We may earn a referral commission from some links on this page. It doesn't change your price or our recommendations.
DockStar · external thruster · bow
DockStar Smart Thruster, pontoon: specs, price and boat fit
It gives 90 lb (41 kgf) of push. DockStar's manual gives it for boats of 20 to 30 ft. It runs on its own battery, with nothing wired to the boat.
- Goes on afloat
- DIY 5 of 5: owner install
- 2-year warranty
Quick stats
- Thrust 90 lb 41 kgf, DockStar's rating
- Boat length 20 to 30 ft The intended use in DockStar's manual
- Price per lb of thrust $50.78 Unit only. $53 to $57 installed
- Voltage 12.8 V, its own battery Nothing is wired to the boat
- Battery Built in Its own lithium pack
- Run limit 10 minutes Per charge, the manual's figure
- To install it Afloat The maker says it goes on in the water
- Mounts External Removable, bow
About the DockStar Smart Thruster, pontoon
On a pontoon the outboard steers the stern, so the bow is where control runs out, and this is DockStar’s answer: the Smart Thruster on a stanchion bolted to the front of the deck. It gives 90 lb of push, slides down its rail to dock and lifts above the deck once you are moving, so nothing hangs in the water at speed. DockStar sells this track for pontoon and deck boats of 20 to 30 ft.
At $4,570 for the unit and the pontoon track, it is the complete job: the thruster carries its own battery and remote, so nothing is wired through the deck and nothing is added. Bolts hold the stanchion base, and two braces take the twisting load in either direction. Those bolts must grip solid deck, so keep them out of hollow aluminum sections. See every part.
Read more
It usually goes on afloat, though a pontoon with a splash guard under the deck may have to come out so the nuts can be reached. Run slowly with it down; the manual asks for three knots or less. Ten minutes of pushing per charge is plenty of dockings, and a household outlet refills it in about five hours. The two-year warranty covers the battery.
The full spec sheet for a yard sits lower down, and the DockStar Smart Thruster review covers DockStar’s whole range.
Where this summary comes from (5 sources, read 13 October 2026)
- DockStar Smart Thruster user manual, v.260305 (specs, intended use, deployment, care)
- DockStar pontoon installation guide (stanchion, two braces, solid deck)
- DockStar build and price, read 13 October 2026 (unit and every track)
- DockStar buyer’s guide (DIY install in one to two hours, no haul-out)
- DockStar limited warranty, v.260828 (two years, first owner, battery covered)
On real boats: where it goes, installed
Will the DockStar Smart Thruster with pontoon track steer your boat?
30 FT PONTOON · BOW · 15 KT WIND
Every knot figure here is wind speed, not boat speed or current.
On a 30 ft pontoon the DockStar Smart Thruster with pontoon track (90 lb) steers her in a 17 knot breeze. Her bow needs about 73 lb from an external unit at the very bow to steer her in a 15 knot breeze.
The finder lists it for her.
The DockStar Smart Thruster with pontoon track on a pontoon or tritoon, by length
- 20 ft26 kt
- 25 ft20 kt
- 30 ft17 kt
Outlined: the finder does not list it at that length (under 13 kt, far more than she needs, or outside DockStar’s own length range).
A DockStar at each end
With a unit at each end she turns in her own length. One thruster on its own cannot turn her that way. On a 30 ft pontoon, the pair installed from $8,970:
Turns her in her own length
Turns her at 24 kt
Bow one way, stern the other, and she pivots about her middle.
- Under 10 kt
- 10 to 15 kt
- 15 to 20 kt: the sweet spot
- Over 20 kt: more than she needs
Prices are the low end of the installed total, from our estimate. For your own boat, drive and installer, the finder prices each unit.
Is it right for your boat?
Every kind of boat it fits, by length
| Boat | Full thrust at 15 knots | Still a fit, in lighter wind |
|---|---|---|
| Pontoon & tritoon | 24 to 30 ft | None |
| Sailboat | Not listed. Its maker sells it for another kind of boat. | |
| Houseboat | Not listed. Its maker sells it for another kind of boat. | |
| Catamaran | Not listed. An external unit bolts to the side of a single hull at the bow or to its transom, and a cat has two narrow hulls with a bridgedeck between them, so there is nowhere forward to hang one. | |
| Trawler | Not listed. Its maker sells it for another kind of boat. | |
| Motor yacht | Not listed. Its maker sells it for another kind of boat. | |
| Bass & flats | Not listed. This site lists no external bow unit for a boat that planes. | |
| Wake & ski boats | Not listed. This site lists no external bow unit for a boat that planes. | |
| Express cruiser | Not listed. This site lists no external bow unit for a boat that planes. | |
| Center console | Not listed. This site lists no external bow unit for a boat that planes. | |
The DockStar Smart Thruster with pontoon track against each kind of boat, in a 15 knot wind. Our sizing, from the finder’s own rules.
The first column is where one unit gives all the thrust the boat needs in 15 knots. The second is where the finder still lists it: the unit steers her in a 13 or 14 knot wind, within 15 percent of the 15 knot breeze this site sizes for. On a boat shorter than the first column’s shortest length, the unit is more than the boat needs.
How we size it
Our figure is the longest boat one unit can steer in a 15 knot wind. It is a range because each kind of boat catches the wind differently. The maker gives one range for every boat.
The table tries the DockStar Smart Thruster with pontoon track on each kind of boat, at every length that kind of boat is built in. The wind is 15 knots and the rules are the finder’s own. A length counts as a fit when the unit gives the thrust that boat needs where it mounts and the maker lists it for that length.
It is sized for one kind of boat here. For your own boat, the finder gives an answer that also counts your drive and who does the installing. The compare page sets this unit beside others.
What it costs installed
A yard job, everything in. Our estimate.
| Boat | Total installed |
|---|---|
| 24 to 30 ft | $4,730 to $5,110$53 to $57 a lb of thrust |
What is in each total
These totals are our estimate of a yard job: the unit’s price, plus a yard’s hours at $160 to $180 an hour. The unit carries its own battery, so there is no cable, battery or other part to buy. The hours come from what owners and yards report. The cost page builds the same figures line by line.
| Boat length | The unit | Yard labor | Batteries, cable, charger | Other parts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 to 30 ft | $4,570 | $160 to $5401 to 3 hours | None | None |
For every length in the table above.
Installing it yourself. Tell the finder you will fit a DockStar yourself and it takes the yard’s labor off. With that off, the total is $4,570. That is the unit’s price alone.
The sizing and the costs on this page are estimates, for guidance only and without warranty. They are no quote, and nobody has inspected your boat. Check them against the maker’s manual and your yard before you rely on them. Terms of use.
DIY breakdown
DIY levels
- Level 5: Owner install. No yard, no electrician.
- Level 4: You install it, electrician connects. You mount and wire it; a marine electrician makes the final connections.
- Level 3: Split with the yard. The yard does the below-waterline part; you do the wiring.
- Level 2: Wiring prep only. The yard installs the unit and does the hull work; you do the wiring prep.
- Level 1: Yard job. A qualified professional does all of it.
You Yard Electrician. The bar is labor hours; a haul-out is a note.
How we rate DIYYou: 1 to 3 hours Yard: none Electrician: none No haul-out.
Your part needs:Hand toolsDrilling above the waterline
Every step, and who does it
- Fit the track and the unit; charge it You 1 to 3 hours DockStar’s own figures: 1 to 2 hours in its buyer’s guide, 2 to 3 hours on its About page. No wiring to the boat. Source.
Hours are labor only.
Related videos
Two of DockStar’s own videos, from its YouTube channel. They play only when you tap. A maker’s video is its pitch, so take any claim back to the figures on this page.
Know before you buy
What sets this model apart, what it costs to keep, and what to weigh.
Price per pound of thrust
$50.78 a lb The unit’s price over its published thrust. The bars are DockStar’s next sizes and the nearest other makers.Controls
A complete kit: the battery and charger inside, a wireless remote, two propellers. The hull track is bought separately.
- Remote control, $100.00 at DockStar.
Service and warranty
DockStar gives 2 years for recreational use and 1 for commercial use, which needs its written approval first. It covers the first owner only, and it covers the battery. You pay shipping on a claim.
See DockStar’s warranty DockStar's limited warranty policy, v.260828.Special mentions
Battery: Rechargeable, internal: 12.8 V, 15 Ah lithium (LFP), about 5 hours to charge from empty.
What to weigh
You deploy it by hand: the unit is lowered into the water on its rail before docking and raised again after. It stays mounted on the boat; the raising and lowering is manual.
It runs on its own lithium battery: about 10 minutes of pushing per full charge, and about 5 hours to recharge from empty.
Each unit is custom built for the boat and ordered through DockStar, not bought off a shelf.
Short pushes only: DockStar rates the motor for 10 minutes at a stretch.
Parts for the DockStar Smart Thruster with pontoon track
See the DockStar Smart Thruster, pontoon manualDockStar prints no part numbers, so each spare goes by the name it sells it under. Prices are on the day shown, before shipping and tax.
For the install what the box leaves you to buy
The manual button above opens it on the maker's site. It has the hull, wiring and fuse figures for this model. Pontoon track installation guide (PDF)
From DockStar’s Smart Thruster user manual, version 260305, 2026, read 30 September 2026.
- In the box
- The thruster, the charger and its cord, the remote, antenna, two propellers with pins and nuts, lanyards, rope, the quick start guide.
- Bought separately
- The track assembly for the hull, and extra remotes.
- Charging
- Nothing is wired to the boat. A 12.8 V, 15 Ah lithium pack inside, and a 4 A charger in the box.
The manual’s words, page 12: “To charge the Smart Thruster, connect the Battery Charger to a 110V power outlet and insert the Charger Plug into the Charger Port/Setting Port. It takes about five (5) hours to fully charge.”
Other parts to buy: none. The box holds everything the unit needs, and nothing is wired to the boat.
Outside the hull replacement parts in the water
Propeller set
The propeller on the drive. DockStar calls it “Propeller Set”.
Hard top cover
DockStar calls it “Hard Top Cover”.
DockStar says it fits the first and second generation units.
Soft top cover
DockStar calls it “Soft Top Cover”.
Track guide
DockStar calls it “Track Guide”.
The second-generation unit uses four. DockStar sells them one at a time. They are made to break before the thruster or the track does.
Inside the boat replacement parts on board
Antenna
DockStar calls it “Antenna”.
Battery charger
It charges the thruster’s battery. DockStar calls it “AC/DC Charger”.
DockStar lists it as a 4 amp charger made for its lithium (LFP) battery.
Pairing plug
DockStar calls it “Pairing Plug”.
You use it to pair a remote with the thruster again.
Remote control
The handheld control. DockStar calls it “Remote Control for DOCKSTAR Smart Thruster”.
DockStar asks for your thruster's serial number or the number on the label under the remote's silicone cover.
Pulley harness and rope
DockStar calls it “Pulley Harness & Rope”.
It is the main way to lower the thruster and bring it back up.
No part matches. Try the number without spaces, or the part’s name.
The spare parts and their prices are from DockStar’s own store.
Other sizes and close alternatives
- On a bow track DockStar Smart Thruster, bow 90 lb · $4,380 to $4,500
- On a stern track DockStar Smart Thruster, stern 90 lb · $4,270 to $4,570
The other makers listed are the nearest match each makes, of the same style and for the same end, within a quarter of its thrust. The compare page lists every model, and the thruster index lists every model with a page here.
For the yard and the installer
Every published figure, with its source.
Full spec sheet
| Thrust and motor | |
|---|---|
| Thrust | 90 lb (41 kgf) As printed: 90 lb, second generation |
| Motor | 1.01 kW (1,008 W): two 12 V PMDC motors at 42 A each |
| Voltage | 12.8 V, its own battery |
| Power | Rechargeable, internal: 12.8 V, 15 Ah lithium (LFP), about 5 hours to charge from empty. |
| Run limit | 10 minutes per charge, the manual's figure |
| Installation | |
| Type | External, removable |
| End of the boat | Bow |
| What it does to the hull | Four 2 in 1/4-20 bolts through the deck for the track, and three 10-32 for its brace, with no wiring |
| Haul-out to install it | No: the maker says it goes on afloat |
| Maker’s boat length | 20 to 30 ft, the intended use DockStar gives |
| Price and ordering | |
| Price | $4,570 full kit, the maker's own price, dockstarthrusters.com, 17 September 2026 |
| Part number | Not held for this listing |
| Documents | |
| Manual | User manual (PDF)on the maker's site |
| Installation guide | Pontoon track installation guide (PDF) |
| The site’s review | DockStar Smart Thruster review |
Every published figure the site holds for the DockStar Smart Thruster with pontoon track, with where each came from.
Our notes from the manual and listings
In the box: A complete kit: the battery and charger inside, a wireless remote, two propellers. The hull track is bought separately.
Our note
Priced as the unit plus the pontoon track, which is the Stanchion Track (Extended) on DockStar's build-and-price list, read 17 September 2026. The track bolts to a stanchion on the edge of the deck, above the deck or to a plate under it, and DockStar publishes a guide for each. The unit is self-contained, so it draws nothing from the boat.
About 10 minutes of run time per charge is many dockings. Recharge is about 5 hours from empty on a 110 V outlet, so plan on shore power or an inverter.
Where each point above comes from
- It goes on with the boat in the water. No haul-out is needed to install it.DockStar's own statement
- You deploy it by hand: the unit is lowered into the water on its rail before docking and raised again after. It stays mounted on the boat; the raising and lowering is manual.DockStar's installation and user manuals
- It runs on its own lithium battery: about 10 minutes of pushing per full charge, and about 5 hours to recharge from empty.DockStar's Buyer's Guide
- Each unit is custom built for the boat and ordered through DockStar, not bought off a shelf.How DockStar sells, per the maker
Not sure this is the one? The thruster finder asks about your boat and prices every unit that fits.