Side Shifter Completed
Posted: May 8th, 2022, 3:45 pm
The SIDESHIFTER bow thruster is a completed project. AAfter mounting it while on the hard, we waited until I had a weekend on teh water to wire it up. Hard to figure out where to place the girl batteries. They are BIG to form a 24V system. Anyway, on this 1994 390 CPMY I used the side hatch in teh forward berth. originally I was to put both there. However, bedside space issue, I wanted to distribute the weight better So one on the port side, one at the bow, near the chain locker. I fashioned a shelf for the port side, and used 5200 to glue the foot to the inner hull. Although solid, it made me feel better. Now, the forward one was a bit of a challenge. I needed to put it there, but also wanted access to the mounting holes, so this made for a funky platform, that rested against teh inner hull, (5200 used to prevent the movement) and fastened to the inner berth with stainless siding screws. Cable run was difficult, as it had to link the two batteries together, and also a 12V lead dedicated to the wireless unit.
I put a shelf in teh port hanging locker to accommodate the equipment and battery charger. I didn’t want this stuff in the bilge. `That involved running the cables through the chase I made. Also, when lengthening the 2 AWL cable that came with the Sideshifter. I used cable splicer. I ensured that teh splices were 4” apart lengthwise so they would not rub. ALL lugs and connections were double heat shrinked. Main control on helm, as I moved the fume detector. Charper required extension cables to charge both batteries. testing…..7 HP of brute power. The video was taken with 35MPG winds. the Sideshifter moved the bow against the dock effortlessly. Yes, easily a do it yourself project, as long as you follow directions! Now to put it to the test underway!
I put a shelf in teh port hanging locker to accommodate the equipment and battery charger. I didn’t want this stuff in the bilge. `That involved running the cables through the chase I made. Also, when lengthening the 2 AWL cable that came with the Sideshifter. I used cable splicer. I ensured that teh splices were 4” apart lengthwise so they would not rub. ALL lugs and connections were double heat shrinked. Main control on helm, as I moved the fume detector. Charper required extension cables to charge both batteries. testing…..7 HP of brute power. The video was taken with 35MPG winds. the Sideshifter moved the bow against the dock effortlessly. Yes, easily a do it yourself project, as long as you follow directions! Now to put it to the test underway!
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