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feature 28 Houseboatmagazine.com Four options that will move you By Brandon Barrus ThrusTer Mania Houseboat thrusters were invented as a way to easily maneuver these large crafts around docks and other tight spaces. Today, many companies provide after- market thrusters for use on your dream houseboat. Use them to keep your baby ding- and scratch-free – at least until you let your kid take the wheel one afternoon after you've imbibed perhaps a little too much. hydranauTics HydraNautics thrusters are known for the innovation of the clutched pump, which disengages the pump when it is not in use. The benefits of this system are many, as you save on gasoline, deal with less wear and tear and take less power from the generator. Once the thruster is engaged by moving the joystick to the right or left, the valves open, the motors go and you have thrust. When you release the joystick, it immediately disengages, lessening the load on the boat and giving you more capability. Other brands of thrusters couple the pump directly to the generator, which means the pump is running all the time. Boaters can waste up to 3KW of power, and that's only when the thruster is idle. In addition, HydraNautics thrusters do not continuously heat the fluid, unlike other brands, which means you don't need heat-ex- changing radiators to cool down the unit. Over the course of a week or a month or a year, the addi- tional fuel and energy you're burning while the thruster is idle adds up to significant amounts. HydraNautics also makes a tube-style thruster that many house- boaters are familiar with; they are either welded onto the boat or into it. Another item unique to HydraNautics is a bolt-on bow thruster that can be installed while the boat is in the water. As thruster installation usually requires you to remove the boat from the water, jack it up, get a welder, etc., you can easily spend $10-15,000 just for the prep work involved. Installing a HydraNautics thruster in the water is a great time and money saver. The thruster can be moved anywhere along the side of the boat. On most houseboats, the aluminum hull from the rub-rail down to the water is typically at a 25-degree angle. The thruster can be placed be- low the waterline at that location and the boat can slide down the slip and not hit it. To contact HydraNautics, visit www.thrusterman.com or call 859-885-5545.