Tunnel Installation Guide PDF
Tunnel Installation Guide PDF
Tunnel Installation Guide PDF
SIDE-POWER
Thruster Systems
Boatbuilder installation
recommendation
Where and how to fit a
thruster tunnel
This recommendation will go through the different fac-
tors to consider when choosing where and how to fit
thruster tunnels in a boat.
Some of these recommendations might be difficult, or
even impossible to follow exactly in some boats, and
they are general recommendations, not requirements.
The thruster must NOT be installed in compartments that require ignition proof electric equipment. If necessary, make
a seperate compartment.
If you are installing the Sidepower in a small room /compartment, it should be ventilated to ensure cooling
of the electromotor.
If the height in the room you are installing the Sidepower is limited, the Sidepower can be installed horizontally
or at any angle in between.
If the electro motor is positioned more than 30o off vertical, it must be supported separately.
If the electromotor is installed in a horizontal position, the connector of the electronic controlbox on the solenoids
has to face downwards.
Beware to keep installation within adviced measurements. No part of the propeller or gearhouse must be
outside the tunnel.
The electromotor, its components, contacts / plugs or other joints in the control cables must be mounted so that
they will keep dry at all times.
We strongly advice to paint the gearhouse and propellers with antifouling.
PS! Do not paint the zinc anodes, sealings or propellershafts.
Don't install the electromotor at close range to easily flammable objects as it will reach over 100oC before the
temp. switch is activated.
When installed in boats approved or classified according to international or special national rules, the
installer is responsible for following the demands in accordance with these regulations / classification rules.
The instructions in this guide can not be guaranteed to comply with all different regulations / classification
rules.
Remember that the GRP tunnel is very accurately manufactured and that the propellers have a maximum
diameter to get the maximum thrust. Thereby you can NOT finish the inside of the tunnel with a layer og
Gelcoat / Topcoat or similar. It is only room for a thin layer of primer and two layers of anti-fouling.
It is important to plan the thruster installations as early in the design process of the boat as possible.
forward as possible.
pivot point A
Thruster
Because of the leverage effect around the installation
B
boats pivot point, it is very important for the
thrusters actual effect in the boat to get it as
far forward as possible.
1. So that it does not suck down air from the surface, which will totally destroy thrust and make a lot of
noise.
2. To get as high as possible water pressure so that the propeller has as firm a substance as possible
to work in for the best possible performance.
Generally the top of the tunnel should be an absolute minimum of 1/2 x the tunnel diameter below the
water surface. We recommend that it is at least 3/4 x tunnel diameter below the surface and even more is
better.
It is also important to remember that on small boats with small thrusters these measurements can then be
as little as 75-80mm below the waterline and if it is a very lightweight boat you can often get waves moving
the boat up and down more than this creating problems of sucking air into the tunnel.
If you get top of the tunnel 30-35cm / 1’ below the surface, other factors will normally be more important as
the water weight/pressure increase more slowly from that depth and on.
3/4Ø
1/1 Ø
*
30 - 35 cm
Ø
1/3 .
min
Ø
1/3Ø
min.
We recommend to round the tunnel connection to the hull-side as much as possible. The optimum round-
ing is a radius of 10% of the tunnels diameter.
This will give these advantages over sharp tunnel to hull connections.
1. The curved tunnel will prevents creation of turbulence / cavitation that will come from a sharp tunnel
end when water passes fast, thereby preventing a double negative impact on the thrust and noise
level..
- The turbulence / cavitation blocks the outer area of the tunnel and thereby actually reduces the
effective tunnel diameter and thrust.
- The turbulence / cavitation hits the propeller and thereby reduce the propellers performance
and creates noise.
2. The curved tunnel end makes the thruster take water also from along the hull-side, creating a
vacuum that will suck the boat sideways and thereby give additional thrust. With a sharp tunnel end,
the thruster will be unable to take water from along the hull-side, and you will not get the desired
vacuum and additional thrust.
The cavitation /
turbulence off a
The rounded tunnel
sharp tunnel end
ends prevents cavita-
will reduce the
tion / turbulence from
efficient tunnel
the tunnel ends.
diameter and thrust.
tun
10 el dia
r = 10% of tunnel diameter
n
- 1 me
An angled slope between the tunnel and the hull-side here: r = 18,5mm
5% te
is a good alternative that might be easier to do.
of r
r = 10% of tunnel diameter
here: r = 18,5mm
If you are unable to make the full radius of 10% of the
of r
tunnel diameter, you should still make as much of a 5% te
Tunnel diameter
0 - 1 iame here: ø 185mm
curve or slope as your installation allows. 1 el d
n
tun
Additional bonding
layers inside.
1. The best solution which normally reduces the drag most, is to make
an insert in the hull at the back of the tunnel. Thereby the back face is
gone, and thereby about all the drag. Radius = 10% of
tunnel diameter
The depth and shape of this insert will be depending on the boat. Basi-
cally you should not see the back face of the tunnel when standing di-
rectly in front of the tunnel at the angle of the boats centreline.
The angle up or down backwards of the insert in the hull, depends on the
hullshape, but normally it is angled slightly down because of the waterflow
on this area of the hull.
However, for fast planning boats it can be that it should be angled up-
wards as many boats will be travelling at speed with a raised bow, and
the boat will be going up and down in the waves. Again, consider the flow
of water when the boat is at it’s normal speed and make the insert so that
the water flow will not hit the backface of the turnnel.
R = 0,1 x
tunell Dia.
Radius = 10% of
tunnel diameter
2. The drag will also be reduced a lot, especially in fast power boats,
by making a deflector / spoiler in front of the tunnel.
This will push the waterflow out from the hull so that most of it passes
outside the back face of the tunnel.
The shape and size of this deflector will be depending on the hull shape.
Basically you should not see the back face of the tunnel when standing
directly in front of the tunnel at the angle of the boats centreline.
R = 0,1 x
The easiest way of making this is to let a part of the tunnel stick out in the tunell Dia.
lower forward area of the hole, and use this as a support to mould a soft
curve / spoiler shape
Radius = 10% of
tunnel diameter
Possible tunnel installation in The correct and best way is to fit the
"standard" hull. Not a very good tunnel on this type of sailboat, is to
position this far back as you get a very fit it in the correct position by "cutting
small leverage to turn the boat. You it into the bottom of the boat, making
might then need to use a larger it a part of the bottom. Then you
thruster with a larger tunnel diameter build a "bulb" around it both to
to get a sufficient thrust, and this will strengthen the instllation / hull and
have to be fitted even further back to make a smooth waterflow.
Waterline
Minimum
tunnel depth
The solution is to make an insert / plug in the hull mould, which prepares the hull for an easy tunnel installa-
tion and creates the rounded tunnel ends for maximum thrust and minimal drag.
This insert / plug in the mould are not very difficult to make, and as it will have to be a "bolt on" in the mould
in order to get the boat out, you can still make boats without this hull feature. ( Some builders have this in
the hull also on boats that are delivered without a thruster as they know many people will fit this later)
By having a flat surface to fit the tunnel to, the installation time and cost for the tunnel will also be reduced
as:
- it is very easy and fast to cut the now circular hole for the tunnel
- it is easier to mould inside all around the tunnel
- you save tunnel length
Radius
= Tunnel diameter x 0,1
a1 a2
It you would prefer not to have a plug in the mould that has to be bolted in so that it can come out of the boat
mould with the boat you can make a plug that a fixed part of the boats mould.
You will have to ensure that there is a enough release angle to lift the boat out, and it could be that you are
unable to make the perfect insert for the water flow. As this does not create the rounded tunnel ends we
advice to use the bolt-in version described on the previous page. But this solution is clearly better than
making a deflector / spoiler in front of and under the tunnel.
Many boatbuilders today choose to make preparations in the hull for a good tunnel installation even on
boats where a thruster is not standard. This is done because a majority of the boats are sold with the
thruster option, and most boat owners will most probably install a thruster anyway within a couple of years.
Some even install a tunnel as standard while leaving the thruster itself as an option.
The change in the boats performance is for these boats no more than the boats with thrusters, so that it is
normally not noticeable at all with a good installation of the tunnel.
c1
c2 c3 c1 c2 c3
d d
WATERLINE
WATERLINE
B
E
E
A A
G G
V VI
29
MEASUREMENTS
MEASUREMENTS, Hydraulic Thrusters
Hydraulic systems
D
Waterline
Floor mounted
Tank kit 40 ltr 60 ltr 90 ltr 120 ltr F
Tank volume (ltr · usg) 52.8 · 13.9 93.9 · 24.8 122.3 · 32,3 160 · 42.3
Oil volume (ltr · usg) 40 · 10,6 60 · 15.9 90 · 23.8 120 · 31.7
Dry weight* (kg · lbs) 46 · 101 60 · 132 68 · 154 77 · 170
A Build height (mm · in) 700 · 27.6 675 · 26.6 785 · 30.9 785 · 30.9 A
B Build length (mm · in) 790 · 31.1 830 · 32.7 830 · 32.7 1030 · 40.6
C Build depth (mm · in) 400 · 15.7 530 · 20.9 530 · 20.9 530 · 20.9
D Tank length (mm · in) 585 · 23.0 685 · 27.0 685 · 27.0 885 · 34.8
E Tank depth (mm · in) 345 · 13.6 480 · 18.9 480 · 18.9 480 · 18.9
F Filter change (mm · in) 180 · 7.1 180 · 7.1 180 · 7.1 180 · 7.1
* with valve block for single thruster only D E
F B
Bulkhead mounted
Tank kit 40 ltr 60 ltr
Tank volume (ltr · usg) 58.8 · 15.5 77.1 · 20.4
Oil volume (ltr · usg) 40 · 10.6 60 · 15.9
Dry weight* (kg · lbs) 45 · 99 59 · 130
A Build height (mm · in) 720 · 28.3 830 · 37.7 A
B Build length (mm · in) 880 · 34.6 880 · 34.6
C Build depth (mm · in) 410 · 16.1 410 · 16.1
D Tank length (mm · in) 640 · 25.2 640 · 25.2
E Tank depth (mm · in) 345 · 13.6 345 · 13.6
E Filter change (mm · in) 100 · 4.0 100 · 4.0
* with valve block for single thruster only D E
B C
SIDE-POWER THRUSTER SYSTEMS
Tunnel Installation Guide 13
SIDE-POWER
Thruster Systems
SIDE-POWER Thrusters Tunnel installation recommendation
If ever in doubt, consult also the manual following the product or ask your Side-
Power representative. We have extensive experience and are at your service.
US representative:
NOTES