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Thruster specs
Sleipner SEP80/185T: specs, price and the boats it fits
The SEP80 is Sleipner’s twin-propeller SE80 with speed control, for boats of about 35 to 48 ft. Two props share one 185 mm tube for up to 212 lb of push, and the joystick decides how much of it you use. Sleipner sells it in 12 V or 24 V.
Defender’s price is $5,895, against $3,285 for the on/off SE80. The thruster needs its tube, a joystick panel for variable-speed units, a main switch and a fuse, about $541 to $1,369 together. At this size it should have its own batteries near the bow; with cable and charging that comes to about $703 to $1,007. See the full list.
Small touches add up: the wet parts are isolated from the boat’s wiring so stray current can’t eat them, the gear leg is sealed and filled for life, and a short pause between left and right spares the gears. Already own an on/off SE80? A dealer can convert it with Sleipner’s power controller and a wiring kit. Two-year transferable warranty.
Fitting it yourself? The installer section has every spec, and the Sleipner (Side-Power) review sets this model against the rest of the Sleipner range.
Where this summary comes from (5 sources, read 12 October 2026)
- Sleipner product page
- Sleipner SEP80 to SEP150 installation manual, document 2728 rev 23 ("the included PPC unit", S2 rating 2 to 3 min)
- Defender, Side-Power SEP80/185T listing (close to continuous use below half power; two-year warranty)
- Sleipner PPC820 power control unit for PRO thrusters (12 and 24 V, the SEP range; converting an on/off unit)
- Sleipner warranty statement, effective 1 April 2022
Key facts
- DIY level 2 of 5 Wiring prep only
- Thrust 212 lb 96 kgf, Sleipner's rating
- Boat length 35 to 48 ft Sleipner's own range
- Price $5,895 equipment only, defender.com, 28 August 2026
- Fitted by a yard $12,969 to $18,841 Our estimate at 40 ft, unit and job
- Voltage 12 V or 24 V As sold
- Mounts Tunnel Fixed mount, bow or stern
- To fit it Haul-out The boat comes out of the water
- Run limit 2 to 3 min Duty cycle at 20 C ambient
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: 32 to 70 h Electrician: 2 to 4 h Plus a haul-out.
- Cut, bond and fair the tunnel; fit the gear leg, motor and propeller Yard 32 to 70 h The low end is two crew over two days, the job as owners describe it on the forums. The high end rises with boat length between two real billed figures: 32 hours at 35 ft, and the largest invoice we hold, 70 hours at 47 ft.
- 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 a houseboat gets full thrust to 36 ft, and a catamaran to 52 ft. The maker gives one range for every boat.
The table below tries the Sleipner SEP80/185T 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 at the bow 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 down to 32 ft and up to 52 ft, just past Sleipner’s own range (35 to 48 ft).
| Boat | Full thrust at 15 knots | Still a fit, in lighter wind |
|---|---|---|
| Pontoon & tritoon | Not listed. A pontoon has no hull body between the logs to bore a tunnel through, and nobody sells one for these boats. | |
| Sailboat | 41 to 49 ft | 50 to 52 ftfull thrust to about 14 knots at 52 ft |
| Houseboat | 32 to 36 ft | 37 to 52 ftfull thrust to about 11 knots at 52 ft |
| Catamaran | 46 to 52 ft | None |
| Trawler | 41 to 48 ft | 49 to 52 ftfull thrust to about 14 knots at 52 ft |
| Motor yacht | 41 to 48 ft | 49 to 52 ftfull thrust to about 14 knots at 52 ft |
| Bass & flats | Not listed. Nobody sells a tunnel kit for these hulls, and a bass boat’s shallow planing bow has almost no depth to hold one. | |
| Wake & ski boats | Not listed. Nobody sells a tunnel kit for these hulls. | |
| Express cruiser | 52 ft only | None |
| 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 six 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 $570 to $2,510 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32 ft | $5,895 | $5,120 to $5,760about 32 hours | $570 to $1,540 | $703 to $1,007 | $541 to $1,369 | $12,829 to $15,571 |
| 40 ft | $5,895 | $5,120 to $8,64032 to 48 hours | $710 to $1,930 | $703 to $1,007 | $541 to $1,369 | $12,969 to $18,841 |
| 52 ft | $5,895 | $5,120 to $12,60032 to 70 hours | $1,020 to $2,510 | $703 to $1,007 | $541 to $1,369 | $13,279 to $23,381 |
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 1,045 CCA (Sleipner’s minimum), $443 to $552 for the battery; Sleipner’s cable table gives 2/0 AWG: $114 to $201 for the red and black cable and the lugs; a GEN5X2 charger, $146.
- At 24 V: two 12 V batteries in series, at least 570 CCA each (Sleipner’s minimum), $720 for both; Sleipner’s cable table gives 2 AWG, priced on 1 AWG, the nearest size cut to length: $80 to $141 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 Sleipner’s SE80 to SE150 installation guide, document 2687 rev 30, 2025, read 30 September 2026.
- In the box
- The gasket, bolts and anode come with the unit. The SEP guides call the power controller "the included PPC unit".
- Bought separately
- The ANL fuse and a main switch ("must include"), the control panel with its own guide, the panel cable, the tunnel and the cable.
- Charging
- The word "charging" is not in any of the Sleipner guides we read. The battery is sized by cold cranking amps, and a battery near the thruster is suggested. How it gets charged is left to you and your installer.
The manual’s words, page 19: “For installations on large vessels with bow and stern thrusters or catamarans a dedicated battery for each thruster should be considered.”
The “other parts” line in the estimate above is the priced parts below, $541 to $1,369 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tunnel tube | The fiberglass, aluminum or steel pipe the thruster sits in, bonded through the bow. | SM8001, SM8010, SM9010, SM9003, SM8003, SM9015, SM8015 (30 in, 39 in, 39 in, 49 in, 49 in, 59 in, 59 in) | $205–$554185 mm fiberglass tunnel tubes up to 60 in (1.5 m) long (VETUS, Sleipner Side-Power, Lewmar), at Fisheries Supply, read 16 October 2026. |
| Control panel | The buttons or joystick at the helm. One helm, one panel: a second steering station needs a panel of its own. | SM8960G single joystick, SM8950G touch panel | $219–$374Side-Power touch panel and single joystick, VETUS push-button panel, Lewmar single joystick, at Fisheries Supply. |
| Control cable, panel to motor | The thin cable from the helm to the motor. Sold by length. | Side-Power 4-wire control cable, by length | $29–$173Side-Power control cables, VETUS panel cables, Lewmar Gen 2 connecting cables, 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. | Side-Power ANL fuse, the rating in the yard table below | $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. | SMANLHOLD (SMANLHOLD-C with a cover) | $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. | Side-Power manual main switch, 350 or 600 A, or the automatic AMS | $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. | Sleipner names none | $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. | Sleipner 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. | Sleipner 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. | Sleipner names none | $146–$305NOCO GEN5X2 shore charger, Victron Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC charger, Blue Sea ML-ACR charging relay, at Fisheries Supply. |
| Glass, resin, filler and sealant | What bonds the tube or housing into the hull and seals the gear leg. | Sleipner names none | Not priced |
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 | 212 lb (96 kgf) As printed: 212 lbs (96 kg) at rated voltage |
| Thrust under load | 176 lb at 10.5 V |
| Motor | 4.4 kW |
| Voltage | 12 V or 24 V |
| Fitting | |
| Type | Tunnel, fixed mount |
| End of the boat | Bow or stern |
| Tunnel diameter | 185 mm |
| What it does to the hull | Tunnel bore below the waterline |
| Haul-out to fit it | Yes |
| Maker’s boat length | 35 to 48 ft |
| The tunnel | |
| Tunnel length | Avoid a tunnel longer than four times its diameter. Friction inside a long tube slows the water and cuts thrust. Too short, and the flow reaches the propeller before it has straightened, which the manual says causes cavitation and noise. The propeller must sit entirely inside the tube. Sleipner’s installation manual |
| Depth below the waterline | As deep as possible under the waterline, and as far forward as possible. The depth for a given model is in that model’s own measurements. Deeper prevents air being sucked in from the surface and raises the water pressure at the propeller. SE20 to SE40 installation guide, 5611 rev 25 (2025) |
| Price and ordering | |
| Price | $5,895 equipment only, a dealer's price, defender.com, 28 August 2026 |
| Part number | 88348512 V/24 V |
| Documents | |
| Manual | Installation manualon the maker's product page |
| Warranty | Sleipner gives 2 years for leisure use and 1 for commercial use. It transfers to the next owner, and it starts no later than 18 months after the boat's first launch. Sleipner's warranty statement, effective 1 April 2022 |
| The site’s review | Sleipner (Side-Power) 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 | 530 Anominal draw | 2/0 AWG for up to 22 ft of cable counted out and back. Longer runs take heavier cableinstallation guide | ANL 400installation guide | 550 CCA DIN minimumSleipner installation guide, SEP80 to SEP150, document 2728 rev 23 (2025) | 2 to 3 min duty cycle at 20 C ambientproduct page, "Motor cycle duty" |
| 24 V | 280 Anominal draw | 2 AWG for up to 22 ft of cable counted out and back. Longer runs take heavier cableinstallation guide | ANL 250installation guide | 300 CCA DIN minimumSleipner installation guide, SEP80 to SEP150, document 2728 rev 23 (2025) | 2 to 3 min duty cycle at 20 C ambientproduct page, "Motor cycle duty" |
- At 12 V: size the cable for your run, or check the battery you have.
- At 24 V: size the cable for your run, or check the battery you have.
What holds up and what to weigh
Each point names the fact it rests on.
What holds up
- Sleipner sells it for either end, so it can go at the bow or the stern.The maker's listing
- It is sold at 12 V and at 24 V.The maker's and dealers' listings
- Sleipner also prints a second, lower thrust figure for when the battery sags under load: 176 lb at 10.5 V.The maker's published rating
What to weigh
- The boat comes out of the water to fit it: it needs a tunnel bore below the waterline.The mounting: a bore through the hull, or a housing recessed into it
What the manual and listings say
This is the note we keep on the Sleipner SEP80/185T, written from the maker’s manual, its product pages and the dealer’s listing.
In the box: Proportional: the joystick sets how hard it pushes. The power controller (PPC) is included.
Our note
PRO means proportional: the joystick sets how hard it pushes. The 2026 catalog says to expect close to continuous run time at half power or less. Twin props in a 185 mm tunnel for boats of 35 to 48 ft, sold at 12 or 24 V. It has the SE80's motor. The page rates the brushed motor for two to three minutes' running at 20 C.
The control panel switches itself off after about six minutes unused. Sleipner's FAQ wants the tunnel at least three quarters of its diameter below the surface, never less than half.
Videos
Two of Sleipner’s own videos, from its YouTube channel: how the tunnel mouth changes the thrust you get, and the current E-series tunnel units. They are the maker’s pitch. Watch them 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
Sleipner also sells this thrust built another way. Each has its own page:
- On/off (SE): Sleipner SE80/185T, $3,285.
- On/off (SE), ignition-protected: Sleipner SE80/185T-IP, $4,590.
- Ignition-protected: Sleipner SEP80/185T-IP, $6,975 to $7,750.
These are Sleipner’s next sizes in the same line, by thrust.
- One size down: Sleipner SEP60/185S, 161 lb, $4,995 to $5,085.
- One size up: Sleipner SEP100/185T, 256 lb, $6,975.
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.
- Max Power CT100-IP, 212 lb, $4,237.
- Lewmar 185TT GEN 2 Tunnel Thruster, five sizes, 128 to 214 lb, $1,912 to $4,825.
- Quick BTQ 185, six sizes, 121 to 209 lb, $3,476 to $7,511.
Every model with a page here is listed, maker by maker, on the thruster index.