Bow Thruster/Performance boat ??
 

Okay......I might get flamed for this one but here it goes.... I was reading this months Poker Runs America Magazine and in the article about the Black Thunder Poker Run they mention that when leaving the dock they used a bow thruster to help ease her out of a tight slip. Now my question is has anyone else ever installed a bow thruster or even seen one in a performance boat ? I ask this because I have actually thought about this before........last season was my first season with my 35' Sonic..... and I know 35' is a lot different then 46' but one day I was docking at a local waterfront bar and it happened to be a windy day and all of a sudden like murphy's law says I lost one motor (flooded). Now being it was my 1st season with a 35' boat my experience level is that of a beginner(a good quick learning beginner)....add wind.....one engine running and a huge crowd of people watching and I had myself a stressful situation. End of the story is I was prepared and had a few lines ready to throw to a dock hand and he just pulled me over.........now the question.......would anyone here even consider putting a thruster on a go fast ? Will it effect speed ? Getting on plane ? Resale ? Anything else ? I really don't think I would but I am curious if any one has pondered this too....... I mean boating is supossed to be relaxing so anything that can make me feel a little more relaxed in case of an emergency would be nice...........................

I know Nor-Tech has put one on a 43 V diesel w/ surface drives! I saw it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

let's face it! It would be installed on the front end of the bow. So as soon you'd be on plane, it probably not even touch the water, so no loss of performance for sure. Then, What would be negative to have something to help docking sideways? we all experienced a day or another different situation, specially weather, giving a hard time to dock... So I'd say...

GO FOR IT!

They work great, I had one on my 07 43 Nor-Tech Yanmar boat. For some reason some one told me good for up to speeds of hull no more than 80-85mph. They can only take so much pounding and or speed, something like that.

And if you know how to control it, it WILL act as a trolling motor if you run out of fuel. :party-smiley-004:

Terry told me that he put in a special battery switch that ran all of the batteries in series direct to the bow thruster, just for Jeff; since it would be needed for primary thrust at some time or another.

I am willing to bet we could modify a harpoon launcher to shoot a pre-loaded tow rope off the bow as well.

:evilb::hitfan:

I just called him and I WARNED him......:D

(sleep with one eye open)

Have it made in the anchor locker on the bow so it can use the end of the anchor line. :eureka: :hitfan:

Yeah, but ClarkStar would whine about the hole it left in his faded carbon-fiber sunpad...... :evilb:

There is a 47 Fountain at Bluewater Yacht Sales that has one and it was awsome to see him leave the fuel dock sideways.

They really work!!

Well, James, you have to have one for the JJames to even back in the slips if there's wind, right? (ouch) Love you brutha!

Easy now :angry-smiley-038:

Yeah, I know.....

But we ARE taking in your faded CF on a brand new CF in your 43 with no depreciation, right?? :p

Diane and Lori can design the cabin and cockpit concepts!

We might not like it but if there's enough ponies at the back of the boat, who cares??!!?? :p:drink:

We docked the 33 on Port engine alone, no power steering, against the wind, with no bow thrusters.........:evilb:

you were lucky, did'nt you?:p

johnny, i'd be checking into this seriously.
cutting through waves at speed, the water will get thrust up into the hull cut through, which doesnt seem very hydrodynamic. it sure would suck to have the hull get ripped open while underway... just a happy thought.:hitfan:

Nope, we threw JJ on the bow. :D

I wondered where the limits to those stresses are. My brother in law has a bow thruster on his Midnight Express, we've plowed it through some big water and it doesn't seem to hurt it any. Sure is nice to have a little help docking it in a heavy crosswind though!

NOPE !!!! Don't need one , I will have all my AT Cult members there too help back TOP HEAVY!!!! I still have the AT in the Compound missing it has not set in yet, I get to see it every day.:D

Talk to Bill Reeves at Victory Marine. He installed one in a very special boat that goes over 100. (V-Hull) I won't mention the name in case the driver is on this board.

It has been working great for years, and I guarantee that a lot of guys on this board have seen the boat and had no idea it was on there. I didn't when I noticed the hole in the bottom of the boat the other day when I was at the shop. It was in Key West last year and make a lot of poker runs around the county. High profile canopy boat.

Thanks for all the great feedback guys........it is interesting to see others have thought about this and a few have even done it..........I don't know if I will actually go for it in a 35' but it is worth some investigation......

Rob........like anything else in boating it comes down to the compitance of who ever is doing the job.......If I were to do this I will be doing some very thorough investigation..........

The Cult strikes again :D You guys are sooo mean:drink:

I would think that if the tube was installed correctly that the front of the boat would be stronger. The only thing to worry about for some of us is beating the thruster motor to death. If you are a constant stick bender in rough water that unit would get the holy heck pounded out of it!

They flair out the hull to flow water away from the thruster tube nd motor and the motor is mounted deep in the hull.

It is interesting to look at it, once you see it, you will know htat there are no issues with it.

I have the fourth one installed in a 46 Black Thunder. Will not own another boat without one because I live in windy conditions. They actually have the mfg. fly in to the BT factory and install it. It does require a very large electrical line with isolator (so you don't fry your engine electronics). I've had friends run next to me and say in larger waves that water shoots through the bow thruster tube. Maiden voyage was with 11 other BT's to Key West. They all laughed at me until we docked at Key West. Then they started asking the owner of BT about installing one in their boats. They are expensive. Needed for long and tall boats. Don't know if I'd put one on anything 38' and shorter though.

You have been known to lend a hand on occasion :rolleyes: :D

The install looks great. Do you have a pic. of the control stick on the dash ?
I took a test ride in 06 on the 48 EC Fountain that Excursion was referring to at Bluewater and that thruster was worth the cost.

This pic is not mine but similar. Mine also has a large toggle switch next to it to turn the main solenoid on. It's not a stick but just left and right buttons (bottom left in pic). They also make numerous sizes with different size motors.

That looks like the one that was on the Fountain. Very simple to use which is good when things get chaotic around the dock sometimes.

once you use them you will not want to dock with out it. I think anything that is an aid is a good thing, if it is something you want, makes things easier then go for it