Bow Thruster 270 Sundeck

GoFastr

Cool Runnings
Jan 20, 2016
165
Cayman Islands
Boat Info
2003 Sea Ray 270 SunDeck MX 6.2L MPI w/Bravo III
Tow: 2012 Ford F150 Raptor SVT
Engines
Mercruiser MX 6.2L MPI w/Bravo III
The bow thruster on my 2003 270 Sundeck didn't work when I bought this boat from the 2nd owner. He claimed it hasn't worked for several years and he never bothered to fix it.

Most people I have asked about it say "oh you don't need to use that on a 27' boat". The fact is that it came as OEM equipment and I like to have everything with a factory switch working.

I haven't done any troubleshooting on it as yet but was wondering if anyone would know what brand it is in case I can find a good deal on one online or elsewhere?

If not, how can I tell or where would I look to confirm the brand?

Thx.
 
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Sorry I looked at the control and it says Sidepower st the top and Sleipner at the bottom.

I guess what I am trying to find out is what size thruster or horsepower/model is the correct replacement unit? Thx.
 
I'm speculating that it is the same as used in a 2007 Sundeck

BOW THRUSTER Parts List 2007 270 Sundeck

1258979 BOOT, BATTERY CABLE 105C "T" BLK 4/0

130849 BOOT, BATTERY CABLE RED

140509 BOOT, ENG STARTER RED

1687651 BOW THRUSTER, CABLE SIDE POWER CNTRL EXTEN

1765067 BOW THRUSTER, JOYSTICK (IMTRA)12/24V W/ON/OFF

1808795 BOW THRUSTER, SIDE PWR 77LB THRST SEALED GEAR

1592419 BOW THRUSTER, TUNNEL 125X900X4MM W/SM35S ONLY

1574920 CABLE, BATT SET 270SD-02 W/BOW THRSTR KIT

1690154 FITTING, 9O DEG ELBOW OIL SM35S

987446 FUSE BLOCK, BLADE TYPE ANL350/500

1585470 FUSE, ANL250 IGN PROTECTED

1837243 GEL COAT, PEARL AOC

1239458 HOLDER, BATTERY GR27/31 BLK NYLON W/SS

1751061 LABEL, BOW THRUSTER

1758957 PVC BOARD, 1/2"X 4'X 8' WHT INTEFOAM

1726841 SWITCH, BATTERY ON/OFF N/LCK N/DISC RV1


To answer the question why it is not working.....Check to see if you have power to it. If not check the fuse and the wiring. If you have power....then the motor might be the problem.
 
Great stuff. Thanks!

Also, my boat stays on a trailer when not being used but if I remove the thruster for repairs and want to still use the boat is there a block off plate or something that I can bolt in the space?
 
Actually, you should be able to remove the motor from inside the boat. It connects to a water tight gear system that turns the propeller in the tunnel. Removing the motor will not cause a leak unless something else is seriously wrong.

Before you pull it....test it. Oftentimes it is something that got stuck in the propeller that caused the main Thruster (250 amp) fuse to blow. Check to see if you have power at the motor when the control is switched on. You turn it on by depressing the two ON ON buttons simultaneously on the joystick. A small yellow led will light. If that does not come on....then you need to check the fuse that feeds the joystick (5 or 10 amp).
 
Ok great advice. Let me check this out. Many thanks.
 
Before going the motor route make sure that battery is good (my bowthruster has a separate battery) make sure the battery solenoid works, make sure the control switches work (I have two switches: a master solenoid switch and control switch). While the motor could certainly be bad or the prop jammed up I would think it is more likely one of the other components which would be easy to test before pulling the motor. Oh - and check for any other breakers that may need to be reset.

-Kevin
 
What about the fuse ?
20160528_161501.jpg
 
Thanks all. I will get this checked out once I get my boat back home later this week.

I took my boat down to the marina to get the 3 step compound, polish & wax done. Taking advantage of their boat show special discount and the fact that I can probably keep with the maintenance of periodic waxing but don't have the time for all the grueling prep work to get it back in shape first. They have the rotary buffer which hopefully will be quicker as my DA just wasn't strong enough.
 
OK I only had a few minutes of daylight left when I got home tonight to do some checking of the thruster.

I have the dual battery setup for the thruster option with the second round battery selecter switch. Both batteries are charged and working ok.

With the boat on the trailer and the key turned on, when I press the 2 On buttons on the thruster control the yellow led light comes on. When I push the joystick either direction nothing happens and no noise. The yellow led goes off when I press the Off button. Even though I am not in the water testing it, I would have thought I would hear some whirring noise from the motor up front if it was working.
 
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The helm control is behaving as it should. The next step is to follow the harness from the helm control to the bow thruster and check the motor controller wiring. As mentioned by another poster, there is a 300 amp fuse that should be on the positive battery lead of the thruster.

If the wiring and fuse is ok then something is going on with the controller or motor.
 
Ok thanks. I will look at that this evening then.

I couldn't tell from this picture angle if the fuse is blown so I'll either need to take it off of can I just put a volt meter across the 2 bolts to check for continuity?

The joystick pic displays correctly on my computer so not sure why it turned on the side when I uploaded it.
bow thruster 250amp fuse.jpg

bow thruster joystick.jpg
 
If you go across the two bolts you will be checking Ohms for continuity. From either bolt to a ground you would be checking volts. Not knowing which is the load side - if you have voltage on both sides then you would have continuity (unless something else is really wrong).

-Kevin
 
If the 250 Amp fuse is bad and needs replacing, all you have to do is loosen the two bolts. You do not have to completely remove them. One side of the fuse has the "U" as shown in melida's picture, while the opposite end has the "U" at 90 degrees. If you look closely at your picture, the bolt on the left is where the "U" is at 90 degrees.

Jaybeaux
 
Ok thanks, that's good to know that I can just loosen those bolts and take that fuse out to go and source one if it is blown.
 
I don't see any other fuses or breakers related to the joystick control or even listed in the fuse box behind the helm unless it is tied into the accessory one.

270SD Fuse Blocks.JPG

270SD Bow Thruster Electrical drawing.JPG
 
Based on the wiring diagram you provided.....that fuse is probably ok. The joystick control gets 12volts from the Controller mounted to the Thruster. Since the joystick lights up......it is getting power from the 12 volts that feeds the thruster. You can test this theory by switching off the battery bank that feeds the thruster. When you do that, the joystick should not light up if you press the two ON buttons.

Unfortunately, if that fuse is ok ......everything else gets real expensive. Can you spin the prop in the tunnel by hand?
 
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I haven't tried to spin the prop in the tunnel yet. I was thinking about trying that last night but got interrupted with a phone call and when my AADD kicked in I was on to something else afterwards. Good thought, I'll try that when I go home for lunch today. Thanks.
 
I haven't tried to spin the prop in the tunnel yet. I was thinking about trying that last night but got interrupted with a phone call and when my AADD kicked in I was on to something else afterwards. Good thought, I'll try that when I go home for lunch today. Thanks.

Not sure how yours is setup but while you are there you might want to check the anode also. Mine is located behind the prop on my Vetus thruster.

-Kevin
 
Ok will do.
 

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