Show us your bowtruster locker lid. Go on. You know you want to.

[blackrose]

44 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

You stop, walk down the gunwales, collect the pole, go to the front of the boat and push. I used mine - similar design to Rob’s and while single handing - to manoeuvre across the channel after being flagged down and asked to retrieve a football that had escaped from King George’s playing fields in Droitwich last Saturday.

 

Bow thruster’s may have their uses but they aren’t essential on canals on a narrowboat, even if single handing. And the bigger and heavier the boat is the more useful that shaft becomes. It has the advantage of being able to move the boat small distances in all directions in a relatively controllable way.

 

Ah, so you have to stop. That's not always possible I'd you've got wind out current.

 

Nobody said how thrusters were essential, especially if you never venture from canals. I can move my 30 tonne widebeam with it without the thruster. However I've been in lots of situations single handed where you can't leave the helm and lose control to go to the bow to use a shaft. That would be quite ridiculous in situations where you need to keep the boat moving in wind out current on a big boat with lots of momentum.

Edited April 26, 2021 by blackrose

[David Mack]

1 hour ago, ditchcrawler said:

I would say its OK because with the lid on you can't drop anything on it and it can't jump up and short because its fastened down`

And how does that comply with 3.1.3?

[Captain Pegg]

5 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Nobody said how thrusters were essential. I can move my 30 tonne widebeam with it without the thruster. However I've been in lots of situations single handed where you can't leave the helm and lose control to go to the bow to use a shaft. That would be quite ridiculous on a moving boat with lots of momentum.

I think the clue was in my first two words.

 

Ah, I see you’ve now read what I said.

Edited April 26, 2021 by Captain Pegg

[blackrose]

10 minutes ago, Captain Pegg said:

I think the clue was in my first two words.

 

Yes but as I've said in my edit, that's not always possible. If you're just staying on canals then I agree with you.

 

I know it's a canal forum but some of us are on rivers where you can't always just casually leave the helm - at least not for very long.

Edited April 26, 2021 by blackrose

[ditchcrawler]

I have a bowthruster and I don't give a **** what the rest think

[Captain Pegg]

23 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Ah, so you have to stop. That's not always possible I'd you've got wind out current.

 

Nobody said how thrusters were essential, especially if you never venture from canals. I can move my 30 tonne widebeam with it without the thruster. However I've been in lots of situations single handed where you can't leave the helm and lose control to go to the bow to use a shaft. That would be quite ridiculous in situations where you need to keep the boat moving in wind out current on a big boat with lots of momentum.

 

18 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

Yes but as I've said in my edit, that's not always possible. If you're just staying on canals then I agree with you.

Momentum is a product of mass and speed so on a smaller boat regulate the speed and it’s much less of a problem. On the rivers I frequent - mostly the Severn - manoeuvring is mostly done in benign water in lock channels and often they are sheltered. Within a lock the front can be orientated by use of a short shaft against the wall from the stern so you don’t have to leave the helm. When bank side the centre line is your friend.

 

That said picking the right conditions is important with a boat that’s really meant for canals.

 

If I did serious river cruising I’d have a more suitable boat and the necessary equipment. Rivers are mostly transit routes between canals in my cruising plans.

[StephenA]

1 hour ago, Captain Pegg said:

You stop, walk down the gunwales, collect the pole, go to the front of the boat and push. I used mine - similar design to Rob’s and while single handing - to manoeuvre across the channel after being flagged down and asked to retrieve a football that had escaped from King George’s playing fields in Droitwich last Saturday.

 

Bow thruster’s may have their uses but they aren’t essential on canals on a narrowboat, even if single handing. And the bigger and heavier the boat is the more useful that shaft becomes. It has the advantage of being able to move the boat small distances in all directions in a relatively controllable way.

 

And if there are two of you then you can use the pole from the bow and steer the boat as you go backwards down the Great Ouse when you run out of navigation at Kempston Mill and there is nowhere to turn round.

[ditchcrawler]

1 minute ago, StephenA said:

 

And if there are two of you then you can use the pole from the bow and steer the boat as you go backwards down the Great Ouse when you run out of navigation at Kempston Mill and there is nowhere to turn round.

I have no intention of asking my 70+ wife to stand on the bow of the boat and wave a pole about while the boat is running down a river

[cuthound]

My BT compartment is accessed by removing the front panel and floor of the bow locker.

 

Photos are in the thread below, when I was looking to insulate the BT compartment. I have since found that leaving the locker and BT compartment open (but under the cratch) prevents any condensation forming over the cold winter months. You need to give consideration to preventing condensation in the BT compartment before taking delivery of your boat, as it is much easier to fix during the build stage.

 

 

[Ally]

Found a couple of photos from our Beacon builds. Generally the lockers for the BT were like this. We also did one where the BT locker was the same height as the side lockers, providing extra seat/side table space, as requested by the customer, always vented. At this sort of height as in the photos, you are much more aware of it, so it wasn't something you tripped on. Sorry not great photos.