505/508 - 505: Bow Thruster Issue

505: Bow Thruster Issue

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Category: Hints & Tips
Forum Name: 505/508
Forum Description: 505/508 Hints, Tips and News
URL: https://www.myhanse.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=12278
Printed Date: 27 March 2026 at 03:30
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Topic: 505: Bow Thruster Issue

Posted By: SVZara
Subject: 505: Bow Thruster Issue
Date Posted: 10 October 2020 at 04:40

My boat was relaunched yesterday and when I was in the slip, I was going through all the systems one by one making sure everything was working and ran into a problem on the bow thruster. This boat is new to me, so, I am not aware of all the ways to resolve issues once diagnosed.

Here is what I am seeing. I was at the helm station, and I noticed the bow thruster control had a slow blinking yellow light. I wasn't sure if that was normal, or a problem. When I pressed the button to lower the thruster, the yellow lights flashed faster and made a beeping sound. So, I then realized, there must be a problem.

I am not sure if I need to turn on the thruster controller from the Wurth panel, or is it always on?

So, I then climbed down into the forepeak, and look at the control unit on the thruster. Here is what I saw:

LED POWER (green): Slow flashing green: Powered board but disabled control

LED LA STATUS (bi-colour): Red: Retractable thruster closed (LSC limit switch enabled)

LED ERROR (red): Nothing: No anomaly present.

This seems easily overcome since there are no faults, but, why is my control disabled? Did I forget to turn it on? Where is the switch? How do I resolve this and enable control?

Its probably basic, but, this is a new boat to me and I am learning.

Thanks,

-Marc

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Marc
S/V Zara
2016 Hanse 505, Hull #129

Replies:

Posted By: Matt
Date Posted: 10 October 2020 at 06:14

Congratulations on your new vessel.

The thruster controller will always flash depending where you are in the world. In the US it’s a requirement although I reworked mine to switch it on/off at the control panel. That just turns off the control on US boats there is also a battery switch to kill power to the unit itself.

You didn’t say if you tried operate the thruster after the beeps but there is a quick beeping as the thruster is being deployed once it is down you will here a periodic single beep and then it will retract if not used for a period. I want to say 5 mins off the top of my head. When it is being retracted you will hear the same rapid beeping.

I once has the control throw an error which was a repeating 3 beeps every few minutes. That was resolved by pulling the fuse to do a hard reset. No issues after.

Since the boat is new to you be warned do not travel at more than about 3.5kts with the thruster down. Behind that you risk lose the cover panel.

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HANSE 445 #231 "ALBION"

Posted By: Pzucchel
Date Posted: 10 October 2020 at 18:40

I have the same behavior on the 588. Slow-flashing yellow light at the thruster control knobs, that I interpreted it as "I am available and ready to deploy"...

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Hanse588#55

Posted By: kipwrite
Date Posted: 10 October 2020 at 19:51

Congratulations on your 505! Great vessel.

This sounds normal. Have a look at the manual here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/19IbqdR475sJmQaI1n6nfINVBLlYvJjhn?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow - https://drive.google.com/drive/mobile/folders/19IbqdR475sJmQaI1n6nfINVBLlYvJjhn?usp=sharing

Or here:

https://www.quickusastore.com/product-downloads-2/" rel="nofollow - https://www.quickusastore.com/product-downloads-2/

Aside from the tip not to forget to retract your thruster after use, before going over 3-4kts, be aware these thrusters have a thermal switch in them. If you use the thruster continually, say for more than 20-30 seconds or so, it will stop and go through a cool down period before operating again. I try to limit the thruster to short bursts.

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Kipwrite

Posted By: Pzucchel
Date Posted: 10 October 2020 at 21:08

Fully confirmed. Additionally, the 588 stern thruster is less powerful than the bow one, and additionally the keel, the rudder and the stern have a larger resistance... So it goes off much sooner than the bow. And it's probably also less cooled and easy to cool, being the cavity below the cabin bed quite small...

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Hanse588#55