Bow Thruster location, Lewmar 110TT in Albin 25

[A251975]

I used a Ronco B103 in my thruster install...about $240 plus shipping...very thick wall. After trial fitting tank, I installed bulkhead fittings & a clear 4” O- ringed deck plate rather than having tank supplier weld in fittings. Several online sites sell this tank-advertise as 20 gal.

[tribologist]

Thats the one Jim O. suggested to me.

[WillieC]

Has anybody noticed how amazing our moderators are?
(Thank you, Nancy! Future searchers may not be distracted when their bow thrusters become loactive.)

[tribologist]

Tank is out. If i go with aft install i will need to take the front bulkhead out to get the tank back in. Needed to fix the fill hose anyway. There is a plywood bed under the tank that is laminated in...,

[nebulatech]

I'm surprised you got the tank out without removing the front panel of that locker, or the chain locker bulkhead.

[tribologist]

I'm surprised you got the tank out without removing the front panel of that locker, or the chain locker bulkhead.

I put myself in a position of no return. As you can see it did a little damage to the bottom of chain locker bulkhead. I think the right thing to do is to remove the bulkhead. One can be quite sure Albin were not tabbing in the tank in place. By rotating it sideways and prying the plywood free from the fittings it made it out. I figured that if I was to crack the plywood in the aft bulkhead I could just glass it over with left over stuff while laminating in the tunnel. I'm thinking that the side shelves might have to come out to get the bulkhead out... If that's the case I might bring out my fancy German orange friend and take out an inch of the bulkhead bottom and then cover it over. THat area is behind the mattress anyway.

[tribologist]

Jim (A251975) sent me the writeup on his install. It is just phenomenally well written and the process is well documented. Lewmar should send him kickbacks for 110TT's sold for A25 after this.
I'm going for a forward install. His installation is very nice looking and as he put it, The A25 and the 110TT seems to be made to fit. The biggest factor is the way the boat sit on the trailer. It will be a pain to do the fairing if I install it further back. With Jim's instructions I can also save myself from thinking... I can just go for it (with some trust but verify... or Measure twice, cut once. )

[nebulatech]

When I pulled my water tank I added some 6" door/window seam tape as protective padding:
http://www.albinowners.net/aog/viewtopi ... ape#p82133

I wonder if Jim would allow his write-up to be added to the documents section of the site, the area for sponsoring members, or even linked here? Might be very helpful for others in the future.

[Plum76]

I ended up flexing my front panel a bit much during my removal as well, but since the condition was kinda mediocre before I started (some delamination in that panel due to chain locker moisture). I figured I'd be rebuilding that panel sometime, so no harm done in my case.

I had some trouble finding a fitting and hose combo for that front fill connection that wasn't kinda kinked, even with a new install. It seems to fill fine, no surcharging when I fill with a typical fill or garden hose, so I figure it's well enough. A fitting with a 45 bend on it would be ideal, but I coudn't find a 2" NPT thread by hose barb 45 elbow, and there wasn't room for an additional fitting. A 90 would work as well, if you can thread it in, but the vent boss is close, not sure it would clear.

Jason

I'm surprised you got the tank out without removing the front panel of that locker, or the chain locker bulkhead.

I put myself in a position of no return. As you can see it did a little damage to the bottom of chain locker bulkhead. I think the right thing to do is to remove the bulkhead. One can be quite sure Albin were not tabbing in the tank in place. By rotating it sideways and prying the plywood free from the fittings it made it out. I figured that if I was to crack the plywood in the aft bulkhead I could just glass it over with left over stuff while laminating in the tunnel. I'm thinking that the side shelves might have to come out to get the bulkhead out... If that's the case I might bring out my fancy German orange friend and take out an inch of the bulkhead bottom and then cover it over. THat area is behind the mattress anyway.

[hetek]

Both fittings on my tank are 90s. My only problem was the deck fill and tank fitting were two different sizes. I took the easy way out and used a conversion coupler.

I second posting the install write-up to the Docs section (with permission, of course). I'll need something to reference!

[tribologist]

Well under way! I dropped it 3” lower than Jim did to 21” perpendicular to the 36” mark from the bow then i did a few string lines to make stomach calm before drilling. By cutting away chunks as i went it was easy to cut the hole. The very last were without center guide but thats fine

[DesertAlbin736]

I'm sure locating where to drill/cut the holes to have the tunnel run square fore & aft (set at right angles to centerline/keel) and level when the boat is at zero degrees of heel is not as easy as it sounds. Stress level 11 on a scale of 1 to 10! Did you drill pilot holes and then the main cuts from inside or outside? Then you have to deal with the fact that you can't just use a circular hole saw because you're cutting ovals and not circles due to the angle of flare in the bow. Measure ten times & cut once! You're a braver man than I, Gunga Din! Hope we get to meet up somewhere along the way later this summer. Right now the Admiral has some health issues going on that hopefully will be resolved by then, but we'll only be able to make the trip if & when she's 100% recovered, so fingers crossed. Making a 5,000 mile road trip & 800 miles on the water with all the climbing up & down from cockpit to deck requires good health & flexibility.

Otherwise we have a lot of engine hours & sea miles under our belt & have always done OK without a bow thruster. Spring lines and rudder kicks seem to do the trick, although a thruster would sure make things easier in a pinch. Anxious to hear & see how yours works out.

[tribologist]

Its not hard. Holesaw is fine. Just added a 3/8 rod to guide it. I tried to add pictures but its so much hazzle to resize and mess with them. Jim Orban has a good write up thats saved in the file section. We need to get them to fix the picture size limit somehow to match modern phones.

[tribologist]

Lol, posting on Facebook and then save them from there...

[DesertAlbin736]

Very cool!! By the way, how thick is that hull layup?