Fiberglassing the tunnel in place! | DIY bow thruster install

[@paulharvey5633]

Academy award for bow thruster excellence! Outstanding production and my main reference for my own ongoing install. Much appreciated!

[@jacobkollerup]

Thank you so much for the kind words 🤗

[@bryant2919]

Others at the marina watching some random person/owner cut a random hole in the boat… can’t imagine the looks and head scratching.

[@willimondo]

I see you approached the fibre glassing slightly differently this time compared to the Crownline. You’ve taken it to the next level, such a pro job. I am just about to glass mine in and your videos have been massively helpful. I also noted my motor bracket does not fit down snugly on to the tunnel - I am using the same Side Power kit.

[@jacobkollerup]

Thanks!. Good luck with your glass work. I hope you live somewhere warmer than here in Denmark. Regarding the motor bracket; yes it's a bit weird that it doesn't fit snugly on to the tunnel. My trick with a few layers of fiberglass on the tunnel and then pressing the bracket down (with some plastic in between) worked quite good. You just have to make absolutely sure about the bracket placement, since you will get a very nice indentation in the fiberglass. Alternatively you can drill the holes for the gear leg first and only apply glass where the bracket actually sits on the tunnel. Then you can bolt down the bracket while the epoxy is curing. Hope it makes sense

[@jeffpollard1924]

Nicely done! I have learned a lot from your videos as I prepare for my first bow thruster install. I do have a few questions if you don't mind. - I see you used a non-woven 45 degree 300 gram biaxial. From what I'm learning that looks like an excellent choice. Where did you source it? - I like the way you (your girlfriend....now wife...congratulations) cut the outside glass pieces to different lengths to create a taper. Question is, did you also attempt a small taper on the inside of the tube? Meaning, did the first layers go further into the tube? - Related to the first question; did you worry about decreasing the diameter of the tube with the glass layers and fairing layers? Any issue getting the propeller into the tube, past the reduced diameter? - what did you use for a finish coat inside, and also outside? Can you gel coat over epoxy on the inside? Thanks again!

[@jacobkollerup]

Hi Jeff. Thanks, we’re glad you liked it. So the 300gr bx I found locally here in Denmark (hfmarine.dk). However it must be widely available. Yes, there’s also a taper to the inside of the tunnel. Don’t worry about not being able to fit the propeller as long as you don’t add more than 3 layers of 300gr. The propeller still slides in. But, absolutely no glass where the propeller spins, it’s a tight fit there!. Gel coat on top of epoxy is generally not recommended. I still went down that road on the inside because it won’t be exposed to any wear and tear. Actually you don’t really need to do anything on the inside if you don’t mind a more rough look of the fiberglass. On the outside it’s a no go with gel coat on top of epoxy. The epoxy has far better water sealing properties than gel coat has, so finishing with a couple of layers of un thickened epoxy will seal everything up nicely. Then a few layers of primer for your anti fouling to adhere to. Good luck with your install, please feel free to reach out if you have any questions

[@MattBrown92]

Man this project is incredible, you have balls of steel sir. It's definitely a project I am considering. I have a 270DA But the thought of drilling a hole in my hull gives me nightmares. I am pretty handy and have done many diy's jobs, but have never worked with fiberglass. How much fiberglass experience did you have prior to doing this project?

[@jacobkollerup]

Thanks! If you never worked with fiberglass I would recommend you to read some of the articles on the west system epoxy website and check out “Boat works today” here on KZbin. Andy has so many good tutorials! Then maybe start with some not so critical fiberglass projects before a bow thruster. It’s not that’s very difficult, but there are some things you need to know. I did one other bow thruster install a few years ago (check out that video on my channel). Besides that I’ve been doing a lot of small carbon fiber and fiberglassing projects

[@paulharvey5633]

Could I ask how much West system product you used for the 145mm tunnel? I have two kg on hand... About to lay up 185mm tunnel

[@jacobkollerup]

I think I used 3x the 1,2kg west system pack. The final shaping of the deflector eats up quite a bit

[@paulharvey5633]

Thanks for the quick response!

[@michaelsandgaard3943]

Hey Nice project. :-) I have at Beneteau oceanis 34 as well and considering installing at bow thruster. Have you tried the bow thruster in the water? Is it big enough with strong side winds? I did consider a larger, but no reason if the 40SE has enough power.

[@jacobkollerup]

Thanks! The install is actually done and the boat is back in the water, just need to edit the last video in this series. But as a spoiler, the SE40 works perfectly! I docked the other day in 10m/s straight from the side and it had no issues overcoming the force from the wind. I hope to have the last episode up next week with some shots of the thruster in action

[@michaelsandgaard3943]

@@jacobkollerup Thanks for the answer. :-) I'm looking forward to the next video. :-) Where in Denmark is your boat placed? Mine is in Næstved.

[@jacobkollerup]

Sorry for my late reply! Didn’t get any notification. The boat is in Skovshoved. You are welcome to come and see the install one day

[@Maximus.K]

Very nice👍beste Grüße aus Bayern. K.W

[@jacobkollerup]

Thank you!