Are bow thrusters worth the money ?

[jimsimmo]

Hi there !

I have just placed a deposit on a build of a part fitted wide beam that I intend to live aboard. My budget is tight and I am trying to save money in any way I can. My ideal size of boat would be 55' x 12' but at the moment I cannot quite stretch to that size but can just afford a 50' x 12'. The cost of having a bow thruster fitted is £2700. Having only been on much smaller boats I have no experience of bow thrusters. Are they a necessity or a luxury on a boat this size ? The saving made by not having one could buy an extra 5' x 12' of living space.

Thank you in advance for any advice on this subject and for answers to many more questions that I am sure I will be posting in the near future.

Jim

[RLWP]

Personally, I would have the extra living space

 

Richard

[Proper Job]

I agree with Richard......

 

Go for the extra living space.

 

Another thought would be: how much is it just to put the tube in? You could then fit a thruster at a later stage should you want to/funds permit.

[bottle]

Jim

 

Welcome to the forum.

 

For a bow thruster to be effective it needs to be powerful (HP/Kw) and preferably hydraulically driven, even more so for a widebeam.

 

I would check just what the £2,700 is going to get you.

 

I know I have a narrow boat, so cannot really advise whether one is needed on a wide beam but my builder said do you want a bow thruster that you will only use once in a blue moon or the £3,000 spent on the inside of the boat..

 

I said this on another thread so apologies for repeating:

 

In all the years I have boated and the last three CCing I have never been in a situation where a bow thruster would have made a difference.

[Guest]

Are bow thrusters worth the money ?

 

No

 

 

ed to add

 

- welcome to the forum - I didn't properly clock it was your first post.

Edited July 3, 2012 by MJG

[grahame r]

Hi there !

I have just placed a deposit on a build of a part fitted wide beam that I intend to live aboard. My budget is tight and I am trying to save money in any way I can. My ideal size of boat would be 55' x 12' but at the moment I cannot quite stretch to that size but can just afford a 50' x 12'. The cost of having a bow thruster fitted is £2700. Having only been on much smaller boats I have no experience of bow thrusters. Are they a necessity or a luxury on a boat this size ? The saving made by not having one could buy an extra 5' x 12' of living space.

Thank you in advance for any advice on this subject and for answers to many more questions that I am sure I will be posting in the near future.

Jim

 

I think it depends on how much cruising you intend to do. Most 12 foot wide boats tend to be in marinas most of their lives, even a bow thruster won't make cruising in one of these a pleasant experience except on the widest of rivers. We have a 57x10ft which does have a bow thruster but it was broken for nearly all of last year and we managed OK.

[Guest]

In all the years I have boated and the last three CCing I have never been in a situation where a bow thruster would have made a difference.

 

The only possible situation I've seen one would have helped us was getting the nose past the bottom gates on our 60ft in the short locks so that they would open, that said we (or rather Jan) managed it commendably with a bit of practice, but we too are a NB and this wouldn't apply to a shorter wide-beam anyway. I would spend the dosh on something else.

 

 

spend not send...edit

Edited July 3, 2012 by MJG

[Grace and Favour]

Jim,

 

Difficult call really - - the subject tends to attract many quite well-established opinions. (For and against!)

 

We have a 60' x 12'.

 

It came fitted with a throwbuster.

 

We rarely use it - - but, it is useful if all goes 7its-up trying to moor in a cross-wind, or having to reverse in a cross-wind.

 

However, every boat can handle differently, of course, and yours will handle somewhere between exceptionally and exceptionally bad (not that that's helpful I appreciate)

 

But as PJ (Steve) suggested above, I'd consider having the tube put in, (and have the extra 5' of boat)

 

 

Suggestion: - Whatever way you decide - make sure that the builder fits easy to access trunking runs throughout the boat, so that whatever you decide to do, or change, in future - you can always get to the necessary wiring, plumbing etc.

[ditchcrawler]

I agree with Richard......

 

Go for the extra living space.

 

Another thought would be: how much is it just to put the tube in? You could then fit a thruster at a later stage should you want to/funds permit.

I would go with this option if you can, I could also help with resale value as well.

O and yes I have a bow thruster, I could live without it but it is useful

[Biggles]

I agree with Richard......

 

Go for the extra living space.

 

Another thought would be: how much is it just to put the tube in? You could then fit a thruster at a later stage should you want to/funds permit.

 

I agree to if budget is tight ATM. 60 x 12 and I have a 95kg 12v job and its plenty powerfull enough.

 

Another thourght I had was it was cheaper than a divorce as I couldn't see Mrs Biggles poling the front of ours around so she would need changing or would jump ship never to be seen again.

[GUMPY]

no BT here 60ft barge 37ton and having just asked how many time I use a pole the answer was only when aground so no need for one here.

One proviso we do have 120hp engine and some of the stunts I pull couldnt be done with a lesser engine.

mudweights are useful when reversing and cheaper

[Hastings]

I've been boating for 47 years, and can only think of a handful of occasions when a bow thruster might have been useful. That infrequency doesn't justify the space they take up, nor particularly the very significant cost (up to 5% of the cost of a boat). Grudgingly, I acknowledge that they might help get you into a lock or off the mud, or possibly when you're single handing and can't easily get to the front, but I don't think that skilled boaters really need one. What's wrong with a pole?

 

I see bow thrusters regularly used to move aaway from an overnight mooring. That's just plain laziness - the traditional approach is to push the bows out, then the stern as you get on the boat. The damage that the thrust does to unprotected canal edges ....

 

Rant over, but I'd rather spend the £3000 on something useful!

[Tuscan]

Have the tube put in, then if finances improve and your personal boating experience deems it an asset go for it. A lot will depend how far and where you travel and whether on your own or with crew.

[PhilR]

Have the tube put in, then if finances improve and your personal boating experience deems it an asset go for it. A lot will depend how far and where you travel and whether on your own or with crew.

 

That does sound a very sensible option.

[warrior princess]

Hi,

 

Don't waste your money! Perhaps you should have the tube fitted just incase-but to be honest, they consume battery power and certainly one that has it's own battery in the Bow is the only way forward!!!

[David Mack]

Hi,

 

Don't waste your money! Perhaps you should have the tube fitted just incase-but to be honest, they consume battery power and certainly one that has it's own battery in the Bow is the only way forward!!!

 

Sideways?

[howardang]

Hi,

 

Don't waste your money! Perhaps you should have the tube fitted just incase-but to be honest, they consume battery power and certainly one that has it's own battery in the Bow is the only way forward!!!

Hydraulic?

[Heffalump]

I wouldn't even consider fitting something that hungry without its own float battery!

[Biggles]

Hi,

 

Don't waste your money! Perhaps you should have the tube fitted just incase-but to be honest, they consume battery power and certainly one that has it's own battery in the Bow is the only way forward!!!

 

 

Mine has 220amps Of batteries all to its self, and I doubt you could run one from batteries at the other end of a typical NB or WB without cables so big they would sink the boat. That's if you could afford that much copper cable.

 

Hi,

 

Don't waste your money! Perhaps you should have the tube fitted just incase-but to be honest, they consume battery power and certainly one that has it's own battery in the Bow is the only way forward!!!

 

 

Mine has 220amps Of batteries all to its self, and I doubt you could run one from batteries at the other end of a typical NB or WB without cables so big they would sink the boat. That's if you could afford that much copper cable.

 

Hi,

 

Don't waste your money! Perhaps you should have the tube fitted just incase-but to be honest, they consume battery power and certainly one that has it's own battery in the Bow is the only way forward!!!

 

 

Mine has 220amps Of batteries all to its self, and I doubt you could run one from batteries at the other end of a typical NB or WB without cables so big they would sink the boat. That's if you could afford that much copper cable.

 

Hydraulic?

 

 

All this talk of hydraulic is rubbish. For the odd and occasional use a BT in a NB or WB will get hydraulic is just overkill. Just the cost and complexity of the systems is totally unwarranted.

 

Just how many boats of our kind have hydraulic BT's? Not many I bet in relation to electrical ones.

 

I wish my BT had an hours counter. It would be interesting to see how little use it has as a ratio of engine hours.

[Ally]

On a widebeam, if you are not an experienced boat handler, you may find one useful, but I would have expected a professionally fitted thruster for a boat of that weight, that was to actually be effective, to cost more than the quoted price. Personally I wouldn't have one, but if you can afford it, I would have the tube fitted, and appropriate cabling layed through the boat so you can retrofit at a later date if you wish. Yes it will take *some* space, but not a huge amount relative to a widebeam, and shouldn't cost much, then you have an easy fit option later if you decide you want and can afford one. Meanwhile, if inexperienced, practise lots!!

Welcome to the forum and good luck with the boat.

[Iain_S]

I agree with most of the above posters. I can only think of one occasion in Copperkins where a bow thruster would have been useful, and that time it would have had to be a big one (2 persons on board, swing bridge, and near gale force cross wind)

 

I also skipper a 60' widebeam, which has a bow thruster. This has just been put back on after a year or so of being unserviceable. In my opinion, we are better off without it. It is fine in calm conditions, but when stationary in strong wind, if you allow the bow to blow off more than 15 degrees or so, you won't get it back with bowthruster alone.

 

Iain

[NB Alnwick]

A decent shaft or pole is much more effective for those occasions when you need to move the bow sideways and you can buy a lot of those for the cost of a bow thruster.

[smileypete]

Mine has 220amps Of batteries all to its self, and I doubt you could run one from batteries at the other end of a typical NB or WB without cables so big they would sink the boat. That's if you could afford that much copper cable.

Worth repeating!

 

Aluminium square bar has 60% conductivity of copper and tricky to join electrically, but waaaayyyy cheaper. Hull could be used for earth return for the motor.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[Biggles]

Worth repeating!

 

Aluminium square bar has 60% conductivity of copper and tricky to join electrically, but waaaayyyy cheaper. Hull could be used for earth return for the motor.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

 

Possibly the worst solution ever.

 

Worth repeating!

 

Aluminium square bar has 60% conductivity of copper and tricky to join electrically, but waaaayyyy cheaper. Hull could be used for earth return for the motor.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

 

Possibly the worst solution ever.

 

Worth repeating!

 

Aluminium square bar has 60% conductivity of copper and tricky to join electrically, but waaaayyyy cheaper. Hull could be used for earth return for the motor.

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

 

Possibly the worst solution ever.

[Proper Job]

That's one heck of a repeat