Vetus 23kgf

[Kokomo]

Hello, I am curious to hear from someone who has a 28TE with a Vetus 23 KGF thruster. Mine turns but doesn't move much water and if the wind is blowing forget it. It's pretty much useless. I don't know if there is a problem with it or it's just underpowered for the boat. Thanks

[195752]

Your prop on the thruster could have a broken pin or the prop itself could have worn the keyway. It is only plastic. get in the water and pull off the prop. Should be a 10mm deep socket with extension and ratchet. Roy

[Norseman]

Hello, I am curious to hear from someone who has a 28TE with a Vetus 23 KGF thruster. Mine turns but doesn't move much water and if the wind is blowing forget it. It's pretty much useless. I don't know if there is a problem with it or it's just underpowered for the boat. Thanks

I got an Albin 28TE with a Vetus bow thruster, a 5512.
Plenty power for my use, been docking in 25-30 knot wind conditions,
Never had a need for a more powerful thruster, trying not to go out in hurricanes.

[MerryKate]

Kokomo - yes, the 23kgf Vetus doesn’t do much against a significant wind. Needs help backing & filling in those conditions.

[Kokomo]

Thanks I appreciate the input. I ordered a prop kit from Defender to replace some worn parts hopefully that will help. The kit came from the Netherlands as it is no longer available anywhere else. There are only 12 kits remains in their inventory.

[MerryKate]

I replaced the brushes in mine this year. Hard to find and expensive. Had to go through the US distributor in FL and sourced from Vetus in Netherlands.

[Albin28McKinney]

not sure if you replaced the brushes yourself but I took my motor off and took it to my local starter shop. They cleaned it up and sanded the sides of the brushes which were sticking and the thruster works like new again.

[MerryKate]

Yes I did it myself - pretty easy. Mine were worn almost to nubs. While waiting for new ones, I actually modified the old ones a bit to make contact and continued using the thruster until installing the new set. It was something like $350, but better than replacing the whole thruster.

[Albin28McKinney]

that's good to know. I believe I will do it myself next time

[nebulatech]

Reading about changing brushes reminded me of 2 recent tool repairs, all to do with electric motors; a dremel tool and 13" bench planer. In each case, the tool quit under moderate load. I took apart the motors, polished the brushes, and most important, cleaned the contacts on the armatures (the commutators) with some 220 grit wet/dry paper and CorrosionX spray. (I bench tested the armatures before cleaning, both good)

I mentioned this because the brushes aren't the only parts which benefit from servicing. If removing the armature is impractical, sometimes you can get to the commutation bars through the holes where the brushes go in. In the case of my bench planer, I saved a $400 tool and a day of lost productivity. A bow thruster is even more time and money.

[WillieC]

Back in the day, when all was great, a proper brush job involved polishing the commutator, new fitted brushes and springs AND putting a slight bevel on the commutator segments. Did it really do any good as to increased longevity? In this throw away world I doubt there is enough data to make any comment.

I wonder if all the DC powered elevators get this treatment? I should have paid more attention, but I was the AC guy.

[nebulatech]

Today I learned! Is the slight bevel to prevent the individual comutator bars from touching/shorting? I imagine carbon from the brushes could bridge the gap, which is probably what caused the failures in my case. For both tools, they were well below their expected service life. Only the 2nd time I ever used the dremel!

[MerryKate]

when you remove the brushes, blow out everything thoroughly with an air compressor (wear a dust mask and do it outside!). Then clean the commutator contacts with very fine sandpaper. Else take it to a local motor shop and have them do it. These thrusters are very fixable and maintainable - if you can still find the parts.

[Pedro]

I have Vetus 23 kgf and it is weak but works well, i cannot pivot off a dock if the wind is strong,but I’ve learned to work with it and it’s been fine.Good luck!

[KevinJ]

For all concerned about Vetus thrusters, their prices are absurd if you can find the parts. Being a retired shop teacher my thruster wasn't working so I did as any shop teacher would do. I pulled the motor and opened it up, brushes shot beyond repair including the holders. It's a DC motor so off to the golf cart sales and repair facility near me ( Long Island New York ). Showed them what I had and in a couple of minutes the guy returns with a whole plate, holder brushes and all. It wasn't exact but it fit and worked. It pushes the bow of my 32 Albin Sportfish with no problems. Oh! total cost 0 the guy said he had a pile of old stuff like that in the back. They wouldn't even let me buy Lunch.
My experience with thrusters is it's almost always brushes or low battery.