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RCE wrote:
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I kinda forgot what your boat looked like. It's awesome. I love the
look
of a classic boat.

Is that prep work on the bow section of the hull being done for a
thruster
by any chance?

RCE

I was originally planning to have the bottom stripped, a couple of
barrier coats applied, and then follow with new bottom paint. When they
began stripping the bottom (the light area you see just aft of the stem
on the starboard side) they discovered some small blisters that had
been previously hidden by a build up of bottom paint. As there is no
point putting a barrier coat over existing blisters, I had to decide
whether or not to peel the gel coat and skinout mat down the the
laminate and rebuild with a couple of layers of vinylester. The yard
did two test peels and used a moisture meter to confirm that the
laminate is dry and the blisters are merely cosmetic. Cosmetic blisters
I can live with, especially since a bottom peel would be another $8k or
so. :-)

I will be getting a bow thruster. (I am so ashamed!)

Actually, my new attitude toward bow thrusters is a lot like my evolved
attitude toward
gps plotters, etc: As long as you don't actually *need one* on a
regular basis, its OK to have for those odd times when even X years of
experience won't overcome Mother Nature and you just absolutely,
positively, have to bring the bow around through the wind.

A bow thruster is no substitute for helmsmanship, but after all these
years successfully handling my single screw boat I don't have to prove
that I can do it. There are also times when experience and helmsmanship
are no substitutes for a bow thruster- and when those times come around
I'll be ready. :-)


Why ashamed? Nothing wrong with having a thruster available for those
unexpected "moments", and your style boat with a single screw is a perfect
candidate for one, even with your experience.

I have both a bow and stern thruster, although neither are working at the
moment. (The "joysticks" have a solid state relay in them that are notorious
for going bad on a regular basis). When I first got the boat I used them
every time if I felt I was "loosing" it, which at first was about every time
I docked.
The Navigator has a 15.5 foot beam and you can't see the stern when piloting
from the flybridge. The first slip I had the boat in had exactly 6 inches
clearance on each side of the boat when backing in. My wife used to have to
stand in the cockpit with her arms up in the air and pointing with her hands
the direction I had to move to avoid hitting the end of the finger piers.
After a while, I got good at judging where the boat was relative to the
fingers and rarely had to use the thruster.

There was one time though, on the way to Florida, when we stopped for fuel
and the only available slot was a parallel parking type situation with maybe
55 feet from the stern of the boat in front of me and the bow of the boat
behind me. My boat's LOA is 52' 8". A bunch of nervous dock hands stood by
as I approached the opening in the dock, then relaxed when I simply pulled
up parallel to the opening and walked the boat in sideways with short bursts
from the thrusters.

Can't beat 'em in close quarter maneuvering.

Looking forward to your progress pictures.

RCE