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.

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.

I just called him and I WARNED him......

(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.

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

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!!