Thruster TLC

MAINTAINING YOUR THRUSTER IS EASY, IF YOU KNOW THE PROCESS.

- Mike Smith

Computer-brained joystick control systems are the rage for close-quarters docking, but many skippers handle their boats just fine using throttles and a bow thruster, controlled by the computer in their skulls. Add a stern thruster and a skilled boat handler can rule the world. But, like all things mechanical, thrusters need occasional TLC. Usually it’s little more than a wash and brush-up and a new anode for the upcoming season, but sometimes there’s a bit more to do. Whatever work your thruster needs, now’s the time to do it, whether you live way up north or way down south of the Mason-Dixon line.

If a picture is worth 1,000 words, how much is a video worth, given that it’s viewed at 30 frames a second? In keeping with this new math, the folks at Vetus have created a series of four short videos (on vetus.com) explaining how to maintain an electric thruster. Bob Walker, an applications engineer at the company, is the host/teacher.

Maintain the Voltage

I called Vetus and connected with Walker, a personable guy unfazed by his growing internet stardom, to talk about what you need to know to keep your thrusters running. He emphasized that the most common problem with electric thrusters is bad batteries: A thruster motor demands lots of power, just like the starter motor in a car or a boat. In fact, a thruster is basically a starter motor. The first step in thruster maintenance is to check the voltage across the hot and negative terminals, where the heavy battery cables connect to the motor.