Bow thrusters.

[Chief Engineer]

WillDo boatequipment. Manufacturing various products for sailboats, sloops, etc...

[Jolly Roger]

Thanks Chief Engineer, but for others, the website is WillDo boatequipment. Manufacturing various products for sailboats, sloops, etc... not .com.
It looks very intriguing, less expensive than conventional electric or hydraulic impeller systems with large tunnels. Also possible to self install, saving a ton of money over a tube system, along with weight. I have emailed Willdo some questions about use on a 50' sailboat, but has anyone actually got one of these thrusters, ever used one, or similar system?

[camaraderie]

I HAD a Vetus old water jet thruster on my boat when webought her. Didn't work very well and we entirely removed it and resealed the hull. Don't know how comparable the Willdo is in terms of performance...but I think Vetus has a good reputation and they have gone entirely to prop driven thrusters now.

[Jolly Roger]

Hi Camaraderie,
Was it electric or hydraulic, and can you remember the size of the outlet pipes? I understand both factors have a bearing on performance.

[camaraderie]

It was an electric 24V system and I would say the "pipes" were about 6" in diameter but never did any measuring.

[Jolly Roger]

Thanks for that info. I understand electric units are not as powerful as even electric impeller units and have the same need for a dedicated battery up front, or long leads. The Willdo outlets are only about 2" diameter, so if a hydraulic pump can push a high rate of water out of these you would think it would move the bow pretty well - but who knows, unless you have used one. I'll let everyone know when I receive specific information from the company.

[Beausoleil]

Originally Posted by camaraderie

It was an electric 24V system and I would say the "pipes" were about 6" in diameter but never did any measuring.

Our ketch had a Vetus jet thruster when we bought her, and like cam, ours wasn't worth it and we ended up doing the same: removed it, re-glassed over the large inlet opening and the two outlet thruhulls. I forget which model it was, but the inlet opening was approximately 4", and the two jet outlets couldn't have been more than 1" I.D.

Got a lot of storage space back...

[camaraderie]

Beausoleil...yup...I was probably thinking of the inlet. Nice to know we both came to the same conclusion!