Thruster mania

[JumbleDuck]

Twice in the last few days I have witnessed someone make a complete pig's ear of berthing in a marina. The second one - someone in a 37' AWB who should have been sticking to an inflatable canoe - damn nearly cost his insurers a new wind vane gear for my boat, as neither he nor his crew seemed to see anything wrong with using it as a pivot.

What both these numpties had in common was a bow thruster, enthusiastically but ineptly used. It's no good placing the pointy end where you want it if you have no idea how to position the blunt end too.

I know that thrusters can be a godsend for allowing some boats to get in and out of some berths, but am I wrong in my impression that rather a lot of people now use them, or try to use them, to escape their own ineptness at conventional manoeuvring? Do sea school teach people how to cope without them? Do RYA examiners ever say "Whoops, the thruster breaker has just gone - you'll have to cope without" at a psychological moment of the approach to a berth? The equivalent of the glider instructor who says "Whoops, the air brakes seem to be frozen shut" ...

Please don't take this as personal criticism of anyone who has and uses a thruster. I am sure they can be excellent tools (see above), but I am still feeling a little raw about today's encounter. If I hadn't done some hefty shoving with a boat hook he'd have clobbered me on his second inept attempt too. Still, it was fun seeing him avoid eye contact for the rest of the day.

 

[johnalison]

I agree with each sentiment. There are many bits of kit that have made modern AWBs so much easier to handle and navigate, so the need for skill and the sense of pride in a manoeuvre well executed no longer seem so relevant.

I can imagine incorporating a thruster if I should have found myself in a boat too heavy for my wife and I to manhandle, say 38', but the incontinent usage by so many users has left me with a strong dislike of the whirring noise so often heard in marinas and locks, when others with similar boats can manage without difficulty. I have not handled a powerboat but often watched them in he hands of the clueless. I have also enjoyed watching professional skippers manoeuvre large ones into small berths with the minimum of fuss but just the exercise of their skill, and no whirring of props or thrusters.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I have not handled a powerboat but often watched them in he hands of the clueless. I have also enjoyed watching professional skippers manoeuvre large ones into small berths with the minimum of fuss but just the exercise of their skill, and no whirring of props or thrusters.

Thanks. I gather from browsing the mobo forums that there is a certain amount of frustration at skippers who use bowthrusters to mask the fact that they can't handle twin engines.

 

[capnsensible]

I reckon learning to use any kit fitted to any boat is the important bit.

Its rare to find bowthruster fitted to school and charter boats... too much extra expense. However I have taught a dozen or more courses on one down here, a Bavaria 37. Its in a very tight berth so I found it useful! On courses, I get people to go into increasingly more difficult berthing situations both with and without use of the bow thruster to gain confidence.......and show how useful a tool the thruster is.

I think its is particularly a good idea for short handed on bigger boats. My wife and I used to manage a Sunseeker 65 on charters. Was great for us getting the boat on and off the dock on windy days whilst the guests lounged.

The boat also had a stern thruster but that was way underpowered to do much. But I taught myself to get familiar with all of it. :encouragement:

 

[RupertW]

Their most important use is as a numpty alert - hear the whirr and get on deck with a fender pronto. But I will admit that a couple of times getting out of a twisty berth in a cross wind I would have loved one even though my boat is very handy both ahead and astern.

 

[Roberto]

on a purely aesthetically base, the noise of the bow thruster is to me the worst possible sound one can hear in a marina, mooring, port, whatever.. Not to speak of bow thrusters used ad libitum in totally windless/tideless early mornings by the boat next of you.

 

[capnsensible]

I have never understood why people get irritated by the noise of a vessel using machinery to manouver in..........a marina. Where boats are kept.

 

[bitbaltic]

Agree with the general thrust (ha!) of this. I did all my RYA courses on a Bav 37 with a tight home berth and no bow thruster, i’d think it still unusual to learn boat parking under RYA auspices with a bow thruster involved. On the other hand, as marinas seem to pack us in more like sardines year after year (in part because a ‘starter family cruiser’ according to the sailing press, no doubt influenced by the charter market, is edging way north of 35 ft) then you can’t have a situation where all 37-40 ft boats with new skippers can be accommodated on hammerheads, so they are ending up in finger berths possibly not big enough for the boat, hence the reliance on thrusters.

 

[Roberto]

I have never understood why people get irritated by the noise of a vessel using machinery to manouver in..........a marina. Where boats are kept.

not wanting to suggest it as a general rule, but as a matter of courtesy if I can make the same manouver with one tenth of disturbing noise for other people, then I ll go for that.
Aren t most pleasant the mornings when you wake up and your rafting neighbour has already left without you noticing anything?

 

[Hadenough]

I wonder how many bow thruster haters own cars with parking sensors, reversing cameras etc. I assume that if they hate modern technology so much that they switch them off and rely on their superb eyesight and perfect spacial awareness just so that they can justify their hair shirts. :encouragement:

 

[capnsensible]

not wanting to suggest it as a general rule, but as a matter of courtesy if I can make the same manouver with one tenth of disturbing noise for other people, then I ll go for that.

Me too, but not everyone is as good as us

But really, I would rather the noise I heard was engine and thruster than 'bang ting ow'. And Crunch. :encouragement:

 

[hisw]

I few years ago, I would have agreed. However we decided to fit one on our nich 39. It was the right desition.

With boats getting bigger, marina tighter, it makes heading into a marina stress free rather than a major worry.

 

[C08]

There is a certain smugness by some owners of modern boats that handle well both forward and backwards and a total lack of understanding of how other less handy boats can give difficulties. There is no comparison between a catamaran with a single fixed small outboard,high windage,very poor reverse power,no prop wash, no prop walk with a modern boat with prop wash,walk and lots of power both ways with large slow turning prop.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I wonder how many bow thruster haters own cars with parking sensors, reversing cameras etc. I assume that if they hate modern technology so much that they switch them off and rely on their superb eyesight and perfect spacial awareness just so that they can justify their hair shirts. :encouragement:

I don't think anyone here hates bow thrusters - I certainly don't - though some find the noise grating. Would you not hope that a driver used to parking sensors could get into a spot unaided without the serious risk of damaging other cars in the process?

 

[JumbleDuck]

On the other hand, as marinas seem to pack us in more like sardines year after year (in part because a ‘starter family cruiser’ according to the sailing press, no doubt influenced by the charter market, is edging way north of 35 ft) then you can’t have a situation where all 37-40 ft boats with new skippers can be accommodated on hammerheads, so they are ending up in finger berths possibly not big enough for the boat, hence the reliance on thrusters.

The boat in clot-head's berth before him was a 35-footer owned by a family who had just moved up from a 22-footer. They handled their boat with great skill. No bow thruster.

 

[Concerto]

A couple of years ago I went to berth as a visitor in Hamble Point Marina on a Wednesday at about 7.30pm. The marina was almost deserted, the berth I was allocated was close to the shore. As I gently motored towards the berth, I saw one boat with 4 people in the cockpit. One decided to get up and walked along the pontoon, stopping by the berth I was about to enter. He had seen I was singlehanded and came to help. As I glided slowly into the berth I stopped my Fulmar with a spring and tied the stern line. Then walked forward and tied the other spring and bow line. He said that it was a master class in how to park a boat as he always used plenty of forward and reverse, plus bow thruster.

I spent 20 minutes explaining how I did it and how I rigged the mooring lines. I use one line that is 3 times the length of the boat. It is marked in the middle and this is secured to the mid-ship cleat. The ends are cleated at the bow and stern. So two long loops are along the berthing side. Each is a combined breast rope and spring, so you only 2 cleats on the pontoon are needed to secure the boat. This system does not work on pontoon fingers that do not have cleats or box berths like in Holland.

Most people motor too fast approaching a berth, needing reverse to stop the forward motion and prop walk can screw your course (but can be used if you know how it affects you own boat). The bigger the boat, the more it takes to stop it, so think you are berthing a supertanker.

He said he would try it. Hopefully he is now more confident with his berthing.

 

[newtothis]

TDo sea school teach people how to cope without them? Do RYA examiners ever say "Whoops, the thruster breaker has just gone - you'll have to cope without" at a psychological moment of the approach to a berth?

I've been through the RYA system from incompetent crew to YM and have never been on a boat with a bow thruster. And for the YM, the examiner was constantly 'killing' the engine at inopportune times to ensure we could do everything under sail. Don't think the increased use can be blamed on the schools.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I've been through the RYA system from incompetent crew to YM and have never been on a boat with a bow thruster. And for the YM, the examiner was constantly 'killing' the engine at inopportune times to ensure we could do everything under sail. Don't think the increased use can be blamed on the schools.

Thanks. I wonder if use of bow thrusters - including inopportune failures - would be a useful addition to the syllabus?

 

[Tranona]

Thanks. I wonder if use of bow thrusters - including inopportune failures - would be a useful addition to the syllabus?

but it can only be tested practically in a boat fitted with one. As already said doubt if many, or indeed any sailing school boats are so equipped.

In my experience once you have learned the basics of parking a boat then use of a bow thruster is an option and easily learned.

As others have suggested inappropriate use is probably an indicator of lack of skills in the basics..

 

[rotrax]

The main use of our bow thruster is keeping the boat straight while going astern.

Our high windage, long keel motorsailer with a cut-away forefoot is very tricky without this aid.

First Mate-who is I/C steering and manouvering-will use it for tightening a turn now and then, but not often. It wont keep the bow from blowing off a downwind berth!

Our previous boats have not had bow thrusters. It is a "nice to have", not an essential, but life would be trickier without it.