Does Your Boat Really Need a BOW THRUSTER??? (And Honest Review)

If you're looking to buy a new boat, especially in the 25'-40' range, you might be asking yourself if you actually need a bow thruster. Because the cost of a bow thruster installed falls in the $5,000-$15,000 range for a boat of this size, one can easily feel unclear as to whether or not it will be worth it.

In this video, we discuss a few of the major benefits of having a bow thruster on your boat:

1. Making docking easier, especially on a windy day (shown in the video)
2. Coming off of a dock easier
3. Maneuvering around a fish quicker, especially when fighting it under the boat.

Hopefully, this video will give you a much better sense as to whether or not a bow thruster is the right choice for your next boat.

[MadLudwig]

A friend installs dozens of them annually as a retrofit option. He's also replaces many OE thrusters that have worn out.

At $10 to $15 thousand for the convenience of a thruster I chose not to install one. Not having a thruster had the effect of causing me to learn how to handle my boat with greater precision using the main engines. But that's not to say a thruster wouldn't be nice in really tight quarters.

[gungadinn]

Does it need the thruster? Maybe, but it's sure nice to have when it's required.

Next question, does your boat require a Seakeeper?