Vetus 55 Bowthruster round 2

[dgetswet]

So the electrical mechanic comes down and takes care of some stuff. I ask him about the bow thruster and why it goes no when the batteries are on all and only last a couple seconds. They checked all the batteries. I have 4 6 volt batteries in sync which turns out to be bank 2. Bank 1 is a 12 volt battery. So after checking the batteries and the connections he can't find anything wrong.

So he tells me the brushes and springs may be worn down and need replacing.

So my question is has anyone taken the motor off a Vetus 55 in the water or do I need to lift the boat?

[Paddy]

Don,

Very accessible in the water, just remove the cushions and take forward teak cover off. My 2004 has two long 10mm bolts securing it, remove them, the plastic cover, and the battery cables. Carefully pick it straight up so you don't loose the coupler / shear pin. I normally pack the bilge with a few old beach towels to prevent anything from falling into the abyss. I also replaced the long bolts with threaded rods which make it a lot easier to remove and install.

Per a recommendation, I dropped mine off at a shop on the north shore, I believe it was Sailon Auto in Syosset. He charged less than $200 too clean it up and maybe change one brush, but nothing along the lines of a full rebuild. For the time and effort, I expected more, so I am also open to recommendations of other shops on the island. Either way, that was 1000 hours ago and its still running strong. As mentioned in another thread, I have two 4D house batteries mainly dedicated to the thruster to ensure there is enough juice for those "oh crap" moments...mainly navigating the tight south shore canals with aggressive incoming/outgoing tides.

Good luck.

Rob

[dgetswet]

Don,

Very accessible in the water, just remove the cushions and take forward teak cover off. My 2004 has two long 10mm bolts securing it, remove them, the plastic cover, and the battery cables. Carefully pick it straight up so you don't loose the coupler / shear pin. I normally pack the bilge with a few old beach towels to prevent anything from falling into the abyss. I also replaced the long bolts with threaded rods which make it a lot easier to remove and install.

Per a recommendation, I dropped mine off at a shop on the north shore, I believe it was Sailon Auto in Syosset. He charged less than $200 too clean it up and maybe change one brush, but nothing along the lines of a full rebuild. For the time and effort, I expected more, so I am also open to recommendations of other shops on the island. Either way, that was 1000 hours ago and its still running strong. As mentioned in another thread, I have two 4D house batteries mainly dedicated to the thruster to ensure there is enough juice for those "oh crap" moments...mainly navigating the tight south shore canals with aggressive incoming/outgoing tides.

Good luck.

Rob

Thanks Rob. I figured it should be able to be removed in the water but when you never did something its best to ask. I watched Vetus's maintenance videos which are very helpful and pretty much explain everything you need to change the brushes yourself. I was thinking of bringing it to a electric motor shop in Freeport on Main Street north of Sunrise. I had them rebuild other small motors and pool filter motors at a reasonable rate. Since I'm not sure what the big draw is I figured I will go to them 1st and hope for the best. It is a 2004 and I'm sure nobody touched it since.

Where in Freeport do you keep the boat? I'm there as well.

Don

[Jforesta]

I also had Sailon in Syosset. Underhill blvd. rebuild my Vetus motor . $425. Full overhaul. New brushes and solenoid. Includes parts.
Easy removal, 4 bolts. Little more difficult lining up for reinstall..
Like Robs idea of installing threaded rods in place of bolts, will aid in reinstall.
Joe

[Paddy]

Im on hudson canal at the condos by Diesel Tech, i think we see each other every weekend if you have the yellow stripe.

Will gladly go back to Sailon for a full rebuild for $425, maybe mine was done prior to my purchase and minimal maintenance was needed. I know the freeport shop get high marks too. Batteries are key, the thruster sucks a lot of juice.

[dgetswet]

Im on hudson canal at the condos by Diesel Tech, i think we see each other every weekend if you have the yellow stripe.

Will gladly go back to Sailon for a full rebuild for $425, maybe mine was done prior to my purchase and minimal maintenance was needed. I know the freeport shop get high marks too. Batteries are key, the thruster sucks a lot of juice.

Okay you have the blue 28 next store to the Freeport Tuna club? I'm at the Freeport Yacht Club.

I called Vetus and spoke with Ian. He seems to think it is not the bow thruster but more of a battery issue. He suggested disconnecting my batteries. They reconnect one battery and see what voltage drops out. I did this last night and it seems the single 12 volt battery I have drops to 10.4 after a few seconds. According to Ian I should have a AGM type 31 battery with 1100 CCA . I'm not sure I want to spend that kind of money on a test.

Don

[Paddy]

I would tend to agree with Ian. With the 4D's in parallel, (Interstate SRM-4D 1314 CCA each), I drop from 14.4 to as low as 11.9 with a prolonged burst on the thruster. I am always plugged in and charging too. Last set of 4Ds lasted 7 years. I know they are heavy but the previous owner put them in and he did nothing but great upgrades all around on the boat, so I'm not changing a thing. The Freeport Interstate Battery shop by BJs cut me a deal, I think $200 or $210 a piece. I also have an optima blue top starting battery...overkill that came with the boat but when it comes to batteries, I like overkill.

Yes, I am the lonely blue hull at the coops, next to the tuna club.

[dgetswet]

So I broke down after speaking with Ian again. I picked up a 31 series AMG dual purpose battery. Of course a week after I buy the dam thing West Marine puts a 15% sale on all batteries. Just my luck. Anyway the battery was fully charged and the switch was on just that battery and had the same results from 13 down to 9.4 in 3-4 seconds. The funny part is I put the all batteries on and I get the same reading. So back to square one.

I would tend to agree with Ian. With the 4D's in parallel, (Interstate SRM-4D 1314 CCA each), I drop from 14.4 to as low as 11.9 with a prolonged burst on the thruster. I am always plugged in and charging too. Last set of 4Ds lasted 7 years. I know they are heavy but the previous owner put them in and he did nothing but great upgrades all around on the boat, so I'm not changing a thing. The Freeport Interstate Battery shop by BJs cut me a deal, I think $200 or $210 a piece. I also have an optima blue top starting battery...overkill that came with the boat but when it comes to batteries, I like overkill.

Yes, I am the lonely blue hull at the coops, next to the tuna club.

[boatruptcy]

It sounds like voltage drop due to resistance. I would check your cables really well for corrosion. Wire brush the ends or re-crimp new connections. I had a bad cable on my starting bank that was only 2 ft long between my switches and it caused all kinds of problems, literally the only one I didn't replace. you can also take your new battery set it right next to your thruster and hook directly to it with new cables, that will tell you if it's a cabling issue.

[RobS]

For sure follow boatruptcy's advice.
BTW, won't West Marine give you a a price adjustment credit if you go back in with the receipt?

[Paddy]

Are you at 13V while running? Fully charged and running I am at 14.4-14.5 based on Garmin read-out as well as a secondary gauge. Check the alternator output while you are checking the cables for corrosion. Also, mine actually drops to 10.9 with a prolonged burst, not the 11.9 I initially quoted.

[Carl]

My 2 cents. My 55 has been running slow in one direction, and would all but stop after a few seconds in the other. Pulled the motor. Without disconnecting the brushes I pulled them out and measured each one.......2 of them did not pull out easy, they were a bit bound up. New brush 28mm, my 2006 brushes, 25mm. Info said to replace at less than 14mm. Cleaned them up, blew out he chambers with air compressor. Inspected contacts, cleaned them up with back to back strips of Emory paper. Blew them all out with air. Reassembled, reinstalled motor, cleaned all connections.......runs like brand new in both directions. Took 4 hrs, including a 10 min drive both ways to friends farm with air compressor.

[Carl]

My 2 cents. My 55 has been running slow in one direction, and would all but stop after a few seconds in the other. Pulled the motor. Without disconnecting the brushes I pulled them out and measured each one.......2 of them did not pull out easy, they were a bit bound up. New brush 28mm, my 2006 brushes, 25mm. Info said to replace at less than 14mm. Cleaned them up, blew out he chambers with air compressor. Inspected contacts, cleaned them up with back to back strips of Emory paper. Blew them all out with air. Reassembled, reinstalled motor, cleaned all connections.......runs like brand new in both directions. Took 4 hrs, including a 10 min drive both ways to friends farm with air compressor.
Almost forgot, spun the armature on some Emory paper which removed all the black carbon and was then able to blow all that dust out of the grooves with air

[dgetswet]

Are you at 13V while running? Fully charged and running I am at 14.4-14.5 based on Garmin read-out as well as a secondary gauge. Check the alternator output while you are checking the cables for corrosion. Also, mine actually drops to 10.9 with a prolonged burst, not the 11.9 I initially quoted.

Volt meter goes to 13-13.2. She drops down to 10- 9.5 before stopping. I believe the alternator to be good but I will have it checked.

Don

[dgetswet]

My 2 cents. My 55 has been running slow in one direction, and would all but stop after a few seconds in the other. Pulled the motor. Without disconnecting the brushes I pulled them out and measured each one.......2 of them did not pull out easy, they were a bit bound up. New brush 28mm, my 2006 brushes, 25mm. Info said to replace at less than 14mm. Cleaned them up, blew out he chambers with air compressor. Inspected contacts, cleaned them up with back to back strips of Emory paper. Blew them all out with air. Reassembled, reinstalled motor, cleaned all connections.......runs like brand new in both directions. Took 4 hrs, including a 10 min drive both ways to friends farm with air compressor.
Almost forgot, spun the armature on some Emory paper which removed all the black carbon and was then able to blow all that dust out of the grooves with air

I took a rubber mallet to it today while someone hit the switch. It seemed to help it work a little better. Going to double check with Ian at Vetus on if taking it apart is the best bet and if they have a diagram since I never did it before. Also saw some sparks going out towards the end when we went to the right. I'm thinking it may be dirty and just need a good cleaning.
I really want it to work as in the wind yesterday had a real hard time docking. It was a little scary when your bow is going one way and you need it to go the other with no room to maneuver.