External bow thruster reviews - yacht thruster?

Aviator

Aviator

Member
Apr 18, 2013
91
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Boat Info
1998 400 Sedan Bridge
Engines
CAT 3116
Thinking of the YachtThruster externally mounted bow thruster for our 1998 40' Sedan Bridge. Installed it's half the price of a tunnel thruster and includes a 3 year warranty.

Anyone have any experience with this product or any thoughts?

Thanks for the help!
 
There's a few in my marina with them. Mechanically I have no idea how good they are but cosmetically it doesn't do it for me at all..
 
Xpli, you might be thinking of the Side Shift, which is the ridiculous-looking unit that mounts above the waterline at the bow and lowers into the water when needed?

I think Aviator is referring to the pod style of thruster. If we ARE talking about something above the waterline, ah, no. :grin:
 
I find it hard to believe its half the price......how will they mount the pod? It will need some kind of fairing block as it needs to be on a flat surface - to do that right, it would be just as much work as installing a tunnel - I've seen these mostly on sailboats where that part of the hull is already flat.......one of these might be good as a stern thruster on a power boat though.....although given the choice, I think i would still want the motor inside the boat where it is safer/more accessible
 
RollerCoastr said:
Xpli, you might be thinking of the Side Shift, which is the ridiculous-looking unit that mounts above the waterline at the bow and lowers into the water when needed?

I think Aviator is referring to the pod style of thruster. If we ARE talking about something above the waterline, ah, no. :grin:
Click to expand...

The Side Shift claim to fame is it can be mounted with the boat in the water as all the mounting holes are above the water line. The unit is static, not mobile except for their pontoon models IIRC.
 
Internal....
Red Neck Bow thruster.jpg
 
I've looked at them for my boat. When money permits, I may make the plunge. I like the concept. If you look at the installs, there are some pretty high end recipients. I would like to get the story behind the Fairline 48 with an OEM thruster and an external thruster forward of that.
 
David, A lot of people do not like the looks. I have seen them and to be honest i did not even really notice them at first. I like the fact they can be taken off if need be for some reason and the people that have them generally give them very good reviews. As I get older and we start cruising more next year a sideshift is being highly considered. JC
 
You also have to consider resale value. Me personally I would look at an item like that and ask myself what other corners did they cut when making repair/upgrade choices?

If its between the bolt on and nothing I would probably choose the bolt on, but I would get quotes from several places on both types, I too doubt the cost being 1/2 if your comparing the same thrust on each model. Higher thrust models have big incremental costs to parts but can be the difference between the thruster working when you need it or not.

A low powered unit may work great when the wind/tide are light but you really need it to work when the wind/tide are strong, thats not the time you want to "rely" on a thruster that either doesn't have the power or does a thermal shutdown when you need it the most.
 
They are about half the cost. So its a considerable savings. If you were to sale your boat and felt it would possibly be a factor in the sale the unit does comes off with out a haul out. No problem there as i understand it. The boat i saw it on was a 400DA and the captain loved it. Said the unit he had was very powerful. As far as corners being cut I am not sure i follow that logic? $6000 or so vs $12000. That's not cutting corners but perhaps a wise financial decision? I can say without question that the day i observed the boat with one I was impressed enough to think about that as an option. JC
 
swaterhouse said:
You also have to consider resale value. Me personally I would look at an item like that and ask myself what other corners did they cut when making repair/upgrade choices?

If its between the bolt on and nothing I would probably choose the bolt on, but I would get quotes from several places on both types, I too doubt the cost being 1/2 if your comparing the same thrust on each model. Higher thrust models have big incremental costs to parts but can be the difference between the thruster working when you need it or not.

A low powered unit may work great when the wind/tide are light but you really need it to work when the wind/tide are strong, thats not the time you want to "rely" on a thruster that either doesn't have the power or does a thermal shutdown when you need it the most.
Click to expand...

Lots of things come to mind when I look at things and looks are not a deal maker or breaker. The first is does it work? How well? Who's using it? What do they think? What's the concept? Does the engineering match the concept? etc.....

The unit is further forward so you would need less thrust to perform the same work (leverage) and the motor is surrounded by water so thermal shutdown should not be an issue.

What would be nice is access to a computer model of internal and external thrusters on the same boat in the same conditions for a comparison.
 
The one I am referencing was a Sideshift model that was bolted on slightly above the water line.
It was on a Sea Ray 400DA. JC
 
RollerCoastr said:
Xpli, you might be thinking of the Side Shift, which is the ridiculous-looking unit that mounts above the waterline at the bow and lowers into the water when needed?

I think Aviator is referring to the pod style of thruster. If we ARE talking about something above the waterline, ah, no. :grin:
Click to expand...

I've seen both. The pod style are def better looking. Can't see them at idle speed but once your up on plane there out of the water. Can't c that being half the price tho. Still needs glass work and holes in your hull.
The side shifts are just terrible
 
I saw on once in action. It was set to be below water at idle and above when plaining. I wonder what would happen at 20 knots when you hit a big wave.
 
I'd be more curious about how easily it would move the bow of the boat against a strong wind.

I have a Vetus Side Power on my boat with a 10" tunnel. Yes, it was expensive but when I need to move the bow one way or another it does the job.
 
swaterhouse said:
You also have to consider resale value. Me personally I would look at an item like that and ask myself what other corners did they cut when making repair/upgrade choices?
Click to expand...


Right or wrong this is how my brain works too. If I were in the market looking for a used model and noticed this "upgrade" I would pass without a second look.....
 
Thank you for the input.

Checking multiple quotes, the external YachtThruster is half the price of a comparable size tunnel system. We're still looking for operational input and any reliability information - including use of the three-year warranty if necessary.

Assuming the reliability and utility of the YachtThruster is satisfactory it is likely the front runner. Given that our boat is 18 years old already we fully understand that any upgrades like this are solely for our pleasure and and are most likely a sunk cost that will not be recovered when the boat is sold years into the future.

Thank you again for your constructive comments - any more would certainly be appreciated!
 
swaterhouse said:
You also have to consider resale value. Me personally I would look at an item like that and ask myself what other corners did they cut when making repair/upgrade choices?

If its between the bolt on and nothing I would probably choose the bolt on, but I would get quotes from several places on both types, I too doubt the cost being 1/2 if your comparing the same thrust on each model. Higher thrust models have big incremental costs to parts but can be the difference between the thruster working when you need it or not.

A low powered unit may work great when the wind/tide are light but you really need it to work when the wind/tide are strong, thats not the time you want to "rely" on a thruster that either doesn't have the power or does a thermal shutdown when you need it the most.
Click to expand...

X2 I would be along the same lines. Sorry Aviator
 
i would go for the tunnel mount bow thruster. i had florida bow thrusters install one on my last boat. i installed a side shift stern thruster on my current boat last year and am thrilled with it and it's quality and performance. would not want an external one on the bow tho
 
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