5 Reasons Why: Axopar 37
There are so many reasons to love owning an Axopar and one of them is how easy it is to dock without the help from your crew or dockhands. This article describes the 5 design features of the Axopar cabin that makes this possible and at the bottom of the article there is a link to a video showing you these features and demonstrating them by docking solo.
1) SAFE AND MANEUVERABLE SIDE DECKS
One of the first noticeable features of the Axopar is the full walk-around side decks. These side decks allow you to safely and securely walk completely around the boat to deploy fenders and dock lines. Walking around the cabin is made even more secure by the overhead hand holds along the roof as well as the stainless steel hand rails running the length of the boat.
2) SLIDING SIDE DOORS
The sliding side door, located in the middle of boat, provides easy access from the helm to the side decks. The central location of the doors facilitates a speedy trip to the bow or stern to manage your dock lines. When compared to a door located aft of a pilothouse, these side doors on the Axopar dramatically reduce the time needed to get to the bow of the boat.
3) SPRING CLEAT LOCATION
This leads us to the third convenient design element of the Axopar, the easy access to the boat’s mid-ship spring cleat from the helm. We’ve all observed a launch operator utilize the powers of a breast line to quickly tie up to a dock and this method can also be used when docking your Axopar! The proximity of this spring cleat from the helm allows you to instantly tie up a breast line to secure the boat to the dock.
4) VISIBILITY FROM THE HELM
The fourth design element offered by the Axopar is the incredible visibility the captain has from the helm. You have a virtually unobstructed view of the bow as well as both corners of the transom. This takes the guesswork out of trying to figure out where your boat is relative to the dock.
5) OUTBOARDS AND BOW THRUSTER
The final design element is the use of the outboard engines that gives you some advantages to maneuver the boat in ways that differ from traditional inboard boats. With the outboards, you’re not only able to apply forward and reverse thrust, but you can also change the direction of the thrust by turning the wheel. This allows you to have excellent control over your stern and bow, particularly with the optional bow thruster. The speed at which you can approach the dock is slower while in idle giving you more time to make adjustments. Lastly, with the Axopar 37 you have the option to get the Mercury Joystick controller, which offers functions like sideways docking and station keeping.
