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VETUS · retractable thruster · bow or stern
VETUS STE6012D: specs, price and the boats it fits
It gives 146 lb (66 kgf) of push. VETUS sells it for boats of 30 to 60 ft. 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 STE6012D: 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 146 lb 66 kgf, VETUS's rating
- Boat length 30 to 60 ft VETUS's own range
- Price per lb of thrust Not worked out It needs a price and a thrust figure
- Voltage 12 V As sold
- Battery at 12 V 500 CCA One battery, near the thruster
- Run limit 4 min At a stretch, the manual's S2 rating
- To install it Haul-out The boat comes out of the water
- Mounts Retractable Drops down, bow or stern
About the VETUS STE6012D
The STE6012D is a swing-down thruster for owners who want a clean hull underway. When you switch it on, the unit swings down out of a housing in the bottom of the boat; when you’re done it folds up behind a flush plate. It gives 146 lb of push on 12 V and can be installed at the bow or the stern.
There’s no US list price, so ask a VETUS dealer to quote it. The housing is glassed into the hull with the boat hauled, a bigger yard job than a plain tube. Add a control panel, a main switch, a fuse and its holder, about $328 to $803, and a battery of its own nearby. See every part.
Read more
VETUS rates this model for 4 minutes of running at a time. It pauses briefly between direction changes and retracts on its own if left down for 15 minutes. The motor has brushes, so check them and the zinc yearly, and avoid copper-based paint on the leg. Warranty: three years through the dealer.
The full spec sheet for a yard sits lower down, and the VETUS thruster review covers VETUS’s whole range.
Where this summary comes from (5 sources, read 12 October 2026)
Will the VETUS STE6012D steer your boat?
48 FT TRAWLER · BOW · 15 KT WIND
Every knot figure here is wind speed, not boat speed or current.
On a 48 ft trawler the VETUS STE6012D (146 lb) steers her in a 15 knot breeze. Her bow needs about 155 lb from a retractable to steer her in a 15 knot breeze. Its 146 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 STE6012D on a trawler, by length
- 25 ft28 kt
- 30 ft23 kt
- 35 ft20 kt
- 40 ft18 kt
- 45 ft16 kt
- 50 ft14 kt
- 55 ft12.7 kt
- 60 ft12 kt
- 65 ft11 kt
- 70 ft10 kt
- 75 ft9 kt
- 80 ft9 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 retractable drops down inside the hull, and a pontoon has no hull depth to drop into. | |
| Sailboat | 34 to 48 ft | 49 to 55 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 55 ft |
| Houseboat | 30 to 36 ft | 37 to 41 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 41 ft |
| Catamaran | 39 to 55 ft | 56 to 62 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 62 ft |
| Trawler | 34 to 48 ft | 49 to 54 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 54 ft |
| Motor yacht | 35 to 48 ft | 49 to 54 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 54 ft |
| Bass & flats | Not listed. A retractable needs hull depth to drop into, and these planing hulls have almost none forward. | |
| Wake & ski boats | Not listed. A retractable needs hull depth to drop into, and these planing hulls have almost none forward. | |
| Express cruiser | 43 to 61 ft | 62 to 65 ftfull thrust to about 14 knots at 65 ft |
| Center console | No length. More thrust than the boat needs. | |
The VETUS STE6012D 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 houseboat gets full thrust to 36 ft, and an express cruiser to 61 ft. The maker gives one range for every boat.
The table tries the VETUS STE6012D 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 and the maker lists it for that length.
A boat up to 10 percent past the maker’s range still counts here, as it does in the finder. So the table runs up to 65 ft, just past VETUS’s own range (30 to 60 ft).
It is sized for six 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 STE6012D, 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: 40 to 88 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 the hull and fit the housing and mechanism Yard 40 to 88 hours Nobody publishes an hours figure. Fisheries Supply says installation is significantly more expensive than a tunnel, and that is too loose to turn into a number. So this is the tunnel’s own banded figure plus a quarter, which keeps it above a tunnel as the distributors describe it.
- 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
Two of VETUS’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
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.
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
Battery: at 12 V it wants one battery of 500 CCA or more, VETUS's figure. The cheapest that meets it is the Lifeline GPL-1400T AGM starting, $256.72. Check your own bank.
Charger: a NOCO GEN5X2 two-bank shore charger, $146.41. It is the one our estimate prices.
VETUS sells it for either end, so it can go at the bow or the stern.
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 large hull opening below the waterline.
No US dollar price is published for it, so we can work out no installed cost.
Short pushes only: VETUS rates the motor for 4 min at a stretch.
Parts for the VETUS STE6012D
See the VETUS STE6012D 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 retractable thruster installation instructions 020584.05 r02, December 2024, read 12 October 2026.
- In the box
- The STE manual prints no list of what comes in the box. It does say the template for cutting the hull opening is not provided: you make one from scrap sheet or stiff cardboard. Its technical data puts the 5 A control fuse and the relay on the unit.
- Bought separately
- A main switch on the positive cable (a VETUS battery switch, or the BPMAIN12 remote main switch), a fuse on the positive cable and its holder (ZEHC100), the battery cable, the control panel and its cable.
- Charging
- The STE manual wants the unit on its own battery or batteries, close by so the cables stay short, and sealed batteries (VETUS SMF or AGM) if they share its compartment, because sparks from the motor brushes can light the gas an open battery gives off while charging. How that battery is charged it leaves to you and your installer.
The manual’s words, page 35: “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: $328 to $803 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
Hinge O-ring, double
It keeps water out of the joint it sits in. VETUS calls it “Double O-ring for hinge of STE6012D”.
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
Lift actuator (raises and lowers the unit)
VETUS calls it “Actuator for STE6012D retractable”.
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.
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
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 | 146 lb (66 kgf) As printed: Rated thrust : 650 N (65 kgf, 146 lbf ) (installation manual 020584.05 r02 (December 2024), technical data, read 2026-10-12) |
| Motor | 3 kW |
| Voltage | 12 V |
| Run limit | 4 min at a stretch, the manual's S2 rating |
| Installation | |
| Type | Retractable, drops down |
| End of the boat | Bow or stern |
| Tunnel diameter | 185 mm |
| What it does to the hull | Large hull opening below the waterline |
| Haul-out to install it | Yes |
| Maker’s boat length | 30 to 60 ft |
| Price and ordering | |
| Price | No US price published |
| Part number | STE6012D12 V, 12 V DC |
| 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 STE6012D, with where each came from.
Draw, cable, fuse and battery at each voltage
These are the maker’s own figures, at each voltage it is sold at. The cable is the size for the shortest run in the maker’s table. A longer run may need heavier cable, and the wiring calculator works that out for your own boat.
| Voltage | Draw | Maker’s cable | Fuse | Battery | Run limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 V | 300 Anominal draw | 2 AWG for up to 9 ft of cable counted out and back. Longer runs take heavier cableinstallation manual 020584.05, r02, December 2024 | 200 Ainstallation manual 020584.05, r02, December 2024 | 500 CCA minimum, 1,000 CCA maximumVETUS installation manual 020584.05, r02, December 2024 | 4 min at a stretch, the manual's S2 ratinginstallation manual 020584.05, r02, December 2024 |
The VETUS STE6012D’s draw, cable, fuse, battery and run limit, as the maker publishes them.
- At 12 V: size the cable for your run, or check the battery you have.
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 swing retractable. The unit lives in a housing with a seamless bottom plate and swings down when used. That makes a bigger yard job than a tunnel, and a mechanism to keep working. There is a 1.5 second delay between direction changes, and the unit retracts itself after 15 minutes unused. A 12 V unit, in a 185 mm opening.
The installation manual rates it 65 kgf, where the model name says 60. The manual gives 300 A, a battery of 500 to 1000 cold cranking amps and a 200 A fuse. For cable it gives 4 AWG to 9.5 ft of total run (positive plus negative), and 4/0 to 44.9 ft. The motor is brushed, and its brushes and anode are checked yearly.
No copper-based antifouling goes on the unit. We found no US dealer listing. VETUS publishes no price.
Where each point above comes from
- VETUS sells it for either end, so it can go at the bow or the stern.The maker's listing
- The boat comes out of the water to install it: it needs a large hull opening below the waterline.The mounting: a bore through the hull, or a housing recessed into it
- 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.