Bowthruster problems

[rjstyles]

I've got a Vetus 23kg bowthruster fitted to my boat. A couple of weekends ago I tried using it, only to be met with an awfull grinding noise followed by the motor spinning quite happily - albeit at very high revs and no thrust.

Having fiddled around and finally resorting to RTFM....( Read The F****** Manual ) I have concluded the probable cause being the drive pin has sheared. Could weed blockage in the tunnel cause this problem ? I would have thought the motor and drive pin would have been big enough to chew up any weed.

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[Gludy]

How long since you last succesfully used it?

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[DavidJ]

Sounds like a barnacle build up. There's not much of a gap between the tunnel and the prop and with a few hundred of 'em they can bridge the gap quite effectively. The fact that it was grinding means that you you nearly got away with it, you had actually started to shear the little blighters.
bad luck!


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[rjstyles]

Last used it a couple of weeks before the failure. It's only been in the water since March after being fully cleaned and antifouled.

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[DavidJ]

hmmm
so it can't be barnacle build up in two weeks.

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[Col]

Possibly a piece of drift wood or rope found its way into the tunnel and jammed between prop and drive unit. Bit like sticking a stick through the spokes of your bike wheel. This could break the shear pin, after all, that's what it's there for.

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[SteveJ]

have you checked the oil in the resovoir as trhat will cause a grinding noise followed by a motor spinning quickly. check the pin which you may be able to do with the boat in the waterby taking the motor off the gear box and checking the pin there. then turn the spindle by hand and see if it is free if not prepare for a reassonable bill from the local boat yard for a new gearbox on tyhe thruster.

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