Bow thruster on smaller pilothouse style boat.

[Paul_S123]

OK, I know the obvious answer is "Learn to drive your boat better", but.....I single hand my boat 90% of the time, sometimes (when it's windy) seems like a real challenge to get from the helm to the cockpit in a strongish wind in enough time to get a spring line on. My boat is light and has a decent amount of it sticking out the water acting like a big sail in the wind. I am limited when I can go out...so waiting for a better day is not always practical.

I had thought a bow thruster might make life easier. My issue is judging from the shape of my hull...am I going to be able to mount it deep enough to produce thrust. What sort of thruster (assuming it would work) would you recommend.

Boat is 1750 kg. 7.05m.

 

[Nick_H]

Lightweight, high sided, single engine boats are tricky to moor, so I don't think a bowthruster is OTT. There looks to be plenty of space to fit one. I think you need to budget about £3k unless you fit it yourself.

 

[ben331]

I have just upgraded my 2014 V39 from a 60kg Side Power to a 100kg one. Pm me if you are interested in the 60kg removed one.

Jerry

 

[darrenw]

I've got a single engine duo prop Jeanneau Leader 705 that can be a bit of a handful in the wind as well and like you, I thought I should just man up and learn to overcome, but tbh, we often didn't go out as the thought of mooring or going through the lock when the wind was up put us off.

So I bit the bullet and we had one fitted earlier this year and it's been great. Just knowing it's there gives peace of mind, whether we use it or not. It's not huge either, just a 25kgf Vetus with a dedicated battery and simple joystick control. It's often said go one size up, but on small boats that isn't always an option and besides, it works a treat.

But I definitely wouldn't want to fit one myself as there's a lot of work involved, including a fair bit of fibreglass fabrication. And you don't want to get it wrong when cutting into the bow !

It's relatively expensive on a smaller boat as the labour involved is similar to a larger boat, although a smaller thruster is obviously a little less expensive.

I think the crux of it is that if you intend to keep the boat, you've a longer period to write it down over, so best get it done sooner rather than later.

 

[wipe_out]

Can't comment on which bow thruster is right for your boat but will say it's definitely worth having.. We have one on our Merry Fisher 695 and it is worth every penny for the convenience..

Like you we are also on a trailer and the thruster makes it easy to get onto the trailer in a crosswind on the first go, if you get blown slighlty off line you can "blip" the thruster and get lined up again without having to pull back and have another attempt.. Similarly being a light boat with high sides it moves fast when being blown off a pontoon so being able to put it back is really useful..

Forget the comments about learning to drive the boat better, get the thruster and enjoy your boating..

 

[Paul_S123]

Well, thanks for the posts. Based on what was written I bought a 40kg Sidepower thruster and joystick.

Will keep you up to date on the fitting and subsequent usage.

Won't be doing it myself, the guys at Port Bannatyne Marina will be fitting it.

 

[aerotek marine]

Paul,
There is no small thruster on the market as far as I do know and did build my own thruster. Basically a water cooled electric motor fitted in a 132 mm tunnel with an In\outlet of 60 mm and a shut/off ballcock valve. The thrust is 32 kg.
I do have drawings available.
Regards Bram Water

 

[Paul_S123]

Thanks for the post Bram, I did already buy one though...although building your own sounds like a good plan.

 

[Paul_S123]

I have finally got the bow thruster installed by the guys at Port Bannatyne. I will say after having never used one before.....it is awesome. What a difference it makes. It really was worth every penny and if you have been thinking about installing one, I would definitely say do it.

I'd hummed and hawed about the remote, but went ahead and bought the remote control for it too. In my situation (where I enjoy going out alone in my boat) it really is handy. Bring the boat alongside the pontoon, put the remote around your neck, and a quick odd burst to port when the bow is being blown off, really makes things easy.