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Are Bow Thrusters destroying canal banks?


Jo Gilbertson

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I am a firm believer in the push the stern out first method, most of the time if I do manage to moor up parallel to the banks, the water level changes and I am soon at an angle.

So when leaving, undo front ropes first, depending on wind I might give a push too, and then the back ropes, big push out and go, no damage to bank :cheers:

 

I did assist a lady moor up in little venice this week, she used her BT to push the front end into the bank as her tiller position carried her rear (the boat) over to the house boats. Her front end was stuck in the barriers so her companion couldn't get off until I pulled her 10 feet forwards.

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Obviously, if such a device was to be fitted to mrsmelly's boat it would be hydraulic drive direct from the mighty Beta 43, which needs diese.......

 

Ooopppsss :rolleyes:

 

Ooooh! have I missed something here to do with diesel and Mr Smelly? Could somebody fill me in on all the details please? I'd hate to think I'd missed something noteworthy .....

Edited by wrigglefingers
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I'm a bit late to this discussion but did read the said (or sad) article and wondered if Steve had been eating the wrong kind of mushrooms prior to this one.

 

He read as though he may have a perfectly reasonable point on the bow thruster thing but maybe missed the point that it was the twit at the other end pressing the button that was the problem if lack of discretion as to when to use it was the problem which it clearly was in this case.

 

The more dubious comments in the same article which undermined his writings were boats with bows that looked like "an alpine ski run after an avalanche" (clearly after the second portion of said mushrooms)and then going on to question why somebody would have a boat built to 67' and not 70... even 72'?

 

A-herm but excuse me... personal choice, adequacy and budget are the obvious replies to that one.

 

Thank God we aren't all in the Steve Haywood world of uniformity.

 

Shall I send him an invitation to the next S M Hudson open day... not assuming at all that his criticisms of boat length (due to the builder of this particular boat to which he was referring to) and preceeding comment on bows are linked of course, I'm sure Steve would have the short & curlies to come out and say such things if that were the case, I just thought it would be a nice gesture :)

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As the owner of a 67ft boat without a bowthruster, I can answer that I chose the boat to be built at that length and I like it.

 

Those extra 3ft are ever so useful sometimes. 3ft extra to stop in case of emergency, 3ft to spare when winding in a silted-up winding hole, 3ft to spare in a lock which would have owners of a 70-footer removing their bow and stern fenders ... need I go on. Though I freely confess that the boat WAS going to be 65ft, but during the design phase the builder kept coming up with things that "wouldn't quite fit unless we make the boat a few inches longer" so while it was still on paper it grew to 67ft. But there was NEVER any likelihood that it would have a bowthruster, not even if he'd offered to include one for free!

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More drivel. My BT batteries are 5 years old and still going strong.

 

I'll raise you 6!

Earnest's single 12v 110Ah bowthruster battery is original (April 1999)

It spends most of its time powering the 100w car stereo amp.

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I think the 'thrust' of his argument was that the bow thruster forced water directly at 90 degrees into the bank - and was therefore causing more wear than the traditional way of pushing the bow away from the bank by manpower and walking back to take up the helm and pootle away under normal power from the stern - which has a more oblique affect on the bankside.

I don't usually have to push the stern out handraulically - a quick burst of reverse usually does it. Although if you let go the front end mooring line first, the front often wanders out of its own accord and you can just go straight off, once you get stood on the arsend.

 

Take your time and it either happens as you want - or it doesn't, and then you do something about it!

 

Perhaps it's just easier on a 48-footer?

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I would suspect that they may cause damage to the brickwork of locks. I've never had a bowthruster on any of the boats I've owned in 30 years. Not by choice , there just wasn't one. But I do know that a bowthruster causes an integral weakness to a hull. Even if people black them regularly, the thrust within that narrow tube soon blasts any protection off pretty quickly.

 

The risk of rusting through is a consideration that is largely overlooked. Would you want to sacrifice the integrity of a boat's hull rather than learn how to control a boat without one?

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I don't know whether is was on here, but someone recently refered to the bowthruster as 'the girly button'.

 

Having said that, I decided to have one fitted when the boat was built.

 

Over the last 4 years I have used it less &less, but it can be useful for 'fine tuning' particularly when reversing.

 

But I think that it is fair to say that those of us with one do not use them as a matter of course & I cannot think of a time that I used it to get off a mooring.

 

Tony

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I guess some people used to say the same thing about having engines on boats - that they were only of any use to incapable boaters. If you want to be a purist you better get yourself a horse.

:rolleyes:

 

Naaahhhhh I use the dog..........

 

As far as thrusters eroding banks, I would think that most are not really powerful enough, wash from passing boats creates far more turbulance. I'm not sure that the argument about thrusters causing more erosion because they direct the thrust perpedicular to the bank really makes sense either - a 45 degree wash can cause plenty of bank erosion.

 

 

More drivel. My BT batteries are 5 years old and still going strong.

:rolleyes:

Dare I say thats probabaly because you know how to handle your boat and dont often use the silly thing ?

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I would suspect that they may cause damage to the brickwork of locks. I've never had a bowthruster on any of the boats I've owned in 30 years. Not by choice , there just wasn't one. But I do know that a bowthruster causes an integral weakness to a hull. Even if people black them regularly, the thrust within that narrow tube soon blasts any protection off pretty quickly.

 

The risk of rusting through is a consideration that is largely overlooked. Would you want to sacrifice the integrity of a boat's hull rather than learn how to control a boat without one?

 

I would not want any boat with a bow thruster tube that is not in a watertight compartment.

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Interesting article in this month's Canal Boat by Steve Haywood on his observations on boats with bow thrusters and the damage he observed to occur to unprotected banksides whilst moving away from moorings.

 

Anyone agree with his observations?

 

Ought bowthrusters be considered as a maintenance liability and charged as an addition on the exisitng licence if there is a case to be made for additional damage?

 

ban them i say! they also seem to destroy peoples ability to steer with the tiller, i followed a boat down hatton earlier in the year and they were using the bow thruster to steer into every lock.

  • Greenie 1
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Ooooh! have I missed something here to do with diesel and Mr Smelly? Could somebody fill me in on all the details please? I'd hate to think I'd missed something noteworthy .....

:blush:

Hi wrigglefingers

 

I will enlighten you before Alnwick or Proper job get in with their comments.................. :( The truth is I have a fuel gauge on my boat as it is not possible to dip the tanks with a stick as there are two saddle tanks and the filler goes down at an angle. I was out cruising with the needle on zero ( for quite some time ) and didnt beleive it. Suffice to say as with all things Steve Hudson fits the best B) and the poxy fuel gauge was right the bloody tank was empty.........My dear friend Bones posted the info on here within about 3 seconds of me telling her............Glad some of you missed it ;)

 

ban them i say! they also seem to destroy peoples ability to steer with the tiller, i followed a boat down hatton earlier in the year and they were using the bow thruster to steer into every lock.

:glare:

Wouldnt say ban them as too many boaters have no idea how to manouvre without them and for them its too late. Yes as many would agree with my earlier post reversing out of a mooring is the best way and yes again if you moored where I do at Thrupp just prior to the bridge and a friggin tight bend you would not beleive how many approach with the tiller straight ahead and the hairdryer screaming like hell at the pointy end........ :lol:

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ban them i say! they also seem to destroy peoples ability to steer with the tiller, i followed a boat down hatton earlier in the year and they were using the bow thruster to steer into every lock.

And if you are sharing the lock, blasting your boat sideways as they do so. In answer to Neil Arlidge's comment, watertight comparment or not, it is still a rust trap. Why would someone with your experience want one? They are the equivalent of safety wheels bolted on to a bicycle for kids who haven't learnt how to balance on just two wheels.

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They are the equivalent of safety wheels bolted on to a bicycle for kids who haven't learnt how to balance on just two wheels.

 

Though notably not how you describe them on the boat descriptions on the RBS web site..... ;)

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Though notably not how you describe them on the boat descriptions on the RBS web site..... ;)

True. They are handy for manoeuvring. But I am happy to point out their longer term downsides, and there is, in my humble opinion, great satisfaction to be gained from learning how to handle a boat properly without one. Not least because one day, it will break down. And I find it very satisfying to be able to use rope techniques to spring my 28 ton boat from the bank if I need to. Waterways World ran a great article on this a year or two ago, and I'm sure Richard Fairhurst will happily provide a free link to that article for the benefit of all if asked nicely. :)

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Though notably not how you describe them on the boat descriptions on the RBS web site..... ;)

 

I have hydraulic ones on Cobbett. When I went out to test them I found I couldn't remember which way round they went and then decided I didn't really need them after all as, most of the time, I seem to know how to steer her. Most of the time ...

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In answer to Neil Arlidge's comment, watertight comparment or not, it is still a rust trap.

 

Just like the rudder tube on virtually every narrowboat then...

 

 

 

Why would someone with your experience want one? They are the equivalent of safety wheels bolted on to a bicycle for kids who haven't learnt how to balance on just two wheels.

 

I've never used one, but it's always struck me that the main use for a bow thuster would be nothing to do with steering the boat when going forwards, but to get accurate steering and control when reversing.

 

Mike

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can you get a silent bow thruster? I might fit one if you can as no one would know i was 'cheating' then lol

 

Cobbett's are nearly silent.

 

ETA although I can be heard swearing vigorously as we whistle off in the wrong direction.

Edited by wrigglefingers
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In answer to Mike the Boilerman, a rudder tube is vertical, not horizontal . It is not entirely below the waterline, and does not have a propellor mounted within it blasting water through at great force. Believe me, I've seen boats less than 10 years old that need bowthruster tubes needing to be replaced.

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In answer to Neil Arlidge's comment, watertight comparment or not, it is still a rust trap.

 

Just like the rudder tube on virtually every narrowboat then...

 

But on very many narrowboats the rudder tube's watertight compartment s the stern diesel tank. :o

 

As I was blacking the boat the other day, unable to get near that bit of relatively thin steel, it occurred to me the first you would know of it rusting through is an oil slick behind you.

 

Not terribly clever design, really....

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Why do bow thrusters spin up almost instantaneously to something like 3000 rpm?

 

After all we are not exactly in a hurry are we?

 

Lower or variable rpm I would have thought would have put less stress on the motor, battery etc.

 

5th

 

edit: too many to's

Edited by 5thHorseman
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