Like Joe, I seldom disagree with Capt. Healy. But on this one a bow thruster gets my vote, hands down. Having said that, I drive a Manatee with a rudder the size of a barn door. If I turn the helm hard over and goose the throttle I can walk the stern almost sideways. By backing and filling I can usually get where I need to be. Another benefit to the bow thruster is when backing. I can use my bow thruster like a rudder when backing, completely eliminating the bothersome "prop walk." It has allowed me to back down a long fairway that would have been nearly impossible without the thruster. On a final note, in my opinion, most people don't use their thrusters properly. I often hear thrusters grinding away, making little to no effect because the boat has too much way on. Slow down to near stop and your thruster just might amaze you. And every once in a while, turn the darn thing off and dock the old fashioned way. It will help keep your hand in the game. You will be glad you did when the thruster decides to go T/U in the middle of critical maneuvering. Regards, Randy Pickelmann Morning Star-lying Sunset Bay Marina-Stuart, FL Cool Change-hard aground in Thomaston, ME www.CruisingMorningStar.com Sent from my iPad

I do not like having to use my main engine to have to back and fill on the close spacing of the floating face docks of SC, GA and FL (Beaufort Downtown, Port Royal, Jekyll Island, Sister's Creek, Fernandina Beach, etc) in the swift tidal currents in the region. Our stern thruster allows me to put the bow where Peg can easily reach dockside tie points (pilings, cleats) and then I can easily swing the boat in to the dock. Same with getting off; I can easily swing the stern clear and back off. They also provide excellent control when having to maneuver in narrow fairways with current. So I'm not arguing with Randy or Joe. For my classic trawler, stern thrusters give us better maneuverability in close quarters situations. I feel I have better control and incur less drama than boats I see doing that task with electric bow thrusters in the same power range. I should add, I was very skeptical at first. I had to re-train my head to understand where to place the boat. I became a convert. Furthermore, having hydraulic thrusters means no heavy DC wiring, the thrusters are mounted outside the hull, so no bow-tube, they are easy to clean and access for maintenance that I can easily do myself from my dingy, is a huge plus. Just my personal opinion. YMMV. Jim > On Apr 13, 2017, at 07:45, Randy Pickelmann <rwp_48@yahoo.com> wrote: > > Like Joe, I seldom disagree with Capt. Healy. But on this one a bow thruster gets my vote, hands down. Having said that, I drive a Manatee with a rudder the size of a barn door. If I turn the helm hard over and goose the throttle I can walk the stern almost sideways. By backing and filling I can usually get where I need to be. > > Another benefit to the bow thruster is when backing. I can use my bow thruster like a rudder when backing, completely eliminating the bothersome "prop walk." It has allowed me to back down a long fairway that would have been nearly impossible without the thruster. > > On a final note, in my opinion, most people don't use their thrusters properly. I often hear thrusters grinding away, making little to no effect because the boat has too much way on. Slow down to near stop and your thruster just might amaze you. And every once in a while, turn the darn thing off and dock the old fashioned way. It will help keep your hand in the game. You will be glad you did when the thruster decides to go T/U in the middle of critical maneuvering. > > Regards, > Randy Pickelmann > Morning Star-lying Sunset Bay Marina-Stuart, FL > Cool Change-hard aground in Thomaston, ME > www.CruisingMorningStar.com <http://www.cruisingmorningstar.com/>Sent from my iPad Peg and Jim Healy aboard Sanctuary, currently at Charlotte Harbor, Punta Gorda, FL http://gilwellbear.wordpress.com <http://gilwellbear.wordpress.com/> Monk 36 Hull #132 MMSI #367042570 AGLCA #3767 MTOA #3436