Is a bow thruster worth the money?

Another Disadvantage of a bowthruster?

Has anyone noticed if ...subsequent to having a bowthruster fitted...a boats performance is made worse?..... It would stand to reason that it would...in that having a large, turbulence inducing hole `fitted` could only `add drag`
 
There is potentially a loss in performance, so if sharp sailing performance is high on your list of priorities then it might not be for you. However if you have a large heavy, potentially unwieldy cruising boat you may be less concerned , or not even be aware of any loss of performance under sail.
 
We fitted one to a 36' centre cockpit boat four years ago. Our general policy is to maneouver without it whenever possible, but just occasionally it has been a real blessing. We normally sail two-handed, it has given us confidence to get into tight marina berths in crosswinds and similar situations that would otherwise have been heart-stopping moments.

There has been no discernable drop in performance and we got the job done (doing the electrics ourselves) for about £2k.

I'd say do it!
 
sailorman said:
when i started sailing 33` was a big boat, now they are Sub starter boats size.
the down side
1/ 2 large holes in the bow reducing windward performance
2/ heavy batteries in the bow
3/ extra wiring
4/ more to go wrong
5/ becoming dependent on the thruster & forgetting how to handle the boat with rudder & engine
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becoming dependent on the thruster & forgetting how to handle the boat with rudder & engine
__________________
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Surely you dont support the use of an engine do you ? A piece of gear that :-

A Has the considerable drag of a propellor reducing performance on all points of sailing .

B Has heavy batteries .

C Has extra wiring .

D More to go wrong

E makes you become more dependand on the engine than manoevering your boat with sails and rudder .

In short everything you insist a bowthruster is .

smiley-level1_don003.gif
 
And don't forget the evils of roller reefing - more weight aloft, spoils the flow of air over the sail, makes you a lazy reefer and means you never learn to use piston hanks. Probably induces overconfidence as well, seeing as how you can just reef when you feel like it :rolleyes:

I never thought anyone would have an opinion about people who fit a piece of gear that makes their boat more manoeuvreable in confined marinas.
 
clyst said:
Surely you dont support the use of an engine do you ? A piece of gear that :-

A Has the considerable drag of a propellor reducing performance on all points of sailing .

B Has heavy batteries .

C Has extra wiring .

D More to go wrong

E makes you become more dependant on the engine than manoeuvring your boat with sails and rudder .

In short everything you insist a bowthruster is .

smiley-level1_don003.gif
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A/ i have a MaxProp
B/ 1 battery for engine
C/ No extra wiring, it all there already but only enough to make the engine work to charge batteries to keep my bier cold
D/ No more to go wrong as no extra engine
E/ My boat turns on a sixpence,i know how to manoeuvre her & i corrected your 2 spelling mistakes :p
 
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My neighbour oposite in Shotley (H 12 Berth) has Countess 33 Alamea. He recently fitted BT, vetas 48kgf I believe. Bought off ebay S/H but unused. Shotley Worshop fitted tube and BT in Tube, they seems to do quite a few every year. Remainder of work by owner. He had boat for 5-6 years but still occasionally had trouble berthing, now greatly improved with BT though doesn't always use it, nice to know it is there if.
 
sailorman said:
A/ i have a MaxProp
B/ 1 battery for engine
C/ No extra wiring, it all there already but only enough to make the engine work to charge batteries to keep my bier cold
D/ No more to go wrong as no extra engine
E/ My boat turns on a sixpence,i know how to manoeuvre her & i corrected your 2 spelling mistakes :p
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People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.
 
I don't have one and as yet haven't got into a situation that made me want to dig big holes in the boat and throw someone £5k to fit one. But although it's a big boat, it goes quite well backwards and seems to behave itself quite well in close quarters and at slow speeds.

However, were I buying now, I would get one factory fitted because why not frankly. It's better to have one and not use it, than not to have one and then find you needed it.

However, I would say have a play and practice mooring techniques first, and you may find that you get on ok. If you struggle then get one. If you don't struggle then it's up to you whether you think it's a toy you want to spend your money on.

Also, what about these waterjet ones, they look pretty cool and don't need big holes in the hull.
 
Adrian_ said:
Honestly, I don't think we should put it this way (inverted snob and so on), both sides have valid arguments. Most important are:






I'd say the mistake would be to get a bow thruster before learning to handle the boat without it and then be completelly dependant on it. But getting one after you learned how to properly hadle your boat is just progress.
After all, I don't see anyone saying we should ditch the stern thruster :D
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+1 well said sir
 
If you want it fit it. The BT has been a godsend when moving slowly in my boat as the wind can 'grab' the bows and point me in a different direction. The BT stops this and normally makes for quicker mooring and no engine reving.
 
If you are thinking of getting one then just do it.

It's so much easier when you have the advance warning of the bowthruster sound so you can get out your roving fenders and watch somebody trying force a boat into a berth rather than ever learn to handle it. Funny how they are always "difficult boats to handle" even though they seem very similar to the boats handled by people who know what they are doing.
 
sailorman said:
A/ i have a MaxProp
B/ 1 battery for engine
C/ No extra wiring, it all there already but only enough to make the engine work to charge batteries to keep my bier cold
D/ No more to go wrong as no extra engine
E/ My boat turns on a sixpence,i know how to manoeuvre her & i corrected your 2 spelling mistakes :p
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If your boat turns on a sixpence you don't need a bow thruster, but that doesn't mean other people don't.
 
There are times when we would have loved a bowthruster - usually when approaching pontoons with wind and or tide really not helping.
Overall, that has not really been a common occurence so we haven't gone to the trouble or expense of having one fitted. I usually opt for finding somewhere easier to park. We know that Claymore really hates berthing starboard-side to so if there is a port hand berth we would usually try for it.
I think that the key really is that if your permanent berth is a really tricky one to get to or away from and is a cause of stress then go ahead.
The luddite quasi-purists are always going to be critical of your lack of skills - which is to miss the point - but hey ho there you go.
 
Victoria Sponge said:
If your boat turns on a sixpence you don't need a bow thruster, but that doesn't mean other people don't.
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Even Thames barges don't have bowthrusters and they are the most ungainly boats I can think of. I keep thinking somebody is going to say they have a 50 or 60 footer, or a very unusual superstructure but most of the non-boat handlers on the thread have mentioned perfectly normal production boats.
 
RupertW said:
Even Thames barges don't have bowthrusters and they are the most ungainly boats I can think of. I keep thinking somebody is going to say they have a 50 or 60 footer, or a very unusual superstructure but most of the non-boat handlers on the thread have mentioned perfectly normal production boats.
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What does it really matter if a BT helps? And anyway, you don't try and get into some of the marinas we go in with a Thames barge. A lot of the marinas we go in are very tight, with little or no room for error. Why spoil a great day's sailing by getting into a pickle in a marina and worrying about damaging your boat, or worse someone else's boat. Your post is a bit pompous to tell you the truth.
 
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