Quote:
Originally Posted by camaraderie
Sounds like a waste of money,time, space, electricity and boat speed for a 40 footer. Why do you NEED one??
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I spent many years
docking boats 37 -- 45 feet with no bow thrusters. But after having one on my 54-footer, I would definitely have a bow thruster even on a 37 foot
boat. It gives you so much more control of where you put the boat in close quarters -- the difference is night and day. It's a question even of
safety, plus risk of damage to other people's boats, too -- even if you are pretty skillful at
docking.
It's also a question of being able to get into or out of some berths at all -- there are situations where it is simple impossible without it.
And they save a lot of trouble (and scratches) warping off of lee pontoons. Turn your
wheel towards the pontoon, forward
gear, throttle, and bow thruster
away from the pontoon, and you're off the pontoon without a scratch, and without warping off. I would prefer not to be without a thruster again, having now tried it.