Bow thruster for Beneteau Oceanis 323 Clipper

[Dutch01527]

Great idea - thanks Sailorman. Hopefully sailtrack strong enough for a lateral pull ?

I have a sailtrack cleat like that and it has been under considerable strain and seems to be very strong as does the track.

 

[Sandy]

You obviously confused matters by mentioning Princess who sell comparatively cheap boats compared to the ones you describe. Presumably those are ships though, which would suffer zero damage from your little boat. Even a large Princess is metal these days so wouldn't suffer damage, and they're nowhere near that cost.

You may want to check their website

www.princessyachts.com

 

[alan]

RogS,
I will try and answer your original question .....
I have a Ben 343 about two years ago (for much the same reasons); and I came to the same conclusion as you, an internal thruster would have to be fitted right where the forward water tank is located! I idid investigate getting a custom made water tank with a space for the tunnel - but decided that the cost of the tank and the fitting of the new tank and tunnel would be excessive. I chose to go with an EX55 from Sleipner Motor Side Thuster EX series and I bought it from the UK agent for Sleipner in the UK and who is located in Plymouth and who was very helpful and knowledgeable.
There are some interesting films on YouTube made by the US distribuotors for ExTurn.
I did the electrical installation myself which is quite simple but a pain passing large cables from stern to bow!! If you are interested I can send you photos of inside and outside installation (just let me have an e-mail address).

Also, for the traditionalists, just because you have a bow thruster does not mean that you have to use it all the time; we rarely use ours, but when you get a gust of wind just as you making a tight turn into a berth, you will be happy with having fitted it!!

I am assuming that the Ben 32 and (my) 34 are very similar inside.

Alan.
Nettuno, Italy.

 

[Akestor]

Does anyone have a design for a bow thruster for a 2005 Oceanis 323 Clipper? I’ve been advised that due to the location of the water tank the thruster would be too high up and would cavitate. Would I have to relocate the water tank or is there a way around this ? Thanks

I don't have an idea about the bow thruster installation, but it would be very interesting if you could draw a simple sketch of your berth and show us! Maybe there is a last-minute "pirouette" that could be done to get in. Also, in stronger winds, the bow thruster will not do much, as the bow will be blown off anyway...
A boat doesn't have to always get in the berth perfectly because sometimes that is simply impossible! That can start feeling as being "not under command" which is very uncomfortable... If the boat gets in a wrong position near the birth and can't make use of the propeller and rudder anymore, then if you get the opportunity to catch a line between your boat and the dock (or next boat) it can then get in the birth by just using the ropes.

 

[lustyd]

You may want to check their website

www.princessyachts.com

Yes, and there's nothing worth remotely close to your numbers on there. I'd say you'd top out at £5M with any of those after negotiations, and that's assuming you wanted the fugly X class 95 footer. Personally they'd have to pay me to take that monstrosity, but regardless it's not a £100M boat by any stretch of the most vivid imagination. Maybe I've missed an actual ship somewhere on the site?

 

[Norman_E]

Need to keep the hull speed up to keep steerage until the last second then a quick burst astern to stop her. Prop walk still works though.

In most circumstances, yes. In some tight berths its just not possible to maintain enough speed, and that is when the rudder kick trick comes into its own. A year or so ago my bowthruster stopped working and on return to the marina the only berth was opposite the lift dock, which had a big motorboat alongside leaving bare clearance for my 45 footer to get in. I went in slowly astern, putting it in neutral when halfway in and getting the boat at about 45 degrees to the slot I was aiming for and still going slowly backwards. I needed to turn to port to get in, so I gave the slow moving boat a burst of revs in forward against the rudder turned fully to starboard. That kicked the stern round with the bows quite close to the motorboat and I was able the centre the rudder and back the boat in. It helps that I have had the boat a few years and know exactly how she handles.

 

[Bobc]

In most circumstances, yes. In some tight berths its just not possible to maintain enough speed, and that is when the rudder kick trick comes into its own. A year or so ago my bowthruster stopped working and on return to the marina the only berth was opposite the lift dock, which had a big motorboat alongside leaving bare clearance for my 45 footer to get in. I went in slowly astern, putting it in neutral when halfway in and getting the boat at about 45 degrees to the slot I was aiming for and still going slowly backwards. I needed to turn to port to get in, so I gave the slow moving boat a burst of revs in forward against the rudder turned fully to starboard. That kicked the stern round with the bows quite close to the motorboat and I was able the centre the rudder and back the boat in. It helps that I have had the boat a few years and know exactly how she handles.

That won't work with twin rudders.

 

[greeny]

In most circumstances, yes. In some tight berths its just not possible to maintain enough speed, and that is when the rudder kick trick comes into its own. A year or so ago my bowthruster stopped working and on return to the marina the only berth was opposite the lift dock, which had a big motorboat alongside leaving bare clearance for my 45 footer to get in. I went in slowly astern, putting it in neutral when halfway in and getting the boat at about 45 degrees to the slot I was aiming for and still going slowly backwards. I needed to turn to port to get in, so I gave the slow moving boat a burst of revs in forward against the rudder turned fully to starboard. That kicked the stern round with the bows quite close to the motorboat and I was able the centre the rudder and back the boat in. It helps that I have had the boat a few years and know exactly how she handles.

I've had this boat for 12 yrs and that won't work with twin rudders. Needs a completely different technique. Need to keep water flow over the rudders for steerage until you're right in the berth.

 

[greeny]

Thanks Sailorman. Yes photos would be great. The present solution is that I can’t hit anything as I am not allowed access to her due to lockdown!!

Ok, it looks like rain coming here later, but if it stays reasonably clement I'll nip down later and see what I can get photo wise.

 

[greeny]

OK, so fitting midship cleats- dead simple. I couldn't get good photos of inside but access is from inside the 2 lockers in the saloon. Up top of the locker just pull the vinyl cloth liner to one side and you can get to the nuts for the cleat. No deck re - enforcement other than a 2" diameter "penny" washer on each of the studs.

I've taken photos of the forefoot and it doesn't look like you would get any type of conventional bowthruster in the hull up front around the water tank area. You'd need a drop down one or side mounted in my opinion.

 

[Elemental]

On the OP's 323 I'd fit cleats that bolt onto the toe rail. Like these

I've got them on my 351 and use them all the time (and no, I don't have a bow thruster)

 

[peter gibbs]

Does anyone have a design for a bow thruster for a 2005 Oceanis 323 Clipper? I’ve been advised that due to the location of the water tank the thruster would be too high up and would cavitate. Would I have to relocate the water tank or is there a way around this ? Thanks

I have watched my neighbour insert a thruster. It take a lot of time and knowhow. The angles you are working at are all difficult and even when you've overcome this, you have to reckon with a high chance of leaks.

Yesterday I watched a bloke try to thrust himself off a position he had drifted into, a slight tide against. It didn't work - he had to take a line and be hauled off. BT on smaller vessels - not enough power to make a difference.

Colleagues have given good advice here on better approach techniques - valuable stuff and an insight into better boat management. Strongly recommended.

PWG

 

[nicho]

Some old fashioned views on here. We have had a thruster fitted to our Bav 34 (£4K) SWMBO suffers from an auto immune system problem which attacks her joints, and she really struggles with rope work and clambering around on deck(no, she won’t take the helm). The bow thruster just makes thing so much simpler, and in crosswind situations, it really does make life easier, even if you have a fully mobile crew. If the OP wants a bow thruster, who are we to criticise?

 

[nicho]

Sandy, thanks for your reply. Do you have any designs or suggestions? It’s a tight marina berth, very tricky in certain winds.

Ignore and fit one if possible. Great bits of kit.

 

[Norman_E]

That won't work with twin rudders.

Precisely the point of one of my earlier posts on this thread, does anyone bother to read all the posts?

 

[pvb]

Some old fashioned views on here. We have had a thruster fitted to our Bav 34 (£4K) SWMBO suffers from an auto immune system problem which attacks her joints, and she really struggles with rope work and clambering around on deck(no, she won’t take the helm). The bow thruster just makes thing so much simpler, and in crosswind situations, it really does make life easier, even if you have a fully mobile crew. If the OP wants a bow thruster, who are we to criticise?

Very old-fashioned! I wonder how many of these macho sailors have electric windlasses, or furling jibs, or self-tailing winches or even, god forbid, electric cabin lights.

Bow thrusters are great things to have. And, if I can forecast the future, I reckon that factory-fitted bow and stern thrusters will become common in the next few years.

 

[lustyd]

Don't forget that many won't have experience of boats under a certain age which have more windage when manoevering. The view seems old fashioned when you have such experience, but if you've never experienced something with high sides then it would seem perfectly reasonable to think practice is the solution. We're all in different situations - I'm also considering a bow thruster for my 36' because there is no way skill can compensate for the fact that the wind blows the boat off before I'm even near the helm when leaving the pontoon and I quite like single handing yet for some reason have a strong dislike for damaging other people's boats while I practice impossible manoevres

 

[nicho]

Aircraft now fly across the world without using stars to navigate. It’s called progression.

 

[sailorman]

Very old-fashioned! I wonder how many of these macho sailors have electric windlasses, or furling jibs, or self-tailing winches or even, god forbid, electric cabin lights.

Bow thrusters are great things to have. And, if I can forecast the future, I reckon that factory-fitted bow and stern thrusters will become common in the next few years.

We are becoming an unskilled & dumbed down society

 

[pvb]

We are becoming an unskilled & dumbed down society

I don't think that's true. People today have myriad skills, in all sorts of genres (some of which didn't even exist when you and I started boating).