Islander bow thruster

[family affair]

Nice work Hookup and thanks for sharing! I'd love to have one of these, but at this point I don't have the time and ambition.
I 100% agree that the bow of 27' narrow beam Grady's can be a challenge to manuver. A cross wind over 20 mph+ or a cross current in the wrong direction makes the twins almost useless for manuvering.
BTW, how did you cut your hole?

 

[Steelhead]

I installed a Vetus BOW45D from Defender #305883. When you plot out all the parameters it winds up being a very small area it will go into. About 3" forward of the bulkhead. Headroom is no problem. I replacer the "floor" with a screw down one just in case you need to get down there. I really like my Duracell 34M AMG right next to it from Sam's club. Thruster positioning was a little higher into the strake slightly than the plan. Couldn't be happier with the results.

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How about this....from the top center of the tube to the bow is 27".
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I would recommend the Vetus. It's a class above the SidePower. No drama - it just works!

Thank you for the info and quick response ! I ordered the Vetus last night , hopefully they aren't on backorder.

 

[Hookup1]

Thank you for the info and quick response ! I ordered the Vetus last night , hopefully they aren't on backorder.

Make sure you order the correct fiberglass tube Vetus # SPBP125G10 Defender special order drop ship from Vetus. Defender stocks several tunnels but not the one you need. Salespeople did even know. I had to figure it out. Also you can all Vetus US. I think they are in Baltimore.

Also you need a thruster control Defender # 301124. Or some other style.

Both not included with the thruster.

Tunnel: Plastic model
dimensions : I.D. 125 mm, wall thickness 5 mm
material : glass fibre reinforced polyester

I attached a SidePower installation guide. Excellent guide and explanation of logic for positioning a bow thruster. When doing the fiberglass work add a "brow" or spoiler to the forward half of the tunnel. Glass guy should let the tube hang out an inch, fillet the edge and round into a smooth transition.

My thruster is offset to port side. This will move the gear drive over and bring the prop inside the tunnel a little more.

 

[Steelhead]

Make sure you order the correct fiberglass tube Vetus # SPBP125G10 Defender special order drop ship from Vetus. Defender stocks several tunnels but not the one you need. Salespeople did even know. I had to figure it out. Also you can all Vetus US. I think they are in Baltimore.

Also you need a thruster control Defender # 301124. Or some other style.

Both not included with the thruster.

Tunnel: Plastic model
dimensions : I.D. 125 mm, wall thickness 5 mm
material : glass fibre reinforced polyester

I attached a SidePower installation guide. Excellent guide and explanation of logic for positioning a bow thruster. When doing the fiberglass work add a "brow" or spoiler to the forward half of the tunnel. Glass guy should let the tube hang out an inch, fillet the edge and round into a smooth transition.

My thruster is offset to port side. This will move the gear drive over and bring the prop inside the tunnel a little more.

Great info, Thank you for the installation guide

 

[Andrew93]

That came out great! We are having a small floor repair on our 180 Sportsman next week, I plan on asking the fiberglass guy if he would just do the tube for me on a boat. Looking for a Marlin and most in our price/year range do not have a thruster and we really want one, I will tackle a lot but I have not done fiberglass yet!

 

[Steelhead]

I just ordered the Bow Thruster , joystick controller , wiring harness , fiberglass tube from Mauripro Sailing . The total was $2153.00 , they are having some kind of sale. This was the 100 pound thrust unit (VTSBOW4512D) not ignition protected. Best price I could find . I was quoted 9K from the local bow thruster installer, this is the same brand and size he was going to install .

 

[glacierbaze]

Nice job, Hookup. I was a little surprised that the tunnel was not pre-mounted to the unit, even if you had to dis-assemble to do the glass work. Any pics or details about mounting the unit to the installed tunnel?

 

[glacierbaze]

I don't knock anyone for wanting, or using, a thruster, but with the giant leaps in saltwater trolling motors, like Rhodan, in the last few years, I wonder if they are a viable option. Deploy it coming to a slip, and use as a thruster, and get the benefit of a trolling motor, plus Spot Lock, or Anchor Lock, the rest of the time.

 

[Hookup1]

Nice job, Hookup. I was a little surprised that the tunnel was not pre-mounted to the unit, even if you had to dis-assemble to do the glass work. Any pics or details about mounting the unit to the installed tunnel?

Tunnel comes in two lengths to accommodate different hull widths. I had to drill the holes myself. I positioned the tube, decided on hole location and drilled. Assembled thruster and fine-tuned tube position and thruster angle. Carefully marked everything, took apart and started glass work. Cut tube from outside and then finished the spoiler.

No magic in how the thruster mounts to the tunnel. You place the little lower unit/drive assembly in the tube and install a base on the inside for the thruster motor. That all gets caulked and tightened up. Then you drop the motor in and bolt down to the base.

I saw your other post on trolling motors. I bass fished for years with one. It was great! Not for me on a larger boat.

Yamaha has similar features on the new motors with the joystick. Don't like that either. A friend has them on a 27' Sea Hunt with F250's. Clunking, whirring, humming beating the daylights out of the transmissions.

 

[glacierbaze]

I don't think that I would want my outboards doing all that work to hold position, either, but bottom fishermen seem to love the trolling motors' anchor feature, as opposed to repeatedly hauling 200 feet of rode and chain, multiple times a day. Plus, you stop on your spot, instead of trying to drop anchor and then hope you drift back to the spot. I think a lot of them are bought for that specific purpose, and are never actually trolled with.
Yamaha system has to be getting GPS input, I wonder if it also incorporates a thruster, if the boat is so equipped.

 

[Hookup1]

I don't think that I would want my outboards doing all that work to hold position, either, but bottom fishermen seem to love the trolling motors' anchor feature, as opposed to repeatedly hauling 200 feet of rode and chain, multiple times a day. Plus, you stop on your spot, instead of trying to drop anchor and then hope you drift back to the spot. I think a lot of them are bought for that specific purpose, and are never actually trolled with.
Yamaha system has to be getting GPS input, I wonder if it also incorporates a thruster, if the boat is so equipped.

I get it but that's not what I do. Doesn't make it wrong - just not important to me. I don't like the inelegant contraption hung off my boat thru my chopped up bow rail. Flexing all over the place due to its length. Add the weight of two large batteries. Look - for those that want them - great!

I spend my time kite fishing or trolling. Bow thruster is how I get back in my FL slip. I also use it when kite fishing especially when the sea anchor is out. Handy when fighting a fish.

I doubt the bow thruster is interfaced. Doesn't provide forward/reverse. Maybe as an alternative to the Yamaha joystick. Turning the boat with engines is difficult. The bow thruster does it well. Let the engines do the forward/aft. Likely a much smoother less abusive on transmissions alternative. Let me get my patent application in!