DHMatson
New Member
I have been reading the threads dealing with thrusters and I am surprised at how polarizing they are. If you used them some would say you are not capable of handling your boat, ands see their use as embarrassing, while others see them as a useful tool making the ownership of a boat more enjoyable and safer. I definitely fall inter the latter category.
I've been boating my entire life and personally think the Bow and Stern thrusters are a Godsend. I was introduced to boating as a young boy by my father who had a 1952 27 ft Owens Flagship with a 6 cyl. single screw Grey Marine. MY dad taught me how to handle the boat at 8 yrs. old on Long Island Sound, and while not a big boat, she was the large enough to raise the draw bridge in the Norwalk River. Since then, I have had runabouts, pontoons, and cruisers. While the small boats are easy to handle as long as you are responsible and understand the conditions you are running in. They do not present any big challenges, and with a little practice even a novice boater can gain confidence and skill in a relatively short time frame.
When we bought the 30 ft Chris Craft Express with twin straight inboards the same held true. She had a lower profile and was no trouble operating in 90% of the conditions we ran in. With twins it was relatively easy to maneuver and dock. (I took merciless ribbing if I had to make more than a single attempt backing her into the slip...) The wind was always present but with one other person she was very manageable even in the tight space our mooring provided.
In the Upstate NY finger lakes region, the wind is always a concern. Its windy every day, and without enough help docking our Silverton 35 MY is challenging. The biggest concern is being blown into the boat that shares the double slip at the marina. The Silverton acts like a huge sail, and when the wind is from any direction, especially from the south or southwest it can be nerve wracking to say the least. To leave the dock in moderate winds without 2 other people to help mooring it when we return is just plain stupid, so we did not. The boat has a bow thruster, and it helps immensely, so much in fact that we just added the stern thruster so we have the confidence and peace of mind knowing we can return safely with just my better half and myself on board.
Also, at 62 years old I like the control the thrusters provide, and my ego is not harmed because I use the technology available. I can handle a boat as well as most, but sometimes the conditions are difficult, and we have to try 2 or 3 times to get her in the slip safely. In my opinion avoiding personal injury or damage to our boat or our neighbors boat else's is more important than anything else.
Sorry for the long rant.
Don
I've been boating my entire life and personally think the Bow and Stern thrusters are a Godsend. I was introduced to boating as a young boy by my father who had a 1952 27 ft Owens Flagship with a 6 cyl. single screw Grey Marine. MY dad taught me how to handle the boat at 8 yrs. old on Long Island Sound, and while not a big boat, she was the large enough to raise the draw bridge in the Norwalk River. Since then, I have had runabouts, pontoons, and cruisers. While the small boats are easy to handle as long as you are responsible and understand the conditions you are running in. They do not present any big challenges, and with a little practice even a novice boater can gain confidence and skill in a relatively short time frame.
When we bought the 30 ft Chris Craft Express with twin straight inboards the same held true. She had a lower profile and was no trouble operating in 90% of the conditions we ran in. With twins it was relatively easy to maneuver and dock. (I took merciless ribbing if I had to make more than a single attempt backing her into the slip...) The wind was always present but with one other person she was very manageable even in the tight space our mooring provided.
In the Upstate NY finger lakes region, the wind is always a concern. Its windy every day, and without enough help docking our Silverton 35 MY is challenging. The biggest concern is being blown into the boat that shares the double slip at the marina. The Silverton acts like a huge sail, and when the wind is from any direction, especially from the south or southwest it can be nerve wracking to say the least. To leave the dock in moderate winds without 2 other people to help mooring it when we return is just plain stupid, so we did not. The boat has a bow thruster, and it helps immensely, so much in fact that we just added the stern thruster so we have the confidence and peace of mind knowing we can return safely with just my better half and myself on board.
Also, at 62 years old I like the control the thrusters provide, and my ego is not harmed because I use the technology available. I can handle a boat as well as most, but sometimes the conditions are difficult, and we have to try 2 or 3 times to get her in the slip safely. In my opinion avoiding personal injury or damage to our boat or our neighbors boat else's is more important than anything else.
Sorry for the long rant.
Don
).
