Bow Thruster Stops Working

[PhilPB]

Here is the coupler and pin that comprised the kit.

 

[PhilPB]

Here's the thruster.

 

[PhilPB]

I will hopefully post pics during install

 

[PhilPB]

Closer pics of coupler and pin. I'm assuming the coupler failed and not the pin.

 

[High Wire]

Is that the new or old pin/coupling? What does the underside look like?

 

[PhilPB]

Is that the new or old pin/coupling?

New. Not sure which is the underside. I will provide update tomorrow. It took about 15 minutes today to disconnect cabling, remove control cover, and back out 4 bolts. Unit is ready to be pulled, then we will see if it's just the coupling, pin, or something else. Sounds like the sacrificial coupling should end up being the part destroyed.

 

[PhilPB]

Is that the new or old pin/coupling? What does the underside look like?

Not sure which is the top or bottom at this point. I'm assuming the underside is where the pin fits in but I'm usually wrong!

 

[Bmarler]

I just had the motor off mine a couple of days ago. On mine the lower unit has a shaft with the two half moon shapes sticking upwards. So the coupler would sit on the lower unit with the shear pin facing up.
The coupler isn’t any stronger than the original design, but now there’s no metal to metal contact, so I assume it’s quieter.

 

[PhilPB]

It came apart easily, however the coupler and pin appears fine. Reassembled and waiting for response from vendor to see what can be done next.

 

[PhilPB]

They are setting up a warranty visit. He seems to think it may be something in the gear leg that's not right. Unfortunately this would require a haulout, hopefully a short haul, but on my dime.

 

[Andiamo2018]

The important part of this to me is learning how to control the boat without the thruster. It only makes sense to 'play' a little with the prop walk and to practice handling the boat with just the engine.

Additionally I would get the boat into some wind and put her in neutral and see how she drifts. See if your rudders give you any control at all while drifting. At least you will know what side of the boat will hit first

And good luck with getting the thruster working again.

Today I was painfully reminded the need for controlling your boat while backing into slip, in the wind with an inoperable bow thruster.
Today we took the boat out. The thruster worked fine for me to maneuver the bow so the wife could easily remove the bow lines when leaving the slip, then it stopped working. The motor would run but either the prop is missing, or something else. No cracks or thinks when it did work. Time to come back to the slip and I quickly realized how dependent I was on the thruster. Took quite a while getting the boat backed into the slip (single screw) and now have a damaged bimini bow for the cockpit bimini.
The thruster is just over a year old, professionally installed. Bottom is cleaned regularly and the diver is going to dive and investigate the thruster in a couple days.
Today was a hardly gentle reminder that I need to have complete control of the boat without the use of a thruster. Needless to say , it was a quiet drive home afterwards.

 

[Shrew]

Practice docking without the thruster. I had to learn the hard way when mine died a few years ago. I ended up going half a season with no thruster. I learned a lot in that time. When I got my thruster fixed, I found I used it significantly less.

 

[Beach House]

Bow Thruster

We have had our bow thruster "time out" on our Mainship 390. The thruster has an automatic shut off after what seems like 3-5 minutes and has to be turned back on.

 

[auskiwi]

Had similar problem with my sidepower, lifted boat but no problem with prop, checked inside and found a nut had come loose on the gearbox, easy fix, still cost a haulout fee for nothing, may pay to check the easy stuff first, only had it installed for 3 months, maybe not tightened in the first place.

 

[grumpyfnq]

I have a Vetus 24 v bowthruster and just spent a frustrating time in almost identical circumstances. Thruster died while docking in high wind, chaos, loud voices etc, Battery terminal not installed correctly. Batteries tested OK. Sorted, worked fine couple of times. Then nothing again. Making spinning noises, no effect. Must be sheared blades, have changed props with cracked blades before. Let down several times by diver. No offsider so eventually used remote yacht controller with small video camera to determine spinning and coupling intact. Camera on pole, prop intact and spinning. Multimeter at thruster and behold 15v spinning. One battery cactus in between failures and spinning but too slowly to create any side force.
Hasn't been mentioned but before you do too many expensive things, suggest check voltage when operating. Left field from above discussion but ran me in circles and dead ends for 10 days.
Good luck.

 

[PhilPB]

Figured out Saturday that the 1yr old, 100ah battery drained enough to spin the motor but produce no thrust.

The reason the battery was not useable was due to the 30v fuse between the charger and battery was fried. So, here we go......

Replaced fuse, glanced at the charger and all indicators were on.

Wire was getting extremely hot so went to pull fuse and it was so hot that it lightly burned my thumb and finger.

Had the thruster outfit on the phone and told him the charger was outputting 40 volts. He said "ohhhh, that should be 20 volts. We had a time when the chargers came in unmarked boxes but our guys should have caught it before they installed the wrong charger. We either will change the charger or upsize the wire and that will fix the problem"

Since they are not coming for 3 weeks to do the replacement I went and bought a small agm charger, hooked it up for 3 days and today the battery reads 12.9 volts and the thruster is working again.

Called them back and asked that they also bring a.load tester and new battery if mine isn't fine. They said they would.

So far their error cost to me is a diver to check the thruster and tunnel, new battery charger, repair to bimini frame from the subsequent damage from sliding along a piling while docking after realizing I lost my thruster.

Hopefully, they will resolve the issue.

Oh well, these things happen. Even when you use a reputable company mistakes do happen.

At least I now know how to take the thruster apart.... and NOT to tell the wife to shut up as she shrieks as we slide along a piling during docking!

 

[Comodave]

I would want the correct charger, not 40 volts. But also upsizing the cables would be a good thing. With heavy current loads the larger the cable size the better. You will have less voltage drop and better voltage is always a good thing, just not 40 volts…

 

[PhilPB]

I would want the correct charger, not 40 volts. But also upsizing the cables would be a good thing. With heavy current loads the larger the cable size the better. You will have less voltage drop and better voltage is always a good thing, just not 40 volts…

He did mention both options but did say that changing out the charger was what he thought the best option.

 

[PhilPB]

While they are doing the repair they are also installing a wireless remote station.

 

[Comodave]

Well since they messed up I would want them to put the correct charger and upgrade the wiring as a makeup since you spent a fair amount trying to fix their mistake.

 

[PhilPB]

I would want the correct charger, not 40 volts. But also upsizing the cables would be a good thing. With heavy current loads the larger the cable size the better. You will have less voltage drop and better voltage is always a good thing, just not 40 volts…

Well since they messed up I would want them to put the correct charger and upgrade the wiring as a makeup since you spent a fair amount trying to fix their mistake.

Agreed

 

[Hippocampus]

Other screw up you see with thrusters is the controls are on a separate circuit from the dedicated battery for the motor. This is common for multiple brands. I have a dedicated battery a few feet from the bow thruster but both control units (fly and bridge) get their power from the house bank and are fused separately. So there’s wiring all the way from those units to flip solenoids and turn on/off the motor as well as control the direction of rotation. On the Lewmar units they can activate one or both thrusters (bow/stern) which is stupid. Can’t think of an occasion where you wouldn’t want both active. You push the activation button and there’s a sequence-bow and stern, bow only then stern only. PIA if you hit that button while docking and need to go through the sequence to get both running. Engineers at work. Add a totally unnecessary feature and get a paycheck . See that with MFDs all the time as well.

 

[PhilPB]

Other screw up you see with thrusters is the controls are on a separate circuit from the dedicated battery for the motor. This is common for multiple brands. I have a dedicated battery a few feet from the bow thruster but both control units (fly and bridge) get their power from the house bank and are fused separately. So there’s wiring all the way from those units to flip solenoids and turn on/off the motor as well as control the direction of rotation. On the Lewmar units they can activate one or both thrusters (bow/stern) which is stupid. Can’t think of an occasion where you wouldn’t want both active. You push the activation button and there’s a sequence-bow and stern, bow only then stern only. PIA if you hit that button while docking and need to go through the sequence to get both running. Engineers at work. Add a totally unnecessary feature and get a paycheck . See that with MFDs all the time as well.

When they come to fix their screw-up they are also installing a radio remote control which eliminates a wired joystick. I need to find out from them of when they installed the system where the installed joystick power comes from. I think they did a direct run back to the thruster battery. Good thing to check though.

 

[ranger58sb]

When they come to fix their screw-up they are also installing a radio remote control which eliminates a wired joystick. I need to find out from them of when they installed the system where the installed joystick power comes from. I think they did a direct run back to the thruster battery. Good thing to check though.

Radio remote sounds maybe useful, but I think I'd want to keep a wired remote in the system too...

-Chris

 

[PhilPB]

Radio remote sounds maybe useful, but I think I'd want to keep a wired remote in the system too...

-Chris

The wired controller stays on the flybridge control panel. The wireless remote would be for the lower station or anywhere up to 80 meters away if I wanted to be annoying and look cool.
In reality, I should have had both stations installed when I had the thruster system put in. Now I see the need to have access from both of them.

 

[Comodave]

Having both a wired joystick and a wireless remote is the way to go. My wife will not go on the bow of our Formula to handle lines. So she does the stern line first and then gets the permanent bow line off the aft spring cleat and ties off the bow. Sometimes the bow will blow out far enough so she can’t reach the bow line. If I am in the stern or on the dock with the wireless remote I can run the bow thruster and move the bow back to the dock.

 

[PhilPB]

Having both a wired joystick and a wireless remote is the way to go. My wife will not go on the bow of our Formula to handle lines. So she does the stern line first and then gets the permanent bow line off the aft spring cleat and ties off the bow. Sometimes the bow will blow out far enough so she can’t reach the bow line. If I am in the stern or on the dock with the wireless remote I can run the bow thruster and move the bow back to the dock.

Well Dave, all I can say is if I am following your lines of thought and implementation, I must be doing something right!!

 

[Hippocampus]

Think the reason mine aren’t on the same battery as the two (one for bow and one for stern) that powers the motors is when used there’s a voltage drop. Controls maybe sufficiently sensitive to voltage that would affect their function.

 

[Comodave]

Well Dave, all I can say is if I am following your lines of thought and implementation, I must be doing something right!!

I appreciate the thought but I screw a lot of stuff up too…

 

[PhilPB]

Think the reason mine aren’t on the same battery as the two (one for bow and one for stern) that powers the motors is when used there’s a voltage drop. Controls maybe sufficiently sensitive to voltage that would affect their function.

That does make sense. I'm going to quiz the thruster team about my setup when they come to replace the charger and possibly battery, as well as installing the new remote