A Catalina 320 does not need a bow thruster so from the stand point of cost, hull modification, power and mechanical installation and maintenance it is a Negative. Since a bow thruster is not a factory item it would be wise to gauge the quality of the installation at the bow's location.
Bow thruster - is it a plus or minus?
- Thread starter Scott T-Bird
- Start date
No. We discussed this issue with our builder design architect. He showed us polars and other data which isn’t worth going into here so suffice it to say there is no adverse consequence in terms of sailing. No resultant turbulence, no interruption in flow measured and water doesn’t compress. Intuitive opinions differ but that changes nothing.
I’ve used ours maybe three times in almost ten years. I wouldn’t add one given that history but if a thruster already exists, I’d consider it a plus.
I would pay extra for a boat with a bow thruster. And a bit more if there were a stern thruster too. ***************************.*******.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 22,753
Never thought labeling people in this way was a positive way to go.
i'm a real sailor. i don't want one, but not for the weird reasons you have surmised. i don't want one for two reasons.1, when sailing they are dead weight. 2,when cruising or racing they take up valuable storage space.
being a motor sailor is great: nothing wrong with motorsailing. i don't see where either approach to sailing your vessel beats the other, but they are different for sure.
Hmm, I didn't see any comments about "real sailors" or "Holier than Thou" comments. I did see comments about boat handling and learning to use the engine and rudder to control the boat.
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On our 37 we use the thruster pretty often. Our fairway is quite narrow and the turn into our slip is opposite the direction that prop walk would help. I sometimes practice docking without touching the thruster, but that only works out on calm days. On our 28 we had no thruster and certainly never missed it. I’d guess a 32 would feel closer to the 28 that way, except on the windiest days and tightest slips.
In 6 years the only maintenance ours has needed is a little sanding in the tunnel and on the blades, and new easily replaced zincs. Beneteau uses a dedicated battery in the V berth for the thruster, but wires the windlass from the house bank.
PHRF doesn’t offer any credit for the tunnel, for what that’s worth. So either they don’t consider it a big negative, or they just don’t bother accounting for it. I don’t know if it has a significant performance impact. If it does it’s certainly not like towing a dinghy, and I’m guessing less than a fixed prop. We race (pretty casually) and I don’t feel like I’m taking a big penalty from it.
Net-net if I were looking for a 32’ boat, with the experience I’ve had on the 28 and 37, I wouldn’t look for a thruster specifically, but I wouldn’t consider it a downside either.
In 6 years the only maintenance ours has needed is a little sanding in the tunnel and on the blades, and new easily replaced zincs. Beneteau uses a dedicated battery in the V berth for the thruster, but wires the windlass from the house bank.
PHRF doesn’t offer any credit for the tunnel, for what that’s worth. So either they don’t consider it a big negative, or they just don’t bother accounting for it. I don’t know if it has a significant performance impact. If it does it’s certainly not like towing a dinghy, and I’m guessing less than a fixed prop. We race (pretty casually) and I don’t feel like I’m taking a big penalty from it.
Net-net if I were looking for a 32’ boat, with the experience I’ve had on the 28 and 37, I wouldn’t look for a thruster specifically, but I wouldn’t consider it a downside either.
I don’t have a bow thruster on my 32 foot boat, but as I look for a retirement boat, maybe in the 37-40 foot range, I think I would like to have a bow thruster. I do a lot of day sailing, so a lot of docking. I think having the thruster available when needed would be a great comfort.
I probably would not add one, but if I found a boat with one properly installed, I think I would give boat an edge, all other things being equal.
I know we can all learn better skills and techniques, but I would take the technical advantage when needed.
Sort of like the luxury of an auto pilot, roller furler, refrigeration, and air conditioning....I don’t really need any of those to enjoy an sail, but they make the sail more enjoyable.
Greg
I probably would not add one, but if I found a boat with one properly installed, I think I would give boat an edge, all other things being equal.
I know we can all learn better skills and techniques, but I would take the technical advantage when needed.
Sort of like the luxury of an auto pilot, roller furler, refrigeration, and air conditioning....I don’t really need any of those to enjoy an sail, but they make the sail more enjoyable.
Greg
My h40.5 doesn't have one. But I only dock for fuel & water and those docks are usually easy to get on and off. With the proper techniques and sometimes with help on the dock most any docking maneuver can be accomplished without damage.
However, there are those times when the best plans go wrong and having a thruster would be just wonderful.
I have a friend with a h44 that has a thruster. He doesn't use it very much, and actually runs it for no other reason than to exercise it. It came with his boat, so there was no choice for him. And I must say that the yearly commissioning maintenance on this item looks to be a PITA- hard to clean out, replace zinc, remove prop for de-barnacalizing, etc.
If I had a larger boat than 40 feet, I would consider it a plus if for no other reason than peace of mind should it be needed.
However, there are those times when the best plans go wrong and having a thruster would be just wonderful.
I have a friend with a h44 that has a thruster. He doesn't use it very much, and actually runs it for no other reason than to exercise it. It came with his boat, so there was no choice for him. And I must say that the yearly commissioning maintenance on this item looks to be a PITA- hard to clean out, replace zinc, remove prop for de-barnacalizing, etc.
If I had a larger boat than 40 feet, I would consider it a plus if for no other reason than peace of mind should it be needed.
Scott T-Bird........this was an interesting thread with lots of keen posts!!. Keep them coming and let us know what you decide..........and I might add the bow thruster does not affect my boat's sailing, my wife loves it and at 100 hour life I expect it will last > 100 years.
I figure I run mine about 15 seconds per sail, between departing and docking. That’s 4 sails for 1 minute of runtime, or 24,000 sails for 100 hours of runtime.
This is exactly the type of engineering logic that eases my mind. Reportedly, this bow-thruster was a factory option and the boat was designed and built with it. I didn't see any evidence that it was a retrofit. When I say that I'm concerned about performance, I'm not talking about racing performance. Sure, I want to casually race this boat, and the balance between comfort and performance seems to be favorable to me. The model seems to have a good reputation for performance and the phrf number, while not necessarily impressive for a racing boat, seems to be pretty respectable for the waterline length, regardless. That said, I could not care less if some imperceptible factor in the hull prevented me from moving up a few notches in the standings. I would only be concerned if somebody said "yeah, you'll be annoyed when you notice the squirrely handling and the noticeable drag when you're sailing". Nobody has said anything like that, so it eases my mind.
The weight doesn't bother me either. This would be another topic, but I don't really consider extra weight low down in the hull as a negative. I think of it as a benefit to stability. Wasn't that the reason for carrying granite blocks in the hulls of ships in the old days. The streets and curbs in New York & New Jersey are filled with the granite "Belgian Blocks" that came across as ships ballast!
The weight is a little farther forward than is really ideal, so it’s not as good for performance as having it down in the keel. Still, our thruster is 47 lbs plus a Group 24 battery, and has a center of mass probably just below the waterline, so not too bad on a 14,700 lb boat.
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Don't tell anyone you have it! Then act all like..... What? oh that...? it was nothing, my boat is very maneuverable once you master its idiosyncrasies.. 
Ha! Or maybe I should worry that it really gets me into trouble! I'll have to practice!Don't tell anyone you have it! Then act all like..... What? oh that...? it was nothing, my boat is very maneuverable once you master its idiosyncrasies..
Au contraire, what the skipper does when the bow thruster seizes, a more likely event?
I would say that accidents during dock manœuvres resulting from failed steering, mainly of cables or chains failing in wheel steering, are very much more common than those due to malfunctioning bow thrusters.
Years ago, an older sailor in my home port was asked why he never used his motor when docking. Yacky's reply, "Ya sail them out, and ya sail them back." Good advice.
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