Gludy
Active member
I now own the Fairline 59 at Port Solent - its the second boat I have purchased from the same pontoon in the last 2 years!
It has had to come out of the water for a number of jobs and so my first trip was a few hundred yards to the lift - all went OK and I put her into the sling OK and without touching anything. After this little first task was complete I was asked why I had not used the bow thruster and the answer was simple - I forgot it was there!
Watching her being hosed down I chatted to the lift driver and he informed me that lots of folks bashed their boats coming into the lift but if you knew what you were doing, you did not need to and that there was, without doubt, no need for a stern thruster. I queried this a bit more and he added, well all you need is the two shaft drive engines .... but mind you, when the wind catches you there is nothing you can do anyway! " That in once phrase made my case for stern and bow thruster!
The logic seems to be this:-
Boating He-Man - can do without bow or stern thrusters just needs his engines but is happy at time when the wind catches him to hit something or maybe do his props in.
Boating Man - he only needs a bow thruster and again is happy for the wind to catch his boat costing many hundreds of thousands and do with it what it wishes.
Boating Coward - he likes both a bow and stern thruster and wants to keep his boat out of danger when the wind catches it. He wants to direct his boat into the berth with a hand held remote control which allows him to stand anywhere so he can see how much gap he has got instead of relying on others to shout garbled versions of the gap size etc.
He wants to be able to jostle batter with 20 other boats waiting for a lock without being forced into shallows and prop damage. He wants to stress his little crew less and lead a more peaceful matrimonial life!
I hang my head in shame ...... I am a boating coward!
<hr width=100% size=1>Paul
It has had to come out of the water for a number of jobs and so my first trip was a few hundred yards to the lift - all went OK and I put her into the sling OK and without touching anything. After this little first task was complete I was asked why I had not used the bow thruster and the answer was simple - I forgot it was there!
Watching her being hosed down I chatted to the lift driver and he informed me that lots of folks bashed their boats coming into the lift but if you knew what you were doing, you did not need to and that there was, without doubt, no need for a stern thruster. I queried this a bit more and he added, well all you need is the two shaft drive engines .... but mind you, when the wind catches you there is nothing you can do anyway! " That in once phrase made my case for stern and bow thruster!
The logic seems to be this:-
Boating He-Man - can do without bow or stern thrusters just needs his engines but is happy at time when the wind catches him to hit something or maybe do his props in.
Boating Man - he only needs a bow thruster and again is happy for the wind to catch his boat costing many hundreds of thousands and do with it what it wishes.
Boating Coward - he likes both a bow and stern thruster and wants to keep his boat out of danger when the wind catches it. He wants to direct his boat into the berth with a hand held remote control which allows him to stand anywhere so he can see how much gap he has got instead of relying on others to shout garbled versions of the gap size etc.
He wants to be able to jostle batter with 20 other boats waiting for a lock without being forced into shallows and prop damage. He wants to stress his little crew less and lead a more peaceful matrimonial life!
I hang my head in shame ...... I am a boating coward!
<hr width=100% size=1>Paul
