rsn48
Guru
- Joined
- Feb 18, 2019
- Messages
- 2,019
- Location
- Canada
- Vessel Name
- Capricorn
- Vessel Make
- Mariner 30 - Sedan Cruiser 1969
With some products, finding user reviews are few and far between; this is one of those products so I thought I'd throw a review in here at TF for those searching for real life experience using this style of external mount thruster.
First a link for a quick overview and saving me repeating the main selling points for this product:
https://side-power.com/kategori/183...l-itklJKYrsHItSMQLqazkeXb5ulUyxRoCLIMQAvD_BwE
This is the model I purchased and at first I was worried about whether I should have gone one size up as my purchase was the "base" size: [EX35 Single 12V thruster]
https://side-power.com/produkt/20481/ex35-single-12v-thruster/
I don't have a great deal of thruster experience. I have used a bow thruster on a Back Cove 34, side tunnel, don't recall the brand. What I did notice is the lack of power it seemed to have. This thruster worked but worked slowly and noisily. It is the cause of the noise that is the problem. The noise comes from cavitation as tunnel systems are close to the water surface, sometimes too close. In a marina you don't even have to look to know someone is using their tunnel thruster.
This thruster is deeper in the water and by default is water cooled. This thruster does not have the typical washing machine sound, more a buzz than a slush. The EX35 Single has 25 kilograms of thrust (55) pounds and I was worried that for my boat it might not be enough and I should have followed the practice of sizing one up. The chart says this model is for boats 6-9 meters long, mine is 8.3 or something like that, long.
Because there is no cavitation, this bow thruster moved my boat briskly around. It was nice to not have to concern myself about over heating as the motor, mounted under the water has nature's cooling system.
My boat doesn't have a flybridge and I was wondering if a larger side profile of a boat in a similar size with a flybridge in a decent wind might be affected. Even though the increased height, thus a larger area side profile presenting, I believe this thruster would handle the above situation much better than many with tunnel thrusters.
I would say the chart presented for choosing what thruster to install can be trusted unless a boat is unusually heavy with a larger than normal side profile, then maybe go one size up.
First a link for a quick overview and saving me repeating the main selling points for this product:
https://side-power.com/kategori/183...l-itklJKYrsHItSMQLqazkeXb5ulUyxRoCLIMQAvD_BwE
This is the model I purchased and at first I was worried about whether I should have gone one size up as my purchase was the "base" size: [EX35 Single 12V thruster]
https://side-power.com/produkt/20481/ex35-single-12v-thruster/
I don't have a great deal of thruster experience. I have used a bow thruster on a Back Cove 34, side tunnel, don't recall the brand. What I did notice is the lack of power it seemed to have. This thruster worked but worked slowly and noisily. It is the cause of the noise that is the problem. The noise comes from cavitation as tunnel systems are close to the water surface, sometimes too close. In a marina you don't even have to look to know someone is using their tunnel thruster.
This thruster is deeper in the water and by default is water cooled. This thruster does not have the typical washing machine sound, more a buzz than a slush. The EX35 Single has 25 kilograms of thrust (55) pounds and I was worried that for my boat it might not be enough and I should have followed the practice of sizing one up. The chart says this model is for boats 6-9 meters long, mine is 8.3 or something like that, long.
Because there is no cavitation, this bow thruster moved my boat briskly around. It was nice to not have to concern myself about over heating as the motor, mounted under the water has nature's cooling system.
My boat doesn't have a flybridge and I was wondering if a larger side profile of a boat in a similar size with a flybridge in a decent wind might be affected. Even though the increased height, thus a larger area side profile presenting, I believe this thruster would handle the above situation much better than many with tunnel thrusters.
I would say the chart presented for choosing what thruster to install can be trusted unless a boat is unusually heavy with a larger than normal side profile, then maybe go one size up.