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Low buck bow thruster??

32K views 53 replies 36 participants last post by  Erindipity 
#1 ·
I was thnking so I decided to ask here. Has anyone used a remote control electric trolling motor as a bow thruster? Im thinking it would be a great thing for close quarters maneuvering. Of course it would have to be kept coverd at the dock to avoid thousands of stupid comments.:confused:
 
#28 ·
That looks like a lot of fun but it's still puts unecessary holes in the hull.

There has to be an easy solution. I like the jet idea, either air or water. It just seems in this day and age of high technology there'd ne a quick and inexpensive solution for a makeshift bow thruster.

I once saw a guy using a large RC tugboat to pull himself around the marina in a dinghy. Maybe he was on to something.
 
#41 · (Edited)
I find myself ignoring sailnet more and more but I couldn't resist commenting on the content of this tread. As i see the issue, the best concept for handy manoeuvring would be two of those easily maintained units recommended by Kellysails (long tails from Thailand) Mounted bow and stern and tethered together, connected with steering ropes to a centrally mounted vertical shafted steering wheel out of a bus .This would facilitate docking and negate any need for development of boat handling skills . Which is probably good because as used in Thailand ,there is no reverse. This small oversight requires the addition of Hundystad pitchable props controlled by a second bus steering wheel for finessing the docking experience The rig as i describe it is so elegant there would be no need of hiding it in a locker after use.and may well be emulated by fellow boaters. Good ideas often are.
 
#44 ·
I like the bow thruster I put in my boat. I negated the need to the big cables to run it by putting a 130 Ah battery close to it and just run cables for charging it there. I got it cheap from a boat yard in the UK when I built my boat and like it a lot.

It has 160 + lbs of thrust and helps with the handling in tight spaces as I do not have crew to hand a paddle to.

ATB

Michael
 
#50 ·
BOOM!



I think luhtag simply stated what many of us thought when we read the first few pages of replies to the OP's question.
Frankly I was surprised how harsh some of the replies were. Not at all what I expected from a place which I thought existed to help sailors.
Turns out all the smart-a**es have egg on their faces. Perfect.
 
#48 ·
...so you have decided to come here to get Your thousand?

Ok, here goes one for ya. Tie Your kid off the bow With a pair of flippers on and then toss candy to the side you want him or her to swim to pull Your bow around. :rolleyes:
 
#54 ·
Actually, that setup isn't bad, as long as it is considered only as a Sacrificial Stem. Saves much Fiberglass repair resulting from bad docking, or from overtaking a Sailboat in a most inappropriate manner.

My Beneteau has the twin Rudder setup, so I don't have propwash to play with.
Well then, blip the throttle, try to get some sternway, and then attempt any directional control. Propwalk is so much fun, when you have ten feet of beam in eleven feet of berth. The previous owner had simply installed dock rollers. I could see the slight gelcoat grunge lines.


I learned the Spring line trick a long time ago, but I learned that it was better to start any Bumpy Boating adventures Bow first, which means swapping Bow for Stern either after the last trip, or before the next trip, or sometime in between, just by using the docklines. I hardly ever fall in.

An Electric stern thruster would be just dandy, because I can hang the damn thing off of the folding swim ladder, and pull it up when not needed. I'll tell people that it is a Kelp Cutter.

The trick is this: You have forward and reverse thrust, and angle. About Angle: not 90 Degrees CW, but some angle that not only prevents slamming Portly into the dock, but that also, with the main prop, generates a combined Vector Force that pulls the stern out cleanly. Maybe 80 Degrees. This would need some experimentation.
Attaching it should be easy: some Research Grade Velcro, (Yes, there is such stuff. They used it on the Space Shuttle. We used it for securing LN and LHe plumbing. Very strong stuff.), and run the cables right to the Starting Battery about 2 Meters inboard. I can use the hole previously drilled for the LORAN Antenna; it's unlikely to ever see any use otherwise.
And it is easily detachable for dinghier reasons.

Now, I can see one big problem here: What to call it. "Propulseur d'Irlande" seems appropriate, and if it doesn't work out, I can always blame the British. All that I would have to mention is "Seagull..."

Erindipity
 
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