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Thruster specs
Max Power CT45 stern pod: specs, price and the boats it fits
The CT45 stern pod gives a small boat steering help at the stern without cutting a tunnel. The pod bolts to the outside of the transom below the waterline and pushes 99 lb, for boats of about 20 to 34 ft. Max Power builds its stern pods ignition protected, so they suit gasoline boats too.
Marinedeal lists it at $3,275. It arrives without a fuse, fuse holder or control panel; those and a main switch add about $307 to $642. One good starting battery near the stern, with cable and charging, comes to about $586 to $677. See every part.
Place it where the water flows clean, clear of sterndrives and trim tabs, and leave room inside to remove it for service. The boat comes out of the water to fit it. Its 2010 manual rates it slightly lower than today’s product page. The pod manual’s warranty is three years.
Installers will find the wiring figures and dimensions further down. For the rest of Max Power’s line, read the Max Power thruster review.
Where this summary comes from (5 sources, read 12 October 2026)
- Max Power product page
- US dealer listing (price read 12 Oct 2026)
- Max Power stern pod installation manual, January 2010 (transom mounting, A4 stainless screws, no fuse or panel included)
- Max Power: founded 1987 in Mandelieu, France; Lalizas Italia
- Max Power Warranty Conditions (three years; transferable; two hours of field labor in year one)
Key facts
- DIY level 3 of 5 Split with the yard
- Thrust 99 lb 45 kgf, Max Power's rating
- Boat length 20 to 34 ft Max Power's own range
- Price $3,275 equipment only, marinedeal.com, 15 September 2026
- Fitted by a yard $6,068 to $9,884 Our estimate at 35 ft, unit and job
- Voltage 12 V As sold
- Mounts External Fixed mount, stern
- To fit it Haul-out The boat comes out of the water
- Run limit 3 min At a stretch, the motor's S2 rating
Every figure here is the maker’s or a dealer’s, except the fitted cost, which is our estimate. The full spec sheet is further down.
How much of the install is yours
DIY levels
- Level 5: Owner install. No yard, no electrician.
- Level 4: You fit it, electrician connects. You mount and wire it; a marine electrician makes the final connections.
- Level 3: Split with the yard. The yard does the below-waterline part; you do the wiring.
- Level 2: Wiring prep only. The yard fits the unit and does the hull work; you do the wiring prep.
- Level 1: Yard job. A qualified professional does all of it.
You Yard Electrician. The bar is labor hours; a haul-out is a note.
How we rate DIYYou: 4 to 16 h Yard: 4 to 8 h Electrician: 2 to 4 h Plus a haul-out.
- Drill, seal and bolt the unit below the waterline Yard 4 to 8 h Our estimate. No maker times it; one owner paid his yard about a day of labor to mount two units. Source.
- Mount the battery box, switch and fuse holder; run and secure the cables You 4 to 16 h Our estimate. No maker times this step, and a first-time owner is slower than a yard, so the range is wide.
- Final connections at the battery and the motor, load test Electrician 2 to 4 h Our estimate. Nobody publishes a time for the final connections and test on their own.
Your part needs:Heavy battery cableCrimping big lugs
A qualified marine electrician should make the final connections and test them before first use. Hours are labor only.
Is it right for your boat?
Our figure is the longest boat one unit can steer in a 15 knot wind. It is a range because each kind of boat catches the wind differently. Here every kind of boat it fits gets full thrust to 37 ft. The maker gives one range for every boat.
The table below tries the Max Power CT45 stern pod on each kind of boat, at every length that kind of boat is built in. The wind is 15 knots and the rules are the finder’s own. A length counts as a fit when the unit gives the thrust that boat needs where it mounts and the maker lists it for that length.
A boat up to 10 percent past the maker’s range still counts here, as it does in the finder. So the table runs up to 37 ft, just past Max Power’s own range (20 to 34 ft).
| Boat | Full thrust at 15 knots | Still a fit, in lighter wind |
|---|---|---|
| Pontoon & tritoon | Not listed. Its maker does not name this kind of hull. | |
| Sailboat | 33 to 37 ft | None |
| Houseboat | Not listed. Its maker does not name this kind of hull. | |
| Catamaran | Not listed. An external unit bolts to the side of a single hull at the bow or to its transom, and a cat has two narrow hulls with a bridgedeck between them, so there is nowhere forward to hang one. | |
| Trawler | 33 to 37 ft | None |
| Motor yacht | 35 to 37 ft | None |
| Bass & flats | No length. More thrust than the boat needs. | |
| Wake & ski boats | No length. More thrust than the boat needs. | |
| Express cruiser | No length. More thrust than the boat needs. | |
| Center console | No length. More thrust than the boat needs. | |
Reading the two length columns. The first column is where one unit gives all the thrust the boat needs in 15 knots. The second is where the finder still lists it: the unit falls short of what the boat needs by no more than 10 percent, and gives the whole figure only in the lighter wind named. On a boat shorter than the first column’s shortest length, the unit is more than the boat needs.
It is sized for three kinds of boat here. For your own boat, the finder gives an answer that also counts your drive and who does the fitting. The compare page sets this unit beside others.
What it costs fitted
These totals are our estimate of a yard job: the unit’s price, plus a yard’s hours at $160 to $180 an hour, plus the batteries, cable and charger, plus the other parts the box does not hold. A Lifting the boat out of the water on a travel lift or a trailer so work can be done below the waterline. It is billed separately from the job itself. adds $590 to $1,790 at these lengths, with 5 to 7 days out of the water, worked from eight yards’ own rate cards. The hours come from what owners and yards report. Your own yard will have its own opinion. The cost page builds the same figures line by line.
| Boat length | The unit | Yard labor | Haul-out | Batteries, cable, charger | Other parts | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 33 ft | $3,275 | $1,280 to $3,6008 to 20 hours | $590 to $1,590 | $586 to $677 | $307 to $642 | $6,038 to $9,784 |
| 35 ft | $3,275 | $1,280 to $3,6008 to 20 hours | $620 to $1,690 | $586 to $677 | $307 to $642 | $6,068 to $9,884 |
| 37 ft | $3,275 | $1,280 to $3,6008 to 20 hours | $660 to $1,790 | $586 to $677 | $307 to $642 | $6,108 to $9,984 |
How the batteries, cable and charger add up. We price a battery bank close to the thruster, as the makers recommend, with 10 to 20 ft of cable out and back: red for the positive, black for the negative, cut to length. The low end is the cheapest battery that meets the figure and the shorter run; the high end is a sealed (AGM) battery and the longer run. The charger is a NOCO GEN5X2 two-bank shore charger.
Batteries and lugs are priced at Fisheries Supply and the cable and charger at Defender, read 12 October 2026.
- At 12 V: one 12 V battery, at least 800 CCA (Max Power’s minimum), $360 for the battery; Max Power’s cable table gives 1 to 1/0 AWG: $80 to $171 for the red and black cable and the lugs; a GEN5X2 charger, $146.
The sizing and the costs on this page are estimates, for guidance only and without warranty. They are no quote, and nobody has inspected your boat. Check them against the maker’s manual and your yard before you rely on them. Terms of use.
What else you buy
What follows comes from Max Power’s CT100 and CT125 installation manual, July 2024, read 30 September 2026. That manual is written for the tunnel units. An external unit has no tunnel to buy.
- In the box
- The motor with its relay, the electronic controller, the composite leg with screws and gasket, two propellers. "The thruster is delivered without accessories (fuse, fuse holder, control panel)."
- Bought separately
- The fuse and holder, a manual battery isolator and an electric one, the control panel, an 8 A control fuse, a breaker on the DC panel and the battery cable.
- Charging
- Max Power is the one maker that asks for both: the engine's alternator and a charger. A dedicated bank is optional and goes "as close as possible to the thruster". It wants starting-type batteries with high cold cranking amps.
The manual’s words, page 3: “The batteries used by the thruster must be charged by both the main engine's alternator and an appropriate battery charger.”
The “other parts” line in the estimate above is the priced parts below, $307 to $642 at Fisheries Supply’s prices on 30 September 2026. The batteries, cable and charger have a line of their own.
| Part | What it is | What to ask for | Dealer price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Control panel | The buttons or joystick at the helm. One helm, one panel: a second steering station needs a panel of its own. | A Max Power control panel, sold with its own guide | $219–$374Side-Power touch panel and single joystick, VETUS push-button panel, Lewmar single joystick, at Fisheries Supply. |
| Main fuse | A slow-blow fuse of the ANL type at the battery, in the size the maker prints for the model. | Ceramic or ANL, the rating in the manual's table | $18–$57Side-Power ANL fuses, Blue Sea ANL fuses, at Fisheries Supply, read 16 October 2026. |
| Fuse holder | The block the ANL fuse bolts into, with a cover. | Holder T1 OPTI3119 or T2 | $27–$93Egis and Blue Sea ANL fuse blocks, Side-Power ANL fuse holders, at Fisheries Supply, read 16 October 2026. |
| Main battery switch | The switch that cuts the thruster off from its battery when you leave the boat. | A manual isolator, plus the electric isolator OPTI3160/3 (12 V) or OPTI3170/3 (24 V) | $35–$107Egis m-Series 300 A, Blue Sea e-Series 350 A and HD-Series 600 A on/off switches, at Fisheries Supply, read 16 October 2026. |
| Control-circuit fuse and switch | A small fuse, and often a switch, on the thin wire that powers the panel or control box. | An 8 A fuse on the control box feed | $8–$12Blue Sea in-line ATO fuse holders, at Fisheries Supply, read 16 October 2026. |
| Battery cable and lugs | The two heavy cables from the battery to the motor, sized to the length of the run. The wiring calculator sizes them. | Max Power names none | In the electrical line |
| Battery bank | A cranking-type bank near the motor, sized by the maker's cold cranking amps. The battery calculator checks it. | Max Power names none | In the electrical line |
| Charger or charge feed | How the thruster bank gets charged: a shore charger of its own, a DC-to-DC charger or charging relay from the boat's system, or a charger built into the unit. | Max Power names none | $146–$305NOCO GEN5X2 shore charger, Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC charger, Blue Sea ML-ACR charging relay, at Fisheries Supply. |
The cost page has the whole list with what every maker says about each part.
For the yard and the installer
The full spec sheet, grouped the way a yard reads it. Every figure is the maker’s or a dealer’s, with its source.
| Thrust and motor | |
|---|---|
| Thrust | 99 lb (45 kgf) As printed: 45 kg |
| Motor | 3.2 kW |
| Voltage | 12 V |
| Fitting | |
| Type | External, fixed mount |
| End of the boat | Stern |
| What it does to the hull | External pod below the waterline (no tunnel bore) |
| Haul-out to fit it | Yes |
| Maker’s boat length | 20 to 34 ft |
| Price and ordering | |
| Price | $3,275 equipment only, a dealer's price, marinedeal.com, 15 September 2026 |
| Part number | 317625Stern pod, double propeller, composite, 12 V |
| Documents | |
| Manual | Installation manual (PDF)on the maker's site |
| Warranty | Max Power's website gives 3 years. Its manual gives 2, and 1 more if the warranty is registered within 3 months of installation. Outside pleasure craft it is 6 months. It transfers to the next owner, and the first year covers up to 2 hours of labor in the field. Max Power's warranty conditions |
| The site’s review | Max Power thruster review |
Draw, cable, fuse and battery, at each voltage
These are the maker’s own figures, at each voltage it is sold at. The cable is the size for the shortest run in the maker’s table. A longer run may need heavier cable, and the wiring calculator works that out for your own boat.
| Voltage | Draw | Maker’s cable | Fuse | Battery | Run limit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 V | 300 Anominal draw | 1 AWG for up to 16 ft of cable counted out and back. Longer runs take heavier cablestern pod installation manual | Not published | Maintenance-free "starting" type batteries, with high CCA outputs. The manual's example is the Exide Maxxima 900, 800 CCA and 55 AhMax Power stern pod installation manual, January 2010 | 3 min at a stretch, the motor's S2 ratingstern pod manual |
- At 12 V: size the cable for your run, or check the battery you have.
What to weigh
Each point names the fact it rests on.
What to weigh
- The boat comes out of the water to fit it: it needs an external pod below the waterline (no tunnel bore).The mounting style
What the manual and listings say
This is the note we keep on the Max Power CT45 stern pod, written from the maker’s manual, its product pages and the dealer’s listing.
In the box: Delivered without accessories: the fuse, holder and control panel are bought.
Our note
A pod bolted to the outside of the hull at the stern, so nothing is cut through the hull. The boat still comes out of the water to fit it. The January 2010 pod manual rates it 40 kg and 300 A where the product page says 45 kg. The page's figure is the one here. Standard on/off units are made for lead-acid, AGM or gel batteries.
Max Power's FAQ says lithium will damage them unless specified correctly. Max Power publishes no price and sells through dealers. The figure here is one US dealer's listing for the unit alone.
Videos
One of Max Power’s own videos, from its YouTube channel: a short reel of the range. It is the maker’s pitch. Watch it for what the unit looks like and how it goes in, and take any claim back to the figures above.
Other sizes and close alternatives
These are Max Power’s next sizes in the same line, by thrust.
- One size up: Max Power CT80 stern pod (12 V), 152 lb, $4,299.
These are other makers’ units of the same style, for the same end, within a quarter of its published thrust. Each is that maker’s nearest match.
- Sleipner SX35 Compact Stern, 93 lb, $3,870 to $4,167.
- DockStar Smart Thruster, stern, 90 lb, $4,270 to $4,570.
Every model with a page here is listed, maker by maker, on the thruster index.