If so and assuming you have it matched up (same size tube/motor/prop) with your bow thruster I'm curious how the stern compares to the bow thruster when both are engaged? Ie. assuming no wind do they push the boat sideways evenly or does one have a greater movement effect than the other?
Does anyone out there have a stern thruster on a 500DB or 52DB?
- Thread starter jff
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bmac
Well-Known Member
- Jan 11, 2008
- 1,845
- Boat Info
- 2006 58 Sedan Bridge, Walker Bay Generation 390 RIB w/40hp Yamaha, 2014 Wellcraft 232 CC w/Yamaha
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- MAN 900 CRM
Jason
I don't have one, but i honestly can't imagine needing it with this boat, unless you are side docking with no clearnace from other boats fore and aft. Sorry that doesn't answer your question.
I don't have one, but i honestly can't imagine needing it with this boat, unless you are side docking with no clearnace from other boats fore and aft. Sorry that doesn't answer your question.
bmac
Well-Known Member
- Jan 11, 2008
- 1,845
- Boat Info
- 2006 58 Sedan Bridge, Walker Bay Generation 390 RIB w/40hp Yamaha, 2014 Wellcraft 232 CC w/Yamaha
- Engines
- MAN 900 CRM
Well then I can undersatand your interest. If I were exposed to frequent side docking I'd want one too. I sea trialed an '07 52DB that had a stern trhruster and it indeed did walk the boat sideways when used in conjunction with the bow thruster. The two joy sticks were on the same control panel and could be pushed in unison. I didn't buy the boat for other reasons but it was a neat way to move the boat sideways.
- Oct 6, 2006
- 12,155
- Boat Info
- 1996 450DA
- Engines
- 3116 Caterpillars
I occasionally run 2 different boats with stern thrusters, one a Sea Ray, the other a Viking, both above 58 ft. Neither boat has the same rate of travel fore and aft with the thrusters engaged due to the shape of the hull you are pulling/pushing thru the water. I don't find that to be a consideration, however because the thruster is best used in short bursts rather than constant activation. Keep in mind that when trying to walk a boat sideways with thrusters, the the trusters are your only means of controlling the boat and speed is certainly not your friend in this situation. I think you are better off with short bursts so you can control more precisely control the motion, but it takes more stern than bow thrust to move the boat sideways.
Thanks Frank. I use them that way as well, however on my 48DA the two seemed to operate with exactly the same amount of 'push'. On the 52DB, if I engage them both (even for a short burst) to move sideways the bow is far more pronounced in its movement than the stern - sounds like this is normal though (and I'm sure must be related to the hull shape, gear underwater from my hydraulic swim deck, weight distribution of the 52DB vs 48DA, etc.).
Hey Jason-
I have both. Frank is correct in that they do not push the boat with the same thrust, so holding down both levers for the same amount of time in my case will cause the stern to walk over faster than the bow. In my case, I think the stern walks faster than the bow because the PO that had the stern thruster installed went BIG on it. If both thrusters were sized identical, I would imagine the stern would walk slower due to the larger amount of surface area and weight back there. In any event, I love having both, but I'm not sure I would have dropped the cash to put the stern thruster on - it was an added benefit to the boat I bought. I will tell you this, you, like me, have the added swim platform. It does affect the pivot point on your boat, so pulling out of a slip with the gears only can cause the stern to swing closer to the dock than you might initially think. The first time I did it, I rubbed the nose of the dinghy on a piling. So now I give a short burst of stern thruster to get the boat a few feet off the dock as I pull out. Also, our marina doesn't have center pilings between boats so when tying or untying the boat, I find it helpful to give both bow and stern a few short blasts to keep the boat against the dock during the process where center pilings would eliminate the risk of drifting into the side of the next boat. BTW I have the control referenced with both joysticks on one panel. It really is a sweet setup and people stand in amazement when they watch you pull off an end pier going directly sideways!
I have both. Frank is correct in that they do not push the boat with the same thrust, so holding down both levers for the same amount of time in my case will cause the stern to walk over faster than the bow. In my case, I think the stern walks faster than the bow because the PO that had the stern thruster installed went BIG on it. If both thrusters were sized identical, I would imagine the stern would walk slower due to the larger amount of surface area and weight back there. In any event, I love having both, but I'm not sure I would have dropped the cash to put the stern thruster on - it was an added benefit to the boat I bought. I will tell you this, you, like me, have the added swim platform. It does affect the pivot point on your boat, so pulling out of a slip with the gears only can cause the stern to swing closer to the dock than you might initially think. The first time I did it, I rubbed the nose of the dinghy on a piling. So now I give a short burst of stern thruster to get the boat a few feet off the dock as I pull out. Also, our marina doesn't have center pilings between boats so when tying or untying the boat, I find it helpful to give both bow and stern a few short blasts to keep the boat against the dock during the process where center pilings would eliminate the risk of drifting into the side of the next boat. BTW I have the control referenced with both joysticks on one panel. It really is a sweet setup and people stand in amazement when they watch you pull off an end pier going directly sideways!
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