Hmmmm - Bowthrusters ??

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by minaret

I think most cruisers considering a thruster retrofit would be better served by purchasing a Max Prop. Costs much less money, and the 50% increase in thrust in reverse gives you much better braking ability and creates a stronger propwalk that works almost like a thruster (in one direction). With a little practice and planning I think a Max Prop adds more close quarters maneuverability than a thruster for way less money. And it actually increases your performance under sail instead of decreasing it.

Why do you say decreases performance under sail, our boat has the bouyancy our thruster is enclosed.

I treat the thruster as a luxury i love the fact that when my wife helms to a pen i can simply point the direction the correction is needed and she gets it!!

Not all are as experienced as thou.... but i might be?

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Lagoon4us

Why do you say decreases performance under sail, our boat has the bouyancy our thruster is enclosed.

Most recreational thrusters are in tunnels. The exposed open tunnel increases drag. Retractable thrusters don't suffer that problem.

All thrusters take up storage space. In my experience they make black dust. They use a lot of power, often requiring local battery banks using even more storage space.

I agree that the statement that use of a bowthruster does (or may) have an impact on skill development and retention is an opinion and not fact. I happen to agree with that opinion ...

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Lagoon4us

Why do you say decreases performance under sail, our boat has the bouyancy our thruster is enclosed.

I treat the thruster as a luxury i love the fact that when my wife helms to a pen i can simply point the direction the correction is needed and she gets it!!

Not all are as experienced as thou.... but i might be?

Yes, obviously your very rare deployable thruster does not affect performance. The vast majority of thrusters do not fall into that bracket though. And regardless of what sort of thruster you have or don't have, moving from a fixed prop to a feathering prop will increase your performance under sail, while increasing your manueverability in tight quarters. Pretty simple.

[Lagoon4us]

Apologies maybe the thread should have been Props, Fixed or Feathering? ....

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

We're sailing to Crisfield MD for the watermen's docking competition. Not expecting to see any bow thrusters.

We are sailing for DUBROVNIK on monday and will spend two nights in the Magical Port City, don't expect to see many boats without Thrusters there, holy crap Batman there are other places in this world other than America!!!!!!

Fair dinkum mate you need to get out more....

[minaret]

Originally Posted by minaret

I think most cruisers considering a thruster retrofit would be better served by purchasing a Max Prop. Costs much less money, and the 50% increase in thrust in reverse gives you much better braking ability and creates a stronger propwalk that works almost like a thruster (in one direction). With a little practice and planning I think a Max Prop adds more close quarters maneuverability than a thruster for way less money. And it actually increases your performance under sail instead of decreasing it.

Anyone else think this was an innappropriate comment to make in a thread about thrusters, like Lagoon here? Anyone at all?

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by minaret

Anyone else think this was an innappropriate comment to make in a thread about thrusters, like Lagoon here? Anyone at all?

Well, of course not inappropriate. We're just chewing the fat here; say whatever you like.

But your comment did remind me of when I was buying a used Porsche in Germany 30-odd years ago. When I asked whether it had air conditioning, the seller said, nein! But it has a Schiebedach! (sunroof). As if a prop with less prop walk is a substitute for a thruster. Of course, it's great to have less prop walk, and I've had feathering props on all my boats (other than the ones with no engines at all ). But it does not exactly fulfill the same purpose.

[rcmpegasus]

Prop walk and a good reverse can certainly be useful in close maneuvering situations, but remember you only walk one direction. If that direction puts your bowsprit into the 60 ft power boat, it's a bad situation. After 15 years of always trying to ensure that I only had to turn to port, I found that sometimes you will end up in a situation where all the spring lines and prop walk in the world won't help. I find that the $$ spent on the thruster are much cheaper than the bill for the damages. Prop walk and a thruster really give you some choices.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by Lagoon4us

holy crap Batman there are other places in this world other than America!!!!!!

Fair dinkum mate you need to get out more....

Sorry mate. Just because I'm in America now doesn't mean that's all I've sailed. Scandanavia, Europe, UK, transatlantic, US East Coast, most of the Caribbean and a good bit of the Gulf of Mexico.

Holy crap on a cracker, not all Americans are myopic. *grin*

I got your TV show, did you get mine?

[Lagoon4us]

The thread-
They sure look useful(bowthrusters), but I've never had one. So I just wanted to know what I'm missing out on

So the average Joe has difficulties with slotting his boat into a tight pen looks at his options, he reads about Thrusters, he only has to press a button to bring the head over to whatever way he desires as against learning to use propwalk, which as you correctly say works one way and i will add at the 'arse end'.

The average Thruster on Mandle and Sunsail yachts here have a huge effect on correction when activated, most reverse in and bring the head around with a couple of jabs, usually at 1knot boat speed.

They are a handy tool for the purpose.

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

Sorry mate. Just because I'm in America now doesn't mean that's all I've sailed. Scandanavia, Europe, UK, transatlantic, US East Coast, most of the Caribbean and a good bit of the Gulf of Mexico.

Holy crap on a cracker, not all Americans are myopic. *grin*

I got your TV show, did you get mine?

Ah mine was a movie, You need to get out more mate.... You got it? Ahhh Jim Ahhh... LMAO

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

Well, of course not inappropriate. We're just chewing the fat here; say whatever you like.

But your comment did remind me of when I was buying a used Porsche in Germany 30-odd years ago. When I asked whether it had air conditioning, the seller said, nein! But it has a Schiebedach! (sunroof). As if a prop with less prop walk is a substitute for a thruster. Of course, it's great to have less prop walk, and I've had feathering props on all my boats (other than the ones with no engines at all ). But it does not exactly fulfill the same purpose.

No, no, no. I said a feathering prop gives you MORE propwalk, not less. If you read the quote you would notice this. So I am suggesting that having a good feathering prop used properly in reverse can be similar to having a uni directional thruster, with some practice and planning, without any of the drawbacks of a thruster. In fact just the opposite, it gives you better performance under sail as well. How could you think I'm suggesting that a prop with less propwalk would be beneficial, did you just fail to read the post in question? Or am I just a horrible writer...

[Lagoon4us]

Originally Posted by minaret

No, no, no. I said a feathering prop gives you MORE propwalk, not less. If you read the quote you would notice this. So I am suggesting that having a good feathering prop used properly in reverse can be similar to having a uni directional thruster, with some practice and planning, without any of the drawbacks of a thruster. In fact just the opposite, it gives you better performance under sail as well. How could you think I'm suggesting that a prop with less propwalk would be beneficial, did you just fail to read the post in question? Or am I just a horrible writer...

Both is the go, more so for the sailing/drag side. Cheers

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Lagoon4us

The thread-
They sure look useful(bowthrusters), but I've never had one. So I just wanted to know what I'm missing out on

So the average Joe has difficulties with slotting his boat into a tight pen looks at his options, he reads about Thrusters, he only has to press a button to bring the head over to whatever way he desires as against learning to use propwalk, which as you correctly say works one way and i will add at the 'arse end'.

The average Thruster on Mandle and Sunsail yachts here have a huge effect on correction when activated, most reverse in and bring the head around with a couple of jabs, usually at 1knot boat speed.

They are a handy tool for the purpose.

Any decent boater knows that making the stern move to starboard causes the bow to move to port. The two are connected you know. Bow or stern, a thruster causes the boat to rotate on it's axis. Skilled use of propwalk does exactly the same thing.

[Lagoon4us]

Ahh so i've wasted my time fitting bow and stern thrusters to the same boats, damn i could have saved so much time and money!!!! Silly indecent me.....