Thrusterpedia

Which boat thruster, what it costs, how to get it installed

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Drawing of a pod thruster on the transom: a short tube with a prop at each end, below the waterline.
Our drawing of a external thruster, the same for every maker. It is not Yacht Thruster’s own design.

Yacht Thruster · external thruster · stern

Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster): specs, price and boat fit

It gives 148 lb (67 kgf) of push. Yacht Thruster sells it for boats of up to 47 ft. It runs on 24 V.

  • Haul-out to install
  • DIY 3 of 5: split with the yard
  • 2-year warranty

Quick stats

  • Thrust 148 lb 67 kgf, Yacht Thruster's rating
  • Boat length Up to 47 ft Yacht Thruster's own range
  • Price per lb of thrust Not worked out It needs a price and a thrust figure
  • Voltage 24 V As sold
  • Battery at 24 V 175 CCA Two batteries, near the thruster
  • Run limit Up to 5 min Continuous, with an automated shutdown
  • To install it Haul-out The boat comes out of the water
  • Mounts External Fixed mount, stern

About the Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster)

The 300C is the short version of Yacht Thruster’s pod, built for the stern only: it tucks under a swim platform or onto an upright transom and gives 148 lb of push, for boats up to 47 ft. It moves the back of the boat across a slip without a tunnel, and with the motor outside the hull, nothing is lost below decks.

Yacht Thruster quotes rather than lists a price. A control box and a joystick or touchpad come in the kit. It runs on 24 V, so a 12 V boat adds a 24 V bank, and batteries, cable and charging come to about $700 to $731. On a hard-chined hull the maker says a fiberglass adapter may be needed. See what else you buy.

Read more

It goes on with the boat out of the water, through one sealed fitting and two rod holes. The pod stays in the water all season, so growth on the propeller is the thing to watch: keep the antifouling fresh over an aluminum primer and look it over at every haul-out. Use short pushes; the maker allows up to five minutes at a stretch and twenty-five in an hour, with an automatic shutdown.

Installers will find the wiring figures and dimensions further down. For the rest of Yacht Thruster’s line, read the Yacht Thruster and ezDrive review.

Where this summary comes from (5 sources, read 13 October 2026)

Will the Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster) steer your boat?

51 FT TRAWLER · STERN · 15 KT WIND

Size forThis page always opens on Steering.

Every knot figure here is wind speed, not boat speed or current.

Steers her at 17 kt

On a 51 ft trawler the Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster) (148 lb) steers her in a 17 knot breeze. Her stern needs about 120 lb from an external unit on the transom to steer her in a 15 knot breeze.

The finder leaves it off her list. We found no published price for Yacht Thruster, and the finder lists only units it can price.

25.5 FT LEVER 300C (Compact Thruster) pivot

An external unit at the stern of a 51 ft trawler 120 lb ★ this unit · 1 to 3: the three cheapest others that steer her at 13 kt or more, installed

  1. ★ Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster) this unit 148 lb · pod on transom no US price Steers her at 17 kt
  2. 1 DockStar Smart Thruster, stern 90 lb · bolt-on removable from $4,430 Steers her at 13 kt
  3. 2 Max Power CT100 stern pod 212 lb · pod on transom from $8,371 Steers her at 20 kt
  4. 3 Sleipner SX80 212 lb · pod on transom from $12,050 Steers her at 20 kt

The Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster) on a trawler, by length

  1. 25 ft34 kt
  2. 30 ft29 kt
  3. 35 ft25 kt
  4. 40 ft22 kt
  5. 45 ft19 kt
  6. 50 ft17 kt
  7. 55 ft16 kt
  8. 60 ft14 kt
  9. 65 ft13 kt
  10. 70 ft12 kt
  11. 75 ft12 kt
  12. 80 ft11 kt

Outlined: the finder does not list it at that length (under 13 kt, far more than she needs, or outside Yacht Thruster’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?

What Yacht Thruster says Up to 47 ft The maker's own range, from its listing
What our sizing says 51 ft Full thrust in 15 knots, across the kinds of boat it fits
Every kind of boat it fits, by length ten boat types
Which boats it fits, by length
Boat Full thrust at 15 knotsStill a fit, in lighter wind
Pontoon & tritoon Not listed. Its maker does not name this kind of hull.
Sailboat 40 to 51 ft None
Houseboat Not listed. Its maker does not name this kind of hull.
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 40 to 51 ft None
Motor yacht 40 to 51 ft None
Bass & flats No length. More thrust than the boat needs.
Wake & ski boats No length. More thrust than the boat needs.
Express cruiser 51 ft only None
Center console No length. More thrust than the boat needs.

The Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster) 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 every kind of boat it fits gets full thrust to 51 ft. The maker gives one range for every boat.

The table tries the Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster) 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.

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 51 ft, just past Yacht Thruster’s own range (up to 47 ft).

It is sized for four 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 Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster), 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 3 of 5: Split with the yard. The yard does the below-waterline part; you do the wiring.

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 DIY

You: 4 to 16 hours Yard: 1 to 2 hours Electrician: 2 to 4 hours Plus a haul-out.

Your part needs:Heavy battery cableCrimping big lugs

Every step, and who does it three steps
  1. Bolt the pod to the hull below the waterline Yard 1 to 2 hours The maker’s figure, as Yachts International reported it: one to two hours for the thruster itself, without the cable connections. Source.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 from Yacht Thruster’s own channel and one 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.

How to Install the Yacht Thruster™Install guide Yacht Controller TV, September 2016
Installing a Yacht Thruster: How Easy Is It?Maker Yacht Thruster’s own channel
Yacht Thruster Powerboat DemonstrationsMaker Yacht Thruster’s own channel

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 through-hull fitting, its seals and the control box come with it.

  • The panel your manual names, no US price found.
  • The control cable your manual names, no US price found.

Service and warranty

Yacht Thruster's FAQ gives 2 years, and its product pages give 3.

See Yacht Thruster’s warranty Yacht Thruster's FAQ.

Special mentions

Battery: at 24 V it wants two batteries of 175 CCA, sized to the draw. 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.

Dealer prices at Fisheries Supply, read 26 October 2026.

What to weigh

The boat comes out of the water to install it: it needs three small holes, below the waterline.

No US dollar price is published for it, so we can work out no installed cost.

Short pushes only: Yacht Thruster rates the motor for up to 5 min at a stretch.

Parts for the Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster)

Search 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

10 parts

From Yacht Thruster’s Overview and FAQ pages, read 30 September 2026.

In the box
The thruster with its through-hull fitting and seals, the rods and seals of the mounting kit, the control box and controls.
Bought separately
Fuse, switch, cable and battery are not named on either page.
Charging
A 12 V unit may share the boat's supply, even a windlass feed if a specialist agrees. A 24 V unit on a 12 V boat needs a bank of its own. Neither page names a charger.

In Yacht Thruster’s words, from the FAQ: “In order to run a 24V Yacht Thruster with an on-board voltage of 12V, an additional 24V battery bank will be required.”

A yard job adds these parts on top of the unit: $88 to $268 for the priced ones, at Fisheries Supply’s prices on 26 October 2026, plus the batteries, cable and charger. The cost page has what every maker says about each part.

Control panel

Ask for The panel your manual names.

The maker does not name one we could confirm.

Part number See the line above.

Control cable, panel to thruster

Ask for The control cable your manual names.

Not sold at Fisheries Supply. Ask the panel dealer.

Part number See the line above.

Main fuse

Ask for The size and type the maker names for this model.

We could not find this model's fuse in a manual we hold. Ask the dealer or the maker for it before you buy.

Part number See the line above.

Fuse holder

Ask for The holder for the fuse type your manual names.

Match it to the fuse.

Part number See the line above.

Battery switch

Ask for A manual battery switch rated for this circuit.

Rate it at or above the main fuse your manual names. If your manual names its own switch, use that one.

Part number See the line above.

Control-circuit fuse holder

Fisheries Supply lists it as “Waterproof in-line ATO/ATC fuse holder”.

Your manual names no value for this: size a small in-line fuse to the wire.

Part number 5065

Batteries

Fisheries Supply lists it as “Lifeline GPL-1400T AGM starting”.

You need 2, each at 175 CCA (the motor’s draw; the maker prints no battery figure) or more, in series for 24 V. The cheapest listing that meets it.

Part number LFL GPL-1400T

Battery cable, red and black

Defender lists it as “Ancor tinned battery cable 4 AWG, cut to length, red or black”.

You need 10 ft of each color. For about 20 ft of cable in all, out and back. Measure your run and check it against the cable table in the manual: never go smaller than it asks for.

Part number None on the listing. Order it by name.

Cable lugs

Fisheries Supply lists it as “Tin-plated starter lugs, 4 AWG, bag of 10”.

The listing runs $13.23 to $16.42 by stud size. Eight ends on one run, with two spare.

Part number 91066-P10

Charger

Fisheries Supply lists it as “GEN5X2 on-board charger, 10 A, 2 banks”.

Or a DC-to-DC charger from the house system: ask the electrician.

Part number GEN5X2

The install parts are matched to Yacht Thruster’s own figures and priced at Fisheries Supply, with the battery cable at Defender, cut to length.

Other sizes and close alternatives

Compare them side by side

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, motor, mounting, price, part number, documents
Full spec sheet
Thrust and motor
Thrust 148 lb (67 kgf) As printed: 148 stern
Motor3 kW
Voltage24 V
Run limitup to 5 min continuous, with an automated shutdown
Installation
TypeExternal, fixed mount
End of the boatStern
What it does to the hullThree small holes, below the waterline
Haul-out to install itYes
Maker’s boat lengthUp to 47 ft
Price and ordering
Price No US price published
Part number Not held for this listing
Documents
Manual None found
The site’s reviewYacht Thruster and ezDrive review

Every published figure the site holds for the Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster), with where each came from.

Draw, cable, fuse and battery at each voltage 24 V

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.

Draw, cable, fuse and battery
Voltage Draw Maker’s cable Fuse Battery Run limit
24 V 175 Anominal draw Not published Not published Not published up to 5 min continuous, with an automated shutdownFAQ

The Yacht Thruster 300C (Compact Thruster)’s draw, cable, fuse, battery and run limit, as the maker publishes them.

Our notes from the manual and listings

In the box: The through-hull fitting, its seals and the control box come with it.

Our note

The stern-only short version of the Simplex, with the same 3 kW motor and prop. It is 17 in long and 34 lb, rated 148 lbf, and draws 175 A at 24 V. It bolts through the hull below the waterline, so the boat comes out of the water to install it. It takes one 2 in hole for the fitting and two 18 mm holes for the rods.

Yacht Thruster puts the thruster itself at one to two hours once she is out. The FAQ gives a run time of up to five minutes continuous and 25 minutes an hour. The product pages promise a three-year warranty, where the FAQ says two. No price is published.

Where each point above comes from
  • The boat comes out of the water to install it: it needs three small holes, below the waterline.The mounting style
  • 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.

Where to go next

The specs are the maker’s and the dealers’, on the dates shown. The sizing and the costs are our arithmetic, done without seeing your boat.