Central saildrive handling

I wonder if an electric bow thruster added to a single outboard installation might be a useful setup. It seems something of a shame to add the weight of twin diesels and slightly reduce the tardis-like quality of the design by the space they occupy when, hopefully, you are not using them a high proportion of the time. I wondered if a thruster on a hinge-down strut under the front of the fore-deck would provide a simple, easy to maintain installation with no need to put a massive hole through one hull (and would put the thruster as far forward as possible for maximum turning effort)

Hi Steve

Interesting – I had seen much higher prices quoted on some websites for the motors (given the low cost of generators I couldn't quite see why). I still like the idea of a system where there is no additional drag while sailing and where the motive bits are easily removed for service. On the subject of motors (and thinking of the sort of power – 2.2kW – that some bow thrusters have) I was amused by just how cheap outrunner brushless motors have become. If you google E-flite EFLM4160A you find details of a 2.7kW motor weighing only about 700g that only costs £150! It would need an epicyclic box to get down to useful rpm for a thruster but it suggests a thruster light enough to be strut mounted could fairly easily achieved if a manufacturer were inclined to make one.