Bow/Stern Thruster Warning

My thruster is hydraulic, so a simple 20 amp fuse shuts off power to the clutch. After reading the stories, I am going to make sure it does what it says. Thanks for the heads up. Archie

I had a similar experience with our Sidepower stern thruster. While in Sitka Alaska last summer, I was awoken about 1AM to the sound of a loud thruster nearby. As we were securely tied to the float on the inside of an empty end-tie, I assumed it was a fishing boat docking late next to us. After about a minute of constant thrust, I realized it was OUR thruster. Turning off the pilothouse breaker had no effect. It required punching the red (clown nose) emergency battery disconnect in the lazarette.

After close inspection, turns out the control unit assembly on the motor was wet. The stern washdown faucet mounted above the thruster had a slow drip directly onto the control unit. Although I ordered a new control circuit board, once the drip was fixed and the control unit dried out, the thruster now operates as normal, and never on its own.

Alex on mvWildBlue.com

Wild Blue said:

After close inspection, turns out the control unit assembly on the motor was wet. The stern washdown faucet mounted above the thruster had a slow drip directly onto the control unit. Although I ordered a new control circuit board, once the drip was fixed and the control unit dried out, the thruster now operates as normal, and never on its own.

Alex on mvWildBlue.com

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Alex - thanks for sharing. Good to know we are not the only ones. FWIW, the Imtra techs said that they think the control unit is the most likely culprit, followed by the solenoid. The locker where our unit is located is bone dry. I'll find out after troubleshooting tomorrow where the problem actually lies. I'm crossing fingers for the control unit, as it is the least expensive part.

A few years ago I was considering a Selene 57. In talking with those who did some commissioning work it suffered an electrical install fault at the stern thruster. A fire ensued with quick action by the yard crew preventing a total boat loss. Even at that considerable damage was done to the lazarette area where cabinets and washer dryer were located.

Sometimes the OEM or after market installers don't think through how nearby fixtures and marine conditions can be challenging.

Do you know if that was factory installed,or by the commission yard/outside vendor? just curious

Wild Blue said:

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After close inspection, turns out the control unit assembly on the motor was wet. The stern washdown faucet mounted above the thruster had a slow drip directly onto the control unit. Although I ordered a new control circuit board, once the drip was fixed and the control unit dried out, the thruster now operates as normal, and never on its own.

Alex on mvWildBlue.com

Click to expand...

When my thruster control unit got wet, it just stopped working.

dhays said:

Mine is setup that way too Mark, but I doubt that the switch on your panel actually is a switch in the cable connecting your battery to your thruster. It is just a switch to some type of remote switch in the cable. If that remote switch fails, where can you cut power to the thruster if needed?

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My thruster control turns the power circuit on and off. (I hear the "thunk" of a remote switch when turning the circuit on. The circuit will automatically turn off if the thruster hasn't been used for 30 minutes.) The thruster's panel switch will turn off all power for the 24-volt thruster. If I had a runaway thruster, the panel switch can kill the circuit.

Did some troubleshooting this weekend and I think it is the solenoid. I was able to rule out the joystick helm control (which is a good thing given its cost). I was unable to 100% rule out the control unit on the motor, because now it is working again. It started working correctly after I took off the plastic cover and gave the solenoid a few taps. Ordered a new solenoid today. When it arrives, I also plan to pull the motor, check the brushes and clean up the carbon.