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VETUS · tunnel thruster · bow
VETUS Bow 40: specs, price and the boats it fits
It gives 88 lb (40 kgf) of push. It runs on 12 V.
- Haul-out to install
- DIY 2 of 5: wiring prep only
- 3-year warranty
Not sold in the US right now. No US store or distributor lists the VETUS Bow 40: we checked Defender, Fisheries Supply and Citimarine on 15 October 2026. Its specs and parts stay here for owners of boats built or bought abroad. For one to buy here, see the models on the VETUS thruster review that have a US price.
Quick stats
- Thrust 88 lb 40 kgf, VETUS's rating
- Boat length Not published See our sizing below
- Price per lb of thrust Not worked out It needs a price and a thrust figure
- Voltage 12 V As sold
- Battery Not published Ask the maker before wiring
- Run limit Not published Ask the maker before long use
- To install it Haul-out The boat comes out of the water
- Anodes $76.29 A change. More than twice another maker's
About the VETUS Bow 40
The Bow 40 is a small on/off VETUS bow thruster for a 140 mm tunnel, a size between the 125 mm units and the Bow 45. Its manual rates it at 88 lb of push from a 1.5 kW brushed motor on 12 V.
No US store we checked sells it, so this page is for owners of boats built or bought abroad who have one installed. The manual gives a 220 A draw and a four-minute rating, after which the thermal switch cuts the motor until it cools.
Read more
Care is the VETUS routine: check the carbon brushes and the anode once a year, and use no copper-based antifouling on the unit. The three-year warranty is claimed through the dealer that sold it.
Installing it yourself? The installer section has every spec, and the VETUS thruster review sets this model against the rest of the VETUS range.
Where this summary comes from (3 sources, read 15 October 2026)
Will the VETUS Bow 40 steer your boat?
37 FT TRAWLER · BOW · 15 KT WIND
Every knot figure here is wind speed, not boat speed or current.
On a 37 ft trawler the VETUS Bow 40 (88 lb) steers her in a 15 knot breeze. Her bow needs about 90 lb from a tunnel to steer her in a 15 knot breeze. Its 88 lb lands within 15 percent of that figure, which this site counts as enough.
The finder leaves it off her list. We found no US store that sells it, and the finder lists only units you can buy here.
The VETUS Bow 40 on a trawler, by length
- 25 ft22 kt
- 30 ft18 kt
- 35 ft15 kt
- 40 ft14 kt
- 45 ft12 kt
- 50 ft11 kt
- 55 ft10 kt
- 60 ft9 kt
- 65 ft8 kt
- 70 ft8 kt
- 75 ft7 kt
- 80 ft7 kt
Outlined: the finder does not list it at that length (under 13 kt, far more than she needs, or outside VETUS’s own length range).
- 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 | Not listed. A pontoon has no hull body between the logs to bore a tunnel through, and nobody sells one for these boats. | |
| Sailboat | 26 to 37 ft | 38 to 43 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 43 ft |
| Houseboat | None | 30 to 32 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 32 ft |
| Catamaran | 30 to 43 ft | 44 to 49 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 49 ft |
| Trawler | 26 to 37 ft | 38 to 42 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 42 ft |
| Motor yacht | 35 to 37 ft | 38 to 42 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 42 ft |
| Bass & flats | Not listed. Nobody sells a tunnel kit for these hulls, and a bass boat’s shallow planing bow has almost no depth to hold one. | |
| Wake & ski boats | Not listed. Nobody sells a tunnel kit for these hulls. | |
| Express cruiser | 33 to 47 ft | 48 to 54 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 54 ft |
| Center console | 37 to 40 ft | None |
The VETUS Bow 40 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. Here a sailboat gets full thrust to 37 ft, and an express cruiser to 47 ft.
The table tries the VETUS Bow 40 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 at the bow. VETUS publishes no boat length, so thrust alone decides.
It is sized for seven kinds 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
No US dollar price is published for the VETUS Bow 40, so we build no total for it. The yard’s share of the job is on the cost page.
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: 4 to 16 hours Yard: 32 to 70 hours Electrician: 2 to 4 hours Plus a haul-out.
Your part needs:Heavy battery cableCrimping big lugs
Every step, and who does it
- Cut, bond and fair the tunnel; fit the gear leg, motor and propeller Yard 32 to 70 hours The low end is two crew over two days, the job as owners describe it on the forums. The high end rises with boat length between two real billed figures: 32 hours at 35 ft, and the largest invoice we hold, 70 hours at 47 ft.
- Mount the battery box, switch and fuse holder; run and secure the cables You 4 to 16 hours Our estimate. No maker times this step, and a first-time owner is slower than a yard, so the range is wide.
- Final connections at the battery and the motor, load test Electrician 2 to 4 hours Our estimate. Nobody publishes a time for the final connections and test on their own.
A qualified marine electrician should make the final connections and test them before first use. Hours are labor only.
Related videos
One from VETUS’s own channel and three from other channels. Each one is labeled. They play from YouTube only when you tap. Take any claim in a video back to the figures on this page, which are the ones we checked.
Know before you buy
What sets this model apart, what it costs to keep, and what to weigh.
Price per pound of thrust
There is no US price to divide by its thrust.
Controls
The solenoid switches and the 5 A control fuse are on the motor. The panel, its cable, the main fuse and switch are bought.
- Control panel, on/off dual joystick (bow and stern) (BPJDE2), $562.93 at Fisheries Supply.
- Control panel, on/off joystick (BPJE2), $347.81 at Defender.
Want push you can dial in? The proportional VETUS Bow Pro 401 has the same thrust.
Pricey wear part: anodes
$76.29 a change- Zinc anode (SET0149): $76.29 at Fisheries Supply.
A change costs $76.29. That is over eight times the $9.00 for Sleipner’s anode on the same 140 mm tunnel (SM31180A, Defender). An anode is a plain block of metal that wears away by design, so you will buy it again.
They sit below the waterline, so a change means a haul-out or a diver.
Service and warranty
VETUS gives 3 years, or 1 for professional use, and it transfers to the next owner. Claims go through the dealer only. It is void unless an authorized VETUS dealer does the periodic maintenance, and transport, labor and lifting are excluded.
See VETUS’s warranty VETUS's warranty policy.Special mentions
Nothing beyond the specs above.
Dealer prices at Fisheries Supply, read 26 October 2026.What to weigh
The boat comes out of the water to install it: it needs a tunnel bore below the waterline.
VETUS publishes no boat length for it. The boat table is our sizing alone.
No US dollar price is published for it, so we can work out no installed cost.
Parts for the VETUS Bow 40
See the VETUS Bow 40 manualSearch for the number as printed here, with no spaces. Prices are each dealer’s on the day shown, before shipping and tax. Check the plate on your motor before you order: some parts change with the tunnel size, the voltage or the year.
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.
From VETUS’s BOW4012 installation manual 020589.01 r4, January 2025, read 25 October 2026.
- In the box
- The manual prints no box list. It says the thruster is supplied with a zinc anode and has you drill with the template that comes with it.
- Bought separately
- The tunnel, the main switch (BATSW250 or BATSW600), the main fuse (ZE) and holder (ZEHC100), the cable, the control panel and its cable.
- Charging
- The manual wants the thruster on its own battery or batteries, close by so the power cables stay short, and sealed batteries if they share its compartment. Its wiring diagram shows an alternator and a battery separator, and it says nothing more about charging.
The manual’s words, page 22: “We also recommend that each bow thruster is powered by its own separate battery or batteries.”
A yard job adds these parts on top of the unit: $549 to $1,223 for the priced ones, at Fisheries Supply’s prices on 30 September 2026 and 26 October 2026, plus the batteries, cable and charger. The cost page has what every maker says about each part.
Outside the hull replacement parts in the water
Zinc anode
The metal that wears away in the water so the drive does not. VETUS calls it “Zinc anode (guide column)”.
From VETUS's 2022 spare parts guide, which lists it in this model's row. VETUS's webshop names it Replacement zinc anode for bow thruster 35 / 45 / 55 kgf.
Propeller
The propeller on the drive. VETUS calls it “Prop / Schroef”.
From VETUS's 2022 spare parts guide, which lists it in this model's row.
Tailpiece (gear leg), complete
The leg under the motor that turns the propeller. VETUS calls it “Tailpiece for BOW4012 +”.
The maker lists this part by a name that covers this model, not by the model itself. Check it against your serial number before you order.
Inside the boat replacement parts on board
Replacement motor (comes with solenoids)
The heavy switch that sends battery power to the motor. VETUS calls it “Set: motor 12V+relay BOW2512E +BOW3512E + BOW4012”.
VETUS's 2022 parts guide also lists it for the BOW3512F.
Solenoid set (the motor switch)
The heavy switch that sends battery power to the motor. VETUS calls it “Relais / Relay”.
From VETUS's 2022 spare parts guide, which lists it in this model's row.
Control panel, on/off dual joystick (bow and stern)
The control at the helm. VETUS calls it “Dual joystick panel with time delay”.
Runs a bow and a stern thruster.
Control panel, on/off joystick
The control at the helm. VETUS calls it “Joystick panel with time delay”.
For one thruster.
No part matches. Try the number without spaces, or the part’s name.
Spare part numbers come from VETUS’s parts pages and manuals. A dealer may sell a part we have not priced. Search for the number.
Other sizes and close alternatives
- Size down VETUS Bow 35 77 lb · $1,607
- Size up VETUS Bow 45 99 lb · $1,734
- Proportional (BOW PRO) VETUS Bow Pro 401 88 lb
- Other maker Sleipner SE30/125S DC 88 lb · $1,755
- Other maker Max Power CT45-IP 88 lb · $2,456
- Other maker Quick BTQ 125 two sizes, 66 to 88 lb · $2,511 to $2,754
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 | 88 lb (40 kgf) As printed: "Rated thrust : 400 N (40 kgf, 88 lbf)" - VETUS manual 020589.01 r04 (2025-01) BOW4012, Technical data |
| Motor | 1.5 kW |
| Voltage | 12 V |
| Run limit | Not published |
| Installation | |
| Type | Tunnel, fixed mount |
| End of the boat | Bow |
| Tunnel diameter | 140 mm |
| What it does to the hull | Tunnel bore below the waterline |
| Haul-out to install it | Yes |
| Maker’s boat length | Not published |
| Price and ordering | |
| Price | No US price published |
| Part number | BOW401212 V |
| Documents | |
| Manual | Installation manual (PDF)on the maker's site |
| The site’s review | VETUS thruster review |
Every published figure the site holds for the VETUS Bow 40, with where each came from.
Our notes from the manual and listings
In the box: The solenoid switches and the 5 A control fuse are on the motor. The panel, its cable, the main fuse and switch are bought.
Our note
A 12 V on/off unit in a 140 mm tunnel, between the 35 kg 125 mm units and the Bow 45. The manual rates it at 40 kgf (88 lb) from a 1.5 kW brushed motor drawing 220 A, for four minutes at a time (S2), at 12 kg without its tunnel.
Where each point above comes from
- The boat comes out of the water to install it: it needs a tunnel bore below the waterline.The mounting: a bore through the hull, or a housing recessed into it
- VETUS publishes no boat length for it. The boat table is our sizing alone.The maker's documents, as the database records them
- No US dollar price is published for it, so we can work out no installed cost.The maker and the dealers the database reads
Not sure this is the one? The thruster finder asks about your boat and prices every unit that fits.