How to Move a Houseboat Thruster
Houseboats range range anywhere from 18 to 50 feet in length, and weigh several tons. Because of their unique, somewhat boxy design, they are also difficult to maneuver even in the most calm conditions. Unlike boats, their helm response is often slow and awkward, and they rarely achieve speeds greater than 20 miles per hour. It is for this reason that many houseboats require stern or bow thrusters to help them maneuver in crosswinds and swift currents. Thrusters come in handy for launching, docking and beaching, making the process safer and more reliable. Houseboat owners should familiarize themselves with the thruster controls.
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Instructions
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Turn on your bilge blower motor while you are still tied to the dock, and let the blower run for several minutes. This purges all gas vapors from the engine compartment, if equipped with an inboard or stern drive motor. Turn the engine on and let it reach normal operating temperature. Make note if you have a water current or surface wind pushing you into the dock. Make note also as to whether your bow is facing land or toward the open water.
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Turn on the thruster generator, if your houseboat is equipped with hydraulic thrusters, and let it warm up. If the thrusters are electronically controlled, turn on the power source. If your boat is facing open water from the dock position, and if you have a crosscurrent or breeze holding you against the dock, activate the port bow thruster to pull the starboard side of the bow away from the dock. The thruster control lever may be a toggle switch, which you can hold to the right, or it may be a turn-knob, which you can turn to the right. Consult your owner's manual for specific details.
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Have an assistant cast off the lines. Let the bow swing to starboard, 5 to 10 feet away from the dock, then activate the throttle, to motor out into the channel or open water. If you have a stern thruster only, with the bow facing inland, activate the starboard stern thruster and let the stern pull away a safe distance from the dock, then throttle the houseboat motor in reverse. This will gain you enough clearance to make a 180-degree turn into open water.
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Activate the stern and bow thruster simultaneously when launching, if equipped with dual thrusters. Let the houseboat "crab" sideways and outward from both ends of the dock, then throttle the motor forward or in reverse, depending upon your craft's direction in relation to the dock. This will work in a crosscurrent wind condition or in calm water.
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Approach the dock slowlyh, with just enough rudder control and speed to overcome a crosscurrent or wind condition. Angle the bow into the dock, and have an assistant tie off the bowline on a dock cleat, while you active the port stern thruster to abut the stern into the dock. Tie off the stern line. Activate the starboard stern thruster if you are approaching the other side of the dock.
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Activate the stern and bow thrusters simultaneously when approaching the dock against a crosscurrent or crosswind. Make your approach straight in, parallel with the dock, then bring the engine to idle and then active the both thrusters. Remember that when facing the dock, you will activate the stern and bow thrusters furthest from the dock, using the same speed on both, or reducing the speed to one thruster if the bow or stern begins to drift outward. This maneuver is called "walking" into the dock.
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Drive straight toward land if you intend to beach and anchor your houseboat. Depending upon the direction of the current and wind, use the stern thruster to keep your boat perpendicular to the shore as you approach. If your stern begins to swing right, activate the right, or starboard thruster, to straighten it out. When you beach and shut your motor off, keep a stern thruster activated to maintain a perpendicular profile until you are staked and anchored to the shoreline.
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Approach close to the edge and stern first to the dock in reverse for a backing-in maneuver. Make sure you have the houseboat parallel with the lock. Turn the helm to the left to swing the stern into the dock, while activating the starboard bow thruster. This procedure resembles a parallel park maneuver. Reverse the helm direction and activate the port bow thruster to reach the other side of the dock.
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References
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