Adding a bow thruster?

[buzzstar]

Originally Posted by Captndave1

I skippered a 60 ft Little Harbor for three years and it had a bow thruster, but I never used it. I have docked the boat in some very tight places by using the prop torque. Good boat handling skills comes with practice and determination. Btw, I have never put a scratch on any boat I have handled in about 100,00 thousand miles of sailing. Practice, practice, practice.

This is in no way intended to even slightly demean your skills, for which I can only offer praise, nor is it provided to disagree with your statements, but is it not true however that it is difficult to properly evaluate a device that you never used?

[GarthGregory]

I had A bow thruster fitted To my Beneteau 473 in Croatia approx 5 years ago - complete installation cost about Euro 8000.00 - a large slice of the cost was VAT , which I never got back - it is very nice to have - I only use it when if things or conditions go wrong - in a Mediterranean type mooring - The Vetus Web site has a table recommending position and power requirement relevant to boat size . My requirement was for about 6 to 7 kw . The installation company fitted a Max Power 9 kw - twin prop ( French ) , which works really well . Not a must have ,but occasionally a real blessing . They eat ropes and self destruct . Fair winds Garth

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by buzzstar

This is in no way intended to even slightly demean your skills, for which I can only offer praise, nor is it provided to disagree with your statements, but is it not true however that it is difficult to properly evaluate a device that you never used?

I agree with this. I sailed for decades without a bow thruster (or without even having tried one), and didn't think I would ever want one, and sneered a little bit at people who had them.

Boy, how my attitude changed once I had tried one. It makes a totally night and day difference in how many options you have maneuvering in tight spots. It allows you to move the boat sideways (thruster, cross rudder, power), steer the boat in reverse (like having a bow rudder), displace the boat sideways using a combination of thruster and rudder, all kinds of things.

I will say one thing, however. Many people use a thruster as a substitute for decent boat handling skills. This is bad, as having a thruster does not automatically make handling the boat in close quarters easy. You still need the skills.

Second, using a thruster itself is not that straightforward or intuitive. The thruster demands its own set of skills, and plenty of practice, to use effectively.

I probably wouldn't want the weight and cost on a boat light enough that you can manhandle it around in a pinch -- say 10 - 12 tons. But anything bigger than that -- I wouldn't want to be without it, personally.

[markpierce]

Always managed to maneuver sailboats between 24 and 30 feet without a thruster. Nevertheless, the bow thruster on my 35-foot, single-screw motor vessel is very handy.