wide beam

[collins65]

Hi Folks

read pros and cons as regards bowthrusters electric and hydraulic but can someone give me a view on the the times they have real trouble with their widebeam

Thanks Pierre

[blackrose]

Hi Folks

read pros and cons as regards bowthrusters electric and hydraulic but can someone give me a view on the the times they have real trouble with their widebeam

Thanks Pierre

 

Could you be a bit more specific? Do you mean trouble with the bowthruster on a widebeam, or trouble handling a widebeam without a BT?

Edited December 30, 2006 by blackrose

[DHutch]

Before we dive off in another thread, just have a quick skate over this lot.

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php...;highlite=thrus

 

Also, if you are geting a BT fitted to a widebeam, unless the tubes right right into the bow, have the thruster to one side a bit so you can get to the blades from reaching into one end.

 

 

 

Daniel

[blackrose]

Also, if you are geting a BT fitted to a widebeam, unless the tubes right right into the bow, have the thruster to one side a bit so you can get to the blades from reaching into one end.

Daniel

 

Good point - I had mine moved to one side under warranty. Either that or you need a weedhatch in the tunnel.

[ChrisPy]

I fitted mine myself, within about 18" of the end of the tunnel. It's surprisingly difficult to get your hand up a 7" tunnel and then do anything useful with it. It's all I can do to hold it steady at that distance, and I couldn't get it any closer to the end.

My advice - get it as close to the end as possible.

[blackrose]

I'm amazed you could do it on your own without someone on the inside to help.

 

Mine's about 18" from the port side now.

 

Having used the thruster both centrally in the tunnel and now in its new position, it's surprising how little difference it makes in terms of thrust balance on either side.

Edited December 30, 2006 by blackrose

[collins65]

Could you be a bit more specific? Do you mean trouble with the bowthruster on a widebeam, or trouble handling a widebeam without a BT?

 

handling without one,

[ChrisPy]

I'm amazed you could do it on your own without someone on the inside to help.

 

Mine's about 18" from the port side now.

 

Having used the thruster both centrally in the tunnel and now in its new position, it's surprising how little difference it makes in terms of thrust balance on either side.

It was just about wedging the unit into place, with the lugs fitting into the holes I had drilled, so that I could fit the allen screws from inside. Of course this was an electric vetus unit which appears to be different from the hydraulic unit pictured here on this thread.

By the way, my tube was not truly circular. The propellor fouled part of the circumference and I had to cut a few mm off the end of each blade. It is designed to be quite a tight fit. I don't suppose it will make much difference in use.

[blackrose]

handling without one,

 

Well there are plenty of people who handle Dutch barges, both originals & replicas without bowthrusters, and similar skills are used by the owners of narrowboat style widebeams. The main difference betweeen the two in terms of handling is probably hull profile. Like many narrowboats, my widebeam is completely unchined (if indeed that is a word), with 90 deg corners between sides & the 1" overhanging baseplate. I believe these corners and overhangs act like long bilge keels in the water, creating increased lateral drag when moving sideways compared to a chined hull. This can help to keep me on course in the wind, but I am adversely affected by sideways current and perhaps turning response is decreased.

 

Anyway, I move my 12' widebeam on my own without the use of the bowthruster 99% of the time, but I fear we are straying into territory where the anti-bowthruster brigade will soon be upon us. There are plenty of these arguments and other info on the threads Daniel has posted above.

Edited December 30, 2006 by blackrose

[elessina]

Like Blackrose, 99% of the time we do not use the bow thruster (on our 60ft barge).

However it is nice to know it is there if needed. Especially when cruising past rows of GRP and wooden boats along a narrow channel with a strong side wind.

 

A few miles upriver is a low arched bridge on a bend, which we can get under with our wheelhouse up a couple of hours off high tide. I have not yet managed to get under the bridge with tide behind us without the use of bow thrusters….. In fact I would not contemplate it (running with tide) without the bowthruster.

 

We also do sometime use it for convenience when entering and leaving locks and when mooring up (just to make sure it is still working ok!).

 

Ian

Elessina

[Hairy-Neil]

but I fear we are straying into territory where the anti-bowthruster brigade will soon be upon us. ......

 

[blackrose]

If you're contemplating owning a widebeam with or without a bowthruster, I can recommend Edward Burrell's book "A Guide to Motor Barge Handling".

 

Although primarily written with Dutch Barges in mind, he describes some useful techniques relevant to handling narrowboat style widebeams and also narrowboats.

 

It's a bit expensive for its size, but it's not exactly a blockbuster best seller and I guess publishing & printing a short run doesn't result in cheap unit costs.

[DHutch]

We have a BT on emilyanne, who although is only a nb does weigh a bit more than a std NB, and is a bit less manoverable.

- Occationally its dam usefull, but duing last year it didnt work (15years of neglect, and 10yo batterys i feel) and tbh, we didnt really miss it!

- The one time it was very usfull recently (last year) was when we where stuck behind a VERY slow man in a grp boat in the harecastle, and due to lack of speed basically lost stearage way, but we where able to keep the bow in the middle with little blips on the thruster, and keep coasting fwd's without touching the sides.

 

 

 

Daniel

[Adam]

The first trip i had out on a 50ft narrowboat i didn't feel the need to use one if it was there. I don't think a broadbeam would be mich diffrent but it's personal choice.

[tomsk]

I once considered fitting a BT to my traditional welsh coracle (replete with knurdling spar and flipperjibbert) , but as I believe I may have mentioned previously, had no end of trouble identifying the bow.........

[Yoda]

I once considered fitting a BT to my traditional welsh coracle (replete with knurdling spar and flipperjibbert) , but as I believe I may have mentioned previously, had no end of trouble identifying the bow.........

 

It matters not, sometime you have a stern thruster!

[Mick_B]

I once considered fitting a BT to my traditional welsh coracle (replete with knurdling spar and flipperjibbert) , but as I believe I may have mentioned previously, had no end of trouble identifying the bow.........

 

 

It matters not, sometime you have a stern thruster!

 

 

Add both and you have a floating, spinning top... Oh so dizzying.... is that a real word?????

[ChrisG]

Last time I was there, there were still a lot on peniche size barges in France, none of which have BTs. Some modern big barges have them, though. I guess a big part of it is personal preference - although I enjoy boat handling, I think BTs are superb devices to get you out of trouble if you get into it, and to make working the boat easier - why shouldn't we take an easy route?

Edited December 4, 2007 by ChrisG

[tomsk]

Last time I was there, there were still a lot on peniche size barges in France, none of which have BTs. Some modern big barges have them, though. I guess a big part of it is personal preference - although I enjoy boat handling, I think BTs are superb devices to get you out of trouble if you get into it, and to make working the boat easier - why shouldn't we take an easy route?

 

 

It has been proved time and time again on this site that BTs make you an inferior boater and consequently less of a man. For the avoidence of doubt, the term 'Gay' has never been attached to such indiduals as yet, but I know not why.

[howardang]

Like Blackrose, 99% of the time we do not use the bow thruster (on our 60ft barge).

However it is nice to know it is there if needed. Especially when cruising past rows of GRP and wooden boats along a narrow channel with a strong side wind.

 

A few miles upriver is a low arched bridge on a bend, which we can get under with our wheelhouse up a couple of hours off high tide. I have not yet managed to get under the bridge with tide behind us without the use of bow thrusters….. In fact I would not contemplate it (running with tide) without the bowthruster.

 

We also do sometime use it for convenience when entering and leaving locks and when mooring up (just to make sure it is still working ok!).

 

Ian

Elessina

Ian,

 

Have you tried turning and stemming the current and then easing down the forward revs so that you go slowly stern first? You'll find then that you will have more control over the boat, even if you don't use the bowthrust.

 

Howard Anguish

[ChrisG]

It has been proved time and time again on this site that BTs make you an inferior boater and consequently less of a man. For the avoidence of doubt, the term 'Gay' has never been attached to such indiduals as yet, but I know not why.

 

On the basis of this, then Tomsk, do you have a BT?

[tomsk]

On the basis of this, then Tomsk, do you have a BT?

 

As many members and guests will remember, I once attempted to retro-fit a BT to my traditional Welsh coracle (replete with impacted flibber-gibbet and knurdling spar), but ran into the knotty problem of identifying the bow......... (BTW you have inserted too many commas, please edit before Moley spots it otherwise you will ruin his day)

Edited December 6, 2007 by tomsk

[carlt]

On the basis of this, then, Tomsk, do you have a BT?

 

It could, surely, acommodate a third comma, perhaps?

[tomsk]

It could, surely, acommodate a third comma, perhaps?

 

Quite, I concur though feel the addition may play havoc with the posts narrative drive

[ChrisG]

On the basis of this, then Tomsk, do you have a BT?

 

On the basis of this, then, Tomsk, do you have a BT?

 

As instructed . . .

 

On the subject of coracles, there was a nice lady paddling one on the BW feature at Earls Court - she's in my prog tonight. Had I known of your difficulty, I'd have asked her for appropriate fitting instructions.

Edited December 7, 2007 by ChrisG