Thruster questions

[Leland]

Recently replaced our Grandbanks 50 woody with a 58' Yachtfish. I am wanting to add a bow thruster and perhaps a stern thruster. I know, with twins what do you need a thruster for? Well, fifteen years ago when we purchased the Grandbanks, we were younger and more agile. Not so much now. So the thruster/thrusters would make docking and getting away from the dock easier for us old folks. I'm looking for input from this knowledgeable forum: What are the best thrusters on the market? What is the right size for the 58' Yachtfish? Thanks in advance...

Bob

[Westfield 11]

We have a pair of 18 hp Wesmars and honestly, the stern could be more powerful.

[whoover]

Try contacting Florida Bow Thruster. I emailed them a few weeks ago and they replied back to me the same day with a price, size and cost. Complete job start to finish. It also looks like they will travel a reasonable distance to do the job. I was impressed with the customer service. Other members here have used them with very good results.

Walt Hoover

[Pascal]

I can understand a bow thruster in some conditons but A stern thruster is a waste on a twin diesel. Moving the stwrnnwith gears is just as easy. Only time it is useful is tighten stern lines and for that a pair of deck capstan is just as good for a fraction of the cost. Most new large boats have them

[Westfield 11]

It wasn’t a waste this morning leaving Ft Meyers Beach with a strong current pushing us onto the dock. The slip was too narrow to use power to swing the stern away, but the two thrusters kept us off the pier as I backed out. I am sure a most experienced captain could have done it with no thrusters at all, but we didn’t have one onboard.

[mike.s]

I 2nd giving Florida Bow Thruster a call. I had them install one I. My boat last year. I called a couple yards that said they do bowthrusters but once I told them I talked to FBT they said I already talked to the best. Their price was cheaper than anyone else I called. They were also very professional. 3 days start to finish. They started it on Friday morning and the boat was ready to go back in the water Monday. It would have been done Sunday but I had it done at Whitaker, so they weren’t allowed to work on Sunday.

[Leland]

Thanks for the responses. My boat is in Seattle. FBT probably doesn't work for me. I did some snooping online last night and ran across a product called Jet Thruster. Looks interesting and simpler than a tunnel thruster. Not as many moving parts. They measure the out-put in lbs of thrust - not sure how that would translate into HP. Anyone familiar with this product? Thanks,
Bob

[R D Young]

The Jet Thruster looks like a well made and easy to install solution. It seems that their biggest unit is at the upper limits of your needs, especially if you are thinking of adding stern capabilities. It would be nice if the install area were as clean & tidy as in their video.

I have a Wesmar 23HP 48V DC unit (bow only) on my 95 ton beast. It was installed about 15 years ago and I have been very happy with performance and dependability.

Wesmar is based in your neighborhood and though they do not deal directly with end users, they can put you in touch with a local distributor/installer you can likely take care of your needs.


Bryan Thiemann
Regional Sales Manager
USA and Canada, West
bthiemann@wesmar.com
P: (425) 205-2312
C: (206) 605-6854

[Pascal]

The jet thruster is a nice concept for small boats but I don’t see any of their units moving a 58 YF with its keel in anything above a light breeze which is when you need it the most...

[dar636]

I have this bow thruster in our 58' YF, and no stern thruster. It has plenty of power to position the bow as needed and when applied along with splitting the engine gearboxes it'll walk the boat sideways either way at idle.

I am in the Seattle area as well, there are lots of yards that can do the work, I'd recommend La Conner Maritime if you can venture a couple of hours north.

Canada is a good option these days too, Sydney BC has several great yards and a 25% discount on the currency exchange.

https://www.max-power.com/product/18...hruster-ct-225