience with sail and powerboats .

Your captain is not "unknown people". He becomes like part of the family while on board only better. A good captain sees what he needs to see to do his job and ignores the rest (personal indiscretions) or at least he should. He should not infringe on your privacy. He's there to make your life easier and safer. Single-handing is not just a matter of can it be done. It's a matter of can I handle everything that could come up if/when the s--- hits the fan. It's also a matter of keeping it fun. He takes those days when you'd be working on your boat and turns them into cruising days since he's been seeing to the care of your vessel while you were out doing your job. Also, when you have a captain booked or on salary you'll probably use the boat a lot more since a) you're paying for his time and b) he takes the hassle out of taking the boat out.

I would say about 70' would be the maximum for an experienced couple. I managed a 63' Ocean for an owner/operator couple. BUT they spent over a decade cruising thousands of miles in their 46 or 48' Ocean before trading up. They had a lot of time, and would be on the boat for a month at a time, 3 or 4 times a year. HOWEVER, a lot of that time was spent cleaning, washing, and fixing instead of just cruising. He enjoyed the work, but the boat got to an age and they got to an age, where there was just too much work and not enough fun for them. They sold.

If they had a Captain, they'd still be cruising and enjoying more of the experience. If you've been traveling with your wife for 8 hours, then take on fuel, then tie up the boat. Do you then want to spend 2 hours rinsing and chamoising the boat off, or do you just want to hit the shower and go to dinner. If you're going to go with a boat that size, I'd recommend doing it right and hiring a Captain also. At least for a year, then decide from there. Also a Captain will extend your cruising areas and go to places that would terrify the normal owner/operator. If you run the boat aground and tear up a set of props and shafts, that's a Captains wages for a year almost......

I also recently had another client buy a 72' Hatteras MY (newish one), I instructed them, and ran the boat one day for them at the start of their delivery. They're also owner/operator trading up from a mid 50's FB boat. There is so much maintanence and upkeep involved on a boat that size, and the Hatteras is a large 72' with a lot of systems. That a full time Captain would have to hustle to keep up with everything and they're 20 years older then I am. Personally I would rather have a full time Captain after a certain size. I see it as either you're buying yourself a toy, or a job. Do you want to see the yacht as a vacation, or as a job or chore.