bow thrusters

The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
See posts with no answers
C

coke

Newbie
Joined
Jul 13, 2013
Messages
4
Location
Malaysia
Can someone comment on bow thrusters or stern thrusters as to the necessity of them. Are they an item that someone with little experience should consider getting when they purchase a boat.
 
Thrusters are a nice addition to a boat- no doubt. I've never had them, and have no problems maneuvering our boat. What I HAVE seen are boat owners not being able to dock when their thruster goes out......

Translation; not required, but nice- and know how to dock your vessel without them. As you mention "little experience", you may want to get a vessel with thrusters to ease the learning curve, but practice getting into your slip without them.
 
coke said:
Are they an item that someone with little experience should consider getting when they purchase a boat.
Click to expand...
If you have a twin engine boat, I say they're not needed. If the boat is a single, they're really nice to have. :blush:
 
You will know if you need thrusters or not after owning a vessel for little while. So I suggest buying a boat first. Who knows, you might just be very good at boat handling to where a single screw 40 footer is easy for you to handle. But on the other hand, you may be just the opposite where you would struggle to dock the same size boat with twins. So go boating and find out. Good luck.
 
For me with a single engine, the bow thruster is a near necessity. For a couple of months while my thruster was inoperable, I made a lot more throttle and gear changes during difficult close maneuvers.

With twin engines/propellers, thrusters aren't essential unless you have a very difficult maneuvering environment.
 
We had a single engine 34 foot CHB with lots of sail area(enclosed fly bridge). We found that a bow thruster was a neccesity anytime the wind was blowing. We had a QL (Volvo) but replaced it with a Vetus due to the failure of the QL. Yes, you get used to it but it certainly takes the pressure off when docking and undocking. Our new boat has both bow and stern thruster with single engine. Very nice to have as you can spin the boat about its axis and get into almost any slip. We know others with twin engines who also depend on their thrusters.
 
With a 50' boat that has a lot of windage I have been struggling with the same question and have received several quotes for a bow thruster installed.

The cost of $13,500 + haul out etc is alot for us and that money can go along way in our cruising kitty so for right now we are going to keep it in our nice to have but not essential line item.

When I spoke with the owner of the stabilizer company that installed our stabilizers for the PO he said that he installs alot of thruster systems, he recommends going with a 48v system that is designed for continuous use. He also said spend time aboard and in different situations and most people can get use to working their boat fine without them.
 
gwkiwi said:
When I spoke with the owner of the stabilizer company that installed our stabilizers for the PO he said that he installs alot of thruster systems, he recommends going with a 48v system that is designed for continuous use. He also said spend time aboard and in different situations and most people can get use to working their boat fine without them.
Click to expand...

Have only a 24-volt thruster. Never been "timed out" since I use short bursts. Can do a 180 in less than 10 seconds. Perhaps, however, continuous capability is warranted for very large boats where movement is glacial.
 
I was taught to maneuver boats without thrusters unless in an emergency. In fact , when I learned maneuvering, like many on here, thrusters were only installed on very large yachts and commercial ships. This practice may take more time to dock your boat, but will give you more experince in maneuvering, judging approaches, winds, and currents. You will also gain experience with spring lines. Thrusters sure are nice to have, but when you dont have them is when everyone on the dock finds out what caliber of captain you are.
 
I put a bow thruster on our boat when we bought it and, while I don't use it often, it's very nice to have when I need it.

I have twins and a boat with a lot of sail area. I use the thruster most in two situations...when we're backing into the slip and the wind is blowing hard and when we're in a lock and the wind is blowing.

Yes, I can back in without it and go through the locks without it, but it's a nice addition to the boat.
 
bligh said:
I was taught to maneuver boats without thrusters unless in an emergency. In fact , when I learned maneuvering, like many on here, thrusters were only installed on very large yachts and commercial ships. This practice may take more time to dock your boat, but will give you more experince in maneuvering, judging approaches, winds, and currents. You will also gain experience with spring lines. Thrusters sure are nice to have, but when you dont have them is when everyone on the dock finds out what caliber of captain you are.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you'd like to be in a knife fight with your hands tied behind you.;)

Al FlyWright, why didn't Gene use his thrusters, or didn't he have any, while we were fighting the Bot's high profile in the strong winds while we were trying to repositioning the boat (no, it's a yacht) at the dock?

232323232%7Ffp54435%3Enu%3D3363%3E33%3A%3E57%3B%3EWSNRCG%3D395644%3A3%3B2336nu0mrj
 
Last edited:
bligh said:
I was taught to maneuver boats without thrusters unless in an emergency. ...
Click to expand...

From observations of professional mariners, they use available helpful tools, such as thrusters, in the normal operation of their vessels.

232323232%7Ffp7348%3B%3Enu%3D3363%3E33%3A%3E57%3B%3EWSNRCG%3D396%3A%3C374%3C6336nu0mrj
 
I have a dock neighbor who could not handle his 47' boat and got flustered at having to deal with four levers (2-throttle/2-shift) so he added bow and stern thrusters and now has six levers to contend with.

Watching him dock is like watching that guy that balances spinning plates on bamboo poles .... he does not know which one to grab next and the lot come clattering to the ground.

I've never seen the need for thrusters on a twin engine boat (i've run at least a hundred of them). A bow thruster on a single might be nice but tens of thousands of commercial fishing pilots have been doing without them for over a hundred years and most of them can do anything a recreational boater with twins and thrusters can do.
 
OK ... the time has come for those without thrusters or who don't use them even if installed to beat their chests. :huh:
 
I gotta go with Bligh and Boat poker on this. Thrusters are great! No doubt. But should not be a must have. I'm old school but in my opinion, if you can't dock without a thruster, maybe you shouldn't be docking at all. :)
 
jukesy said:
I gotta go with Bligh and Boat poker on this. Thrusters are great! No doubt. But should not be a must have. I'm old school but in my opinion, if you can't dock without a thruster, maybe you shouldn't be docking at all. :)
Click to expand...

And two-propeller boats are cheaters! ;)
 
bligh said:
I was taught to maneuver boats without thrusters unless in an emergency...
Click to expand...

Same here. When we started boating, I didn't even know what a bow thruster was. After 50 years of running single engine boats I'd never used one. Now that we have one we don't depend on it to get us in our out of a slip. If we can't get into a slip or to the dock, without using the thruster, we don't go there. :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
boatpoker said:
I have a dock neighbor who could not handle his 47' boat and got flustered at having to deal with four levers (2-throttle/2-shift) so he added bow and stern thrusters and now has six levers to contend with.
Click to expand...

Well, perhaps we almost all think we're better than most everyone else. :whistling: ... Perhaps the most experienced helmsman of multi-engine boats are multi-engine-airplane pilots.
 
Larry M said:
bligh said:
I was taught to maneuver boats without thrusters unless in an emergency...
Same here. When we started boating, I didn't even know what a bow thruster was. After 50 years of running single engine boats I never used one. Now that we have one we don't depend on it to get us in our out of a slip. If we can't get into a slip or to the dock, without using the thruster, we don't go there. :)
Click to expand...

What a waste!
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I'll offer up a fairly contrarian opinion:

There is no need for either a bow or stern thruster.

Island Eagle is 60 feet, single screw, and has plenty of windage as you can see from my avatar. With that said, I have never encountered a situation where I have not been able to dock her in complete safety. Yes, you have to plan it out. Yes, you have to get your spring lines in place. Yes, you have to practice. Yes, you have to know your boat.

Here's my advice: try living without a thruster, and practice! One really great way to practice is to throw a life jacket overboard and then go around and put the boat right beside the life jacket. Your partner in the cockpit should be able to grab it with a boathook. The other great way to practice is by approaching a mooring buoy. You should be able to just kiss it.

For "normal" boats in the 30 to 40 foot range, learning to handle the boat is actually a lot of fun. Try it!

Scott Welch
Island Eagle
 
gwkiwi said:
With a 50' boat that has a lot of windage I have been struggling with the same question and have received several quotes for a bow thruster installed.

The cost of $13,500 + haul out etc is alot for us and that money can go along way in our cruising kitty so for right now we are going to keep it in our nice to have but not essential line item.

When I spoke with the owner of the stabilizer company that installed our stabilizers for the PO he said that he installs alot of thruster systems, he recommends going with a 48v system that is designed for continuous use. He also said spend time aboard and in different situations and most people can get use to working their boat fine without them.
Click to expand...

Mark X2 :thumb::thumb:

On your DF a 24 Volt unit will work just fine, say around 8KW. Like so many boat toys, it likely comes down to allocation of resources as to whether one wants a bow thruster on a trawler less than 40'. On larger trawlers it sure is nice during those tough current and wind times and helps a bunch on resale.

Many decades ago I ran for years without AC in my cars, it is common place now.
 
markpierce said:
... Perhaps the most experienced helmsman of multi-engine boats are multi-engine-airplane pilots.
Click to expand...
:blush:You didn't have to say that, Mark, but thanks, anyway.:cry:
 
jukesy said:
I gotta go with Bligh and Boat poker on this. Thrusters are great! No doubt. But should not be a must have. I'm old school but in my opinion, if you can't dock without a thruster, maybe you shouldn't be docking at all. :)
Click to expand...

In my 1960s and 1980s sailboating days (in the same geographic environment I boat now), I didn't have electronic charts, GPS, radar, depth finder, or VHF. They were not "must haves" or I wouldn't be here. Now I use them constantly because they are available.
 
The bottom line:

IF you can afford them (bow and stern) they are great!
If you can't afford them, practice a lot!!
Knowing how to dock WITHOUT them is a MUST wether you have them or not.

We have a single screw that came with a bow thruster.
It was very helpfull, but the time came when it failed on a very gusty night and knowing how to dock without it SAVED the night.

We could afford a stern and we added it.
It's called COMFORT, not NEED.
It too has had an issue now and then... Knowing how to dock without one, the other or either: PRICELESS!

Our tipping point was not price as much as COMFORT.
If you can do it without...great!..... BUT... Trust me: with one or both it's just JOY!

Our boating goal is to enJOY the entire trip.
 
Wow, thanks for all the great input to my question. I did not mention that I will be single handed on the yacht. I think I will try to find my first yacht equipped with one and practise without it.
 
coke said:
Can someone comment on bow thrusters or stern thrusters as to the necessity of them. Are they an item that someone with little experience should consider getting when they purchase a boat.
Click to expand...


They are a necessity imo for a single engine trawler. Either one will do just fine. Your transmission will thank you and so will your significant other. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

R
Thrusters Not needed??
2 3
Replies
67
Views
5K
Hippocampus
H
J
Sleipner/Side Power Thruster Failures in new units
Replies
27
Views
2K
mbevins
mbevins
jhance
Thruster Upgrades on a Camano Troll - Convince me not to do it
2
Replies
45
Views
3K
Lollygag1
L
Diverrob
Stern Thruster Question
Replies
3
Views
398
Bmarler
B
nhislander
Bow thruster reversed direction
Replies
25
Views
3K
Goingplaces
G

Latest posts

Back
Top Bottom