Bow thruster motor

[Blueboat]

Hi, I have been trying to get my bow thruster motor serviced for the last couple of years, got it “fixed’ last year after the marina mechanics had it for five months, as soon as I used it twice it stopped working, then this winter gave it to someone else , a local mechanic, which after three months waiting it was returned and stopped working on second use, he has taken it away to get fixed again, but that was two months ago and now is ghosting me, won’t reply by phone e mails or texts. So now I am left with no motor, and four screw holes where motor should be, so my question is can a reputable boat mechanic , be able to source a new bow thruster motor just by looking at dimensions of the holes left by the last motor.

I suppose I have to report the last motor as stolen, get a crime number, and sue through civil court.

[Alan de Enfield]

why not just learn to handle a boat without a 'girlie button' - you never know, you might enjoy it.

[Chris John]

9 hours ago, Alan de Enfield said:

why not just learn to handle a boat without a 'girlie button' - you never know, you might enjoy it.

🥱 

[Russ T]

I would think so. Have you tried Vetus? Measure the PCD and tunnel diameter and compare size.

Edited May 4 by Russ T

[LadyG]

2 minutes ago, Russ T said:

I would think so. Have you tried Vetus? Measure the PCD and compare size.

I think ive got a Vetus, ive no idea if it works, its yellow.  Is it worth selling? 

[Russ T]

7 minutes ago, LadyG said:

I think ive got a Vetus, ive no idea if it works, its yellow.  Is it worth selling? 

Defintely. Sell it to the OP.

Although, it might not match his blue boat. If you could source some paint from.......

SML paints

[Bee]

PCD. Pitch circle diameter. looks like four equally spaced holes on a 100mm circle (or something like that) There is every chance that the Vetus part is made by someody else and is considerably cheaper and available off the shelf in some car parts warehouse somewhere. Finding what it is is the challenge. Good luck.

[blackrose]

11 hours ago, Blueboat said:

So now I am left with no motor, and four screw holes where motor should be, so my question is can a reputable boat mechanic , be able to source a new bow thruster motor just by looking at dimensions of the holes left by the last motor.

 

 

So you're saying you don't know what model of bow thruster you have (or had)?

 

I'm often surprised by other boat owners who don't know their equipment or even what engine they have, but I guess we all have different levels of interest in our boats.

 

Is there any paperwork pertaining to your boat? You never know, the original builders manual might specify the model of BT.

Edited May 4 by blackrose

[Russ T]

Whilst not a definitive answer, the length and width of your boat could also help narrow down the bow thruster/motor, as would that electrical connector (and possibly fuse size). Although it could well be used in other systems, it is used in the older vetus wiring.

Edited May 4 by Russ T

[wakey_wake]

37 minutes ago, blackrose said:

I'm often surprised by other boat owners who don't know their equipment or even what engine they have, but I guess we all have different levels of interest in our boats.

 

Very generally, and hoping not to offend the OP:

I believe it's about the edge of knowledge and the gradient of curiosity.

 

If some new object is far enough outside one's existing knowledge, it's quite hard to get a handle on how to learn more about it; and therefore easier for the mind to develop an anti-curiosity about it that walls it off in the bubble of unknown.

 

Getting sufficiently familiar with a variety of technical objects allows one's mind to find something, anything that the next object has in common with one you already understand. That's a foothold to better understanding.

[MtB]

Doesn't the RCD mandate that a manual for the boat is produced? A manual drawing together all the installation booklets that came with every bit of kit used in the building of the boat including e.g., the bow thruster? 

 

If the OP looks in the RCD boat manual the BT instruction manual has been sitting there in his possession all this time! Or maybe the OP's boat pre-dates the RCD regs. 

 

Another approach to find out the make and model might be to ask the first engineer who fixed it in that lightning-fast 5 months...

 

 

Edited May 4 by MtB
add a bit

[Llamedos]

14 minutes ago, wakey_wake said:

 

Very generally, and hoping not to offend the OP:

I believe it's about the edge of knowledge and the gradient of curiosity.

 

If some new object is far enough outside one's existing knowledge, it's quite hard to get a handle on how to learn more about it; and therefore easier for the mind to develop an anti-curiosity about it that walls it off in the bubble of unknown.

 

Getting sufficiently familiar with a variety of technical objects allows one's mind to find something, anything that the next object has in common with one you already understand. That's a foothold to better understanding.

You been reading 'Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance' by any chance? 😀

1 hour ago, LadyG said:

I think ive got a Vetus, ive no idea if it works, its yellow.  Is it worth selling? 

That doesn't look like a Vetus to me.

 

I serviced mine last year and the Vetus thrusters generally have a splined shaft coming out of the tail piece and a cage like flange around it which the motor bolts onto. If @Blueboat can photo the operating switch which will probably have the makers name on it,  that would provide a good starting point for identification.

[Russ T]

21 minutes ago, Llamedos said:

That doesn't look like a Vetus to me.

Fair enough. I was only going by the part number on the plate and the electrical connector. For full clarity, we don't have a bow thruster. Just me and a long pole and lots of sweary words.

[Llamedos]

2 minutes ago, Russ T said:

Fair enough. I was only going by the part number on the plate and the electrical connector. For full clarity, we don't have a bow thruster. Just me and a long pole and lots of sweary words.

To be honest, I do have one and it's a right pain in the ass. If it ever packs up completely I'm going to have the tube plated over and forget all about it. It just makes me lazy - having said that it has got me out of trouble a few times.

 

Anyway just done a bit of digging and I think the OP's might be a Sleipner Side Thruster. If it is, that's probably why he never got it back, the engineer probably hadn't got a clue how to repair it. Norwegian based company.

[cuthound]

I got my Vetus bow thruster motor, which had seized, overhauled by Cox Auto Electrics of Atherstone, Warwickshire a few years ago. 

 

They charged me £10 (refundable if they get the work) to diagnose it and give me a quote to repair it. The total repair (including new brushes and contactors) was under £400.

 

https://www.coxautoelectrics.co.uk/

 

Might be worth asking them if they could supply a suitable motor?

 

Edited May 4 by cuthound

[wakey_wake]

2 hours ago, Llamedos said:

You been reading 'Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance' by any chance? 😀

Not in recent decades... maybe I still have it somewhere? 👍

[Llamedos]

21 minutes ago, cuthound said:

I got my Vetus bow thruster motor, which had seized, overhauled by Cox Auto Electrics of Atherstone, Warwickshire a few years ago. 

 

They charged me £10 (refundable if they get the work) to diagnose it and give me a quote to repair it. The total repair (including new brushes and contactors) was under £400.

 

https://www.coxautoelectrics.co.uk/

 

They’re the people who can still refurbish Electrolux Travel Power units too. The previous owner of my boat got them to repair the Travel Power Unit and they did a good job. 
 

As a matter of interest. Did they come out to you or did you have to remove the motor yourself and get it to them?

[cuthound]

5 minutes ago, Llamedos said:

They’re the people who can still refurbish Electrolux Travel Power units too. The previous owner of my boat got them to repair the Travel Power Unit and they did a good job. 
 

As a matter of interest. Did they come out to you or did you have to remove the motor yourself and get it to them?

 

I took the motor out and took it to them.

 

[matty40s]

Pretty sure that isnt Vetus.

More likely BCS or Sidepower.

[robtheplod]

Our Vetus connection looks like this:

[Llamedos]

1 hour ago, robtheplod said:

Our Vetus connection looks like this:

Yes it's not the same is it. I think the one @Blueboat  has (or had) is almost definitely a Sleipner Side Power, the 'EP' reference on the tail piece is consistent with their part numbering from what I can gather with a bit of digging. He could try sending the photo to their technical support team, they'll know straight away. I'm sure they could quote him for the replacement motor etc if it is one of theirs and perhaps recommend a reliable engineer rather than a cowboy.

 

[Blueboat]

Ok, thanks for the views, I will just ask at a boat yard when I’m next getting it blacked in a couple of months. Sorry I’m not experienced in such things, which appears to have annoyed some posters. I just wanted to know if it could be sourced from the pic, and the answer is no, ha, thanks for looking anyway.

[Llamedos]

9 hours ago, Blueboat said:

Ok, thanks for the views, I will just ask at a boat yard when I’m next getting it blacked in a couple of months. Sorry I’m not experienced in such things, which appears to have annoyed some posters. I just wanted to know if it could be sourced from the pic, and the answer is no, ha, thanks for looking anyway.

I wouldn't worry about the reaction of people on here. I'm sure it's not meant personally. There are some knowledgeable people here but they don't always come over as the most sympathetic.

 

I sometimes wonder whether knowing a lot about your boat’s mechanics (or thinking you do) is a good thing anyway. It only means you spend too much time fretting about stuff that will most likely never happen.  

 

I still think it might be an idea to send that photo of yours to the tech team at Sleipner (Side Power) and ask whether it's one of theirs. The worst they can say is 'no that's not one of ours.' If they confirm it is however, you'll be in a much better position when you talk to your boat yard.

Edited May 5 by Llamedos

[Jen-in-Wellies]

21 minutes ago, Llamedos said:

still think it might be an idea to send that photo of yours to the tech team at Sleipner (Side Power) and ask whether it's one of theirs

Their name seems to come from an eight legged horse of Norse mythology! I have wondered how that worked, seeing as regular horses have trouble coordinating only four. Perhaps that is why it is mythological. 

[MtB]

2 hours ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Their name seems to come from an eight legged horse of Norse mythology! I have wondered how that worked, seeing as regular horses have trouble coordinating only four. Perhaps that is why it is mythological. 

 

Not the eight-legged horse from Black Adder then?

 

Y'know, the one with two heads....

 

and it even had two bodies as well, I think.