Bow thruster

M

majoma

Member
Oct 10, 2008
284
San Francisco
Boat Info
2000 340, V drive
Engines
Twin 7.4
Has anyone ever installed one of those external bow thruster.
I would be very interested to know if they would be any good in helping me dock against heavy winds when the used of the two engines is not enough.
Thanks
 
Have you had your boat for a while? I'd recommend you live with the boat as-is for a season or two. Then if you still feel you need them, by all means go for it. That season or two will help you separate the want vs need cunundrum (one way or another)

That said, you'd be hard-pressed to find a boat with better dock manners than A SeaRay with twin inboards and V-drives.
 
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bobeast said:
Have you had your boat for a while? I'd recommend you live with the boat as-is for a season or two. Then if you still feel you need them, by all means go for it. That season or two will help you separate the want vs need cunundrum (one way or another)

That said, you'd be hard-pressed to find a boat with better dock manners than A SeaRay with twin inboards and V-drives.
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I agree, with my 380, I got real comfortable without thrusters real fast, the v drives are spread out nice and more centered so it responds very well compared to out drives
 
I used my thruster quite a bit early on, I am getting better at using it less and less. In many situations where I use the thruster now, it is just for expediency, I don’t need to use it, but it helps me dock more quickly.
 
Everybody’s docking situation and comfort level is different.
If you feel you need a thruster and it will make you use your boat more because you’ll be more comfortable then go for it.
My feeling is that anything that makes you use your boat more is a good thing.
Before investing in one of the external ones though you should price out a regular thruster to see what the price difference is.
I don’t use mine often. When I do use it, it’s to overcome a strong wind when docking at my side tie 50’ long home dock which is set back in a few feet, or to pull away from my dock when the wind is pinning me to it.
Between the length of my boat from anchor to the back of the platform, and my bulkhead being set back front and rear, 50’ doesn’t give me a lot of wiggle room when gusts to 25 MPH (not terribly unusual in afternoons around here) are hitting me broadside while I’m trying to move sideways against that wind.
Unfortunately, coming in at 90 degrees and swinging the stern isn’t an option. With my anchor hanging over my bulkhead and the boat at 90 degrees to it my swim platform would be sitting in the cockpit of the beautiful 31 Bertram tied up directly across the canal. The owner is a good guy and I’d hate to pi$$ him off.
My thruster definitely enables me to feel comfortable taking my boat out on windy days where I may have otherwise been a lot less inclined to do so.
 
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I agree with previous posters, up to a point. Boats with shafts do an excellent job sterning into a slip.

That being said, I have my first boat with a bow thruster (also has a stern thruster) and absolutely love it. We live in an area of flat terrain where the winds can be quite blustery and are out of the south in the summer, and out of the north in the winter. And of course - all of our slips are aligned east to west.

With a 20+ knot direct crosswind - hardly anyone leaves the slip. I do - because I have a bow thruster. This fall and spring - where the wind is never ending - I'm going to keep track of how many days I get out, that I wouldn't have previously. I bet it's going to be a very significant number.
 
Fly'n Family said:
I agree with previous posters, up to a point. Boats with shafts do an excellent job sterning into a slip.

That being said, I have my first boat with a bow thruster (also has a stern thruster) and absolutely love it. We live in an area of flat terrain where the winds can be quite blustery and are out of the south in the summer, and out of the north in the winter. And of course - all of our slips are aligned east to west.

With a 20+ knot direct crosswind - hardly anyone leaves the slip. I do - because I have a bow thruster. This fall and spring - where the wind is never ending - I'm going to keep track of how many days I get out, that I wouldn't have previously. I bet it's going to be a very significant number.
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I agree 100%, unless I get REALLY good a bow thruster will be installed this winter for your very same reason, I'd rather get REAL good though as it would be a lot cheaper for me ;)
 
susanandlance said:
I agree 100%, unless I get REALLY good a bow thruster will be installed this winter for your very same reason, I'd rather get REAL good though as it would be a lot cheaper for me ;)
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Our boats are of a very similar profile, and this is my first Sedan Bridge. Not tooting my horn, but I was one of the more proficient people on our dock with my previous cruiser..I'd be out when most weren't. That being said, there were still many, many days where I would have liked to have gone out - but didn't because of strong crosswinds. The lake would be empty, it would be calling me - and it just wouldn't have been prudent because the wind was past both boat and owner capabilities. Now that's pretty much mitigated, and I know longer worry or get bummed out on windy days - I simply load up and go. On those questionable days when I went out before in my cruiser - I'd be concerned the whole time with the knowledge it was going to be a $*(@^ to get back into the slip upon return. Now I just enjoy - with the full knowledge when I get back to the slip - myself and my DOC (dock on command) system are more than capable to safely and worry free get into the slip.

Significant number of more days boating, with no stress upon return.….no brainer when you live somewhere in the country where either wind or current causes lost days.
 
Thank you for your comments. It is always windy when I come back to my marina in the afternoon with a narrow fairway and a sharp turn to enter my slip and I feel I would be more relaxed knowing that I have a way to control the bow if I have to. Besides this particular situation, I have no problems in controlling the boat using the engines.
 
Fly'n Family said:
Our boats are of a very similar profile, and this is my first Sedan Bridge. Not tooting my horn, but I was one of the more proficient people on our dock with my previous cruiser..I'd be out when most weren't. That being said, there were still many, many days where I would have liked to have gone out - but didn't because of strong crosswinds. The lake would be empty, it would be calling me - and it just wouldn't have been prudent because the wind was past both boat and owner capabilities. Now that's pretty much mitigated, and I know longer worry or get bummed out on windy days - I simply load up and go. On those questionable days when I went out before in my cruiser - I'd be concerned the whole time with the knowledge it was going to be a $*(@^ to get back into the slip upon return. Now I just enjoy - with the full knowledge when I get back to the slip - myself and my DOC (dock on command) system are more than capable to safely and worry free get into the slip.

Significant number of more days boating, with no stress upon return.….no brainer when you live somewhere in the country where either wind or current causes lost days.
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I 100% agree, mine will get a bow thruster soon, why? Because I can and it should be standard equipment on a GAS sedan bridge.....
 
Todd320 said:
I used my thruster quite a bit early on, I am getting better at using it less and less. In many situations where I use the thruster now, it is just for expediency, I don’t need to use it, but it helps me dock more quickly.
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Todd, but you don't have the WINDAGE that a sedan bridge or motor yacht has, I NEVER needed one on my twin 2001 280DA
 
I had my 340 for 1 season before I installed a thruster. I did a bunch of research and did not like the external one for a couple reasons. It could get damaged if you hit something with it. It looks ugly ( my opinion) and you still have to drill holes in your boat. With that being said...As someone else mentioned. I use my boat more. It's a confidence thing for me. Heavy winds, I don't care because I have the extra support if I need it. I use it whenever I can now. Pulling up sideways to the gas dock is fun. Pulling away is easy, ect....I hear "Cheater" all the time..lol There just jealous...
 
I am glad to know that I am not the only one having stress when docking with strong crosswinds. Now I am looking forward of having a bow thruster installed and enjoy the day out without worry about going back to the marina.
 
Blueone said:
I was a true anti thruster guy... Until I moved to a side tie marina with a constant never ending beam wind blowing me off the dock... I would rather be called a "cheater" than "that guy" who can't drive his boat :)
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I’m in the same boat!
 
JVM225 said:
I’m in the same boat!
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I have a brutal wind some days where I really can't get close to the dock. I have a rope now on a post that my wife can grab and put on the forward bow cleat... I go in almost 90 degrees to the dock she puts the rope on and I can use it like a spring line ....turn the rudders and pull the stern in. It works but not always pretty.
 
Blueone said:
I have a brutal wind some days where I really can't get close to the dock. I have a rope now on a post that my wife can grab and put on the forward bow cleat... I go in almost 90 degrees to the dock she puts the rope on and I can use it like a spring line ....turn the rudders and pull the stern in. It works but not always pretty.
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Personally I would disagree about that approach not being desirable. Nothing ever wrong or bad about using a spring line.

Sounds to me like you know what you are doing.
 
Blueone said:
I was a true anti thruster guy... Until I moved to a side tie marina with a constant never ending beam wind blowing me off the dock... I would rather be called a "cheater" than "that guy" who can't drive his boat :)
Click to expand...
I'm in a side tie slip too, sucks with no thruster
 
Blueone said:
I have a brutal wind some days where I really can't get close to the dock. I have a rope now on a post that my wife can grab and put on the forward bow cleat... I go in almost 90 degrees to the dock she puts the rope on and I can use it like a spring line ....turn the rudders and pull the stern in. It works but not always pretty.
Click to expand...

I’m lucky in that the prevalent wind around here is out of the west/southwest. When the wind is blowing from that direction I have no need for the thruster at all. In fact, I often just get close and then let the wind push me against the bulkhead.
By the time I get from the helm to the swim platform I can step off and secure my lines.
But when it moves around to coming out of the east it’s usually a bad one that is blowing pretty good and hitting me broadside as I try to move sideways in to my dock.
My canal runs north and south with the Bay at the south end. My dock is on the east side and we all dock with the bows facing the Bay.
Coming in at 90 degrees isn’t usually an option because of the boats on the opposite side of the canal.
Most often, I have to pass my dock and turn around a little further up where there are smaller boats tied alongside the bulkhead then come back down to my slip.
That’s where the thruster comes in handy.
Could I get in without it with the wind coming out of the east? Sure! Would it be a PIA and require a lot more maneuvers and stress? Absolutely!
 
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