Thrusters Not needed??

[Raylee]

We are looking to purchase a boats on the East coast to cruise the area, Bahamas, Keys, etc.

Our current vessel in the PNW has bow & stern thrusters as well as Naiads. We love the thrusters and would not do without them. We are using our thrusters less and less but still we use them in most docking, getting off the fuel dock, especially in off-slack times or winds, etc. even going down a narrow fairway.

However, during our research of vessels in the SE, we are being told that thrusters are not needed. And many of the vessels we are looking at in the 53-72’ do not have even have a bow thrusters and even fewer with stabilization. Am I being unreasonable in insisting on at least a bow thruster? We may have to install the thrusters after purchase since we are so used to having them as needed.

Is there something very different about East coast waters that negates the need for thrusters. For example, I was looking at a 72’ Cheoy Lee and was told the boat is so heavy.. no need for thrusters. Same thing with a 70’ Hatteras.

I would love to hear the opinion of this trusted group.

Thank you much

Raylee

 

[Mambo42]

I can understand that a stern thruster is not needed, but a bow thruster ? If the weather is calm you won't need it, but why would I gamble on the weather being calm ?
And stabilizers ? That is all about comfort, so I guess it has more to do with the former owner not willing to shell out the money for them. After all, stabilizers are not standard equipment.

 

[psneeld]

If twins, lots of boats may not have thrusters but many captains still feel they are useful to necessary.

Personally I would prefer stabilizers over thrusters but rarely it is either/or as it is personal preference. Both can usually be added so if looking at boats without, adjust the offer price accordingly.

 

[CaptTom]

Well, if the boat you're looking at doesn't have them, then of course, according to the salesman, you don't need them.

Now, a lot of us take pride in the fact that we can handle a boat without "needing" thrusters. Especially if it's twin screw. And that's true. But to be honest, a competent skipper uses whatever tools are available, if it'll make things safer.

So to answer your question, no, there's nothing different here from the PNW. The rocks are just as hard, the wind blows and dockage can be tight.

 

[mgreen]

What are the currents like on the east coast? Around Puget Sound i know lots of marinas and fuel docks that have at least a knot of current and a few with 3 knots most of the time. Sometimes I pick which side of a dock I will use based on projected current at my intended departure time.

 

[HopCar]

It’s obvious you like having thrusters. Find a boat you like, if it doesn’t have thrusters, add them. No shame in using thrusters. I’m all in favor of making things easier.

Of course REAL men don’t need thrusters! (Just Kidding!)

 

[PierreR]

In the east you can get strong currents around docks and bridges, thrusters are nice for that. Are they necessary? Boats are not necessary.

 

[O C Diver]

Buy what makes you happy.
50 years ago when I started boating, thrusters were all but unheard of, but so were moving map chart plotters, AIS, and many other things.

Many boaters lack the experience (repetition dozens and dozens of times) to be really good with a single engine boat without a bow thruster. It's certainly easier with twins without the thruster. But you're a recreational boater, not a captain doing it numerous times per day and hundreds per year. So get what will make your adventure easy and enjoyable.

Did any of those brokers tell you not to worry about having a moving map chart plotter? :lol:

Ted

 

[guy with a boat]

Sounds like somebody was trying to sell a boat that didn’t have thrusters.

 

[PierreR]

My wife wants a bow thruster. After 45 years of marriage she thinks I will eventually kill us both. In our twin, I manage fine without.

 

[Comodave]

If you like thrusters then have them. It is as simple as that. We have thrusters on our current boat, we installed them since my wife doesn’t want to go up on the bow of this boat. It isn’t a matter of not being able to handle a boat but rather as we get older it isn’t as easy to man handle a boat as it used to be. If thrusters help enable us to boat longer then so be it. Everyone gets older unless they die. Stop listening to those who disparage you for having thrusters and enjoy your boat.

 

[Pascall]

A bow thruster makes sailing easier.
Without a bow thruster you sail more consciously, before you moor you think about how you are going to do this, wind, current.....
Sailed for years with tug/pushers and multicats, the tug/pushers had one propeller and no bow thruster, never had any problems, not even with an empty barge of 100 meters and a lot of wind.
Now sail for my pleasure, and yes, there is a bow thruster in it and a big one.
I rarely use it but sometimes it's just very easy, why make it difficult when it can be easy?
In 2009, on the third day of our trip through France, the bow thruster broke down.
We did 260 locks and 3 tunnels without bow thrusters and have an engine.
No problem at all, you sail much more consciously!
Always try it without a bow thruster, then you will learn to sail in case it breaks down.

 

[fgarriso]

Never had them in over 60 years.
Don't want them.
If I had them would probably use them.

 

[mvweebles]

First, thrusters can be added fairly economically. Stabilizers are much, much more expensive.

Second, thrusters are definitely handy on the east coast. Docking is often backing into a slip with the bow secured to pilings. Thruster is really handy to move the bow side to side to facilitate line handling for crew.

Peter

 

[Portage_Bay]

Decades on the water running single no thruster. Didn't need thrusters. Used to tell people you don't need them just learn to drive your boat.

Now I have a boat with twins and bow thruster. Sure is nice. For recreational cruising wouldn't want to go back.

Never had them in over 60 years.
Don't want them.
If I had them would probably use them.

First, thrusters can be added fairly economically. Stabilizers are much, much more expensive.

Second, thrusters are definitely handy on the east coast. Docking is often backing into a slip with the bow secured to pilings. Thruster is really handy to move the bow side to side to facilitate line handling for crew.

Peter

 

[PhilPB]

My boat is much smaller than what you are considering and have one engine. Thruster is the best upgrade I did after purchase. Almost all large boats (55-90) in our marina have them also. They are used when getting in, and especially out of, their slips, especially tight ones. You can't mistake the sound of thrusters when in use.

 

[mvweebles]

Decades on the water running single no thruster. Didn't need thrusters. Used to tell people you don't need them just learn to drive your boat.

Now I have a boat with twins and bow thruster. Sure is nice. For recreational cruising wouldn't want to go back.

Amen. I have owned Weebles for 25-yesrs and recently added a bow thruster in anticipation of a somewhat difficult slip configuration. While I don't use the thruster much, I do like having it. Singles are inherently biased in one direction or another due to prop-walk. Having an ambidextrous boat is sure nice.

To the OP - you know what works for you and what makes boating more pleasurable. While there are differences between the US east and west coasts, your equipment preference will remain. As a displaced San Franciscan, biggest difference I've noted is the skinny water of Florida. Protected prop is very nice.

Peter

 

[O C Diver]

Buy what makes you happy.
50 years ago when I started boating, thrusters were all but unheard of, but so were moving map chart plotters, AIS, and many other things.

Many boaters lack the experience (repetition dozens and dozens of times) to be really good with a single engine boat without a bow thruster. It's certainly easier with twins without the thruster. But you're a recreational boater, not a captain doing it numerous times per day and hundreds per year. So get what will make your adventure easy and enjoyable.

Did any of those brokers tell you not to worry about having a moving map chart plotter? :lol:

Ted

On reflection, my other comment regarding thrusters is to know what to do when they don't work. Batteries can fail, solenoids can fail, a fish or piece of rope in the tunnel can cause the blades to break or the shear pin on the shaft to fail, leading to them being inoperable. This is not to say they're unreliable, but failures of the system do occur. Simply, don't put yourself in a position where great damage or risk of injury will occur without the thruster.

When I bought my boat, the thruster was initially unreliable. I named it "Lucille" from the Kenny Roger's song "You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille ". As I had never had a thruster before, I could revert to maneuvering without. So I don't get myself into situations where Lucille leaving will be a disaster.

Ted

 

[rslifkin]

A bow thruster is certainly nice to have. I've never seen much point in stern thrusters personally. My boat has twins but no thrusters. I occasionally wish for a bow thruster, but so far, it's not enough to be worth adding one.

How easily you can or can't do things without a thruster depends on the boat. Some boats have worse behavior in a crosswind than others, and different boats pivot in a slightly different place. A boat that is heavier relative to its windage (which generally happens as boats get bigger) will be less reactive, particularly to gusts. It'll have more momentum and a gust of wind will accelerate the boat more slowly, so it can be a little easier to work through some situations without thrusters.

 

[sunchaser]

Tayler
What age and brands of vessels are you considering?

 

[PhilPB]

I must say that I love my bowthruster and having a single screw, lightweight and ample windage boat, the thruster makes backing into my slip incredibly fast and easy. When the thruster was inoperable, I could still make it into the slip but it took many shifts from fwd & rev to get her in.

 

[READY]

I have had boats with and without. Much easier with a single screw. Nice to have with twins but REALLY NICE if single handed. Also you will be very happy to have a thruster if you have engine failure on a twin. I would certainly see value and factor that into my offer. Broker is full of BS if claiming differences that negate any value. If related to air conditioners and PNW vs East coast, sure.

 

[Pascall]

Never had them in over 60 years.
Don't want them.
If I had them would probably use them.

Even if you have one engine?

 

[Bob Cofer]

I've never owned a boat with twins or thrusters but have operated many that do. I have to admit that having a thruster does make life less complicated, may have to change my ways someday.

 

[psneeld]

Even if you have one engine?

Some singles handle extremely well, others can be a handful and a thruster just about necessary or surely a pleasure. Think that posted has twins but point taken.

As far as tugs and barges, on time I worked a job getting a 750,000 pound barge to a bridge restoration project and had to hold it in position while the work was done. I had the assistance of a smaller single engine tug that had near the horsepower that my twin tug had.

That single could maneuver that barge probably as well as my underpowered tug even though I had plenty of single and twin experience.

It really depends on the vessel as much as the captain's capabilities.

 

[Portage_Bay]

For me what makes the bow thruster desireable for us are primarily two reasons.

The pleasure boat is not a heavy deep work boat with a barn door rudder. It's relatively light weight, light draft and high windage.

I don't have a professional crew to handle lines. It's just the two of us, both in our 70s. She stands patiently on the swim step while I get that end close enough it's a simple safe step off. She ties the stern while I keep the boat pinned to the dock no matter what the current and wind are doing until she has time to move to the bow to catch that line. No running, no jumping just an easy stress free tie up.

Some day when enough other projects are completed and paid for I may add a remote for the thruster. It would make her job even easier if I were on the bow handing the line to her.

Someone up thread called his thruster Lucille because she'd leave at the most inappropriate times. One of the best ship handlers I ever worked for said to new hands "Stop it before you dock it." In other words before you get into the tight spot know that steering, engine controls especially reverse and thrusters are working. Test 'em, it only adds a few seconds to the maneuver.

 

[Pascall]

I have equipped our boat with a Becker rudder and it works very well.
The boat rotates backwards on its axis!

 

[PhilPB]

I have equipped our boat with a Becker rudder and it works very well.
The boat rotates backwards on its axis!

Nice!

 

[Raylee]

Thank you all very much for the insightful comments and suggestions. I truly love the varied and honest advice from forum members.

As background, We live and cruise on the West coast but our entire family is on the East coast, so we expect frequent guest on our East coast boat. Both my brother, his 4 kids and my father are susceptible to sea sickness. We potentially can have 10 souls on the boat at once. Consequently, we are targeting larger boats with stabilizers for sure. But many good candidates don't have thrusters.

After reading your comments, I started contacting outfits in FL to get an estimate on installing a bow thruster. Just waiting to hear back. I may also ask the cost for a stern thruster, since the boat will be already on the hard.

We actually use our current stern thruster frequently to get off the swimgrid when docking but also when trying to move laterally at fuels docks if stuck between 2 boats. I suspect we can manage with a bow thruster only.

One difference is that the flybridge and aft deck on our west coast boat are fully enclosed and is extremely susceptible to windage. Many FL boats have open an open flybridge, so potentially less windage?.

I am looking at an older Hatteras 70’ with Stabilizers but no thrusters. And a 60’ Jefferson with the old Koopnautic stabilizers and a non functioning thruster but it has a teak covered bow, flybridge, etc. Not ideal.

I would love a long range cruiser vessel but cannot find the right mix at the moment. I anticipate that electronics and various things will need updating right off the bat with beautiful older vessels.. so with the addition of a thruster.. things will creep up pretty good prior to mile one but that,s boating.

I am hoping to impose on you once more as I tackle how or if it is fair to adjust an offer based on needing to install a thruster?


Thank you all again

Raylee

 

[rslifkin]

One difference is that the flybridge and aft deck on our west coast boat are fully enclosed and is extremely susceptible to windage. Many FL boats have open an open flybridge, so potentially less windage?.

Amount of windage is a factor, but location of that windage on the boat matters too. Without thrusters, a boat that blows relatively sideways may be easier to handle than one that tends to spin the bow off the wind, as an example.