Sleipner SX Pro (SXP) External Stern Thrusters — Installation & User Manual

Using the Thruster

1. Turn on the thruster main power switch (always off when you leave the boat).
2. Turn on the panel by pressing the ON button(s) together; OFF turns it off.
3. Push the button or move the joystick in the direction you want the stern to go. Proportional control: the further you move the joystick, the more thrust.
4. With bow and stern thrusters: same direction on both moves the boat sideways; opposite directions spin her on her axis.
5. Release the control shortly before the boat reaches position – she keeps drifting. Hold (where fitted): +/- changes the holding force.

Above about 1-2 kn the thruster has little steering effect. The thruster will not run if two panels give conflicting commands. Never use it near people, animals or objects in the water.

Safety

• Know where the main battery switch is; turn it off before touching any part of the thruster.
• Keep the main engine running while using the thruster to hold battery charge and performance.
• Never run the thruster out of water. Stop it if it stops giving thrust: running without propeller load can severely damage the drive.
• Never store sails, ropes or gear in the thruster compartment: the motor gets hot on long runs.
• Ignition-protected models: never disassemble the ignition-protected assembly.

Seasonal Service

• In water: the area around the cables inside the boat is clean and dry with no sign of leaks; electrical connections clean and firm; batteries in good condition.
• Out of water: propeller and tunnel free of damage; propeller fastened securely; antifouling on propeller and gear leg every season – never on the sealing or propeller shaft, and keep paint out of the gap between propeller and gear leg.
• Checklist: unit and its bolts secure to the hull, antifouling applied, batteries and connections OK.

Key: 1 electro motor, 2 power & control cables, 3 gear leg, 4 propeller, 5 drive pin, 6 washer, 7 lock nut.

Troubleshooting

S-Link panels show fault codes on the panel: see the panel user manual for the full list.

SXP35 / SXP50

• Fit as deep on the stern as possible: no air drawn from the surface, more turning force. Keep it out of the hull's water flow and clear of drives, trim tabs and props; off-centre is fine, an angle only as a last resort (outflow is 5-7 meters per second).
• Maximum hull thickness 50mm (including the optional 12mm spacer), or 150mm with the extended-tube model (needed with the 50mm spacer).
• Drill the main hole first, then the two support bolt holes; spacer support holes 8.5 / 9 mm.
• Galvanic isolation is mandatory on any metal hull, support or frame: otherwise the aluminium frame acts as the boat's anode.
• Coat all aluminium parts with epoxy primer before antifouling. The unit must sit flush on the transom (sand if needed).
• Compression rings longer than the hull thickness, cut for +10% compression; MS Polymer on washers and threads and 1cm inside every ring.
• Control box above the waterline, within 0.75m of the thruster bolts; motor cables 8 NM, battery terminals M10 40 NM / M8 18 NM; connect the temp switch and NTC.

SXP80 / SXP100

• Drill the main Ø140 hole first, then the Ø13 bolt holes; the assembly must sit flush on the transom.
• MS Polymer around the base of the central connector and the 4 threaded rods.
• Tighten the nuts in a cross pattern (1-2-3-4) in three rounds: 5 Nm (3,68 lb/ft), 50 Nm (36,88 lb/ft), 110 Nm (81,13 lb/ft).
• Propeller lock nut 20 Nm (14.75 lb/ft); anode holding screw with Loctite 243 or similar.
• Power lugs on the thruster: M10 nut max 23 Nm (16.96 lb/ft).
• Cowls redirect the outflow around trim tabs, jets or drives and reduce air intake in shallow installations; drill them to the tunnel before mounting. Angled cowls need a deeper installation.