Installing bow thruster 260 Sundancer

For anyone interested. There's an option to ignore any specific member of the forum...nice to have sometimes.

 

This is something I've wondered about in the smaller cruisers. Just last weekend we had winds blowing 20mph plus 90 degrees to the slip. My single engine 280DA with the full camper canvas up was a BEAR to get backed in! It took about 5 shots, but I finally got it with a brief lull in the wind speed.

 

I can think of more than a few times a bow thruster would have been handy self docking in a cross current or wind. That's in a 245. It would be nice to casually step on the dock and only have to worry about the rear cleat. Ignore any haters.
Any updates?

 

Definitely will be interesting to see the completed project. A few questions.
- what is the purpose on the centerline beam that is in the picture? The one that you had to remove a section of.
- Was there a layer of plywood/fiberglass on top of that beam that you had to remove?
- Was there foam filling both void spaces (above/below the fiberglass)?
- It looks like the carpeted platform that you sectioned out has screws holding it on.? I see 4 in the photo. My 2000 260 doesn't have these, but maybe they are hidden in the carpet. Would it of been easier to just remove the whole platform to get access to the compartment?
It'll be good to see how you finish this off. Will you be sealing off the chamber to protect from water intrusion? Also I'll be curious to see the completed project on the exterior as well. It'd also be good to know if there's any effect on planning performance of course. I saw a 280 once with thrusters and the skipper of that vessel said the thrusters are above water when planing. Probably the same for you. Thanks for posting all of this.

 

I'm confused. There was a "floor" on top of the wood beam/piece? Or does it just sit on top of the fiberglass hull for unknown purposes?

 

I believe he is talking about the little step up under the vee berth where vee berth table mount is. You can see it in the the pictures in the first post(s). It separates two foam sections and looks like it supports the table leg mount.

 

Hmm, in the pictures it looks too low to support the carpeted platform with the table mount on it. Maybe it's an odd perspective or something?

 

Roland, I noticed when looking into some fiberglass stuff for my growing list of projects and noticed that they sell "fiberglass tunnels" for bow thruster installations. Might be worth a look. My understanding is that these thruster units are pretty much seal and maintenance free. If so I'd be inclined to seal the whole thruster unit in a fiberglass tube and bond it with the hull. That way you can still have access to the battery and what not but are protected against water intrusion. Just a thought. There also seems to be a science to the exact location of the thrusters. I know the one 280da i saw that had these installed seemed to be sucking air into the thrust so likely wasn't very effective. Good luck on the project when you get back to it. Itll be great to see how it all turns out and performs.

 

this is still one of my favorite posts on this Forum!

 

One of the few times that the sarcasm came through in a post.

 

Hej Roland,

Impressive work! Looking forward to seeing the competed project!

Glöm inte att lägga upp några vackra bilder av den svenska skärgården i sommar? Jag har inte sett det på över 20 år och jag saknar det. (Translation - Please don't forget to send some beautiful pictures from the Swedish Archipelago this summer - it's been over 20 years since I have visited).

Vänliga hälsningar,

Carter

 

Ah, you read the instructions. Well that's smart indeed, . Sounds like you have it all figured out. It'll be interesting to see how it all turns out and performs for you! Thanks for posting it!