SideShift bow thruster?

J3ff

I've never used a spring line...then again i dock by myself a lot.. what are you talking about? 

Dude_Himself

I single-hand and use spring lines and fender placement - it's all tidal here, with a 6'+ range and 2-3 knots of current at times. It's a physics problem primarily - first I stop short to figure out what forces are acting on the boat. Wind, current, etc. If I have access to either side of the pier/dock, I'll approach against those forces until I'm close enough to secure a line - I'll run to the bow, tie off the bow line, then scamper back onto the boat and use the engine to position myself against the dock.

If I can't approach upcurrent, I'll get lines/fenders ready and do my best to slowly control my approach. I'll put extra fenders out, and let the current hold me in place while I fix lines.

If it's a tight space/slip with a cross current that I can't fend against I'll either wait for someone on the dock to assist, or I'll approach it from the stern. I have lines 2x the length of the boat, so I can step off the stern with bow and stern lines, put a loop over a cleat, and step back onto the boat with the bitter ends. This is usually enough to allow me to tension against the lines and use the engine to maneuver. I've also done the bow-to-stern line, putting a loop in the middle around a cleat, so that I can slide forwards and backwards, but not drift away.

Practice on a calm day - use just the lines and engine to maneuver, then when it's bad you'll have a better understanding of what to do.


Some cool pointers here: 

http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2013/February/docking-with-spring-lines.asp
http://www.boatus.com/magazine/trailering/2013/October/smart-docking.asp
http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2013/december/steps-for-coming-alongside-a-dock.asp

craigswardmtb

It sounds like boatowner you need to do some research before you buy.  All of this is stated very clearly in the installation instructions, and most any bow thruster recommends using its own battery bank.  Furthermore it recommends short distances from the controller to the battery.  Long runs require thicker gauge wire.  Again all common knowledge with running any marine electronic.  These things use an incredible amount of amps to get them cranking hence you need to pay close attention on how to install to spec.  You can use two thrusters at the same time, you just need to install a controller in the back of the boat to its own dedicated bank that meets all of the electrical requirements.  It sounds like your mechanic ignored all specs and installation info.  You need a mechanic that knows what they are doing.  All of this makes me not surprised in the least that you had issues with popping breakers.  I did my own install and have had zero issues with its function.  However i did bend mine, and they sent me the replacement parts quickly and at a great price.  Yes i have some quarks with it, but it is a cheap thruster relative to tunnel thrusters, and overall does a great job.   
I'll also mention that the owner, Mark, was incredibly helpful when i was doing my install.  He has a strange personality, but then again he's Canadian (kidding).

I don't doubt that you had a poor experience, but you went about it all wrong.

frenchship

With my twin engines with bravo111 and a Vetus bow thruster I can make my boat crawl sideways.So with sterndrives and bow thruster a stern thruster is not necessary. Maybe useful with straight shaft and larger boat

canaan

This is an old post, but thought I would weigh in.  This offseason, I had a Sideshift installed, total cost around $6,000 including labor.  Comparing this to a traditional thruster, 1/2 to 1/4 of the price.  As far as performance, I've operated boats with the traditional tunnel thrusters, and I have to say there isn't much difference in power, precision, etc.  I am docking so much more comfortably now, backing into my slip like a pro (with my 342FV).  If you are thinking about spending $15-20K on a bowthruster, consider a SideShift.  So far, I'm more than happy with the end product.  Note***My 342 (37FT LOA) was right on the cutoff from the smaller unit to the larger unit.  I went with the larger unit and am glad I did.  It powers the boat effectively...not sure the smaller unit would have handled it as well.

DanD2

Where did they put the extra battery for it?

canaan

They put it under the forward berth (under the bed), behind the cabinet next to the AC unit.  Pretty easy to access, but you have to take out that cabinet body to install it.  Also - I had 2 batteries installed with a battery charger so I didn't need to run wiring back to the stern compartment.

rivermanitou

The bow thruster was installed between the starboard and centre pontoons of our new tri-toon. When it’s operating, the bracket attaching it to the underside shakes from side to side quite noticeably. It’s also very noisy.