Thruster Bracket for Angled Transom Mounting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wakeboard and wakesurfing boats face difficulties in mounting thrusters due to space constraints and angled transoms, which limit water flow and require innovative mounting solutions, and lack stern lights for night operations.
Innovation Solution
A thruster bracket with a horizontal neck portion and support plate extending from an upper mounting support, allowing for angled mounting on the transom, incorporating a threaded conduit and rubber pad for secure attachment, and featuring an enclosure for an underwater lamp to enhance visibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a thruster is mounted directly to the transom of a wakeboard boat, then the mounting process is simplified, but the limited space and angled transom design prevent proper thruster installation and water flow
Solution Approach 1:
A bracket assembly serves as an intermediary component between the transom and the thruster. The bracket includes a transom mounting plate that attaches to the angled transom surface and a thruster mounting portion that extends forward to position the thruster in the water. This intermediary structure overcomes the space limitations and angled transom design while maintaining ease of installation through a single integrated component.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket assembly extends in the longitudinal dimension of the boat, projecting forward from the transom to position the thruster in the water. This dimensional extension allows the thruster to be mounted on the angled transom surface while still achieving proper water immersion and clearance from other transom components.
2Ease of manufacture
If the transom is designed at an angle for easier hull removal from molds, then manufacturing is simplified, but space for mounting thrusters and lights is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket assembly utilizes the longitudinal dimension by extending forward from the transom face. This allows the mounting solution to accommodate the angled transom design while projecting the thruster and light into the available space forward of the transom, effectively using the third dimension to overcome the area limitation.
Solution Approach 2:
The bracket assembly serves multiple functions: it mounts the thruster, provides structural support, and incorporates an integrated light housing. This multi-functional design maximizes the use of limited mounting space on the angled transom while maintaining the manufacturing advantages of the angled design.
3Reliability
If components like trim tabs and wake adjusting apparatus are installed on the transom, then wake control is improved, but space for additional components like thrusters is eliminated
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket assembly projects forward from the transom into the space above the waterline, utilizing the longitudinal dimension rather than competing for transom surface area. This allows existing transom components like trim tabs to remain in place while the thruster is positioned forward in the water, eliminating spatial conflict.
4Reliability
If a bracket extends forward from the transom to position the thruster in the water, then proper water flow and clearance are achieved, but the bracket structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The bracket assembly merges multiple functions into a single integrated structure: the transom mounting plate, the forward-extending support structure, and the thruster mounting portion are all combined into one component. This reduces overall system complexity compared to using separate mounting brackets, support structures, and adjustment mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
A bracket for mounting a thruster to a boat includes a horizontal neck portion, an upper mounting support portion, a support plate portion that extends downward from the upper mounting support portion, and an enclosure portion. The support plate portion and the rear of the upper mounting support portion form a transom-facing surface in a plane that is generally at a right angle relative to a horizontal plane, within a small range of angles. The transom-facing surface can angled to match the angle of the transom of a boat to which the thruster bracket is mounted. A thruster can be mounted to the thruster bracket at a level where the thruster will be out of the water when the boat is moving fast and up on plane, and will be in the water when the boat is moving very slow.