It is no secret that the most stressful part in boating is being in close quarters to other boats. Maneuvering around crowded marinas and anchorages is a challenge for even the most skilled operator. Add wind current and ever increasing crowds, maneuvering with confidence is the only way to keep your experience a happy one. Thruster systems were developed to allow more confident control of a vessel under any conditions and have become a virtual necessity in today’s marine industry. As technology has improved, thruster systems have become ever more useful with improved functionality and performance. All along, Side-Power has been at the forefront of thruster development and performance.
Side-Power DC thruster systems are designed with the end user in mind. Reliability, performance and world wide support are critical to today’s owner and Side-Power has focused on these during all phases of product development and sales. Many of the original thruster units originally sold since 1993, when IMTRA first introduced Side-Power to the US market, are still in use today. More modern units focus on improved efficiency of the drive system, reducing loads and extending life span. In addition, advances in electronic control have allowed Side-Power to add electronic safety features to further prolong the life of the thruster.
Since the introduction of the first DC thruster system, advances in technology and the understanding of how propellers work have allowed continuous improvement of Side-Power thruster systems. Today’s systems require less power input with much greater thrust output. In fact, Side-Power thrusters are among some of the most efficient thrusters available on the market which is why they are rated by thrust output and not by horsepower.
With the introduction of proportional DC thrusters, Side-Power again raised the bar on what a vessel owner expects from a thruster system. Combining known performance and reliability with the precise amount of thrust you need for the maneuver you are making improves handling performance while eliminating much of the noise associated with standard on/off thrusters. Adding to this, features such as a push button hold function and LCD display showing the status of your thruster make this the most advanced thruster system available on the market today.