Carver Owners Forum

Has anyone used one of these ? Looks good.but…………
1994 390CPMY

https://shop-us.sideshift.com/collectio ... w-thruster

I know that Hans has a lot of experience with this product. He can answer all your questions (Midnight Sun).

Hans, you out there?

Yep, they are actually really nice. Very quiet and powerful. I speak from experience as I had one for about 10 years on my previous boat, Cannot say anything negative about them except! If you are located in an area where there are a lot of weeds floating in the water then be warned, due to their place of installation they will foul up if travelling below planing speeds. On plane they are out of the water so no problem there. If you have little or no weeds then no issues at all.

Now, it appears the 12V and 24V model will work for my 390 as far as size. I see the 12V is 5.5HP, and the 24V 7.0HP. I would have to put battery(s) under forward V berth, so I would like to have 12V. However, Sideshifter is saying 24 is better. Did you do the install? Looks pretty easy, but is it?

I would guess that the 12v may seem underpowered with this sail of an arc I have. I would need a dedicated 24v charger. Also probably AGM to avoid fumes where they would be under the forward v berth?

I actually installed mine at a local sandy bottom beach area where there was only about 3 ft of water. Ideally out of the water is a much better option. That being said I also had no windlass on my previous boat so I opted to install a dedicated battery for both thruster and windlass in the huge anchor locker. Used an AGM and being so close to the unit wiring size could be kept to a minimum. Started iut with just a small dedicated charger that ran on shore power only however later ran wiring to get alternator charging also.

Your conditions and application will require installation to suit. One more thing to remember on these units which is not mentioned anywhere. The shaft seals should be replaced every 5 years as preventative maintenance. They are small and easily replaced and inexpensive with aftermarket seals using the numbers on them. After 7 years my seals failed and ruined the motors, cost me $2500 for replacement! I had a very early unit so things must have improved. The newer units may be better but why chance it for a few dollars in seals. No seal lasts forever.

If you have a compartment below the dinette with hot water heater, AC, etc. there's usually enough room for a battery or two. If you have room there, you can stick with the same type of batteries you currently have, it'll be a easier run for charge wires from your current charger and charging off the alternators. It'll be a longer run for the power cables to the thruster though, and you'll have to find routing from the dinette to the bow but you'll have to go through there for the control wires from the bridge anyway.

FWIW, I'm not that crazy about the Sideshift for this application. I've seen the results of a few units taking hits that required major component replacements. The only installations I've seen that haven't been damaged by floating debris like logs were stern installations. I'm also not crazy about the exposed contacts and wiring, critters in my area anyway love that stuff. They are a less expensive option for sure and pretty easy to install which makes the system attractive for those that don't have the budget for in hull thrusters. They're well made too, it's all pretty robust hardware, and they've overcome a few electrical issues and problems with the seals over the years. It's a good company to deal with, they're local for us, and will actually come out and do the install but I don't know how much territory they cover. If you're doing it yourself, don't skimp on the quality of caulking, and when you order, make sure the anodes are compatible with your water type. In your case (salt water) they should be zinc.

We had one on the last boat, seemed to work fine for the job although we only had that boat for a few years. There is no wiring to run to the bridge, it uses a wireless joystick that just needs 12v and there is the remote you can operate from anywhere you are.

Certainly, considerably cheaper than an in hull. Pat said he had been flown to different areas to do installs, extra cost for that though if they would even do that now.....

I think the Cadillac would be the in hull, but like everything, for them to work properly and not affect hull performance they need to be installed and wired correctly.

So, do you think the 12V model (5.5HP) would do the trick, or would I need the 24V model (7.5HP)? Side shift recommended the 24V for the extra power, bu