bow and stern thrusters

[rshoop]

Fellow Tugnuters,

I just bought a new ranger tug 31 sedan. Took it out today in lake Erie and was really impressed with how easy it handled. My old boat didn't have bow and stern thrusters, boy they make it easy to move into tight spaces.

My question is: Is it normal that they are loud. I was surprised to hear how loud they were.

Thanks, Robin

 

[S. Todd]

Yes they are loud. No mistaking that you are using them rather than deftly powering a single screw into your slip.

 

[scross]

The thrusters make docking soooo easy. But they will not be a secret to anyone that you are using them....

 

[stwendl]

Thrusters can be converted to proportional operation at some cost, allowing thrust control based on joystick deflection. Much easier on thrusters, batteries and the infamous shear pin. Not to mention noise level

 

[Mr. Ed]

Thrusters can be converted to proportional operation at some cost, allowing thrust control based on joystick deflection. Much easier on thrusters, batteries and the infamous shear pin. Not to mention noise level

That sounds like a wonderful upgrade! Can you post a link to some info on how to go about making that improvement, please?

 

[bob daily]

www.IMTRA.com. or (508) 995-7000
I think they are Side Power.
Was looking at them too! Bob

 

[Mr. Ed]

Awesome... thanks!

 

[acdfpic]

Went to the Seattle Boat Show yesterday and one of the things I was most interested in was the Imtra Go Pro (portional) modifications to the Side Power thrusters. They are really slick and much quieter than the standard thrusters...but it's $2000 per thruster to modify and add an additional control box. He also said that all new cabling is required. The remote will still work with the system, but will only be on/off.

Really nice...but I can think of other uses for $4K.

 

[SummerSteve]

They are even loud on ships!

 

[rpmerrill]

I try not to think of the noise as advertising "Here comes a wussie who needs thrusters to dock the boat."

Rather, think of it as bragging "Ha ha ha, I've got bow AND stern thrusters. Watch me go!"

A rear thruster makes backing the boat up a dream. Don't even touch the wheel.

A friend who is a ferry boat captain tells me to practice docking on a regular basis without using the thrusters.
Just remember, do not quickly do a left-right-left... That's when your thruster really makes noise, grinding the shear pin to dust. There is supposed to be a delay built in, but be careful.

 

[Maggie Anne]

I recently talked to an IMTRA rep about their upgrade program. As I understood it, the proportional thruster modification will reduce noise when operating the thrusters at lower RPM but should be the same noise level when using full thrust. Given that on my R27OB, even full thrust seems insufficient most of the time, this upgrade did not seem that it would be all that useful. I also inquired about changing from the SE30 Sidepower thrusters (which I think are the ones installed in the R27) to the SE40, which would provide an increase in thrust (~40%) and with new controller, cables, etc. they estimated around $4000 to do that. No trade in on the old thruster but presumably I could sell on used market. One good thing about the noise level and the weak response is that it has encouraged me to improve my boat handling skills so as to avoid the loud advertisement of "oops I misjudged that one" that happens when they're used.

 

[vertigo]

I try not to think of the noise as advertising "Here comes a wussie who needs thrusters to dock the boat."

Rather, think of it as bragging "Ha ha ha, I've got bow AND stern thrusters. Watch me go!"

I like your style! 😎