Bow thrusters

Top-Seller

Particularly with crosswind and standstill of the boat, the manoeuvrability when docking and casting off is severely restricted. Especially sailing yachts and motor boats with only one propeller drive then tend to drift very quickly and control of the boat is lost. With a powerful bow thruster the bow can be moved to port or starboard, the tendency to turn can be stopped and the boat can be steered forwards or backwards much better. In narrow harbours and at berths that are difficult to approach, the bow thruster also increases the ability to turn in the tightest of spaces.

To be able to buy the right bow thruster, it must be known which bow thruster is suitable for the ship. The required power of the bow thruster depends on length, weight and type of yacht. Motorboats without a deep lateral plan are easier to move through the water than sailing yachts with deep keel ballast. The installation dimensions of the bow thruster depend on the shape and available space in the bow. The optimum thrust of bow thrusters can only be achieved if the auxiliary drive operates at the correct water depth and position in the hull. For this purpose, a sufficient battery capacity must be guaranteed with electric bow thrusters.

The powerful electric motors of the bow thrusters have a relatively high power consumption, usually a separate battery must be installed. This means that the alternator of the main engine must also provide a fast and sufficient battery charge. Especially with long power supply lines, the cable cross-sections must be calculated in such a way that neither too large resistances are created nor the cables become too hot due to overload. When retrofitting with a bow thruster, an overload protection or a thermal protection with appropriate fuses are always installed. For the retrofitting of a bow thruster, bow thruster tunnels or bow thrusters are offered in different lengths, diameters and materials.

The most common are tunnels made of GRP, which are laminated into the cut-out hull hole in the fore ship. A hydrodynamically shaped underwater part reduces turbulence which could affect the speed potential of the yacht. Fold-out bow thrusters are technically a little more complex, but they close the outer skin smoothly when retracted. Thus, no turbulences can occur during normal sailing, the propeller remains protected. The bow thrusters are operated either via rocker buttons or joystick switches on the control column. Ready-made connection cables are available for all common panels. The online shop of Compass24 offers powerful bow thrusters with sophisticated propulsion technology and accessories such as cables and propellers.

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