Last year we purchased a 1999 Carver Voyager 530. It has a Volvo Penta BP1200 bow thruster which works great. It also has a Dickson stern thruster which consists of 2 small props mounted on the stern (no tunnels). As my husband says, the bow thruster tells the boat where to go; the stern thruster makes a gentle suggestion. I have quotes for upgrading the stern thruster from 2 companies: 1. Vetus BOW160 352 lbf./24 volt stern thruster quoted by Florida Bow Thruster or 2. Side-power SE130/250TC 12/24V stern thruster quoted by EC Ruff Marine Since this is a fairly big investment, I want to make sure we're significantly improving our current stern thruster power. Does anyone have any input or guidance on stern thrusters for a 53' Carver Voyager? Thanks in advance,
I just don't comprehend the need for stern thrusters on a twin diesel boat. Splitting the gears will move the stern much better and without delay like a thruster I Never use them.
ME TOO. I never use them. Just learn how to split the engines, one forward and one reverse and bow thruster at the same time.
Thanks. You must be exceptional captains, but it didn't answer my question. If someone with some experience using a stern thruster would respond, it would be appreciated. Thank you,.
I m serious,you re wasting money Any twin diesel will move perfectly sideways by putting one engine in fwd one in reverse and using the bow thruster. Try it before you blow 10k If you go for it, make sure it is powerful enough to move the boat in a good breeze otherwise you're wasting money Florida bow thruster has a pretty good rep
Because of forward tankage and hull design, I have operated a 53 FD with stern thruster only. I eventually gave up trying to use it and clutch the mains when I needed to maneuver. Already owning a 58 x 18 Bert MY with no thrusters, it's not an issue. However, if you insist on a preferred brand of thrusters, The Side Power models would suite you best. "Real boat drivers don't need no stinking thrusters.." Many a quote made on these threads for a long time.
There's nothing exceptional. Put 1 gear in forward and 1 in reverse and see how the boat responds. Do it out on open water and learn how to safely Captain your vessel.
Wouldn't seem exceptional to me. If your boat driver is using bow and stern thrusters for sideways movement, and only using gears for fore/aft movement... then a more powerful stern thruster may be useful to you. OTOH, if your boat driver uses bow thruster and mains/gears for sideways movement, your stern thruster can be almost irrelevant. Maybe useful for occasional situations ("gentle suggestions"), otherwise just a nice-to-have but not worth a significant investment to upgrade. Many move boats sideways with neither bow nor stern thrusters. Your boat, your call. -Chris
There are many different reasons to want a stern thruster. I worked for an owner that could not physically access all of the controls easily in tight situations and would not have been able to enjoy operating his own boat without a stern thruster. In the Pacific Northwest, both bow and stern thrusters are on vessels that would surprise many people on the East Coast. In any event, Sidepower thrusters are very effective and usually trouble free, in my experience.
Every boat I Ve seen or run has the thruster controls next or close to the engine controls...I don't understand the issue about not being able to physically reaching the controls. Cheaper to add a control station on the aft decl or cockpit than adding s stern thruster. Bow thrusters are needed on larger boats as springign against pilings at some docks can raise concerns about the well being of the pilings. One benefit of stern thruster is that you can move the stern at the dock to tighten a line without having to fire up the mains against strong winds. If you often find yourself in such a situation then you need them.... otherwise not worth it.
Even with Micro-commanders and the dual thruster controls in close proximity, it was difficult to operate with one hand. The vessel had cockpit controls; same problem there. On the West Coast and the Pacific Northwest, pilings are those things in the middle of floating docks. The Northwest has some very inconvenient currents inside marina breakwaters, so stern thrusters are very useful for many boaters. I was hoping to simply illustrate that there are other reasons to want a stern thruster. I hope that an endorsement of the Sidepower thruster is what CottageGirl wanted to hear.
And I hope OP doesn't think I was trying to talk her out of a stern thruster upgrade. I only meant to be waxing eloquently about her "exceptional" comment. -Chris
A friend has a 45 foot, 2004 Meridian with bow and stern thrusters and I don't think he's used the stern thruster in the past 10 years. He say that using the power of the engines is so much better than the stern thruster.
With a stern thruster it takes a couple of second to build enough thrust to push the boat whereas with the gears the engine torque moves the stern instantly.
Nothing wrong with having a stern thruster, the only ones who don't like them don't have one. Plus life is good having my Yacht Controller, can dock my Carver 57 from the swim step. Sidepower is the preferred model IMHO
Both are good brands however I've always had better luck getting ALL parts in a timely manner for Sidepower units, can't say the same for Vetus unfortunately. The key to a good system is designing a proper system for the vessel in question, and proper installation practices. If these aren't followed, it wouldn't matter if you had four units installed. I've been piloting large recreational vessels for a long time and while I'd like to think I'm good enough at using only the engines to make the boat do what I want, having two thrusters on board when docking into a very tight slip with some vessels sure makes it a lot easier. High torque from large diesels on a relatively smaller vessel makes the stern jump three feet sideways with a one second shift engagement. It's definitely doable but the stern thruster makes fine maneuvering adjustments in tight quarters much easier. If there's a lot of room or just pulling up to a dock, no need for the thruster, but getting into a really tight slip with some vessels can pose an extra challenge for most boaters. Not everybody has the same experience, the same confidence, or the same conditions to work with.
Can't imagine folks actively "not liking" them. Would think more often its a question of "degree of need," priorities, finances, viability, ease (or not) of installation, appropriate power systems (battery banks or hydraulics or whatever), etc. I'd suppose there may be some -- possibly dislikable -- maintenance to deal with, but then again most systems on boats come with that tail anyway... -Chris