Bow Thruster

[NB Willawaw]

Just for fun, I am intrigued as to how many boats have a bow thruster and what makes are the most prevalent. This information is not being used by me for any form of marketing nor am I collecting your individual data/results.

 

Obviously, I would like you all to vote and you will see that there is a "no bow thruster fitted" vote option, so no one is excluded. However, if you really don't want to vote, then you can still see the results progress by clicking on the "show results" tab. Please bear in mind that if you do not vote, then this will skew the results and could give a false impression.

 

Many thanks.

 

Mark

Edited June 17, 2006 by NB Willawaw

[DHutch]

One 3kva 24v Vetus Electric here. (thats in a 22ton 58ft narrowboat)

 

 

Daniel

[Keeping Up]

One 3kva 24v Vetus Electric here. (thats in a 22ton 58ft narrowboat)

Daniel

Keeping Up's bow thruster consists of a wife with a long wooden pole. She's powered by beer; I think an electric one would have been cheaper in the long run!

Allan

[DHutch]

Keeping Up's bow thruster consists of a wife with a long wooden pole.

- I think an electric one would have been cheaper in the long run!

Yeah, we also have a very good (aluminum) pole which proberbly sees more use!

 

There we go, you see thats what happens if you let a woman drive! (my sister)

- Sarah, dont cut the corners becuase it will be shallow on the inside of the bend.

- Little later one "daniel, i think we might be on the bottom..."

 

 

Daniel

[Nic]

A bowthruster seems too much like boating by remote control .

 

I don't have one, nor need one. I've reversed several hundred yards from the end of an arm as boats are moored on both sides, I've navigated round a packed marina on a very windy day, steered in reverse through broken ice (went forward a hundred yards to the water point, then reversed back afterwards and moored again), and other situations - sure a bowthruster would have made these a doddle, but it would have taken the fun out of them. I like thinking laterally about how to do something, and then doing it.

[wrigglefingers]

Keeping Up's bow thruster consists of a wife with a long wooden pole. She's powered by beer; I think an electric one would have been cheaper in the long run!

Allan

 

I have daughter with pole; she whines a lot (sorry) or simply fails to wake up. Steering skills are therefore improving rapidly!

 

Jill

[Bones]

I had a man with a lovely new pole - and he quite splendidly managed to break it in half!!!!

[iteldoo4me]

Would the person with the BCS thruster please contact me.I am deliberating over buying one,but have been hearing 'stories' and would like to know from a bearer of this machine if any thing is mechanically or otherwise unsound about it.many thanks.Marc

Edited June 18, 2006 by iteldoo4me

[GUMPY]

No BT fitted here

18ft ali poles and a 25kg weight on a long piece of rope work for me.

 

J

[DHutch]

I had a man with a lovely new pole - and he quite splendidly managed to break it in half!!!!

Ah you see, but was it an aluminum pole!

[GUMPY]

Ah you see, but was it an aluminum pole!

 

You can break any pole even steel if you use it wrongly.

Poles should only be used for pushing not levering.

levering is what the gang plank is for.

 

J

[dor]

Hire boats should not be issued with poles. I'm amazed more don't skewer themselves.

 

A few weeks ago I saw someone standing in the front cockpit with the pole held out in front of them, with one end of the pole being steadied in the middle of their chest. Now if the pole had made contact....... kebab time!

 

 

Can't remember the last time I used a pole - and I don't have a bow thruster. About the only time I use the pole is in a wide lock on my own, I use it to keep to one side if it drifts across.

Edited June 19, 2006 by dor

[Cris P]

I like the challenge of not having one, much more fun. But who recognises the skill involved these days, eh ? If you do it well folks probably assume you've got a thruster.

[blackrose]

It's quite simple chaps, if you want a bow thruster then get one, if you don't want one (or can't afford one), then dont, but there's really no need to look down your noses at those who choose to have them. I wonder if the same arguments prevailed when they did away with horses and installed engines on boats? Either we accept that unless we live in a back cabin on a horse-drawn working boat none of us are truly traditional, or conceed that traditionalism is simply current technology viewed retrospectively.

[DHutch]

A few weeks ago I saw someone standing in the front cockpit with the pole held out in front of them, with one end of the pole being steadied in the middle of their chest. Now if the pole had made contact....... kebab time!

Ouch, thats not a clever thing to be doing really is it.

- However, i dont think that just becuase there (or anything else) are potentially dangous they shouldnt be included in the hireboats invertory, really?

[alan_fincher]

Either we accept that unless we live in a back cabin on a horse-drawn working boat none of us are truly traditional, or conceed that traditionalism is simply current technology viewed retrospectively.

 

Hey!, that's not THAT traditional.....

 

As I understand it, in the really early days, the boatmen's families lived ashore in canalside cottages, and the boatmen were only on the boats by day, so they didn't have cabins with living quarters at all..... For a few short years in the pre-railway years, being a boatman was a fairly prestigious job,paid well above normal labourer rates....

 

Only when the railways started to muscle in, did the switch to families living on board the boats take place, as a cost saving measure, and a bid to try and compete with the new technology of the day. From then on it was a much harder life, and the whole family had to work on-board.

 

So, if we want to be REALLY traditional, we'd stay in land based accomodation each night, and never rough it sleeping on-board

 

[DHutch]

As for if a pole is nessary, and frequecy of use, i wouldnd be without it, i'd certainly give it pride of place of the plank!

 

I guess it depends on the boat in question, and to a certain extent the crew. But for us running aground is frequent and almost unavoidable occurence. If i got a penny for everytime we ran around, id be a rich man! And about half the times we run aground the pole is invaluable.

- We often get hard enough on that we cant just pull off with the prop, and if this happens, its out with the pole, and then 2mins later we're off again. Otherwise we'd be stuffed.

- Somtime its our own fault, such as the photograph above, which was simply down to new and inexprenced crew. But often theres nothing you could have done diffrently, without prehaps local knowlage.

- About 10 years ago when i started crewing emilyane reguarly, my grandad said on one such occation. "every time you run around, look at where you are, and if it was a sensable place to be in the canal" "Then if it is, you know it wasnt your fault, and if it wasnt, let it be a lesson" I replay that sentance though my head everytime we run aground. And over the years, its gone from being mainly my fault, to a point now where 9 time out of 10, theres absoulty nothing i could have done. And still run aground 2/3 times a day!

 

 

 

Daniel