Supra thruster review

[larry_arizona]

Figured I would start a thread on the Supra thrusters.

Took the maiden voyage today. Used the thrusters right away off the dock and yes they work.

You can back straight until clear of dock and 180 in place.

Perhaps my expectations were that the thrusters were fast and aggressive, but they are rather mild even on high intensity. But I am not saying this is a negative, and likely a good thing.

You have to be moving under 5 mph to engage.
It provides a controlled stern movement.

Docking was glorious. Fair to say my 4th season docking a v drive, I am pretty good.

But today came in at my normal angle, hit reverse which pulls stern towards dock, but often pulls bow away, instead of using reverse to pull all the way to dock, I just rotated knob and thrusters tucked it against dock controlled and gently.

Noise is minimal. Enough for audible feedback.

I have not tried the dock hold option.

More to come.


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[Guppydriver]

Thanks for this!

If I ever upgrade to a premium brand, this is the one option I will require it to have! Who knows though? Maybe this feature will also eventually trickle down the brand chain like other options and tech seem to do. I have a friend who paid for the dockstar option on his MC, and he said it's not close the capability of a true thruster.

[SONIC]

That's about what I expected, you can only get so much thrust from those tiny props.
A little underwhelming I'm sure but once you're used to it is seems like it will be a game changer just for simplicity sake.

I'm pretty decent at docking but I still get nervous every time in a crowded spot that the winds going to kick up or some other boats going to do something stupid without knowing I can't maneuver like they can. Thruster should make that a nonissue hopefully!

[larry_arizona]

It’s definitely a security blanket. I think we all get to a high comfort with docking a v drive, my confidence is there without a thruster.

I have always docked clean and been in some squirrelly wind and choppy conditions.

I have always had to dock to the left (dock on my starboard side) with a v drive (based on my prop rotation).

The thruster just gives me more flexibility and control and for me, now the added option of docking in either side of the dock.

The ability to back up straight and rotate on axis is huge in a tight or busy docking area.


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[mmmbort]

Could you see any advantage to using this to reduce fallen rider pickup times? Trying to determine if there is any use for this beyond docking/trailering.


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[larry_arizona]

Could you see any advantage to using this to reduce fallen rider pickup times? Trying to determine if there is any use for this beyond docking/trailering.


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Definitely on the “will try” list.

I am currently in the break in hours and won’t be pulling a rider for 7 more hours.

One thing for sure it will do is help square the boat up with your rider. Advanced riders don’t care about alignment, but novice it helps to pull them up square.


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[Guppydriver]

I'm curious if anyone can compare this to the Dockstar system that MC uses. I have a friend who wants to buy an X24 and is torn on whether it's worth it. Not trying to derail the thread though...

Back to the thrusters...
For me, having a boat with greater maneuvering capability in the busy docking environment could give my co-plot more confidence to take the helm and allow me to do other things. She won't even back the boat off the trailer when it's not crowded so there is always a lot of shuffling of duties and responsibilities around the dock. Would be nice to have us both dual qualified !!!

[larry_arizona]

Dock star has two small rudders in front of the prop, when reversing you can use the prop wash against the forward rudders for some moderate vectoring.

The rudders are tied to steering linkage and the rear rudder.

Found a video.

https://youtu.be/AkHl3A92Uvo


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[eder10986]

Is that Zane Schwenk in the video [emoji848]


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[larry_arizona]

Is that Zane Schwenk in the video [emoji848]


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I think Zane does many of the MC videos.


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[larry_arizona]

Dock star is neat and a inexpensive reverse aide, but it requires you to reverse.

Thrusters allow you to pivot in place and that is what really shines in tight maneuvering.

Dock star is stock on some models and I think under $2500 option.

Much cheaper than thrusters.


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[HFarr]

Doesn't look like something that could be easily added after market. But, it looks like something I could see just being standard at some point on all drives. And I am still trying to figure out why the thrusters are sooo expensive. They shouldn't be.

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[larry_arizona]

Doesn't look like something that could be easily added after market. But, it looks like something I could see just being standard at some point on all drives. And I am still trying to figure out why the thrusters are sooo expensive. They shouldn't be.

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The company that makes them for Supra’s will be offering aftermarket kits.


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[MJHSupra]

Could you see any advantage to using this to reduce fallen rider pickup times? Trying to determine if there is any use for this beyond docking/trailering.


Sent from my iPhone using TapatalkI have read some mixed reviews on this because they only engage at the low speed.

Thus coming off surf speed and trying to spin around, I think people are accustomed to engaging the 180 at higher speeds to get to a downed rider.

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[larry_arizona]

I have read some mixed reviews on this because they only engage at the low speed.

Thus coming off surf speed and trying to spin around, I think people are accustomed to engaging the 180 at higher speeds to get to a downed rider.

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You would need to slow down to under 5 mph then engage thrusters. I don’t see it as a huge advantage initially getting to your rider faster.

But, it will help when you get close to your rider and getting aligned for pulling them up.


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[SONIC]

I may not have a good grasp on what 5mph is but i feel like I'm going under 5 when I turn around to pick up a rider.

I drop to neutral and then reverse for a second and let the wave pass me, and then turn at idle around to get the rider.
This way you don't have to deal with the wave at the bow and you don't power turn to screw up the lake for everyone else.
I think they would work just fine for me to spin, but I don't know that it's really all that helpful unless you're surfing in a very tight channel or rover. At idle my SA spins a pretty tight radius anyway.

I've heard liquid lumens makes supra's thrusters and they will be coming out aftermarket as well from several folks. Fingers crossed they keep the price reasonable.
They are very expensive but in my research considering making my own I found small motors like these with high enough thrust to do any good are very expensive on their own, even from china directly we're talking 1000+ each motor.

[larry_arizona]

I may not have a good grasp on what 5mph is but i feel like I'm going under 5 when I turn around to pick up a rider.

I drop to neutral and then reverse for a second and let the wave pass me, and then turn at idle around to get the rider.
This way you don't have to deal with the wave at the bow and you don't power turn to screw up the lake for everyone else.
I think they would work just fine for me to spin, but I don't know that it's really all that helpful unless you're surfing in a very tight channel or rover. At idle my SA spins a pretty tight radius anyway.

I agree, when I turn to get rider, the boat naturally rotates for me as I wait for the wave to pass. Then I idle back to rider.

Thrusters will only help me realign boat to pull rider in the direction I want to go.

Docked for the second time yesterday and the thrusters are so nice, had a crosswind and I had full control as I played the wind, the twist knob is so intuitive.

I was playing with the thrusters and they will time out if you try to continuously do 360’s

Liquid Lumens makes the thrusters.

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[SONIC]

I agree, when I turn to get rider, the boat naturally rotates for me as I wait for the wave to pass. Then I idle back to rider.

Thrusters will only help me realign boat to pull rider in the direction I want to go.

Docked for the second time yesterday and the thrusters are so nice, had a crosswind and I had full control as I played the wind, the twist knob is so intuitive.

I was playing with the thrusters and they will time out if you try to continuously do 360’s


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Yep, when cut throttle hard right on the wheel for me and the boat just spins without me doing anything.

That makes sense as they probably have a thermal overload limit built in. I bet the time to shutoff will get shorter as the water temp goes up.

[larry_arizona]

Keep in mind thrusters are not for hotdogging a 6000# boat like a jet ski LOL.

The reality is, they are a steering aide that helps a v drive behave like an out drive.

I will say so far, I can dock this boat with nearly zero steering wheel input.

My wife has no idea this boat has thrusters and her comments were, “wow can you dock this boat smooth”

Just small tweaks with the thruster control and viola.


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[KnoxMojo]

I have read some mixed reviews on this because they only engage at the low speed.

Thus coming off surf speed and trying to spin around, I think people are accustomed to engaging the 180 at higher speeds to get to a downed rider.

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Mark, I was very watchful Monday of picking up downed riders. Every time I came off plane, let the boat settle, waves pass and turned around, I was under 5 every single time. Maybe the power turn folks will figure out how to drive eventually. I couldn't see thrusters saving me any more than a few seconds. It was meant for docking, trailering, tight spaces, not open water maneuvers.

[Tommy2slow]

Knox is on point with his comment about slowing to an idle before returning to the downed rider. Doing a big turn under power doesn’t get you back to the rider much quicker and sends rollers out across the lake in a big circular pattern that you will be sure to contend with when the rider is back up.

[cpropes2005]

I added a thruster to my Makai. Not the same system as on the Supras so cant comment on the amount of thrust but it sounds similar. Enough to back straight up and slowly turn the boat on its axis in either direction.

As for the use cases I think all of the comments are spot on. I don't think it will help much to get back to your rider quicker. Turning the wheel opposite of your surfer (the surf tabs help) while coming off plane already kicks the boat around almost immediately so no need for a thruster there.

I do use it some once I get back to the surfer just to position the boat in the direction I want to go relative to the rider. Like mentioned, its not an issue for advanced riders but some of the younger ones and novices like to come up on the surf side and thruster makes that easier especially if it is windy or you want to switch directions and head back where you came from. My kids have also just started trying some dock starts on a wakeboard and it was really nice to be able to keep the boat aligned while bringing them the rope and easing out the slack.

Docking is great and I use it every time even if it is just to bump it for a second or two to make it slide in perfectly. Any slight mis-alignment that might previously have needed to be handled by your bumpers or dock hands is now easily adjusted for with the thruster.

Also love being able to back in a straight line or turn against the prop rotation. Backing into the beach is now easier and no more big sweeping 180's in reverse because I cant point the back of the boat where I want it to go.

Have been driving inboards for a really long time so definitely didn't need it but it sure is nice to have. Don't think I will ever own another boat without one.

[HFarr]

Keep in mind thrusters are not for hotdogging a 6000# boat like a jet ski LOL.

The reality is, they are a steering aide that helps a v drive behave like an out drive.

I will say so far, I can dock this boat with nearly zero steering wheel input.

My wife has no idea this boat has thrusters and her comments were, “wow can you dock this boat smooth”

Just small tweaks with the thruster control and viola.


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See, that comment from your wife is worth it alone! Nothing better than having someone in the boat or standing nearby comment on how well you can handle docking or trailering a boat well! Makes your head swell every time!

[MJHSupra]

Maybe the power turn folks will figure out how to drive eventually. I couldn't see thrusters saving me any more than a few seconds. It was meant for docking, trailering, tight spaces, not open water maneuvers.

I’m with you in the power turn folks on the lake. Same people wanting the ballast systems to fill in 2-3 min or maybe someone who worries about a wire hanging along side the steering wheel? Ha ha!!!


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[mmmbort]

I should have clarified my comment about decreasing pick up times further, I can see how wasn’t very clear now. What I should have asked was if you thought it would be faster to turn around for pickups using the boat to idle, it spins around 180 from the wake/wave, back in gear at a low speed to pickup the rider.

I’m splitting hairs here but my curiosity is that with the thruster aid during the idle spin maneuver would potentially decrease the times. If you took say 5-10 seconds off every pickup time every time you rode that would add up to a significant amount of time over the course of a year. I probably fall a lot more than most so could be some time savings there haha!

A lot of evenings we are racing against sunset to squeeze all our riders in so anything to increase the “ride time on board” would be a massive benefit. I plan on getting the thrusters for the next boat regardless but was looking to see if anyone had found any extra benefits to them besides the dock/trailer. I can try and shoot a quick video on my non-thurster boat to show the phase I hoping would have the time decrease benefit I was asking about.


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[UNSTUCK]

I always slow to a stop and let the wave pass me by before turning around. That's a BIG wall of water to be trying to get back through on a near instant turn around. Very few of my riders are ready by the time I get back to them. Most of the time the boat never stops for me though. Toss me the rope and keep going. That saves some time.

[larry_arizona]

Break in is done, next day out I will be towing riders.

I will see what thrusters will do. My theory is it won’t help on getting the boat turned around as I wait for wave to pass.

But I do think it will be great for getting rider the top and set up to pull.

So far, I am enjoying the thrusters.

BTW, docking is so easy.


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[larry_arizona]

Tested thrusters with retrieving rider today..... definitely a plus.

It helps slightly while you wait for wave to pass, I can get the bow around enough to nose through the passing wave.

But where the thrusters shine is when you are near your rider. Easily idle bow at your rider, then thruster pivot around them. So easy.

Align where you want to pull your rider with thrusters and throttle down.


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[HFarr]

I am jealous of those thrusters. Pulling my 24+ Makai into my lift on a windy day from the side is a B****!

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[Tommy2slow]

I added a thruster to my Makai. Not the same system as on the Supras so cant comment on the amount of thrust but it sounds similar. Enough to back straight up and slowly turn the boat on its axis in either direction.

As for the use cases I think all of the comments are spot on. I don't think it will help much to get back to your rider quicker. Turning the wheel opposite of your surfer (the surf tabs help) while coming off plane already kicks the boat around almost immediately so no need for a thruster there.

I do use it some once I get back to the surfer just to position the boat in the direction I want to go relative to the rider. Like mentioned, its not an issue for advanced riders but some of the younger ones and novices like to come up on the surf side and thruster makes that easier especially if it is windy or you want to switch directions and head back where you came from. My kids have also just started trying some dock starts on a wakeboard and it was really nice to be able to keep the boat aligned while bringing them the rope and easing out the slack.

Docking is great and I use it every time even if it is just to bump it for a second or two to make it slide in perfectly. Any slight mis-alignment that might previously have needed to be handled by your bumpers or dock hands is now easily adjusted for with the thruster.

Also love being able to back in a straight line or turn against the prop rotation. Backing into the beach is now easier and no more big sweeping 180's in reverse because I cant point the back of the boat where I want it to go.

Have been driving inboards for a really long time so definitely didn't need it but it sure is nice to have. Don't think I will ever own another boat without one.
What thruster system did you install and how difficult was the install itself?

[cpropes2005]

I went with the Sideshift wakeboat thruster. They had a black Friday sale and price was less than half of some of the other options. I also liked that the only holes I had to drill were to pass through the wires.

Physical install was really easy. It bolts to the wakeplate. Wiring it up took more time (it comes with dedicated relay, battery switch, volt meter, joystick, etc.) but still not bad.

[mmmbort]

Tested thrusters with retrieving rider today..... definitely a plus.

It helps slightly while you wait for wave to pass, I can get the bow around enough to nose through the passing wave.

But where the thrusters shine is when you are near your rider. Easily idle bow at your rider, then thruster pivot around them. So easy.

Align where you want to pull your rider with thrusters and throttle down.


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Nice, thank you for testing this.
Do you feel like it will become part of your regular pickup process or situational?


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[larry_arizona]

Nice, thank you for testing this.
Do you feel like it will become part of your regular pickup process or situational?


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Yes I will use it to pick up rider every time.


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[HFarr]

I went with the Sideshift wakeboat thruster. They had a black Friday sale and price was less than half of some of the other options. I also liked that the only holes I had to drill were to pass through the wires.

Physical install was really easy. It bolts to the wakeplate. Wiring it up took more time (it comes with dedicated relay, battery switch, volt meter, joystick, etc.) but still not bad.Could you post a couple of pictures of the mounting, how you ran wires and where you put the controller? I have a Makai and am thinking hard about this! [emoji848]

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[Holdmybeer]

Anyone going to post pics and/or videos of these thrusters in action.
I want to see this easy docking you speak of.....Kent?

[larry_arizona]

I will need to grow a third arm to steer/throttle/thruster and video LOL.


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[Holdmybeer]

I will need to grow a third arm to steer/throttle/thruster and video LOL.


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Figured you had a co-pilot that could run the camera. After dock rash and repair, backing up with ease will be a priority on the upgrade.

[larry_arizona]

I can either set my beer down or just ask my son to video it.......lol

But yeah a good indicator is I can show you the starboard side of my boat......

I won’t own a boat without thrusters now.

KnoxMojo got to try them and they helped him align me to get my fat ass surfing.

My favorite thing is it’s independent to steering system.

I can almost get the boat to walk sideways into the dock.

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[Holdmybeer]

I can either set my beer down or just ask my son to video it.......lol

But yeah a good indicator is I can show you the starboard side of my boat......

I won’t own a boat without thrusters now.

KnoxMojo got to try them and they helped him align me to get up my fat ass surfing.

My favorite thing is it’s independent to steering system.

I can almost get the boat to walk sideways into the dock.

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I would never ask someone to put down their beer.....lol

[larry_arizona]

I would never ask someone to put down their beer.....lol

For you I will brother. Or if you were in the boat.......you could “Holdmybeer”


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[Vanfamkaiyen]

For you I will brother. Or if you were in the boat.......you could “Holdmybeer”


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Do you know if the swim platform can be removed with the stern thruster being attached to it? Or is it not actually attached to it? I have a shorter (length wise) garage and will likely have to take the platform off....

[larry_arizona]

Do you know if the swim platform can be removed with the stern thruster being attached to it? I have a shorter (length wise) garage and will likely have to take the platform off....

Yes it can, the thrusters are integrated into the swim platform brackets.

I have removed my platform easily a few times.


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[Vanfamkaiyen]

Nice! I couldn’t tell if they were actually attached to the platform... they look pretty awesome to have!

[larry_arizona]

I did find a situation that the thrusters could not overcome.

Docking in a 13mph crosswind into the dock, I made the mistake of leaving the Bimini fully deployed, the thrusters could not overcome the sail force.

Ended up aborting, putting Bimini away and then the thrusters could counter the wind fine, I actually used thrusters pushing away from dock to softly land against the dock.


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