Stern Thruster on Narrowboat (What's the world coming to?)

[blackrose]

You can only spin on the spot with bow and stern thrusters.

Not true. I can spin my boat on the spot just with the rudder.

[PaddingtonBear]

Fore end!!

[Barry]

Girlie button AND a stern thruster. Sounds like hours of innocent fun and entertainment to me

 

For example, I've watched our own Richard playing with a girlie button for ages while waiting in a queue below a lock. He was having a lot of fun. Totally engrossed he was

[Doorman]

Watch it you will be labeled a misogynist by one of our member if your not careful.

Well I've been labelled almost everything else on here so why not a hater of women? :-)

 

I fancy a Jeanneau 53, it has a beam of 16'4".

Is that going to cause any issues through Audlem flight?

Lol,

 

It will if we're at home.

 

Am I the only one to feel the term ' Stern Thruster ' could be misconstrued ?.

Steady on there Toyboy, this is a family show don't you know? :-)

Edited June 16, 2013 by Doorman

[Doorman]

 

In the 6 months we've had the boat I've tried it a couple of times just to try it out and it hardly moves the bows. The surveyor told me the electic ones are useless and I now know what he meant. Has anybody else here had the same experience with electric ones? It's battery is taking up valuable storage space in the bow locker and I'm seriously thinking of taking it out.

It all depends upon the thruster itself. We have a 9hp Nobels bow thruster that powers a stainless steel three blade prop through a 265mm tube. If ever I use it (and that is very rarely unless we are reversing through the bottom locks at Audlem) it manoeuvres the bow very well, even against fairly strong side winds.

 

The problem with most of the bow thrusters that I have seen on narrowboats is that they are underrated for the job. To expect a small thruster to shift the bow of a 57 - 60 foot narrowboat is asking a bit much. I must agree with the purist boaters though that while the facility is there, it tends to stop you from using your tiller and throttle to manoeuvre the boat, especially when reversing.

 

I watched a lady reverse her ex-working boat down the infamous final pound at Audlem last year and she did it perfectly. The byewash from lock 14 usually sends the boat in all directions and I've seen experienced boaters struggle to control their boats along there in reverse.

Girlie button AND a stern thruster. Sounds like hours of innocent fun and entertainment to me

 

I do hope that you're not being rude Barry.

[Guest]

Visiting our local marina today, I noticed a narrowboat on the hard standing with bow and stern thrusters. I wonder if it has a fixed rudder because for the life of me I cannot see the rationale in having a stern thruster on such a vessel.

 

We have the 'girlie button' facility up front and very rarely use it other than in strong windy circumstances, and because we are both wrinklies. Has anyone else got this novelty feature on their boat?

 

A boat we viewed when we were looking (Edelweiss) had both bow and stern thrusters. Having seen them in action on the same boat a few months earlier our first officer had been quite taken with the ability of the boat to crab sideways across the top of Bingley Five rise.

 

Fortunately we ended up with a boat that has neither.

[Doorman]

Personally I have no problem in using a bow thrust when necessary (albeit not very often) and even less so with the stern thrust. Still, it gives the so called experts something else to sneer at I suppose Each to his own.

 

Cheers

 

Howard

 

Good morning Howard and sincere apologies if my observations offended you.

 

It was indeed nb Winthorpe that I was referring to and I resisted naming her in the original post to save any perceived embarrassment. For all my comments and those of any others contributing to this thread, you are correct in your statement, each to their own.

 

Incidentally, what's the rationale for having the keel cooling tank mounted on the outside of the hull, is there limited space within the engine compartment?

 

Mike

[Barry]

I do hope that you're not being rude Barry.

 

Me? Never!

[FadeToScarlet]

Fore end!!

Oops. Still getting used to having to call everything its proper name. I shall wash my mouth out with Brasso straight away in penance.

[Speedwheel]

Fore end!!

 

Pointy (or sharp) end and blunt end (only on a motor obviously).

[Pykebird]

I have a bow thurster for my boat......in the container where it has been for the last 4 years, although I did consider having a girlie button that just made the same noise when u pressed it!

[howardang]

 

Good morning Howard and sincere apologies if my observations offended you.

 

It was indeed nb Winthorpe that I was referring to and I resisted naming her in the original post to save any perceived embarrassment. For all my comments and those of any others contributing to this thread, you are correct in your statement, each to their own.

 

Incidentally, what's the rationale for having the keel cooling tank mounted on the outside of the hull, is there limited space within the engine compartment?

 

Mike

No problem, Mike, I certainly wasn't offended I think it is amusing to read the comments of those who disparage such things and the assumptions they sometimes make. As I said before, each to his own.

 

The stern thrust is of limited use but "came with the boat" so to speak and as such could be regarded as a bonus? The intention of the designer when they installed the original jet thrusts was to be able to hold position when in a queue waiting for a lock or indeed as someone else has suggested while at a lock landing. This was not successful and the units were removed and replaced at no cost by the present set up.

 

I am not sure what you are referring to regarding the external keel cooling tank. The tank is built in internally within the engine compartment as normal. The only think externally is a fairing which was installed on each side to offer protection to the jet thrust water inlets but this is much smaller than a KKT.

 

Cheers

 

Howard

[Doorman]

 

I am not sure what you are referring to regarding the external keel cooling tank. The tank is built in internally within the engine compartment as normal. The only think externally is a fairing which was installed on each side to offer protection to the jet thrust water inlets but this is much smaller than a KKT.

 

Cheers

 

Howard

Ah, it must be the fairing then.

 

I only peeped at one side of the stern and believed it to be a keel cooling feature. Thanks for clearing up the confusion.

 

Mike

[tosher]

Veering slightly off topic, our 62' NB has and electric bow thruster. A BT certainly wasn't on our wish list when we were looking to buy a boat but as this boat we bought happened to have one we thought it may come in handy occasionally even though we've never used one previously.

 

In the 6 months we've had the boat I've tried it a couple of times just to try it out and it hardly moves the bows. The surveyor told me the electic ones are useless and I now know what he meant. Has anybody else here had the same experience with electric ones? It's battery is taking up valuable storage space in the bow locker and I'm seriously thinking of taking it out.

 

I would question the surveyors knowledge of such things. Correctly used and maintained they work fine.

[comfortably numb]

Thanks to you all for the comments about my 'useless' electric bow thruster. Thinking about it now (there was a lot to take in during the survey), the surveyor might have been referring not just to the fact that it was electric but to the fact that it was too small for the size of boat (62') and therefore not really up to the job.

 

When I use it I can see the gushing water from it but the front of the boat hardly moves. Having never used one before and never really feeling the need to have or use one perhaps I should have more of a play with it in different situations and see if it is more effective then.

[Doorman]

Thanks to you all for the comments about my 'useless' electric bow thruster. Thinking about it now (there was a lot to take in during the survey), the surveyor might have been referring not just to the fact that it was electric but to the fact that it was too small for the size of boat (62') and therefore not really up to the job.

 

When I use it I can see the gushing water from it but the front of the boat hardly moves. Having never used one before and never really feeling the need to have or use one perhaps I should have more of a play with it in different situations and see if it is more effective then.

Hello Neil,

 

Being a nosey sod, I like to look at different boats when they're up on hard standing simply to see how various boat builders fabricate hulls. One of my observations has been the total lack of consideration when specifying the correct size of thruster for the type or weight of a hull. Some of the examples that I've witnessed on 57 to 60 foot narrowboats look like they were designed for use on a GRP cruiser.

 

The next time your boat is out of the water for blacking etc., take a peep at the bow thruster tube and determine the size of the tube together with the associated propeller. This will give you an inkling as to whether it is suitable for the boat. Also, take advantage of this time to black the inside of the tube. Something that is sometimes neglected at cost to the boat owner!

[Guest]

.... and while it is out whip the prop out and get a welder to plate the holes over and get them blacked....

 

You obviously wouldn't miss it in your boat and it's just something 'down below' to cause more hassle.

Edited June 17, 2013 by The Dog House

[Doorman]

.... and while it is out whip the prop out and get a welder to plate the holes over and get them blacked....

 

You obviously wouldn't miss it in your boat and it's just something 'down below' to cause more hassle.

I'm available should you take this drastic course of action! :-)

[alan_fincher]

I have previously reported seeing a narrow boat fitted with powerful bow and stern thrusters, and which chose to do all its manouvering using them almost exclusively.....

 

Cut and paste from old post......

 

 

Equally though, I have seen them used by people apparently totally reliant on them.

A classic case was seen in a flight on the Oxford, with a boat that had both bow and stern thrusters.

The steerer never made any attempt to pull up at a bank, or to manoeuvre away from one.

Instead he always pulled up untidily mid channel, using reverse to come to a full stop, then with masses of buzzing, whooshing, and frotherdup water, used the thrusters to move maybe 10 to 20 feet sideways, (sometimes even more).

Similar technique to get going.... Thrust heavily sideways away from bank, with both thrusters, then, when in mid-channel, engage forward gear.

Nowt wrong with it, I suppose - it's what large ocean going ferries do anyway, isn't it.

In fairness this guy must have had "industrial strength" thrusters, as his whole navigation technique seemed totally dependent on frequent, and long term use of them. Your normal lightweight Vetus electrical "jobbie" could not possibly have survived such heavy use.

I distinctly got the impression that if either broke he would have been shafted, but I suppose I actually have no basis for saying he could not have handled his boat OK if the worse had happened.

[RLWP]

Hello Neil,

 

Being a nosey sod, I like to look at different boats when they're up on hard standing simply to see how various boat builders fabricate hulls. One of my observations has been the total lack of consideration when specifying the correct size of thruster for the type or weight of a hull. {snip}

 

I suspect that this is a case of fitting a bowthruster (desirable feature) for as little money as possible. Looks good in the advert when you are buying a new boat

 

Richard

{snip}

 

When I use it I can see the gushing water from it but the front of the boat hardly moves. Having never used one before and never really feeling the need to have or use one perhaps I should have more of a play with it in different situations and see if it is more effective then.

 

Give it time. You are trying to push a flat sided boat sideways, it will take a while to get moving. Little dabs at the button are unlikely to do anything other than disturb the fish. I would expect to be pressing and holding that button down for several tens of seconds

 

Richard

 

I would question the surveyors knowledge of such things. Correctly used and maintained they work fine.

 

Correctly specified as well. Not all bowthrusters are created equal

 

Richard

[ditchcrawler]

I asked before and I will ask again what are you trying to do with it? If its to keep the boat going straight in a crosswind forget it, or to steer the boat while going forward a 3 MPH again a waste of effort, However if you are trying to swing the bows while reversing of to move the bows sideways while stationary in less than a strong breeze it should do the job.

[RLWP]

I asked before and I will ask again what are you trying to do with it? If its to keep the boat going straight in a crosswind forget it,{snip}

 

 

I really enjoy doing that (not with a bow thruster).

 

Richard

[comfortably numb]

Thanks again for your advice boys. I wish now that I had taken more notice of it when the boat was out of the water having the survey, but I seem to recall it was on the small side.

 

Regarding what situations I've tried it in, they have been when I'm hovering in mid canal waiting for the lock to set, as a means of straightening up when the wind has blown the front of the boat to one side. I cannot remember it being windy. I'll give it another try in differing situations next time I'm out in a couple of weeks time.

[Guest]

Thanks again for your advice boys. I wish now that I had taken more notice of it when the boat was out of the water having the survey, but I seem to recall it was on the small side.

 

Regarding what situations I've tried it in, they have been when I'm hovering in mid canal waiting for the lock to set, as a means of straightening up when the wind has blown the front of the boat to one side. I cannot remember it being windy. I'll give it another try in differing situations next time I'm out in a couple of weeks time.

Hold the boat fast by reversing. Set your bow into the wind and forwards the bow will come around, go forward a touch more until the boat straightens reverse and repeat.

 

I often think about getting a mast and pennant to help judge the wind direction but so far have been OK.

 

Jan can do it better than me as she's had more practice.

[RLWP]

I have a mast and pennant to help judge the wind direction...

 

Richard