Bow Thruster Beneteau 373

[twofoot]

Need some advice... I am considering having a bow thruster installed on my Beneteau 2007 373... The boat yard is concerned with the water line and the forward water tank blocking the install... Any advice??? Has anyone had a Bow Thruster installed after market? The boat yard said it shall cost around 9k.


Many thanks,

Sandusky Ohio,

 

[Rick I]

A 37 foot boat doesn't really need a bow thruster. Save your money.

 

[DougM]

I wouldn't waste the money... That boat is fairly light and easy to maneuver. It takes practice, but using the throttle and knowing which way the stern is going to walk, as well as wind and current direction makes it pretty elementary.

I think one problem we all may have is that we want to go too fast when working in tight quarters. Slower and short burst of throttle work best for me.

 

[Paul Mermelstein]

I have a 393 and don't feel that a bow thruster is necessary. On one or two occasions it would have been nice, but not worth the money. Also, our boats have a very shallow hull form near the front end. There really is no room for a bow thruster.

 

[larryw]

I agree, a bow thruster is not needed. I did see a guy once, tho, who mounted an electric fishing motor on his pulpit to aid in getting into his slip, but that was a full-keeled old wooden cruiser

 

[Bob Mack]

Twofoot:

As I noted I also have a 373.

I do acknowledge that the boat has a good deal of windage given the relatively high distance from the waterline to the deck and that leaving a slip can be a bit of a challenge with a strong sidewind. Additionally, the boat requires a good bit of reverse and delicate helm control to permit and control turning in reverse.

I live on a mooring rather than a dock, but I tend to agree that most situations can be well addressed by thoughtful operation in lieu of a bow thruster.

I always consider wind, current and dock placement whenever I have to use a dock. I also try and avoid exposure to pilings as I have a Bimini that can easily get you into trouble.

I'd also hate to give up my bow water tank to accommodate a bow thruster. The one nice aspect is you have a good heavy wiring set up for the Lewmar anchor windless that should eliminate the need for another run of wiring, as long as you never run the two concurrently.

I have a 3 blade 18" MaxProp and believe it contributes to better reverse performance and helps to minimize "walking" in reverse.

 

[xavierlh1]

I'll take it that if you're researching bow thruster it's because you've tried other alternatives and determined that it could help your situation. As Bob Mack indicated, the B37, like many modern boats, has a high freeboard which can make it difficult in some situations.

In mine for example, I have a slip up-current on the Columbia river; i.e. current is on average 2 to 3 knots pushing into the slip. So I have two options, bow-in which gives the best directional control, but makes for scarry landing as getting control means coming in with speed over water! This got too scarry for everyone, my neighboor as well as myself and my crew, even with the strong reverse of the B37. The other option is stern in; the advantage is that if something goes wrong you have control pulling back out forward against the currrent. Still, getting control backing in means you have to have speed over the water, and therefore backing in the slip at 3+ knots is somewhat unnerving. I currently moor stern in.

So, regardless of what all well intentioned people say, there are situations where a bow thruster would be useful. One yard I checked with indicated they could mount one in the space foward of the forward tank as long as we limited the diameter to 4". Another aspect that could help is to mount a 4D or 8D battery in the same compartment for both the bow thruster and the windlass. This has two advantages. First, if your boat is not loaded., this ensures the bow doesn't sit too high, which the B37 can often do if you have a full fuel tank and aft water tank. Second, it limits the voltage loss when pulling up anchor.

I haven't done it yet as the thruster installed is about $10k, with the battery, charger etc. extra. But I'm seriously considering it as I would then be able to take the boat out by myself, therefore sailing more often. For now, I have to have a crew for docking.

And don't let anyone tell you you're less than a sailor because of your bow thruster! I would rather see a well prepared sailor using all the tools available than a purist bashing into my boat because the current got the upper hand.