Do I need a Bow Thruster?

[hlb]

Theres nothinhg wrong with bow thrusters in themselves, except they tend to cause bad practices. Maybe there would be no short pontoons if there were no bow thrusters.

Apart from the short pontoon situation, I cant think of a time when it's not much better to drive in and back out, the backing out being the most important, because it avoids boat bashing.

 

[Philiz]

Apart from the short pontoon situation, I cant think of a time when it's not much better to drive in and back out, the backing out being the most important, because it avoids boat bashing.

You might do if you had a nice little gate in your transom.

 

[hlb]

You might do if you had a nice little gate in your transom.

I'm talking about the better ways of helming, not necesarily the easiest ways of getting on and off.

 

[AllanJ]

Life, and the weather, isn't perfect (unlike some of the boat skills of some posters apparently).
You don't NEED one, but as someone has correctly pointed out, you don't NEED ABS, ESP, servo, seat belts, air-bags, etc. on the car. They are there to make life easier and/or safer, especially when things go wrong.
I find the sanctimonious, 'if only you were a good sailor', nonsense in here unnecessary and offensive. I do this for pleasure, and anything that improves that pleasure by making it easier or safer (within bounds) I am all for.
I have a bow-thruster. I use it. I will maybe use it more now that I know that it may be getting up the noses of the 'experts'.
(which reminds me - I also agree with those who advise to get a bigger one than you think you will need)

 

[PaulGooch]

I'm talking about the better ways of helming, not necesarily the easiest ways of getting on and off.

So, with a nice big, stable bathing platform, pretty much level with the pontoon and a transom door, which way round would you moor ?

Stern to, walk on/off, straight onto/off of the nice wide, stable pontoon ?

Bow in, climb over the gunwhales, totter along the narrow, bouncy finger to the pontoon ?

Surely with twin shafts it's easy to back out ? Both engines astern until the bow clears the finger, then one astern and one ahead, but you know that.

 

[Solitaire]

I'd say no. Firstly, on a 31' with twin shafts, you are very flexible on your options anway. Secondly, why cut holes in the bow that are going to slow you down, spoil the flow of water, and introduce potential leaks. Thirdly, with good boat-handling skills, decent use of springs, and the average use of forward planning, bow thrusters are not necessary. fourthly, as someone has already said, you need to get a really beefy one to hold the bow against anything over a F2. And finally, they sound absolutely awful - like gearboxes with broken cogs and shot bearings!

Use good boat handling skills instead and save the money for something you really need!

But then, that's only my opinion. As you can see, I hate them on any vessel under 100ft.

I fully endorse your comments. I have taught on the OP's type boat often. None of them have had a bow thruster and frankly why spend all that money when it was clearly not seen as being required at build! The cost represents a lot of fuel!

The Corniche is a super boat for it's age. i don't like crew jumping off the boat at anytime and iIalways think it important that it is not only the helm that needs a bit of "help" but the crew as well. Getting everybody working as a team is the answer not just touching an electric switch!

There are techniques that can be used so that crew don't have to leap about all over the place - most of the time they don't even need to leave the cockpit.

 

[Renegade_Master]

David do you agree then the a BF interupts the water flow and could slow the boat down?
never heard of this before


Also Corniches from my memory, are pretty bow up on the plane so the BF tunnel should be out of the water at speed.

 

[gjgm]

Elza, I agree only with the comments that go along the lines of whatever rocks your boat. Who cares if you could become the berth-meister of Britain? If it is going to make berthing easier,less stressful,safer etc etc..FOR YOU , then go for it. It is your boat, your leisure time, and your wife !
Still, I would say use it for the final touches, not for driving the boat around the marina !

 

[bumpy_the_dog]

With the remote control fitted I can get the stern rope on first which is near the helm, them use the remote control to push the bow over so I can get the bow rope on. Much easier than trying to run up front and securing the bow line before being blown off, then scooting back to bring the stern in again to get the stern line secured.

I used to do exactly that as standard operating procedure, until a gusty day overpowered the bow thruster and I got into a right mess in a crowded Thames lock with a huge and attentive audience!

 

[hlb]

Life, and the weather, isn't perfect (unlike some of the boat skills of some posters apparently).
You don't NEED one, but as someone has correctly pointed out, you don't NEED ABS, ESP, servo, seat belts, air-bags, etc. on the car.

The point I make is. The design of modern boats and marinas, tend to lead to bad practices, leading to problems and accidents. I'm not saying a bow thruster is not usefull in some circumstances, but that means three controls to handle rather than two.

The handy thing about boats is, there pointed at the front, so there is a nice round bow which you can roll round to get the back end out.

The down side about boats is they tend to be quite square at the back , so if you use a bow thruster, your stuffing the bit you cant fender, into the other boat/pontoon/whatever.

The arguement that, Ive got an air bag so accidents dont matter, dont wash.

What matters is calmly and easily mooring and leaving, for a couple of infirm 60 odd year olds, and for that a BT is not necesarily the answer.

The idea that folk that opperate without a BT are experts is
7uj ,azs oncence. It's about observation.

So the answer. If you want to/ have to, back on to a finger pontoon. You probably need a BT. But you've made it harder work to enter and leave. Youve also left your self open for useing the BT at totally the wrong time, leading to damage and accidents.

 

[blueglass]

out here in the med you don't usually get a choice about going in backwards or forwards - its stern to, like it or not and no pontoon. with a cross wind - the thruster becomes a highly desirable asset.

 

[EddieBlue]

I like a lot of people on this forum love my boat. I get chance to get to it less often than I would like.

I don't get to dictate what the weather is doing, when I get the chance to get to my boat! I don't always have the opportunity to take her out.

Because of this my boat handling skills have slowly developed over a period of years. I have a Swift Trawler 42 with shafts and a bow thruster.

Sometimes I slot the boat anywhere with no drama, no thruster and no fuss (normally when there is no on to see me do it! typical) Other times, it is blowing a gale, the tide is against me, it is raining and cold, and I am tired.

At this point I remember that I work in a office running a motorhome business, and if you cut me I bleed! blood not saltwater! I didn't grow up running around bare foot on teak, nor did I learn to tie knots, mending nets sat on my Grandfathers knee wearing a fishing smock!

In short I am some times way out of my comfort zone so any bit of kit that assists me to moor without risking life and limb of my family and friends, alowing me to moor without damaging my boat or the boats around me seems a good idea.

I don't intend to use my liferaft, but I have one, the same applies to loads of other equipment on my boat.

So if you can moor up, in any conditions using one engine and one eye closed well done you! but not everyone can.

Eddie

 

[Wiggo]

Get one if you want one. I have one and use it sometimes. If we're two up, it is almost never used because we berth up like Haydn says - drive in, lasso a cleat and spring against it to pin the back in. However, if I'm single handed, lassoing a centre cleat from the flybridge is a bit more challenging and makes springing more awkward, so sometimes I'll use a burst of thruster to give the boat a shove while I run down and nip off the back with the other warp.

Don't need it, but it's handy to have as long as you don't become too reliant on it.

 

[smee]

I am wondering why you need to have wife with a dodgy knee disembark? I have been working on a number of boats all far too high to disembark from and never needed to as you tie up using lasso or boathook before disembarking. All during my Coastal Skipper and Yachtmaster courses not one person disembarked to tie up.

Also shafts are supremely manoeuvrable and 31ft is not exactly vast. With teaching which will be cheaper than bowthruster you should be fine and may also be shown techniques used on short handed boats.... maybe have the wife trained up for driving so you can use your knees instead?

 

[Renegade_Master]

agreed as I said earlier we positively teach folks not to disembark, or worse stiil jump off an unsecured boat, there is no need once you learn to lasso.

 

[rafiki_]

Have to confess, I am a leaper offer. Have come to grief many times in the past, but don't like to nerf Rafiki into the pontoon, and prefer to leave a bit of room, so I normally go for it from about 3 feet out. Usually OK, but some floating pontoons are not as steady as I would like!

SWMBO did try hard to run me down in the past, once I'd come to grief on the Bure, but I managed to scramble out first.

Now we are on the Severn, I am a little more careful, as I don't like the look of the water. A friend went in last year and came out yellow. Is this something to do with the source being in Wales?

 

[MapisM]

Risking some diverse responses

Haha, it seems that you saw it coming...
But there is only one correct answer to your question "do I need a b/t?", if taken literally.
And it's "no, you definitely don't" - period.
Now, if your question actually is meant as "is a b/t worth having?", well, that's much more subjective and I'm afraid that nobody can answer it on your behalf.
If I read correctly between the lines of your OP, I think that your personal answer might well be "yes it is", though.

 

[MapisM]

I think you're in a small minority on here saying that!
Given the choice between a Corniche on shafts and one on legs, I'd take the one on shafts every day for easier manouvering

I second that 100% of course, 'cept that in my experience SolentPhill opinion is actually rather widespread, particularly between those with limited experience on shafts.
Some friends of mine have been onboard both my single outdrive lake toy and my twin shafts sea home, and invariably when I tell them that maneuvering the first is a nightmare in comparison with the latter, it's very hard to convince them that I'm not joking...!

 

[Elza_Skip]

Thanks for your thoughts everyone. I guess I got what I deserved!

In summary I hear that I do not need one but it would be useful. In our home berth the pontoon will be longer than the boat so bow in and lassoo is what we are planning to do. Where we will be on a shorter pontoon I have little choice but to go stern in and it seems this is where the thruster would be most useful.

So I will get some training first both for the boat handling and warping options and then see how this works out over the spring.

Dave did give us some useful tips when he skippered our sea trial on our previous S23 so I do feel this will give the best return on investment to start with and would be valuable even if we did have a thruster.

 

[rule the waves]

Remarkable. If someones wants to fit a bow thruster, there's always a lot who treat this almost as being "childish, for losers..." But most of them don't navigate alone, I suppose ? I have a single engine sportscruiser (on one leg). I do not have a bow thruster, but believe me: when out there on your own, sometimes I wish I had one. To be honest: this is partially due to the enormous help you are likely to get nowadays when arriving in a marina. You're a lucky guy if anyone bothers to come from behind their champaign...