DIY Bowthruster installation..

[frlrubett]

Have been given a second hand Vetus 125/3. Have watched some installation videos - how hard can it be???

But.... before we start drilling holes in the boat...

I am happy / confident with glassing, fairing, grinding. Have removed through hulls before and plugged them. Instalation of the thruster into the tube seems relatively straight forward. Wiring is not a problem. When it comes to drilling the holes for tube to go through, this is where I am a bit nervous. Its a tool I do not own, doing something quite drastic to the hull.

Any practical tips? Or should I just get a boatyard to do this for me.

 

[Elessar]

The thing is you need to cut an oval, accurately.

Measure 7 times then drill holes in the centre of the tube in its intended position. You need a bar that will go through both holes.

With those easy to fix holes drilled triple check all measurements.

On the bar you need to fit an L shape, with the height of the L being the radius of the thruster tube.

The bottom of the L then points towards the hull and touches it - as you rotate it the bar will move in and out of the boat and you will use the bottom of the L where it touches the boat to scribe your oval. It will be a lot bigger than you think.

Aim for a tight fit.

Glassing under and behind the tube where you can’t see needs particular care.

Post photos and good luck.

 

[Plum]

Have been given a second hand Vetus 125/3. Have watched some installation videos - how hard can it be???

But.... before we start drilling holes in the boat...

I am happy / confident with glassing, fairing, grinding. Have removed through hulls before and plugged them. Instalation of the thruster into the tube seems relatively straight forward. Wiring is not a problem. When it comes to drilling the holes for tube to go through, this is where I am a bit nervous. Its a tool I do not own, doing something quite drastic to the hull.

Any practical tips? Or should I just get a boatyard to do this for me.

Download the installation manual for that model, or any other Vetus model, as they usually have clear instructions on how to make the hole for the tunnel and show a simple tool for marking out that you can DIY, eg.

 

[Elessar]

That’s the L shaped tool I was trying to describe!


That picture doesn’t portray how oval the hole is. It’s nearly twice as high as it is wide depending on hull shape. .


Forgot to say glass the inside before cutting the excess tunnel off the outside. And don’t cut the forward edge flush use it to support an “ear”-.