Waterford
Senior Member
About a year ago, I ordered a Yacht Thruster e-Thrust to push the stern of my Nordic Tug 37 around. I know of two others in the NT community who had done the same with good results. I was not so lucky.
Within a few months of installation, the thruster slowed stopped while returning to dock after a short trip. I’d used the thruster to leave the dock and it worked fine just a few hours earlier. After the obvious check of batteries, fuses and continuity, I contacted Yacht Thruster.
A tech at Yacht Thruster requested a variety of photos and tests. I was able to reach below my swim step to confirm that the prop was turning freely. My mechanic performed further tests and followed suggestions from the vendor but with no success. Haulout and replacement was the remaining option.
Due to some family needs and committed travel, we postponed the replacement till this fall. On the hard, the thruster prop still spun freely, but there were a few small barnacles in the tunnel. In compliance with the warranty procedure, I paid $5k to ship a new unit out from Florida plus a few hundred to FedEx. The $5K would be refunded if the original unit was found to be defective. The new motor worked perfectly and I returned the broken motor to the vendor.
The old motor was disassembled and inspected by a Yacht Thruster tech and I was informed that the unit was not defective, but that I was at fault. Their claim was that a barnacle had grown in the tunnel, jammed the prop, and that repeated power to the unit had burned it up. Since they are the final decider in the process, I’m out $5K for the motor plus an additional ~$2K for shipping, haulout and labor.
Of course, I cannot prove that the prop spun freely during the trouble shooting process, or that the tunnel was barnacle-free at the time of failure. However, I do believe that Yacht Thruster uses their warranty process as a revenue stream. I also question the quality of a thruster motor that, by their claim, can be destroyed by a barnacle.
Your mileage may vary.
-Doug Ford
“Waterford”
Within a few months of installation, the thruster slowed stopped while returning to dock after a short trip. I’d used the thruster to leave the dock and it worked fine just a few hours earlier. After the obvious check of batteries, fuses and continuity, I contacted Yacht Thruster.
A tech at Yacht Thruster requested a variety of photos and tests. I was able to reach below my swim step to confirm that the prop was turning freely. My mechanic performed further tests and followed suggestions from the vendor but with no success. Haulout and replacement was the remaining option.
Due to some family needs and committed travel, we postponed the replacement till this fall. On the hard, the thruster prop still spun freely, but there were a few small barnacles in the tunnel. In compliance with the warranty procedure, I paid $5k to ship a new unit out from Florida plus a few hundred to FedEx. The $5K would be refunded if the original unit was found to be defective. The new motor worked perfectly and I returned the broken motor to the vendor.
The old motor was disassembled and inspected by a Yacht Thruster tech and I was informed that the unit was not defective, but that I was at fault. Their claim was that a barnacle had grown in the tunnel, jammed the prop, and that repeated power to the unit had burned it up. Since they are the final decider in the process, I’m out $5K for the motor plus an additional ~$2K for shipping, haulout and labor.
Of course, I cannot prove that the prop spun freely during the trouble shooting process, or that the tunnel was barnacle-free at the time of failure. However, I do believe that Yacht Thruster uses their warranty process as a revenue stream. I also question the quality of a thruster motor that, by their claim, can be destroyed by a barnacle.
Your mileage may vary.
-Doug Ford
“Waterford”
