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willow

willow

Regular Contributor
"Running a 41 foot Gibson mono

"Running a 41 foot Gibson monohull with 350 Crusaders and seriously thinking of puting in a Bow Truster and, possibly a Stern Thruster. Naturally there are basically two types available, the standard "carve a hole in the bow and insert" type and the "hang on the bow type".

Has anyone had any experience with the "hang on the bow type" on a Gibson, or for that matter the hole in the bow type ??? (there is a "letter from a customer" re-Gibson on this website but I am always a bit doubtful about thank you letters to the company. This company is based "up here" in the Great White North.
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http://www.sideshift.com/index.htm

Been driving this boat for 12 years but we do a lot of canal work and there is no doubt either of these gadgets,(tunnel or hang)), would help.

Thanks for any tips/advice"
 
Don:

No first hand experien

Don:

No first hand experience but the associates I have in upstate NY prefer the "hole" version for their canal ventures.

I'd see if Rick (LineSix) replies as this is right down his alley.
 
"Right on que, thanks for the

"Right on que, thanks for the endorsement Mark.

Don,

Bow thrusters have become increasingly popular in recent years.

I used to say "Just because you can afford one, doesn't mean you can drive one", but that no longer applies. With increasingly tighter slips and increased boat traffic, due to the the growing popularity of boating, thrusters have become a necessity in many situations and many manufacturers now include them as standard equipment.

Most owners I install for are more worried about damaging their neighbor's boat than they are about damaging their own. I would not necessarily do both at once. Because they are two nearly independent systems, it does not cost much more to do them at different times than it does to do them together and after doing the bow you may deem the stern unit unnecessary.

For more information on thrusters feel to visit my website at:http://www.linesixservices.com/ and don't hesitate to e-mail or call me if there is anything I can do for you.

Rick"
 
"Thanks for the link...nice we

"Thanks for the link...nice website. Have you ever seen the type of thruster I linked in my first posting??

The beauty of the "hang" type is that if used as a stern thruster, no one sees any of the gear and the big thing is that there is no need to have the gear enclosed in a spark-proof container, (mine would be in the engine room and the fuel tanks are there as well)

Using this type, (hanging), on the bow??? well cosmetically, perhaps not too nice but based on the website info, it is an easy install and all that would be visible would be the arm...again no big structure change to the boat, no thru hull holes to drill, no tube to install. My boat does not plane, speed is generally 6-6.5 kts so the loss of forward speed would only be about 0.5kts max.

If you have a chance really wander around in that link I posted and give me your honest opinion, either here ,or email.

Thanks for your time.
DK"
 
"I am familiar with that produ

"I am familiar with that product. I'm sure they work in many cases, but I have removed several of them and installed tunnel thrusters for owners. They claim they might as well have hung a trolling motor on the front as mount that unit.

You have a much higher likelihood of success with one if you are on non-tidal waters or in an area without much wind. If you just need a little help moving the front of the boat, you may be OK but if you are fighting wind and current I don't expect you'll be satisfied with the performance.

Talk to others in your marina and see what they do.

Rick"
 
"Thanks for the feedback Rick.

"Thanks for the feedback Rick. We boat out of the Gananoque Marina, at the beginning of the 1000 Islands, so the water is pretty placid and no tides. We do get wind but certainly not like the winds one would encounter on the Atlantic/Pacific coast.

Just trying to get all the angles covered before we spend the $$$ on either rig.
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The problem with the SIDE SHIFT website is that they don't put any data as to the value of the force vector each model puts out. VETUS seems to be very open with all their data.

Just curious......what model you carry would you recommend for my boat..??...if you need a photo.... just ask and I'll post one.

Appreciate your input."
 
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