Is a bow thruster worth the money?

[Heckler]

I couldn`t agree more.......Bowthrusters are part of the `dumbing down` de-skilling culture.....Some people would say they were a bit gay....but I wouldn`t say anything as politically incorrect as that...

Learn to master the skills of handling your boat without a bowthruster... Save yourself some money and gain some self-respect.

+1
I have a 38 ft, big prop walk which I use to my advantage. The prob with bow thrusters is that when you need them most, ie wind blowing the bow off, they aint powerful enough so you get in to trouble, push the button, it aint strong enough and then you are in the cack!
Stu

 

[Bobc]

I think I will carry on as I originally intended, ie launch in spring and spend a day messing around under engine to get used to how she handles. Then we'll head off without one for a season and reconsider before we head south.

I'll continue to use lots of fenders and lines rigged both sides 'just in case' even if it classes me a a numpty who can't handle his boat!

It's strange to get so many opinions stated as facts in this forum. I thought that was
what the lounge was for.

I think that's a very sensible answer.

 

[Victoria Sponge]

I think that's a very sensible answer.

I agree, good luck Duncan.

 

[SmileyGiley]

We've just bought a Countess 33, which, as she's centre cockpit and heavy, will probably be a bit of an effort to moor in tight spaces as I'll be single handed with a willing passenger, who I happen to be married to.
Therefore, I'm thinking of getting a bow thruster.
What are the ups and downs of a bow thruster and what do I need?
And how much?

What did you have before, the Sadler 29? OK the wheel will never be as responsive as a tiller (hydraulic or wire?), but you shouldn't find it much worse. However, the change in style of mooring you are expecting changes the point of view.

If you're flush with readies buy yourself a bowthruster. Even better idea, buy yourself a new suit of sails & flog you old ones to some impecunious fellow C33 owner(!).

I have a C33 - twin keel. Hydraulic steering. Kept on swinging mooring.
Each time we go to the boat the missus & sprogs play on the beach, I get the boat & moor up on the pontoon. On me own. Once I've loaded up they come aboard. Time to go home, the elder sprog drives (6yo - and she's getting the hang of tides & softly on the wheel - I GLOW with pride) to the pontoon & I moor up (sometimes on me own or with missus' help). Then I take the tub back to the swinging mooring - on me own. Its all practice. Yes I'm sure there are conditions under which I won't be able to do it, and there will be a few times when a thruster might have made the difference, but not many methinks.

 

[lw395]

Yes, having a bow thruster seemed like a good option.

Yes, we do use our sails, quite often in fact, but not in a tight marina.

Yes, we use warps, and our boat is fender city, no shame in that!

It's not always possible to avoid tight spaces. You arrive at an unknown marina, they allocate you a space and there you go.

We're just a couple who like sailing. I suppose we could get our dog to leap ashore with a line.

Although I've defended thrusters, I don't see them as a substitute for learning to handle the boat.
When I get my next boat, I plan to get a friend who is a YM instructor to teach SWMBO the finer points of springing, turning in a tight space etc.
But if I still felt the handling of the boat was not as precise as I wanted, I'd consider a thruster. But I still hanker after the kind of boat where you wouldn't want one.

I do like the idea of training a dog, but cats are better on ladders I find.

 

[Victoria Sponge]

Although I've defended thrusters, I don't see them as a substitute for learning to handle the boat.
When I get my next boat, I plan to get a friend who is a YM instructor to teach SWMBO the finer points of springing, turning in a tight space etc.
But if I still felt the handling of the boat was not as precise as I wanted, I'd consider a thruster. But I still hanker after the kind of boat where you wouldn't want one.

I do like the idea of training a dog, but cats are better on ladders I find.

I agree with you about learning to handle the boat. We did a fortnight in Gibraltar with Allabroad and also had own boat tuition. We've also sailed various boats in the Solent and Turkey. We've been sailing a lot with our friends who sail a Cornish Crabber. Mr Sponge has been sailing for donkey's years and is actually very good. We have our reasons for having the boat we have and we spent four years learning to sail her and avoiding mishaps, before we'd had enough and got the bow thruster. The bow thruster is a bit like insurance. You just feel a bit more relaxed when you go into a tight marina after a long sail, when you're tired and you just want a gin and tonic. I'll think about the cat idea, you might be onto something.

 

[jordanbasset]

When we bought our boat it had a BT already fitted to it. I did question the need for it in a rather pompous way. Since then I have never planned to use it but on a few occasions it has come in very useful. It also gives me confidence in getting into some very tight spaces. Even more important my wife loves it. In fact I should have just said that first as everything as I've written is irrelevant.

 

[DipperToo]

Although I've defended thrusters, I don't see them as a substitute for learning to handle the boat.
When I get my next boat, I plan to get a friend who is a YM instructor to teach SWMBO the finer points of springing, turning in a tight space etc.
But if I still felt the handling of the boat was not as precise as I wanted, I'd consider a thruster. But I still hanker after the kind of boat where you wouldn't want one.

As also replied by Victoria Sponge, I have sailed for 50 years without BT. However, since the purchase of a twin rudder boat (35 ft), reversing in tight marina spots really leaves no option - especially if short handed. Sometimes the wind is kind and with patience will bring the bows round, but not always. Most twin rudder boats go straight backwards unless they have a reasonable turn of speed (similar to long keel boats). One does not even have the option of reversing a bit, a short burst of power in forward gear to get prop wash across the rudders to turn a bit, reverse and repeat. Even leaving the warps on temporarily while running in reverse to try and get some water movement fails to help. We also had a YM for a half day who agreed with our approach. You can turn in a boat length going forwards with a bit of speed and putting into reverse halfway through the turn, but reversing is the real issue. We always try to manage without the BT but it is comforting to know it is there for when it is really required.

I agree that the sound of a BT grinding is guaranteed to bring an audience, but if it is REALLY needed then everyone should be grateful. Once when reversing out of my berth another boat moored behind me (narrow space) became quite friendly when he realised we had twin rudders and the associated issues - especially if the wind is from dead astern as well.

The original question however was not aimed at twin rudder boats, but somehow we ended up being caught in the collective firing line!

 

[Elessar]

Tosh - of course most of us understand the situations that bowthrusters are used for - close quarter manouvres, by people who don't understand how to steer their boat.

.

err - in which case you have just demonstrated that you don't know what they're for..........

to be fair, neither do quite a few people who have them. As you haven't I guess you have a sort of excuse.

 

[Victoria Sponge]

As also replied by Victoria Sponge, I have sailed for 50 years without BT. However, since the purchase of a twin rudder boat (35 ft), reversing in tight marina spots really leaves no option - especially if short handed. Sometimes the wind is kind and with patience will bring the bows round, but not always. Most twin rudder boats go straight backwards unless they have a reasonable turn of speed (similar to long keel boats). One does not even have the option of reversing a bit, a short burst of power in forward gear to get prop wash across the rudders to turn a bit, reverse and repeat. Even leaving the warps on temporarily while running in reverse to try and get some water movement fails to help. We also had a YM for a half day who agreed with our approach. You can turn in a boat length going forwards with a bit of speed and putting into reverse halfway through the turn, but reversing is the real issue. We always try to manage without the BT but it is comforting to know it is there for when it is really required.

I agree that the sound of a BT grinding is guaranteed to bring an audience, but if it is REALLY needed then everyone should be grateful. Once when reversing out of my berth another boat moored behind me (narrow space) became quite friendly when he realised we had twin rudders and the associated issues - especially if the wind is from dead astern as well.

The original question however was not aimed at twin rudder boats, but somehow we ended up being caught in the collective firing line!

Very well put. I think fundamentally the people on here slagging off those of us who have a BT, just didn't understand. Never mind.

 

[Mrnotming]

We've just bought a Countess 33, which, as she's centre cockpit and heavy, will probably be a bit of an effort to moor in tight spaces as I'll be single handed with a willing passenger, who I happen to be married to.
Therefore, I'm thinking of getting a bow thruster.
What are the ups and downs of a bow thruster and what do I need?
And how much?

Hi Slow Boat, and OP's
you ask how much!
Factor in:
loss of function when warps fall short thrown from pontoon and get sucked in!
Plastic props disappearing from tunnel one at a time.
Solenoids burning out or flaming out occasionally.
Joystick actuator failure.
Your overall boating costs will increase, but your insurance may decrease due less persons claiming against you for damage done.
I do not have one on my AWB 36' and I manage, wishing sometimes I had a BT.

As Stu says they cease to function in winds over in our case 20Kts.

Another Benny 41.1 I sailed on frequently had its BT inoperative from time to time for all of the above reasons.
I would fancy one of those aircraft nose wheel bow thrusters though!
We called ours Skipper's little thruster!

 

[EuanMcKenzie]

we call it the "cheat button" when others use theirs

In reality I'll admit i'd love one but it hasn't got high enough up the list yet to justify the spend

We have a boat that could do with one. Long keel etc.

We asked for a relatively easy to access berth and got one out of sympathy

worth a try

 

[yodave]

A no-brainer. Better to have a get out of jail card in reserve.

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

I'm just getting back into the swing of winterising my 'forum mind' and saw this little entry. It's like those almost endless blogs that turn up when posters start argueing about anchors/windvanes etc... 'Mines better than yours' or 'you must be b' useless if you need one of those'.

I am happy to admit that I have a bowthruster fitted to my long keeler yacht. You may just make out the orifice under the bow in the piccie.
After a lifetime of being afloat each year in extremely different craft, I think I'm very competant at general boathandling.
However, having a bowthruster has taken a huge amount of the difficulty, danger and sometimes anxiety out of arriving onto a mooring or dropping my anchor, (a superb Rocna ) especially if its dark, in a new environment and especially in difficult conditions when very tired and cold.
Heck, it's very nice to use it when parking a 38'OAL into a 40' space on a still sunny day at Yarmouth IOW too!