Bow Thrusters

[jddevel]

Mmmmm. Well it`s the old adage "you pay your money and make your choice" But I`m grateful for your input. Thank you all.

[sirweste]

Personally my boat doesn't have BlueTooth either and I don't understand how it would help me with navigation.

 

Though, seriously, I wished I had it when I was learning on the Ouse, Middle Level. But by the time I was on the Nene I felt it was cheating and much prefer the more "natural" steering.

There's definitely occasions where it would make things easier on the canal (on the GU now), but that would just make it boring. I much prefer the challenge of handling the boat correctly rather than "cheating"!!

Most things are fun when there's a sense of achievement attached to them in my opinion

[MtB]

Just passed Grendon dock, a few boats moored there but none breasted up so plenty of room for 2 boats to pass and it's quite deep up to the piling (which was on our side). But despite there being probably 14' between us and the moored boats, boat coming the other way decides to stop in the wide bit at the dock. WhizzGrindBrrrr on comes the bow thruster pushing to starboard. Few seconds later WhizzGrindBrrrr on comes the bow thruster to port, cancelling out the effect of the previous bow thruster blast.

 

Impression left? The guy didn't really know how to steer, how wide his boat was, and probably finds it all a bit stressful. A shame

 

 

I had a similar event on Sunday afternoon. Moored up half way along a one mile long straight bit and 100yds from an accommodation bridge, sitting in the saloon I could the familiar whooping and wailing of an electric bow thruster in the distance. After about ten minutes of this with it getting gradually louder I stuck my head out to see what was going on. An ordinary 57ft clonecraft was gingerly creeping through the (16ft wide) bridge 'ole with the BT being used to steer the boat. Jeez.

 

Guess the gender of the steerer!

[Bettie Boo]

 

 

I had a similar event on Sunday afternoon. Moored up half way along a one mile long straight bit and 100yds from an accommodation bridge, sitting in the saloon I could the familiar whooping and wailing of an electric bow thruster in the distance. After about ten minutes of this with it getting gradually louder I stuck my head out to see what was going on. An ordinary 57ft clonecraft was gingerly creeping through the (16ft wide) bridge 'ole with the BT being used to steer the boat. Jeez.

 

Guess the gender of the steerer!

 

My guess is it was a bouy

[MtB]

 

My guess is it was a bouy

 

 

Nah it was a trick question. Husband and wife, pressing one button each...

[Catnip King]

Good if you need to reverse down locks regular if your mooring is up the top but water down below etc.

[dogless]

If you don't fit a bow thruster now you'll never have one.

 

I would suggest, if you can afford it, fit it.

 

You can then choose not to use it. You can't choose to use what you don't have.

 

The only time I have found ours useful is when I'm in a double lock with another boat thundering in and the nose wanders out. You can get someone to haul a rope, but the press of a button is much quicker.

 

Rog

 

Even then it is slightly embarrassing as they make so much noise, and my wife calls it 'the girly button'.

[MtB]

If you don't fit a bow thruster now you'll never have one.

 

I would suggest, if you can afford it, fit it.

 

You can then choose not to use it. You can't choose to use what you don't have.

 

 

A very good point.

 

I very rarely find I want one, but on those rare occasions one would have been really, REALLY useful!

[sirweste]

I agree entirely. My skill means I can't reverse very well (though I'm better than a lot I've seen) to have bluetooth on the boat would open up longer reverses that, as of today, I'd not bother with.

 

But still, I think I'd end up using it lots as if it's there why wouldnt you. So this is why i feel it would take away from the challenge somewhat.

[jddevel]

One last comment from me the instigator. I`ve spent over 40 years in the property game and spent the last possibly 10 with stress related blood pressure. I`ve enjoyed the down time over the years annually renting but hope that my purchase over time and life on the cut albeit not as a live aboard will help reduce what on one occasion read 204 over 98 (before the pills) but fortunately a pulse rate of around 65. Only time will tell if a bow thruster will actually help. I must confess to now being cowardly and not looking for too many new challenges. If you find someone in front of you who your not actually sure they are making way - it might be me. Once again thanks and look out for many more questions.

[dmr]

 

You could keep a large pet fish in it, I suppose... Or for farming signal crayfish.

 

Any other uses for an empty bow thruster tube?

 

But you could also keep your crayfish in a tube that had the bow thruster fitted, then they could pop out ready sliced.

 

...................Dave

[Rob-M]

If both boats enter a double lock at the same time then no need for bow thruster. We had a boat passing us whilst moored at Fradley last week and they were pressing away to keep in a straight line, not sure if they knew what the tiller was for.

Also met a boat run up the bank at a bend and he shouted out to me his bow thruster had packed up, he didn't seem capable of steering around a corner without it.

[DandV]

Whio came with a bow thruster. It has its definite uses, not often but very definite especially manouvering in windy conditions. A short well timed squirt with the bow thruster can prevent grief when a sudden wind gust has severely disrupted what otherwise would have been a well executed manoeuvre. It is a good fu fixer and also useful when being the lead boat into a double lock and the bow goes astray in front of the following craft.For a sailaway I would at a minimum install the tube and wiring.Ours died mid voyage in August when the 5 year old batteries gave up after working hard the granery wharf wind tunnel in Leeds. Will buy new ones at the commencement of next years cruise.

Availability of a BT is occasionally very nice but having the skills to get by without them essential.

Don

[MtB]

Whio came with a bow thruster. It has its definite uses, not often but very definite especially manouvering in windy conditions. A short well timed squirt with the bow thruster can prevent grief when a sudden wind gust has severely disrupted what otherwise would have been a well executed manoeuvre. It is a good fu fixer and also useful when being the lead boat into a double lock and the bow goes astray in front of the following craft.For a sailaway I would at a minimum install the tube and wiring.Ours died mid voyage in August when the 5 year old batteries gave up after working hard the granery wharf wind tunnel in Leeds. Will buy new ones at the commencement of next years cruise.

Availability of a BT is occasionally very nice but having the skills to get by without them essential.

Don

 

 

Agreed there are a few situations were a bow thruster is essential but yes I've seen the 'well timed squirt' you mention used to good effect when otherwise it would have all gone to the wall. The bow drifitng across in a lock is not one of them though. I anticipate this and find using a line or a pole to stop happening it much quieter

Using a bow thruster in a lock is a good example of how beginning to rely on one causes a loss or atrophying of conventional boating skills.

[nbfiresprite]

The shortest narrowboat that I come across with a bow thruster is a 23ft springer called 'Sloe' that used to be moored in Foxes and now at Ely Marina.

[Dalslandia]

 

 

I had a similar event on Sunday afternoon. Moored up half way along a one mile long straight bit and 100yds from an accommodation bridge, sitting in the saloon I could the familiar whooping and wailing of an electric bow thruster in the distance. After about ten minutes of this with it getting gradually louder I stuck my head out to see what was going on. An ordinary 57ft clonecraft was gingerly creeping through the (16ft wide) bridge 'ole with the BT being used to steer the boat. Jeez.

 

Guess the gender of the steerer!

Male or female?

[DandV]

The bow drifitng across in a lock is not one of them though. I anticipate this and find using a line or a pole to stop happening it much quieter :)Using a bow thruster in a lock is a good example of how beginning to rely on one causes a loss or atrophying of conventional boating skills.

Personally I find a few seconds of mild noise and perhaps loss of face, safer and lot more convenient then fluffing around with poles and lines.

Don

[nicknorman]

Male or female?

Naughty you, you missed out transgender, intersex, not sure, and "haven't looked recently".

[MtB]

Male or female?

 

Yes, one of each.

 

Gold star for you!!!

[Murflynn]

I was in Shiplake Lock on Thursday. A small gin palace (about 35ft) crept into the lock, stopped in the middle and then used the BT and the ST to move the boat sideways towards the lock wall, then overdid it and changed the thrust direction, then repeated. I counted 8 separate thruster whirrings before the bow of the boat clanged into the lock edge because the enormous hanging balloon fender was set too high to be of any use. The lockie was looking up to heaven.

 

Damn me if a following boat, even smaller, used his BT in the same way.

 

Of course this is the first lock above Bushnells and Val Wyatts, from where many boats seem to travel a few miles up and down the river, which may partly explain the greenhorn girlie button brigade.

 

I believe these gold-braided hat wearing skippers have spent too much time on the cross channel ferries watching the cap'n carefully bringing the 20,000 tonne ship into the quayside.

[rgreg]

I have a bow thruster on my boat but the motor failed over 5 years ago. I've never bothered to have it fixed and only ever miss it when reversing into the marina berth in a strong broadside wind. Would I have one fitted on a new build? Probably yes, for those rare occasions when it helps and to make the boat more marketable should I wish to sell.

[Bee]

I would have one assuming I could afford it. Holding the boat stationary in a bit of a breeze whilst someone takes ages to get out of a lock. Big locks, I mean rivers, when you really MUST catch that one bollard or you will end up in the back of something expensive. Heading downstream with a bit of extra flow when you MUST catch that bollard or its over the weir. I know exactly what to do to put a boat just where I want and everything there is to know about steering backwards and much, much more. Why then does the boat often end up somewhere else, bushes, mud etc? its because I only have control over the rudder and the prop, yards from the front which is the bit caught by wind or current and I cannot do a damn thing about it.

[cuthound]

When we bought DQ it came with a BT, although one wasn't on my list of "must haves". At that time I had been boating for 41 years, so hopefully had some idea of what to do.

 

I rarely use it, but have found it useful for long reverses ano to help winding when it windy.

 

Would I specify one on a new boat, probably not, as I don't use it enough.

[Bricksh]

It may be helpful to go on the RYA's Inland Waterways Helmsman's Course before deciding. We did this course before we bought our narrowboat and found it very useful. It should teach you the basic techniques for handling a boat without a bowthruster and give you confidence when your new sail away is ready to cruise, rather than learning through trial and error. I know some dis this course but for us it certainly helped. We went on to buy a 60' NB without a thruster and rarely felt the need for one in the 7 years we owned her. Having said that we now have a 55 Tonne barge with high topsides which has a thruster fitted and we would have lost a lot more paint if we didn't have it, particularly on windy days entering tight locks.