www.iFourWinns.com

I am Swedish and found this excellent page!! I hope to get some help from you guys.

I purchased my boat in South Burlington last autumn, got it shipped to Sweden in November and am about to put it on water in two weeks time. I have decided to install a bow thruster on it. I have bought the Sleipner SE40 and wonder if any of you have installed a similar one? I would appreciate any hints&tips before I start drilling in the hull.....

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Four Winns 278 Vista (2006)

Welcome to the forum. I think you will find that you really don't need a bow thruster on that boat. Your boat is very easy to handle in crowded areas and the install will be much more work than it's worth.

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2000 268 Vista "Reely Nauti"
http://www.facebook.com/#!/rivercruiser

It's uncommon to install a thruster on a boat of that size. It handles pretty well without one.

Is there even enough room in the bow for it? I think the fresh water tank is up there. It's not like there's a lot of extra room to just move that somewhere else. Most thrusters I've seen require nearly 2 feet of vertical clearance. That's a lot of space to lose.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Fresh water tank on a 278 is in the bilge/engine compartment, not in the bow. There is room to install a thruster. I agree, not needed for that size boat at all, but I fear it is too late, since he seems to have already bought one. Oh well, I guess there is always a first for everything.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Thanks to all of you for feedback. I have already bought the thruster, but I can still return it to the seller within 20 days - so that is not a problem. Interesting that all of you think I do not need one as it is quite common in Sweden to have a thruster on a 28feet boat. I will check on a forum here in Sweden as well before I decide what to do.

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Four Winns 278 Vista (2006)

It's always a good idea to ask folks with local experience. There may be conditions that greatly favor having the thruster. I could see having one in places where it's windy and there's a lot of current. It can be a real challenge to dock any boat when the wind and water are working against you. Most of the time you "get used to it" and learn the tricks necessary to dock safely.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista