VETUS vs Side-Power (Sleipner) Thrusters

Electric thrust range

Thrust-rating voltages differ by range. VETUS rates its standard and ignition-protected DC thrusters at a battery voltage of 10.5 or 21 V to allow for voltage drop, the same basis as Sleipner's lower SE figures. For BOW PRO, VETUS lists thrust at 12, 24 or 48 V. Sleipner rates SE thrust at 10.5/21 V, which it says most installations actually deliver, also lists 12/24 V figures, and says its E-series motors keep rated thrust across a wider voltage range. VETUS writes kgf (kilograms of force) and Sleipner writes kg; both are thrust ratings.

Motor and control

Sleipner says most of its thrusters from the 2000s onward can be upgraded from on/off to proportional control.

Brushless proportional on 12 V

Sleipner had published no product pages or full specifications for the E30 to E95 when we checked in September 2026. The tick is for a brushless 12 V proportional thruster with full published specifications today; Sleipner's brushed SEP PRO reaches higher thrust at 12 V than the 12 V BOWA's 76 kgf.

Full-power runtime

The tick is for eVision's continuous rating at 100% thrust at 22°C ambient, published for its 24/48 V range and, in Sleipner's preliminary eVision manual, for the newly listed 12 V E30 to E95 as well. Among VETUS's electric thrusters, its catalogue gives a comparable rating only for the single 160 kgf RIMDRIVE. Against Sleipner's brushed SE and SEP PRO, BOW PRO's published full-power runtime is longer. S2 is a short-time duty rating: the longest run at full power before the motor must cool. Sleipner's product pages say its PRO thrusters derate power when hot rather than shutting off.

Ignition protection (ISO 8846)

VETUS says a thruster in a compartment with a petrol engine, tank or fuel line, or propane storage must be ignition protected, and lists outboard engines and their fuel tanks, and PWCs, among the spaces its ignition-protected thrusters are made for. Sleipner likewise says a thruster in a petrol engine space must be ignition protected. VETUS's own documents conflict on RIMDRIVE ignition protection, so we make no claim for it.

24 V thruster on a 12 V boat

Both routes add batteries: BOW PRO Boosted runs its own 24 V bank (two batteries on BOWB057 to BOWB150), and Sleipner's switch box adds one 12 V battery. On a 12 V boat, BOW PRO Boosted runs to 150 kgf, while Sleipner's 12 V to 24 V switch boxes serve the SE120 to SE250 (139 to 300 kg in its 12/24 V column). The tick is for VETUS building the charger into the thruster, with no separate switching unit to fit.

Tunnel sizes

VETUS doesn't name the other brands BOW PRO shares tunnel sizes with, so we confirm fit on every replacement.

Retractable thrusters

External stern thrusters

Rim-drive thruster

RIMDRIVE needs a 48 V thruster supply.

Noise

Both makers' noise claims are their own, with no measured sound level from either that we could compare.

Hydraulic and AC thrusters

Outboard joystick integration

The tick is for Honda and Suzuki, which Sleipner's chart doesn't list; a system missing from that chart is not a statement of incompatibility, and Sleipner itself recommends checking with the joystick maker. BOW PRO integrates with Yamaha Helm Master EX, and VETUS says it needs Yamaha's upgraded Helm Master EX controls. Yamaha says its integrated variable-speed bow thruster control is only available through boat-builder installation on new boats (Yamaha rigging bulletin, January 2024, repeated in Yamaha's February 2026 update). If your boat already has Helm Master EX, we can't promise that a BOW PRO fitted now will work through the Yamaha joystick. It would run from its own VETUS panel or joystick, and we check with Yamaha before you commit. BOW PRO integrates with Mercury Joystick Piloting for Outboards (JPO) on Mercury Verado outboards. VETUS says this covers all BOW PRO models on single or multi-engine Verado boats, using a bow thruster integration kit from Mercury, and VETUS's Mercury flyer adds that Mercury's next-generation Digital Throttle & Shift controls are required. Mercury's current joystick pages name no thruster brands, so we confirm your engines and controls with a Mercury dealer before you commit.

Inboard and pod joystick integration

BOW PRO integrates with Yanmar inboard joystick control on twin shaft-drive installations. VETUS names the Yanmar JC20A and the newer JC30, which Yanmar describes as joystick systems for twin Yanmar shaft-drive engines, and VETUS's wiring manual makes the link through a VETUS CANverter (J1939). VETUS's catalogue and Yanmar's Australian distributor also mention single-engine installations, so we confirm your engines and joystick before you commit. Both makers' lists depend on the engine and joystick makers: Sleipner's own chart (August 2026) notes that it is based on third-party information and may be outdated, and VETUS says some of its integrations need extra parts from the engine or control system maker.

Warranty

VETUS's claims go through the supplier you bought from. VETUS voids a claim where required maintenance wasn't done by an authorised VETUS dealer or the installation was faulty, and excludes consequential costs such as transport, labour and lifting. The remaining warranty transfers to a new owner. Neither side gets the tick here. VETUS's term is a year longer for a private owner in strictly recreational use, but Sleipner's statement sets its terms by leisure or commercial use with no private-owner condition, so for a company-owned boat in leisure use Sleipner gives 2 years and VETUS's 3-year term doesn't apply. For commercial use, Sleipner gives 1 year and its statement asks for no approval beforehand, where VETUS gives 12 months with written approval first. Sleipner's one warranty statement covers all its equipment, so its terms are the same across every Sleipner series.

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