New from VETUS, the most powerful fully proportional brushless thrusters available on the market with 48VDC compatibility have set a new industry standard in DC thruster power.
These two new additions at the top of the size range of the VETUS BOW PRO Boosted range are suitable for 400mm (15 ¾”) tunnels, making them ideally suited to a range of commercial vessels, from ocean research and dive support vessels thru catamaran CTVs (crew transfer vessels), fast passenger ferries and even smaller OSVs (offshore supply vessels).
The BOW PRO Boosted 385 (BOWB385) and the BOW PRO Boosted 420 (BOWB420) bring the unique and extensively field proven benefits of VETUS BOW PRO thrusters to owners and operators of larger vessels than the range has previously provided for, with installations appropriate for vessels from 25m to 40m (82ft to 131ft).
Offering a power output up to 385kgf (BOWB385) and 420kgf (BOWB420) at 48V, the two new units feature all the renowned innovations that differentiate the efficient VETUS BOW PRO thrusters from more conventional units. Vessel captains will have precision proportional control and can be confident they can extensively use their thruster system when docking or maneuvering without the fear of overuse or overheating issues- a vital consideration for heavy users such as CTV operators requiring regular blasts of pinpoint bow control when lining up to push on to offshore wind turbines.
All BOWB units feature an intelligent motor controller with integrated boost function, charging the bow thruster’s batteries using VETUS’s internal three-stage charging process. This solution enables connection to a 24V power supply to recharge the 48V battery bank to keep the thruster batteries at their optimum level.
The proprietary VETUS motor controller also regulates the maintenance-free brushless induction motors, ensuring the thrusters are very efficient and quiet. Active heat control and a low power consumption give the BOWB thrusters a runtime only limited by the size of the battery pack installed – a unique feature for DC thrusters.
To minimize costly vessel downtime, installation and maintenance of these thrusters is safe, fast, and easy, with the units integrating seamlessly with the proprietary VETUS V-CAN system for plug and play convenience.
Chris DeBoy, President of VETUS-Maxwell USA, said: “VETUS is excited to offer these larger BOW PRO thrusters to the commercial market. This new line of VETUS BOW PRO thrusters offers the benefit of similar hydraulic systems with the ease of DC battery connected installations.”
The BOWB 400 series can be used with VETUS’s standard proportional control panels – the BPPPA single thruster paddle panel, the BPPJA single thruster joystick panel with hold-to-dock functionality and the DBPPJA 360-degree double thruster joystick panel. As the BOW PRO is V-CAN controlled with CAN-bus protocol operation, the thrusters also offer the opportunity for interaction with other compatible devices, such as docking systems, for optimal performance. For smaller vessels VETUS and Mercury Marine® have collaborated to enable the integration of BOW PRO thrusters with Mercury’s Joystick Piloting for Outboards (JPO) system.
The launch of the BOWB 400 series follows closely behind the introduction of three models in the BOWB 300 series for 300-mm tunnels.
The BOW PRO Boosted 385 (BOWB385) and the BOW PRO Boosted 420 (BOWB420) units are available on request. For further information, visit www.vetus.com
