I "thrust" this question before you...

[Geoff S.]

Eric, if you did leave home without it, there'd be bloody great hole in your hull! Speaking of the hole, what diameter tube is that 10hp unit? Brand? What's the displacement, and general windage sq footage of your Amel? What kind of duration do you find yourself thrusting for, on average, and what's the longest continuous thrust you've ever had to do? Woof, that's a lot of amps!

[kimberlite]

My thruster is made by the amel factory.
it drops down with a section of the hull when in use and retracts when not in use. in the retracted position it is flush with the hull and it is difficult to see even when the boat is out of the water
Kimberlite is 28 metric tons displacement.
i use the thruster for short bursts of about 5-10 seconds.
longer continious use will smoke the motor.
what do you mean by the square footage of my boat?
it is a 53 foot ketch.
Fair winds,
eric

[Geoff S.]

Your boat is roughly the same displacement and length as mine. Sounds like a nice arrangement, with the swing-down mechanics; no waterline disruption to worry about, like the standard "torpedo hole" deal; best of both worlds. Any idea what the prop diameter is on the thruster?

What I meant about square footage, is that for an aftermarket thruster (like I am shopping for) they makers are more concerned about the windage of one's freeboard than they are about the displacement. Sounds like Amel has the specs dialed in, such that you didn't have to calculate that. I envy you in many respects. Amel makes a beautiful boat.