For this project, I worked as a marine electrician on a Broom 370 based at Penton Hook Marina. The owner was experiencing problems with the vessel’s bow thruster, alongside a general loss of electrical power. Fault-finding and testing identified the batteries as the primary cause of the power issues, and these were replaced to restore reliable electrical performance onboard.

During the investigation, I also identified an issue with the bow thruster’s automatic main switch, which operates as a remote contactor. The contactor had been incorrectly wired so that it remained permanently energised, rather than only being activated when required. Over time, this had caused the low-power coil within the contactor to fail.

The faulty contactor was replaced with a simpler and more reliable manual isolation arrangement, incorporating a suitable ANL fuse to provide protection for the bow thruster circuit. This removed the unnecessary continuous load on the control circuit while providing a straightforward means of safely isolating the bow thruster when not in use.

The completed marine electrical repairs restored reliable power to the vessel and provided the owner with a safer, simpler, and more dependable bow thruster installation.