Update on Trawler refit

Nope- old coring was definitely a real wood product....actually looked like a mix of some plywood pieces and some solid wood pieces of unknown species...a hodge podge of wood really- think they used whatever scraps they had laying around on the shop floor! :)

Thruster- I wouldn't mind having one and it would help for resale value. i am not worried about docking it where I am currently at/going to be....frankly, would most likely be the most help when trying to raft up with other boats!

From what I've read it sounds like a hydraulic thruster is better than electric? I've not researched cost differentials though???
 
It looks like a form of oriented strand board.
 
Tony on your sized boat there would be no advantage for a hydraulic thruster. A thruster is definately a plus when reselling in my opinion.
While you may not need the thruster at your current dock what about if you start taking cruises to destinations unknown?
Bill
 
yes, hydraulic is much better but more expensive and you need an hydraulic source (usually a genset mounted hydraulic pump). rarely seen on boats under 60' or so. but you can run them for a long time, unlike electric.

i dont' see how it would help when rafting up since there is always someone to catch your line when rafting up. so as long as you get the bow within 10' you can pass a spring line and you're done.

the only time I was in a "crash" was while a bow thruster was being used. I wasn't driving :)... my neighbor was coming into his slip, bow in, counting on the grinder to turn the bow in. didnt' happen, he ran his bow fairly hard into my starboard side.. no big deal just a cracked teak handrail and bent stanchion, a paint mark on my rub rail (got to love those old hatteras hulls!) but it shows that these things dont' always save your butt!
 
Pascal they may not always save your butt but they sure are nice to have. You should always have an abort plan when docking or in close quarters.
There is no reason for a properly maintained thruster and it's respective battery bank to fail. You probably have a better chance of a genset stalling.
Bill
 
"There is no reason for a properly maintained thruster and it's respective battery bank to fail."

It's not the failing part that is the issue, it's when they time out. :-)
 
Good point Captain Bill but people should be aware of this when using a bow thruster. They do come with an instruction manual! Also if you never use one or rarely use one that in my opinion like most devices on boats causes more problems. I like to use mine for what I call touch ups like allowing my wife to get her crushed fingers out of the cleat.
My preference for thrusters is VETUS. I'd also recomend going at least one size up like a windlass and rode going larger doesn't hurt anything but your wallet.
Bill
 
Back to the topic so what's new with the trawler today Tony? LOL
Bill
 
Well, today I put a call into the guy who does thrusters here, or at least has done them in the past, to see what the cost would be just for the fun of it.

Also- meeting the guy that has the used CQR for sale in about an hour or two down the street so I should have my "new" anchor in a bit today.

It's threatening rain here today so not sure they are getting much work on the fiberglass done today! :(
 
That core material is end grain balsa. It's been used as a core material in fiberglass marine construction for years. End grain wood fibers bond together better than edge grain, or face grain, hence the small bocks glued together. Balsa is lightweight, rigid and buoyant making it a good sandwich material. When properly sealed with fiberglass and resin, end grain balsa is a suitable core material for partitions and deck and house structures above-the-waterline. The problem with balsa is that when it does get wet it permits water to migrate through the part. That's why closed cell foam is being used more and more as a core material in fiberglass construction. Balsa is usually fine in new builds; it's when successive after-market owners drill through the material and don't properly seal the holes that problems with rot start to occur.

Balsacore dot com has all the info.
 
I vote for a thruster since it's my bow in a raft-up he'll be aiming for! :-)
 
Rapscallion,
I agree in the pics it looks like end grain balsa but it's not.

Ted, you have 2 thrusters on SBII- can I just have one of yours? You keep the stern thruster and give me your bow thruster and that way we will both be, more or less, happy. I'll swing by and pick it up tomorrow when I show Miss Courtney again. Thanks!
 
Tony,

"the guy who does thrusters here, or at least has done them in the past,"

Key questions to ask anyone that is going to install a thruster:

How are they going to cut the hole? A professional thruster installer will have a drill bit that is the size of the hole he needs to make. These bits are huge, expensive and require a jig. If the guy you are asking does not have this type of setup I would look elsewhere.
How long will the job take? If they don't tell you one day or less, then they are not professional installers.

A professional installer that has the right tools will not take (two man team) anymore than one day to complete everything. Lot's of "so called thruster installers" will tell you it will take a week or longer to complete. By having the right tools and setup, when they drill the hole the tunnel fits in real tight and the fiberglass work to follow is minimal. You don't want a guy to do extensive fiberglass work to patch the hole he cutout, this is a week spot and may cause problems down the road (blistering, lamination issues and leaking).

Vetus is a very popular bow thruster and quality wise I will assume is as good as Lewmar. I chose Lewmar over Vetus for three reasons. 1- the installer installed both and he recommended Lewmar over Vetus. 2- The warranty was longer. 3- If you have a motor failure you can remove the thruster without having to haul the boat. Knock wood, in seven seasons all I had to fix on my thruster was a broken sheer pin, 5 minute repair that cost me $1.00 for the pin.

The peripherals are as important to the overall job as the brand of the thruster. The tube, the cable they use, the battery (brand and type) and the charger.

When you get pricing, get a detailed list of all the equipment so you can match apples to apples.

Lastly,
What ever size thruster is recommended, go at least one size higher, price is not that much more and the piece of mind that you will have the power you need when you need it IMHO is well worth the additional cost.

The company I used is Smooth Move Installations, another company I heard were good is Florida Bow Thrusters, they both are based in Florida and travel anywhere in the country. Both their prices were actually less than the local yards here where I am.

My guess is your cost will be between 6 to 8k.

Walter
 
cores are not done in solid sheets because you cant put a compound curve in a sheet. in addition blocks with resin in-between may stop water from migrating from block to block. Then again the use all the scarp pieces idea may be true.
 
I agree with all of Walter's points but the type thruster. I can see why he chose the Lewmar. I like Walter only have 1st hand knowledge from the professional installer that did my installation. I have had the thruster installed for 4 seasons -0- problems. Even though I don't need it I have toyed with the idea of a stern thruster as well. But my boats so heavy now and I'm fine with the twin screws I have held off on the stern thruster. I like the idea of dual thrusters but with twin screws I don't feel it's needed.
It's very cool watching the pro's align and drill the hole for the thruster that is one expensive set up!
Bill
 
Installing a thruster in ONE day????

I highly doubt that they could do a proper job in ONE day... I'd rather have them do it right than do it fast.
 
Mike mine took 4 days however I had a new Poly freshwater tank installed the old Aluminum tank removed the entire front bilge cleaned, recoated and repainted. Additional wiring was installed for the Battery charger to the main AC panel in the Salon, the remote display for the charger and #4/0 wires were run in interduct for when I installed the ACR to the Starboard engine. Tony do you see how these projects take on a life of their own? My point is plan ahead for future upgrades. Later I installed a 6 circuit DC panel off that battery bank for the wash down pumps, the new spot light and an accessory outlet.
Bill
 
My thruster took 9 hours from start to finish. Now granted, some boats are a little more difficult (access). They don't rush Mike, but being the professionals they are two man team does not miss a beat. The guy that drills the hole is also the fiberglass guy, while he is doing his gig, the other guy is mounting the hardware and wiring the boat.

They also don't get bogged down with a ton of fiberglass work because ot the accuracy of their drilling of the hole.

What to the longest time was setting up the jig and measuring before drilling.

As mentioned, a "professional" installer (does hundreds of installtions a year)as opposed to a guy that does a few a year, makes a world of difference. These guys don't waste a motion or miss a beat.

My stern thruster took about 4 hours, lot less work.

Mike,
keep in mind that 9 hours two men is 18 man hours.
 
Alright Tony, the weather has cleared what's new with the Trawler?
Did you make up your mind about the Bow thruster?
I have some ideas about future upgrades which I will not bore the board with.
Just remember think of every addition as a system and how you can use parts of systems for future upgrades.
In the long run this kind of thought process will allow you to save money and have all the comforts of home.
Your doing one of my dream's rebuilding a Trawler.
Bill
 
I haven't decided on the thruster. I think I am going to hold off for now. We signed a lease for a slip through end of March. At that time, we will decide whether to keep her on Lanier or go to the TN River. This past week I was in my traveling mood and was ready to say heck with it all and take it to TN right away and go travel for the winter but reason got the better of me and we will stay the course for now. If I move the boat I'll do it then I think, though so far I didn't have any issues without the thruster the 4 weekends we took her out to get used to her.
Once i get her back in the water I am going to be looking more at systems, what to keep, what to adjust, what to add, etc. The issue is I am pretty much an idiot when it comes to these things so I have a lot to learn! I really need to spend a night or two anchored out on the boat to see how the current battery bank, etc. handles everything and what I need to address to allow us to anchor for at least a day without running low and battery power. I also plan on painting the engine room and hopefully cleaning things up a bit here and there in the engine room. Everything seems pretty well laid out but I know I will be moving the batteries right away for better access to the engine.

I am still toying with the inverter as well. Before I do that though I need to diagnose the electrical set up more. I did not realize this until the day I was taking the boat to the service dock for haul out but it seems that some of the electrical outlets on the boat are already configured on 12V instead of 110 (i.e. seems you can plug in a 110 fixture and it will run off 12V). If this is the case then in theory, could I not just upgrade the battery bank and skip an inverter. This sounds retarded but really- the only thing I want to run when anchored out that is 110 is our margarita machine! Lame I know, but it rocks and we use it a good bit with friends and stuff when rafted up- also makes great smoothies for the kids. I also want at least the kids stateroom TV/DVD to run off 12V so we don't have to run the generator for them to watch the (very) occasional movie. Other than that, only 110V items we use are the HVAC and stove (assuming I swap out the old gas stove to an electric cooktop which I am seriously considering doing though that may be a mistake).
So other than me finally getting the CQR anchor this week, the fiberglass guy getting the bridge fully dried in yesterday (all new coring installed and glassed in) (lost a day to rain), and now my having found the leaks on the dingy today, it was a quiet week on my end.

P.S. Bill, i will let you in on my dream. You dream up the systems, I'll pay, you install! ;) If you insist, i'll even let you pay! :D
 
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