Side Shift ST350 Stern Thruster?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

PierreR

Guru
Joined
Oct 7, 2022
Messages
582
Vessel Name
Mar Azul
Vessel Make
1977 Hatteras 42 LRC
Has anyone used one of these stern thrusters. These are open non-tunnel enclosed units that are basically bolted onto the back of the boat. Having a full displacement trawler I do not have much transom below the waterline to install a tunnel drive stern thruster. In fact there is no room without serious modifications. Another boat in heated storage has one of these units on a 54' boat and it looks like it will be just the ticket given the restraints that I have.
When its just my wife and I on board the boat I am essentially single handing the boat because she cannot handle lines and is scared to drive the boat. She believes that I need a thruster to keep from killing us or racking up damages even though I have not done so after 5,000 miles.
I decided on a stern thruster because I can put the bow anywhere I want it but walking the stern with a full big keel is a bit more of a problem. I think a stern thruster will be more useful on this twin engine boat than a bow thruster and cheaper to install.
 
If you have twin engine and a bow thruster, invest in a few hours of professional training. And invest in full duplex headsets like those from Eartech. You do not need a stern thruster, you need training and confidence. A bow thruster is helpful with twin engines. You'll save a lot of money! Advice does not apply to a single engine vessel with your circumstance. A little bit of professional oversight and practice will make a world of difference.
 
If you have twin engine and a bow thruster, invest in a few hours of professional training. And invest in full duplex headsets like those from Eartech. You do not need a stern thruster, you need training and confidence. A bow thruster is helpful with twin engines. You'll save a lot of money! Advice does not apply to a single engine vessel with your circumstance. A little bit of professional oversight and practice will make a world of difference.
I do not have a bow thruster. I can put the bow where I want it and can walk the stern at half throttle on both engines. I do not think I need a stern thruster, My wife does.
 
Hmm...the options seem obvious.
 
Hmm...the options seem obvious.
Oh, if only that were true! I hear what you are saying but this has nothing to do with reality and everything to do with perception. I single hand my boat just fine by myself without my wife on board.
The problem is that my wife has very little proprioception and cannot pass a sobriety check stone sober with her eyes closed. She cannot throw a ball and guarantee hitting a 10' high brick wall 10' in front of her. She may release the ball straight up. Getting into a dinghy? forget it. we have the wheeled self leveling boarding steps to allow her to get off the boat and look for ADA docks.
She cannot judge where the boat is in relation to the dock and is always fearful of docking. She sees the knuckleheads' overuse bow and stern thrusters and thinks she would feel safe if we had them. I comes down to she will go on the loop if we have them and not if we don't. After 47 years of marriage it's " Yes Dear".
I will compromise and install a stern thruster as that will help me in foul tides and strong winds. I don't need a bow thruster and she will not know if I have one or not.
 
I have had 2 of these units. 12volt stern thruster on a 40’ Defever. 24volt stern thruster on KK42. Installed both myself. Easy peasy. Love them. Go with the larger 24 v unit. I believe it’s about 7 hp. Reliable, wireless, and well worth the money. Support was also good the one time I called with questions.
 
I taught boat handling for the CG for 30 years and I actually do know how to handle a boat and used to test Coxswains in boat handling for the CG. Having said that we all get older and less agile. Please don’t pay attention to ones that say just learn how to handle your boat. If you want thrusters then get them, it is your boat. Our last boat was a trawler and I would drive from the flybridge, my wife would handle the bow lines. When docking or locking I could easily put the bow where I wanted it. Then walk the stern into the dock. BUT by the time I climbed down from the bridge, over the dog, the stern would likely blow off the dock meaning I had to go back to the helm and do it over again. So I installed a stern thruster and with the wireless remote I could bring the stern back to the dock easily. Then we wanted a faster boat. I loved the Formula 41PC but my wife said she would never go out on the bow. So I told her if we got it I would put bow and stern thrusters on it and she would never have to go onto the bow, and she never has.

I was going to have bow and stern thrusters installed at a cost of about $25K. But when we took possession of the 41PC I soon realized that there just wasn’t adequate room for internal thrusters. I started looking for an alternative abd found SideShift. I bought 2 of them for about $9K and spent another $1K for batteries, they are 24 volt. My wife and I installed the bow thruster in about a day and a half. My neighbor helped with the stern thruster because it is extremely tight back there but we did it in less than a day. They work great. Support from the company has been excellent. One thing I love about them is that the joystick is wireless so I didn’t have to run control wires the length of the boat, not an easy thing to do on my boat.
 
I get it... happy wife, happy life. Have you considered installing a speaker in the lazarette and just playing a thruster sound when appropriate? Just sayin... :whistling:
 
Ignore those who tell you that "real captains don't need thrusters." Most of us can put our boats alongside without them until circumstances such as unexpected current, prop wash etc. intervene at which point any device that helps is a godsend. Having had boats with twins and no thrusters and the most recent with both bow and stern thrusters, I highly recommend bow & stern thrusters. The ability to move sideways despite having a large keel is really helpful in tight docking/locking situations. Having watched "Phantom" a 53 footer single handed through the TSW/Loop with both thrusters, my wife insisted I add the remote control as well. Of course she was right!
 
I'm with Pierre - get both. It makes life so much easier and safer. The crew (whoever it is) will feel much more secure with straight forward docking. If you are ill and unable to dock the boat then its so easy that your wife can dock it. Finally get ones that lock in position hold the boat against the dock while you (or your crew) tie it up.

Yes get the training for the day it all goes wrong or the wind is too strong for the thrusters, back up is good.

I have had several twin engined boats and yes I can dock it with the engines only, but sailing is about enjoyment and there is no doubt that mooring is stressful for most boaters so as the song goes "make it easy on yourself" and enjoy your self along with your wife.
 
Has anyone used one of these stern thrusters. These are open non-tunnel enclosed units that are basically bolted onto the back of the boat. Having a full displacement trawler I do not have much transom below the waterline to install a tunnel drive stern thruster. In fact there is no room without serious modifications. Another boat in heated storage has one of these units on a 54' boat and it looks like it will be just the ticket given the restraints that I have.
When its just my wife and I on board the boat I am essentially single handing the boat because she cannot handle lines and is scared to drive the boat. She believes that I need a thruster to keep from killing us or racking up damages even though I have not done so after 5,000 miles.
I decided on a stern thruster because I can put the bow anywhere I want it but walking the stern with a full big keel is a bit more of a problem. I think a stern thruster will be more useful on this twin engine boat than a bow thruster and cheaper to install.
I have both a bow thruster and stern thruster on my GB 42 single Cat. Both a very useful and perhaps the stern most effective at putting the boat next to the dock while getting off to tie up. Stern thruster is bolted on the transom below the swim step.
 
Has anyone used one of these stern thrusters. These are open non-tunnel enclosed units that are basically bolted onto the back of the boat. Having a full displacement trawler I do not have much transom below the waterline to install a tunnel drive stern thruster. In fact there is no room without serious modifications. Another boat in heated storage has one of these units on a 54' boat and it looks like it will be just the ticket given the restraints that I have.
When its just my wife and I on board the boat I am essentially single handing the boat because she cannot handle lines and is scared to drive the boat. She believes that I need a thruster to keep from killing us or racking up damages even though I have not done so after 5,000 miles.
I decided on a stern thruster because I can put the bow anywhere I want it but walking the stern with a full big keel is a bit more of a problem. I think a stern thruster will be more useful on this twin engine boat than a bow thruster and cheaper to install.
I have an ST350 on my 34 foot Nordic Tug. It gives me as much control over the stern as I have from my factory installed tunnel bow thruster. My slip sometimes gets a 2 or 3 knot tidal current from the side and the stern thruster is quite helpful in single hand docking.
 
Think about installing a Dockmate. This will allow you to be where the lines are and control the boat.
 
If I had a single I would probably be interested in both a bow and stern thruster.

I operate a twin. With the help of a bow thruster I can drive my boat sideways. At this time I don’t see a need for a stern thruster. If I ever see the need I will add one. It’s much easier to add a stern thruster than a bow thruster,
 
I've used a bolted-on stern thruster on a MS34 and a Monk 36; worked well on both. The MS had an enclosed flybridge, and the thruster was helpful to counteract windage. And if your wife will be happier knowing you have one it should be a simple decision!😀
 
My single engine trawler had a stern and bow thruster already installed when we bought the boat. The stern thruster with remote is very helpful.
 
Forgot to mention also that a Dockmate unit is really helpful if you're single-handing the boat. Not cheap, though, can run up to $10,000 by the time you're done, but it allows you to do everything except steer the boat from any location on the boat. You can operate the thrusters, transmission and throttle; wear it on a loop around your neck like glasses or binoculars, so you can have your hands free for picking up a mooring ball, for instance.
 
I put bith bow and stern SideShift thrusters on my boat for $10K, $9K for the thrusters and $1K for 4 batteries. It also comes with a wireless remote control. And wireless joysticks so you don’t have to run control wires all through the boat, simple DIY install.
 
We have a Sideshift stern thruster mounted to the hull. Very pleased with it. It also has a remote control which comes in handy.
 
If I had money to blow I'd put in a stern thruster to go along with my bow thruster. I am on an end tie and I don't usually need my bow thruster but I use it regularly. Especially of course when I'm being blown onto the dock (rare). Love to have stern control as well.
 
Has anyone used one of these stern thrusters. These are open non-tunnel enclosed units that are basically bolted onto the back of the boat. Having a full displacement trawler I do not have much transom below the waterline to install a tunnel drive stern thruster. In fact there is no room without serious modifications. Another boat in heated storage has one of these units on a 54' boat and it looks like it will be just the ticket given the restraints that I have.
When its just my wife and I on board the boat I am essentially single handing the boat because she cannot handle lines and is scared to drive the boat. She believes that I need a thruster to keep from killing us or racking up damages even though I have not done so after 5,000 miles.
I decided on a stern thruster because I can put the bow anywhere I want it but walking the stern with a full big keel is a bit more of a problem. I think a stern thruster will be more useful on this twin engine boat than a bow thruster and cheaper to install.
I have a stern thruster on my 38' CHB and it's a game changer. Current and wind increase knowledge, so get it. I plan to hire someone with better skills than I have to learn for the possability of the stern not able to control enough or not work for any reason. As many say here, do what works so you and your wife can get through the experience better. Good luck.
 
I installed a ST350 (24v) last fall. The boat is single screw and came with a bow thruster, it has no side decks so normal practice is getting the stern to the dock so my wife can step off with a line and I can thrust the bow if needed. This has worked fine in most conditions for the 8+ years we've had the boat, but age and agility begin to work against us. Also, I wanted more confidence in single handing the boat going forward and have remotes for both thrusters. I added a 24V bank and cross tied it to the existing 24V bank for engine start and bow thrust, adding capacity and redundancy. I did the install in the water, lying on a floating paddleboard like platform. It was successful but I wouldn't do it again :). So far I'm happy with the unit and it's effectiveness, especially when I need to back into a slip. I have some concerns about the longevity of the aluminum housing but will watch it closely.
 
Has anyone used one of these stern thrusters. These are open non-tunnel enclosed units that are basically bolted onto the back of the boat. Having a full displacement trawler I do not have much transom below the waterline to install a tunnel drive stern thruster. In fact there is no room without serious modifications. Another boat in heated storage has one of these units on a 54' boat and it looks like it will be just the ticket given the restraints that I have.
When its just my wife and I on board the boat I am essentially single handing the boat because she cannot handle lines and is scared to drive the boat. She believes that I need a thruster to keep from killing us or racking up damages even though I have not done so after 5,000 miles.
I decided on a stern thruster because I can put the bow anywhere I want it but walking the stern with a full big keel is a bit more of a problem. I think a stern thruster will be more useful on this twin engine boat than a bow thruster and cheaper to install.
I added a SideShift stern thruster ST-340 on the swim platform of my single engine (no bow thruster) 34' trawler in 2023 and it has made a great improvement in handling. I don't have a bow thruster just a single inboard and a rudder. I can now pivot on the spot 90 degrees in five seconds.

For making tight turns and pinpoint docking in the marina you can't beat the advantage of a stern thruster. For fighting a strong side wind force a bow thruster is better. I installed the SideShift stern thruster and connected it to my two AGM house batteries, in one day DIY. The total cost was $5k cdn about $3,800.us Bonus it also comes standard with a lanyard remote control. PS: as your engine and alternator are always running and generating current while momentarily using your stern thruster I do not strain the two house batteries or experience any need to load up with any more dedicated batteries + the associated charging equipment. They are only used for 5 seconds and do not need dedicated batteries... in my two year experience.
 

Attachments

  • ST340.jpg
    ST340.jpg
    169.9 KB · Views: 30
  • 22.jpg
    22.jpg
    112.8 KB · Views: 29
Has anyone used one of these stern thrusters. These are open non-tunnel enclosed units that are basically bolted onto the back of the boat. Having a full displacement trawler I do not have much transom below the waterline to install a tunnel drive stern thruster. In fact there is no room without serious modifications. Another boat in heated storage has one of these units on a 54' boat and it looks like it will be just the ticket given the restraints that I have.
When its just my wife and I on board the boat I am essentially single handing the boat because she cannot handle lines and is scared to drive the boat. She believes that I need a thruster to keep from killing us or racking up damages even though I have not done so after 5,000 miles.
I decided on a stern thruster because I can put the bow anywhere I want it but walking the stern with a full big keel is a bit more of a problem. I think a stern thruster will be more useful on this twin engine boat than a bow thruster and cheaper to install.
I’m surprised you need any thruster at all with twin engines. I had twins on my 42 LRC and for about 10 years never had a problem. I didn’t had any previous large boat experience. In docking, I never touched the wheel after I made sure the rudder was straight. Just used the the forward and reverse on both controls. When you get the hang of it, there’s never a place to tight. Now I would love to have one on my single engine Prairie. Docking it makes a man looks like he never operated a boat. You must be doing a great job without a thruster after 5000 miles. I too was wondering if my Prairie had enough stern underwater to install one.
 
We have the ST350 and ours is a twin screw. Makes llife easier and boating more fun. Buy it!
 
I’m surprised you need any thruster at all with twin engines. I had twins on my 42 LRC and for about 10 years never had a problem. I didn’t had any previous large boat experience. In docking, I never touched the wheel after I made sure the rudder was straight. Just used the the forward and reverse on both controls. When you get the hang of it, there’s never a place to tight. Now I would love to have one on my single engine Prairie. Docking it makes a man looks like he never operated a boat. You must be doing a great job without a thruster after 5000 miles. I too was wondering if my Prairie had enough stern underwater to install one.
Have you actually read the posts in this thread and other threads about thrusters??? It isn’t about being able to dock a boat or not. It is about getting older and less strong and being able to boat longer in old age. If you have read the posts and still have this attitude then there isn’t much of a way to explain it to you. Sorry.
 
I have an ST350 on my 34 foot Nordic Tug. It gives me as much control over the stern as I have from my factory installed tunnel bow thruster. My slip sometimes gets a 2 or 3 knot tidal current from the side and the stern thruster is quite helpful in single hand docking.
We have a 2007 NT 32-287 and would love to see any photos of your installation. When we purchased the boat in 2009, NT's engineering dept told us that you could not get a stern thruster deep enough in the water to be very effective. SVToybox@aol.com.
 
we installed this a couple years ago, because the genset is within a couple of inched of the rudder table there was no room or access an internally mounted stern thruster. The side shifter works great

IMG_2615.jpg
Untitled.jpg
 
We have a 2007 NT 32-287 and would love to see any photos of your installation. When we purchased the boat in 2009, NT's engineering dept told us that you could not get a stern thruster deep enough in the water to be very effective. SVToybox@aol.com.
SideShift wants 5” of water above the top of the props. You can get extensions to extend the distance from the screws in the transom to the thruster motor. Hard to believe that you can’t get that depth.
 
we installed this a couple years ago, because the genset is within a couple of inched of the rudder table there was no room or access an internally mounted stern thruster. The side shifter works great

View attachment 161424View attachment 161425
Nice installation, unfortunately the swim platform on our Nordic T is an extension of the hull, therefore, no space under it to install a thruster.
 
Back
Top Bottom