How To Protect Your Thruster

The good news is you never have to scrape sea growth out of your thruster again.
The bad news is you have to get wet.
Go on line and buy high density boat cushion foam that is 5" thick and a density above 2.5.
Measure the diameter of your thruster and then add 1".
Cut two pieces of the foam using a serrated knife to the thruster diameter and the added one inch.
(7" diameter thruster, cut foam with an 8" diameter)
Turn thruster battery switch off.
Put sign next to thruster control
"Do Not Operate"
Make a bucket of soapy water using blue colored Dawn Dish Soap. Add the amount of Dawn to water like you were going to wash dishes.
Put the round foam pieces into the soap solution and step on them to extract the air out of the foam.
Get in the water and shove the foam into both sides of your thruster.
Six weeks or six months later your thruster is clean as the day you installed the plugs.
Don't:
Do not add too much soap it will attack your thruster shaft seals. The soap is to help remove all the air from the foam.
Do not put a chlorine pool table in between the foam plugs to sanitize the water. They will eat your seals and burn/melt the foam plugs.

You can cut a 1/4" thick starboard ring that is 1" diameter LESS than your thruster, cut a 4" center diameter hole (to accommodate the thruster center shaft) and tie a loop out of the front of the plug so that you can pull the plugs without getting wet using the looped line that is tied to the starboard ring on the back side of each foam plug.

I'm on the west coast of southern Florida with Warm water the sea growth will jam up your thruster in six weeks. I have used these plugs for six months now. My thruster blades do not even have slime on them. Clean as a whistle. Sea growth needs light and water movement. With foam plugs there is neither.
Now I have more time to party.
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My diver cleans the thruster when he cleans the hull.


I can see how your plan would work but in my area, the water can be very cold when it's time for me to leave on a cruise. Perhaps having a rope fastened to the plugs would allow them to be removed without jumping into the cold water.

I met a guy who puts a plastic trash bag over his prop and secures it to the bearing holder. No growth on the prop. I'm not that motivated.

Ted

Can't do it, there are safety bars mounted to hull over thruster opening.

Pgitug,

I have been looking all over pgi for you to do mine. Looks like a good idea if I could get you to do it for me.

My last NT 42 [FONT=&quot]located (here in pgi) was bad about [/FONT]eating up thruster zincs. Does your system keep the zincs from going away too quickly?

The whole idea of plugging the holes is to let the water go stagnant (no oxygen), and all the marine organisms die. Seems like you could accomplish the same thing with 2 old towels stuffed in the holes. If you tie 1/4" lines to each back up to the railing, you might be able to pull them back out without getting in this water.

Ted

For those that didn't see the other thruster thread and link...


http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s6/bow-thruster-covers-6280.html

Condom?

Useing the boat stops stuff growing.

Mine is protected with bottom paint, and I operate the thruster every time I take the boat out, even if not necessary for maneuvering. Stuff has been observed being "blown" off with use.

Simi 60 said:

Useing the boat stops stuff growing.

Click to expand...

Thats the best way, I put prop jelly on mine instead of bottom paint / anti foul, I have a lot more success with it. Exercise it ever 3 weeks if I don't use the boat.

seasalt007 said:

Pgitug,

I have been looking all over pgi for you to do mine. Looks like a good idea if I could get you to do it for me.

My last NT 42 [FONT=&quot]located (here in pgi) was bad about [/FONT]eating up thruster zincs. Does your system keep the zincs from going away too quickly?

Click to expand...

Thruster zincs are ten months old and still looking good.

Greetings,
Although I do not have a thruster(s) the solutions presented thus far have been pretty ingenuous. I was thinking about the various options presented and came up with a possible alternative. How about a 4'X6' tarp draped underneath the bow with lines at the 4 corners? One edge of the tarp could be drawn under the bow/stem past the thruster opening and pulled aft with those lines tied to a railing. The opposite edge could be pulled tight and fastened similarily. Sort of like an external band-aid. Installation and removal might be accomplished from the fore deck alone. Just a thought.

Somehow I got this posted in the wrong thread yesterday

If you could adapt these doors?????

Ted