Are bow thrusters worth the money ?

[Biggles]

Possibly the worst solution ever.

 

 

 

Possibly the worst solution ever.

 

 

 

Possibly the worst solution ever.

 

 

I wish I knew why the iPad does this when on a mobile connection. I only posted it once.

Edited July 4, 2012 by Biggles

[smileypete]

Possibly the worst solution ever.

 

Err, Why? Why? Why?

 

cheers, Pete.

~smpt~

[luctor et emergo]

Yes, bow thrusters are worth every penny. If you are commisioning a tanker, or ferry.

[FrigateCaptain]

Yes, bow thrusters are worth every penny. If you are commisioning a tanker, or ferry.

 

 

I think unless your disabled or the like, people need to man up and learn how to handle a boat and pole ect.

[Robbo]

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.

 

I have a 51'x12' dutch barge with bow thruster and I do find it useful when mooring up (it's usually windy where I'm moored, single handed and a barge pole would be useless as the water is too deep in the dock), however I've not come across a situation where I really needed one. I would spend the money elsewhere, but I would 'plan' to have one installed even with out the tube I would still plan where it would go so if you change your mind there isn't a tank in the way.

[LoneEcho]

I was in the same position as yourself regarding budget and opted for BT tube only, and went for a larger 60x12 boat. I think they are a nice thing to have in certain circumstances, but am glad I made the decision I did, and can't see me having one fitted when I take it out for blacking (that was the original plan). Most boats on my marina of that size do have electric ones fitted, and they can come in handy when reversing into your birth, but still next to useless if it is windy. Oh and although I am a 60x12 on a marina, I do try and go out at least a couple of days a week

[Christianonthecut]

i like bow thrusters.

[johnmck]

i like bow thrusters.

 

So do I !

 

But are they essential kit on a narrowboat ? No.

 

We have one. It packed in en-route to Liverpool as we reached Wigan. Made do without it into Liverpool and going up the Rufford arm were cross winds made life interesting. We did without untill reaching Barnoldswick, when a friend diagnosed that the inline fuze holder was, well crap, with no contact. So we appear to have run for a year with the power of the battery untill it expired.

 

So we have not over used it, but...

 

I find it is a great asset when reversing in confined areas. We are currently in Buxworth basin, down the arm directly below the services. We reversed in between boats moored either side with no problem. Even went to the services, filled with water, then reversed back. We have also watched experianced boaters without a thruster zig zagging backwards trying to get out of the arm, with one standing on the gunnel pushing off from moored boats.

 

Do I need a bow thruster, again no. Does it make life easier. Yes.

[mrsmelly]

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

 

Completely unecessary piece of kit for any narrowboat and most widebeams. Save your money for something else

 

Tim

Edited July 9, 2012 by mrsmelly

[Grace and Favour]

Completely unecessary piece of kit for any narrowboat and most widebeams. Save your money for something else

 

Tim

 

A bowthruster is as unnecessary a piece of kit as is owning 3 cars with just two of you on the boat

[mrsmelly]

A bowthruster is as unnecessary a piece of kit as is owning 3 cars with just two of you on the boat

 

[howardang]

So do I !

 

But are they essential kit on a narrowboat ? No.

 

We have one. It packed in en-route to Liverpool as we reached Wigan. Made do without it into Liverpool and going up the Rufford arm were cross winds made life interesting. We did without untill reaching Barnoldswick, when a friend diagnosed that the inline fuze holder was, well crap, with no contact. So we appear to have run for a year with the power of the battery untill it expired.

 

So we have not over used it, but...

 

I find it is a great asset when reversing in confined areas. We are currently in Buxworth basin, down the arm directly below the services. We reversed in between boats moored either side with no problem. Even went to the services, filled with water, then reversed back. We have also watched experianced boaters without a thruster zig zagging backwards trying to get out of the arm, with one standing on the gunnel pushing off from moored boats.

 

Do I need a bow thruster, again no. Does it make life easier. Yes.

Totally agree with these sentiments. An earlier poster suggests that those in favour of a BT, unless disabled, should "man up" (whatever that means) and use a boat pole. I suppose we should also stop using that new fangled electricity to light the boat and revert to using horses to pull them

To my mind that is a childish and narrowminded view. I would rather live and let live, and will continue to use my bow thruster if and when circumstances warrant it.

 

Howard

[Maffi]

Completely unecessary piece of kit for any narrowboat and most widebeams. Save your money for something else

 

Tim

 

 

So what do you use your Bow thruster for a coffee table?

[Maffi]

I had a 9hp Nobel BT fitted and yes I used it, Did I need it? No! They can come in handy when you have done a long trip and you cant be assed to piss around for ten minutes. I used to regularly reverse my boat half a mile for water and PO (no BT) and when I fixed it with BT, but now prefer to pole it. I can pole it further than most people would consider it decent.

 

I am sure the old boaters would have jumped at the chance of a BT, anything to make life easy. That's all it does. makes lfe easy. Operating a boat without one is not difficult it takes practice and planning thats all.

 

When people who read the blog come through here, if they have a BT they wont use it incase I call them cissies but what ever floats ya boat. If you feel you need one then have one, but please dont use it to make your tiller redundant.

Edited July 10, 2012 by Maffi

[MtB]

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.

 

Indeed.

 

I just bought a 15ft bowthruster from Rose narrowboats for £36.

[johnmck]

I had a 9hp Nobel BT fitted and yes I used it, Did I need it? No! They can come in handy when you have done a long trip and you cant be assed to piss around for ten minutes. I used to regularly reverse my boat half a mile for water and PO (no BT) and when I fixed it with BT, but now prefer to pole it. I can pole it further than most people would consider it decent.

 

I am sure the old boaters would have jumped at the chance of a BT, anything to make life easy. That's all it does. makes lfe easy. Operating a boat without one is not difficult it takes practice and planning thats all.

 

When people who read the blog come through here, if they have a BT they wont use it incase I call them cissies but what ever floats ya boat. If you feel you need one then have one, but please dont use it to make your tiller redundant.

 

 

One evening whilst moored at Thrupp on the south Oxford, we heard the sound of a boat engine. Looking out, saw a boat reversing with no one on the tiller. As in came past, realised that the boat was being poled. It was a joy to behold, it was Maffi.

 

Now had I done that, I would have fallen off the bow for sure.

[blackrose]

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.

 

Not true. My 95kgf electric Vetus bow thruster is very effective on my 12ft widebeam.

 

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.

 

Surely it's when manouvreing around other boats in confined spaces that a bow thruster is at its most useful? On wide sections of rivers it's not very beneficial at all.

 

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.

 

Agreed.

 

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.

 

A pole is fine if you've got crew.

[matty40s]

I picked up a boat at the weekend and had to get it out of a quite tight marina.

 

Imagin my delight when I looked at the controls and saw the bowthruster.

At last I could enjoy the pleasures I heard so many rumours about......

I got to the marina mouth and engaged BT, nothing.

I was expecting a lovely high screechy noise, nothing, and no movement.

I switched it the other way, nothing.

I gave up and got it out the normal way, quite easily.

 

Next morning I went down the front hatch and found the BT tube with the motor missing and battery wires hanging.

[blackrose]

I think unless your disabled or the like, people need to man up and learn how to handle a boat and pole ect.

 

I bet a few of the old horse drawn boaters said the same thing when diesel engines were first introduced.

 

Why do some people insist on telling others what equipment they should have on their boat?

 

It's perfectly possible to know how to handle a boat AND have a bow thruster. Some people over-use BTs but they will find this out sooner or later.

 

i like bow thrusters.

 

Heretic!

Edited July 20, 2012 by blackrose

[howardang]

I bet a few of the old horse drawn boaters said the same thing when diesel engines were first introduced.

 

Why do some people insist on telling others what equipment they should have on their boat?

 

It's perfectly possible to know how to handle a boat AND have a bow thruster. Some people over-use BTs but they will find this out sooner or later.

 

 

 

Absolutely agree; have a greenie!

 

Howard

[Tuscan]

Absolutely agree; have a greenie!

 

Howard

 

 

Yep I agree, too , it's a usefull tool in certain situations and laziness in others,

[FadeToScarlet]

I bet a few of the old horse drawn boaters said the same thing when diesel engines were first introduced.

 

"All he's ever good at is churning up the mud and knocking down the banks, and that's all he'll ever know".

[Theo]

 

 

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!

 

I reckon that it is easier just to push the stern out. This means that you don't have to have anyone at the bow. When you do the the pivot point out too and as you move forward with the tiller over you end up a sensible distance from the side.

 

Nick

[ditchcrawler]

Indeed.

 

I just bought a 15ft bowthruster from Rose narrowboats for £36.

Well you wouldn't catch my misses using it and I wouldn't want her to.

 

Completely unecessary piece of kit for any narrowboat and most widebeams. Save your money for something else

 

Tim

So is a gas system

[Higgs]

Having invited three friends out for a cruise on sunday, and not having taken the boat out for quite a while, I was a bit nervous. At the last minute, decided to install two new batteries to the bowthruster. Non of my friends knew one end of a rope from the other, so I needed all the help I could get. With a very tight turn onto the cut from the marina and a very tricky turn at the end of the days run, which made use of small basin, the bowthruster was useful.

 

All in all, the cruise went well, but my recently redone hoses on the engine sprung a small leak. Plenty of tea and food. No wind to speak of, and relieved to arrive back with a few frayed nerves only.

 

Going out for a longer run, in a week, with a more experienced boater. Will keep bowthruster in a capable condition - just in case.