Classic or external bow thruster for Hunter 38 Legend?

[MarcinS]

Hello colleagues from beyond the great water. My wife squeals to install the thruster, I will not mention the reasons ...:] On the previous two boats I had classic tunnel rudders, they worked effectively, maybe they were a bit too loud. In my current Hunter 38 Legend yacht, however, I do not like the place designed by Hunter for such a tunnel, in my eye it is too far from the bow, so for the rudder to be effective it should have its power, high power ... Hunter recommends mounting the Lewmar 140TT there, which seems too weak to me.

That is why I am thinking about installing an external side power propeller. I could move such a rudder over a meter to the bow, increasing its efficiency. I am thinking about available in Europe https://www.svb24.com/en/side-power-sx5 ... -50mm.html

Another topic for discussion is electricity connection. In the manual, Hunter shows how to connect the rudder to the existing electrical installation without interfering with its efficiency. I do not know if this is a good idea and if it will be able to recharge an additional battery, it is probably better to add an additional 230V charger, e.g. https://allegro.pl/oferta/ladowarka-vic ... 0215830922 for the dedicated AGM 100-150AH battery plus of course security, etc. I am also thinking about adding a remote control Single Remote Control for Bow Thruster / Anchor buy now | SVB to make docking easier when I am alone on the boat.
I would love to hear your experiences / opinions about my idea, as always, they will help me make a decision. Greetings from Poland, Marcin

 

[Nodak7]

Marcin, I installed one of these external units on our H41DS and have been very pleased with it. Not only is the install much less costly then the internal option but the thruster is about 2-3' further forward which makes it much more effective. Additionally I did the install myself and it was relatively easy!

 

[MarcinS]

Marcin, I installed one of these external units on our H41DS and have been very pleased with it. Not only is the install much less costly then the internal option but the thruster is about 2-3' further forward which makes it much more effective. Additionally I did the install myself and it was relatively easy!

Great, thank you for the information. I still have a question, did you plug into the original Hunter installation or did you build a new independent one?

 

[Nodak7]

Great, thank you for the information. I still have a question, did you plug into the original Hunter installation or did you build a new independent one?

It was an independent installation. There was no "Hunter" installed anything for a thruster on our boat. Here is a pic of the hull plug I took out to install the unit.

 

[MarcinS]

It was an independent installation. There was no "Hunter" installed anything for a thruster on our boat. Here is a pic of the hull plug I took out to install the unit.

Have you installed an additional charger and a battery dedicated only to the bow thruster or connected to the existing battery bank?

 

[Nodak7]

Have you installed an additional charger and a battery dedicated only to the bow thruster or connected to the existing battery bank?

Yes I did install an additional charger for the Thruster Batteries. The Thruster is a 24v system. I have 2 12v batteries dedicated to it. I installed a 12v to 24v charger (which came with the unit) for them.

 

[MarcinS]

Yes I did install an additional charger for the Thruster Batteries. The Thruster is a 24v system. I have 2 12v batteries dedicated to it. I installed a 12v to 24v charger (which came with the unit) for them.

I think to do the same with 12V because it is more of a European standard

 

[Tally Ho]

Marcin, I installed one of these external units on our H41DS and have been very pleased with it. Not only is the install much less costly then the internal option but the thruster is about 2-3' further forward which makes it much more effective. Additionally I did the install myself and it was relatively easy!

Do you notice much of a drag when sailing with the external unit?

Greg

 

[Nodak7]

Do you notice much of a drag when sailing with the external unit?

Greg

Nothing noticeable that I can see.

 

[flightlead404]

I have the factory installed 140TT 2.2kW unit on my 38, seems fine to me. Won't bring the bow up through the wind when its blowing 20kts, but other than its fine.

 

[MarcinS]

I have the factory installed 140TT 2.2kW unit on my 38, seems fine to me. Won't bring the bow up through the wind when its blowing 20kts, but other than its fine.

The factory installation is connected directly to the battery bank? Are you having problems with a lack of energy? How big is your battery bank?

 

[flightlead404]

The factory installation is connected directly to the battery bank? Are you having problems with a lack of energy? How big is your battery bank?

Well, via a switch, a breaker, and an anl fuse, yes. From memory may be the start battery. Personally I think batt size is largely immaterial. You're only going to use it when the engine is running and therefore charging via alternator, and realistically you're only running the thruster motor for a few seconds. If you're mashing that button for 10's of seconds you're probably doing something wrong.

Personally I use "back and fill" type techniques and rarely do more than blip the thruster when I need it.

 

[Davidasailor26]

We have a 4.3KW thruster on a Beneteau 37. Beneteau powers it from a single group 27 battery under the v-berth. The battery is charged from cables leading back to the battery compartment in the aft cabin, with an ACR style isolator to separate it from the other banks.

 

[MarcinS]

Thank you for the information. Yesterday I came to the boat dock, unfortunately I have 320mi here from home so I don't come too often. It's winter, although it's warm 20F for January, the yacht is standing on the shore, I'm getting ready for the hotel breakfast and I'm going on the boat to think about a few topics. Best regards, Marcin.