Can classic boats have bow-thrusters?

Minn said:
If you need a bowthruster you are not fit to have a proper boat.
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I quite agree. Find the owner and burn him!

It's pretty preposterous, that perhaps, the possibly elderly owner wanted to keep his heavy, long keel classic, complete with asthmatic diesel engine, non balanced rudder, long keel and offset prop shaft in a tight marina berth and enjoy himself sailing short, or even single handed, in the kind of boat that he wanted to sail, suitably adapted for his needs. What he should have done is gone "oh dear, looks like it might be blowing really hard at the end of the weekend when I need to put her back on her berth...perhaps I'd better not go sailing after all", or possibly gone and bought a spade ruddered, 60hp 40 footer AWB, and some crew, because bow thrusters would be fine in that scenario.

Pur-lease people! I'm sure there's a very good reason for it, and if it gets the boat sailing more often, who cares? Do some of you lot look at a classic E-type and say "tsk, if you can't do a sub 10 minute lap of the Nürburgring on crossplies with melted brake pads and boiling fluid, you shouldn't even own that car? Remove your radials, DOT4 and green stuff pads now, infidel!

That reminds me...bit more work to do on the 1965 Flying Fifteen project tonight. Must remember to remove all the ball bearing blocks, the carbon tiller extension, the tapered dyneema sheets, the padded toestraps and those pesky Dacron sails...I'm sure some nice plain bearing tufnol kit, stretchy ropes and cotton sails will make her a far nicer boat to sail when she's done...
 
Yup. I'm convinced. 'Update' need not mean 'desecrate'.

As someone on Top Gear pointed out ten years back, anyone buying a big, old, luxurious house is likely to be really shocked and turned-off if it hasn't had its heating, ventilation, windows and appliances steadily updated over the years. Pure originality of these things wouldn't be a benefit.

No real reason why sensitively-maintained boats shouldn't likewise include the best that science allows, too. And at least bow-thrusters aren't usually visible.
 
dancrane said:
Once again, I'm not disapproving of sophistication or alternatives to toil and technique. I'm too lazy not to approve of labour-saving clever new stuff. But, regarding what I admire and respect in the frame of tradition, I reckon anachronisms like bow-thrusters just devalue the splendidly pure, dauntingly demanding traditional yacht. :)
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Are you equally disapproving of modern ropes, sails, sailing gear and equipment? Are owners of class yachts morally obliged to use hemp ropes, flax sails (cutched, of course) and wear oilskins and cork lifejackets when taking soundings with a leadline prior to lowering the fisherman anchor and retreating below to light the Rippingill?
 
Wooden Boat Fittings said:
(But if it's fibreglass, then of course it doesn't matter anyway. There are no classic boats built from fibreglass.... :) )
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dancrane said:
But, putting an electric labour-saver on a boat which is inherently all about learning & exercising laborious processes of maintenance & use, makes no sense to me.
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With all due respect, *******s.

These boats were not designed to be complicated tests of character and builders of muscle. They were designed as pleasure boats, using every up-to-date feature, material and design the original client could afford and adding every up-to-date feature, material and design subsequent owners could afford.
 
JumbleDuck, sir, I fear you're having some sort of stroke! So many posts, so little time! What's going on? :confused:

And I have to say for my own sake, your crusade is a fait accompli, I am already persuaded, the thruster is welcome on classic boats. I'll be getting one on my Osprey. :)
 
Take a couple of deep breaths and a large single malt. A double single malt. That's an order. :encouragement:
 
Sadly, after reading this thread I am now (for the first time in 45 years) 'Harbour bound'.

After reading this by Dan;

"So, a woodie with a bow thruster seems to me a very odd combination...the owner clearly accepts the irksome necessity for ongoing maintenance on a wooden hull, but chooses not to learn the equally traditional process by which such a hull is moved at close quarters." ..............

I have been scared ****less!!

45 years in the trade, owner of 21 previous boats before the current one, boatyard owner, broker, and hence driver of over 1,000 boats, I am now too frightened to leave our berth. Hong Kong Harbour in the 1980's held no fear, nor did the transats or the '79 Fastnet let alone the 10 hour days / 7 days a week driving tourist/Disco boats with hundreds of passengers onboard daylight or night-time - all without a bow-thruster, just me and the boy.

That has all gone to pot as my 22nd boat came with a bow thruster!!!! In 44 years I had never used one, but now I have sinned, forgive me.

I am stuffed. My boat-handling skills have been completely nullified and I can only pray that Dan Crane will come over the water to re-educate me on basic boat handling skills. Please Dan, come over, she's only 33 tons, eight turns lock-to-lock on the steering, and, with your assistance (and two of us onboard!) - I am hopeful that we could make it out of the harbour where I am sure that, once you had guided us safely free of obstructions, I could slowly regain my confidence again under your expert supervision. Please Please help Auntie Dan, this harbour, with it's seven pubs is rotting this previously good man.
 
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Good grief! Shall I ask the moderators to close this thread? It's all going tits-up in spite of my best intentions...

...I can't even understand what's going on! I started with a question for strong-minded types to bat over the net at each other, and I myself tended to believe that bow-thrusters were the inventions of a lazy devil, inclined to tempt us all into similar laziness which made us less like men than we'd otherwise be, as Baden Powell might have put it...

...but progressively, I was led to accept that the layout of marinas require many owners of fine yachts to equip them with thrusters, not in order to feed their love of ease and uninvolving idleness, but because there's every chance of damage and exasperating delays without them.

Let me be clear, so my conscience can be too: if folk want old unwieldy boats, good, say I, because they're things of great beauty. And if the same folk want a bit of electric cleverness to prevent their beautiful boats becoming pricey repair-projects, so be it.

All credit to chaps who can still manage their long-keeled gaffers without bow thrusters, but no black mark against the fellows who fit 'em to be sure of getting into tight spaces.

All clear, now? Right then. G'night! :moon:
 
You have my sympathy. I have started 'well meaning' threads in the past which have quickly spiralled out of control. No antidote I fear. Take it on the chin :encouragement:
 
I'm relieved! :) I'm a dinghy sailor and admirer of yachts in general. But mostly I admire older vessels...traditional yachts look terrific and are full of character, and their crews and owners have my full respect, whether they rely on long-learned skill for their manoeuvring, or the twiddling of a joystick. Or both!
 
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In my humble opinion Dan I think that 'Classic' boat ownership is (as I said in another thread) narrow enough already. If we want magazines, parts suppliers, media coverage etc. relating to 'Classic' boats then we need to make the market big enough for those people to bother - for evidence of this simply look at the recent history of Classic Boat magazine and indeed this forum section!

'Whatever floats your boat' literally is good enough for me, the broader the church the better.

I happen to think that an aluminium boat, with in-mast furling and a hydraulic bow-thruster like the following example is a classic - others may disagree, but surely we want them in our church rather than give them a cold shoulder?


http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2001/Hoek-Design-Truly-Classic-65-2572936/Portugal#.U3Mg717Xn8s
 
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drumbeat said:
In my humble opinion Dan I think that 'Classic' boat ownership is (as I said in another thread) narrow enough already. If we want magazines, parts suppliers, media coverage etc. relating to 'Classic' boats then we need to make the market big enough for those people to bother - for evidence of this simply look at the recent history of Classic Boat magazine and indeed this forum section!

'Whatever floats your boat' literally is good enough for me, the broader the church the better.

I happen to think that an aluminium boat, with in-mast furling and a hydraulic bow-thruster like the following example is a classic - others may disagree, but surely we want them in our church rather than give them a cold shoulder?


http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/2001/Hoek-Design-Truly-Classic-65-2572936/Portugal#.U3Mg717Xn8s
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The first photo has a "classic" silhouette. But in all the other photos it looks very modern. The placement and style of the deck hatches for instance. The boat is also a very modern design. It is a real shame they did not do a better job with the hatches.

Not so sure you could call this a classic.
 
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