Stern thruster suggestions?

ME TOO. I never use them. Just learn how to split the engines, one forward and one reverse and bow thruster at the same time.

Because of forward tankage and hull design, I have operated a 53 FD with stern thruster only.
I eventually gave up trying to use it and clutch the mains when I needed to maneuver.
Already owning a 58 x 18 Bert MY with no thrusters, it's not an issue.

However, if you insist on a preferred brand of thrusters, The Side Power models would suite you best.

"Real boat drivers don't need no stinking thrusters.."
Many a quote made on these threads for a long time.

There's nothing exceptional. Put 1 gear in forward and 1 in reverse and see how the boat responds. Do it out on open water and learn how to safely Captain your vessel.

Do what you wish. It's your boat. I would vote for Side Power.

Wouldn't seem exceptional to me.

If your boat driver is using bow and stern thrusters for sideways movement, and only using gears for fore/aft movement... then a more powerful stern thruster may be useful to you.

OTOH, if your boat driver uses bow thruster and mains/gears for sideways movement, your stern thruster can be almost irrelevant. Maybe useful for occasional situations ("gentle suggestions"), otherwise just a nice-to-have but not worth a significant investment to upgrade.

Many move boats sideways with neither bow nor stern thrusters.

Your boat, your call.

-Chris

There are many different reasons to want a stern thruster. I worked for an owner that could not physically access all of the controls easily in tight situations and would not have been able to enjoy operating his own boat without a stern thruster. In the Pacific Northwest, both bow and stern thrusters are on vessels that would surprise many people on the East Coast. In any event, Sidepower thrusters are very effective and usually trouble free, in my experience.

Even with Micro-commanders and the dual thruster controls in close proximity, it was difficult to operate with one hand. The vessel had cockpit controls; same problem there. On the West Coast and the Pacific Northwest, pilings are those things in the middle of floating docks. The Northwest has some very inconvenient currents inside marina breakwaters, so stern thrusters are very useful for many boaters. I was hoping to simply illustrate that there are other reasons to want a stern thruster. I hope that an endorsement of the Sidepower thruster is what CottageGirl wanted to hear.

I like Side Thruster. Vetas I've had a lot of propellor issues with.

And I hope OP doesn't think I was trying to talk her out of a stern thruster upgrade. I only meant to be waxing eloquently about her "exceptional" comment.

-Chris

A friend has a 45 foot, 2004 Meridian with bow and stern thrusters and I don't think he's used the stern thruster in the past 10 years.

He say that using the power of the engines is so much better than the stern thruster.

Nothing wrong with having a stern thruster, the only ones who don't like them don't have one. Plus life is good having my Yacht Controller, can dock my Carver 57 from the swim step.

Sidepower is the preferred model IMHO

Both are good brands however I've always had better luck getting ALL parts in a timely manner for Sidepower units, can't say the same for Vetus unfortunately. The key to a good system is designing a proper system for the vessel in question, and proper installation practices. If these aren't followed, it wouldn't matter if you had four units installed.

I've been piloting large recreational vessels for a long time and while I'd like to think I'm good enough at using only the engines to make the boat do what I want, having two thrusters on board when docking into a very tight slip with some vessels sure makes it a lot easier. High torque from large diesels on a relatively smaller vessel makes the stern jump three feet sideways with a one second shift engagement. It's definitely doable but the stern thruster makes fine maneuvering adjustments in tight quarters much easier. If there's a lot of room or just pulling up to a dock, no need for the thruster, but getting into a really tight slip with some vessels can pose an extra challenge for most boaters. Not everybody has the same experience, the same confidence, or the same conditions to work with.

Can't imagine folks actively "not liking" them. Would think more often its a question of "degree of need," priorities, finances, viability, ease (or not) of installation, appropriate power systems (battery banks or hydraulics or whatever), etc.

I'd suppose there may be some -- possibly dislikable -- maintenance to deal with, but then again most systems on boats come with that tail anyway...

-Chris