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Refer to the sketch to the right. The
outer diameter of the stainless rail is
smaller than the inner diameter of the
end-cap. The pan-head screw (not
shown) pulls the rail inside the end-
cap tightly to the side nearest the T-
track providing sufficient clearance
between the thruster shaft and the
end-cap.
Unfortunately, the manufacturers of
the end-caps do not tightly control the thickness of the end-cap walls. If the walls are too thick, there
will be insufficient clearance. If this is encountered the problem can be resolved by grinding away the
inside of the end-cap on the side of the T-track to thin the walls and provide the required clearance.
Configuration 4: Hull to swim step mount
This configuration is handy when having to squeeze
the Smart Thruster between the swim step and a
closely mounted tender as shown to the right. This
configuration is not applicable for wide swim steps.
In those cases, a hand rail or stanchion should be
mounted closer to the swim step edge. A wide swim
step requires the Smart Thruster to be angled too
shallow and thus not get deep enough into the water.
The top of the T-track assembly is secured to the hull up by the gunwale with a standard deck hinge as
shown in the photos above. For this particular boat, to allow clearance for the Smart Thruster to slide
past the wood gunwale rail a white plastic spacer is used under the top fitting. A swivel hinge is used to
secure the bottom of the T-track assembly to the aft edge of the swim step. This must be close enough
to the aft edge to allow clearance between the Smart Thruster and the swim step. There is a rubber
End-Cap
Rail
T-Track
Thruster Shaft
Tight Clearance
