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Installing bow thruster 260 Sundancer

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#105 ·
So it's now 3 months later, and I checked in with a boat mechanic / fiberglass guy on Lake Union in Seattle ... $12,000 to $14,000 to install a bow thruster on a 280-300-310-etc ...

I've done a lot of fiberglass work on personal aircraft, and can attest that Roland's glass work is very well done.
 
#108 ·
Henry Boyd said:
On the 280 the anchor locker is completely sealed from the cabin area, I would assume the 260 is the same. In any event, water from the anchor locker would have to go through the storage space under the vee berth, and that looked dry from the photo. If you haven't noticed the storage area being wet it probably isn't coming from there. Also isn't the bow storage area sealed from the work area?

Are there port and starboard storage compartments on either side of the work space? It looks like it from the photos. These also would show water if there was anything dripping from say leaking bow rail mounts, or portholes. And they also should have been sealed as well.

My hunch is you may be looking at a couple decades of accumulated condensation.
Click to expand...

My 260 leaks a little water under the V-Birth, and it comes from the anchor locker. When looking in the anchor looker there appears to be two 6 inch or so in the coating that has lifted from the fiberglass. I tried putting some flex seal tape over these areas for a quick fix, until I can get to it. Its not alot of water, but it will just sit under the V-birth cushion.
 
#110 ·
mnm99 said:
Nice job. That first drill hole give you chills. I didn't do mine and I still felt like that..lol 5 years ago I paid $6500 for the install. Man prices have gone up.
View attachment 117324 View attachment 117325
Click to expand...
This looks really well done!

I just installed a Lewmar 140TT in my 290 DA. It's a lot of work! But I like challenging projects.

Layout and drilling the holes was quite straightforward but fiberglassing, fairing and sanding went on and on. I used West System epoxy and mostly 2" fiberglass tape - 6 layers inside and 3 outside, overlapping the edges and feathering them out. The final layer before fairing was 6 oz. biaxial cloth, then fairing and paint. You need cabosil and adhesive fillers to make the putty - both for bedding the tunnel and for fairing. The cool tool to have is a finger sander: it gets into tight places and works really well inside the tunnel.

The wiring also takes a lot of time to do right. I installed an AGM battery with a Victron 30 amp, DC/DC charger close to the thruster motor. Hint: a length of 1/2" pex tubing is very useful in routing wiring behind the hull liner - much better than a fish tape!

Our berth is tight and about 30 boats down a long fairway. I'm looking forward to Spring!
 
#111 ·
Juliery said:
This looks really well done!

I just installed a Lewmar 140TT in my 290 DA. It's a lot of work! But I like challenging projects.

Layout and drilling the holes was quite straightforward but fiberglassing, fairing and sanding went on and on. I used West System epoxy and mostly 2" fiberglass tape - 6 layers inside and 3 outside, overlapping the edges and feathering them out. The final layer before fairing was 6 oz. biaxial cloth, then fairing and paint. You need cabosil and adhesive fillers to make the putty - both for bedding the tunnel and for fairing. The cool tool to have is a finger sander: it gets into tight places and works really well inside the tunnel.

The wiring also takes a lot of time to do right. I installed an AGM battery with a Victron 30 amp, DC/DC charger close to the thruster motor. Hint: a length of 1/2" pex tubing is very useful in routing wiring behind the hull liner - much better than a fish tape!

Our berth is tight and about 30 boats down a long fairway. I'm looking forward to Spring!
Click to expand...
Awesome, got any pics Jul?
 
#112 ·
Juliery said:
This looks really well done!

I just installed a Lewmar 140TT in my 290 DA. It's a lot of work! But I like challenging projects.

Layout and drilling the holes was quite straightforward but fiberglassing, fairing and sanding went on and on. I used West System epoxy and mostly 2" fiberglass tape - 6 layers inside and 3 outside, overlapping the edges and feathering them out. The final layer before fairing was 6 oz. biaxial cloth, then fairing and paint. You need cabosil and adhesive fillers to make the putty - both for bedding the tunnel and for fairing. The cool tool to have is a finger sander: it gets into tight places and works really well inside the tunnel.

The wiring also takes a lot of time to do right. I installed an AGM battery with a Victron 30 amp, DC/DC charger close to the thruster motor. Hint: a length of 1/2" pex tubing is very useful in routing wiring behind the hull liner - much better than a fish tape!

Our berth is tight and about 30 boats down a long fairway. I'm looking forward to Spring!
Click to expand...
He did the whole job the same day, primed and all in 8 hrs. Did a great job.
 
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#113 · (Edited)
Congrats on an completing an awesome job!

Curious, do you have twins on your 290?
my 268 twin was a bear to back into my slip, a bow thruster would of been great. Different story with twin v drives on my 380, walk in the park. I had a buddy that is a great captain help me once with my boat (268)while I was away. He told me was so bad backing up, he pulled it in with ropes…. Which made me feel better about my skills backing it in

Juliery said:
This looks really well done!

I just installed a Lewmar 140TT in my 290 DA. It's a lot of work! But I like challenging projects.

Layout and drilling the holes was quite straightforward but fiberglassing, fairing and sanding went on and on. I used West System epoxy and mostly 2" fiberglass tape - 6 layers inside and 3 outside, overlapping the edges and feathering them out. The final layer before fairing was 6 oz. biaxial cloth, then fairing and paint. You need cabosil and adhesive fillers to make the putty - both for bedding the tunnel and for fairing. The cool tool to have is a finger sander: it gets into tight places and works really well inside the tunnel.

The wiring also takes a lot of time to do right. I installed an AGM battery with a Victron 30 amp, DC/DC charger close to the thruster motor. Hint: a length of 1/2" pex tubing is very useful in routing wiring behind the hull liner - much better than a fish tape!

Our berth is tight and about 30 boats down a long fairway. I'm looking forward to Spring!
Click to expand...
 
#114 ·
Chris-380 said:
Congrats on an completing an awesome job!

Curious, do you have twins on your 290?
my 268 twin was a bear to back into my slip, a bow thruster would of been great. Different story with twin v drives on my 380, walk in the park. I had a buddy that is a great captain help me once with my boat (268)while I was away. He told me was so bad backing up, he pulled it in with ropes…. Which made me deal better about my skills backing it in
Click to expand...
Did your 268 have counter rotating drives?
 
#115 ·
Chris-380 said:
Congrats on an completing an awesome job!

Curious, do you have twins on your 290?
my 268 twin was a bear to back into my slip, a bow thruster would of been great. Different story with twin v drives on my 380, walk in the park. I had a buddy that is a great captain help me once with my boat (268)while I was away. He told me was so bad backing up, he pulled it in with ropes…. Which made me deal better about my skills backing it in
Click to expand...
No,darn it, a Bravo 2 with a 454. It's tough backing in, especially with wind or current. I'm looking forward to using the thruster!
 
#117 ·
Wow! nmn99, I easily spent 8 hrs. on wiring, alone: drilling holes, fishing the wiring, installing components, making connections, cable terminations, building the battery shelf, installing cable supports and restraints. I'd guess another 24 hrs. on the tunnel and motor, although done a few hours here and there over a month. I spent 3 hours just measuring and deliberating before the first hole was drilled. The temperatures were cool here so even with the fast hardener, firm set-up of the epoxy was 8-10 hours between each layer. And then Christmas and my work got in the way. I'm happy with the results, though. For all my time, it ended up being a rock-solid, professional-looking installation and saved me about $8000 in quoted labour. I can barely wait to try it!
 
#118 ·
Juliery said:
Wow! nmn99, I easily spent 8 hrs. on wiring, alone: drilling holes, fishing the wiring, installing components, making connections, cable terminations, building the battery shelf, installing cable supports and restraints. I'd guess another 24 hrs. on the tunnel and motor, although done a few hours here and there over a month. I spent 3 hours just measuring and deliberating before the first hole was drilled. The temperatures were cool here so even with the fast hardener, firm set-up of the epoxy was 8-10 hours between each layer. And then Christmas and my work got in the way. I'm happy with the results, though. For all my time, it ended up being a rock-solid, professional-looking installation and saved me about $8000 in quoted labour. I can barely wait to try it!
Click to expand...
I wish I had the skills and the guts to install a bow thruster on my boat, you guys are amazing!
 
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