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Thruster specs
DockStar Smart Thruster, stern: specs, price and boat fit
The stern Smart Thruster hangs off the transom on a short stainless rail and pushes the back of the boat sideways with 90 lb, the end that swings wide as you back into a slip. It works on sailboats and trawlers alike, and lifts clear of the water once you are under way. A wireless remote runs it from its own battery, with no wiring and no hole below the waterline, on boats of 20 to 50 ft in DockStar’s manual.
The price, $4,270 to $4,570, covers the unit and whichever stern track your boat takes: a hull track bolted straight to the transom, or an angled one reaching from the swim step to the top of the transom. A handful of through-bolts hold it and nothing else is bought. On a single-engine boat it goes off the centerline, out of the propeller wash and clear of the exhaust. What is in the box.
I fitted one to the stern of my own trawler in the summer of 2026, so read this knowing I like it. It helps me a lot, and it won’t be enough when strong winds hit the bow hard, which is where a bow unit comes in. Trawler Forum owners say much the same of one unit on a windy day. DockStar’s two-year warranty covers the battery and the first owner.
Installers will find the mounting figures and dimensions further down. For the rest of DockStar’s line, read the DockStar Smart Thruster review.
Where this summary comes from (5 sources, read 13 October 2026)
- DockStar Smart Thruster user manual, v.260305 (specs, intended use, deployment, care)
- DockStar stern installation guide (four mounting configurations, off the engine wash)
- DockStar build and price, read 13 October 2026 (unit and every track)
- Trawler Forum, DockStar thread, 2018 to 2022 (owners on one unit in wind)
- DockStar limited warranty, v.260828 (two years, first owner, battery covered)
On real boats: where it goes, fitted
Key facts
- DIY level 5 of 5 Owner install
- Thrust 90 lb 41 kgf, DockStar's rating
- Boat length 20 to 50 ft The intended use in DockStar's manual
- Price $4,270 to $4,570 full kit, dockstarthrusters.com, 23 September 2026
- Fitted by a yard $4,430 to $5,110 Our estimate at 25 to 50 ft, unit and job
- Voltage 12.8 V, its own battery Nothing is wired to the boat
- Mounts External Removable, stern
- To fit it Afloat The maker says it goes on in the water
- Run limit 10 minutes Per charge, the manual's figure
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.
Will the DockStar Smart Thruster (stern) steer your boat?
46 FT TRAWLER · STERN · 15 KT WIND
Every knot figure here is wind speed, not boat speed or current.
On a 46 ft trawler the DockStar Smart Thruster (stern) (90 lb) steers her in a 15 knot breeze. Her stern needs about 98 lb from an external unit on the transom to steer her in a 15 knot breeze.
The finder lists it for her.
The DockStar Smart Thruster (stern) on a trawler, by length
- 25 ft27 kt
- 30 ft22 kt
- 35 ft19 kt
- 40 ft17 kt
- 45 ft15 kt
- 50 ft13 kt
- 55 ft12 kt
- 60 ft11 kt
- 65 ft10 kt
- 70 ft10 kt
- 75 ft9 kt
- 80 ft8 kt
Outlined: the finder does not list it at that length (under 13 kt, far more than she needs, or outside DockStar’s own length range).
A DockStar at each end
Two units turn her in her own length, and pushing the same way they walk her sideways, which one thruster cannot do. On a 46 ft trawler, the pair fitted from $8,970:
Turns her in her own length
Steers her at 20 kt
Bow one way, stern the other, and she pivots about her middle.
Moves her sideways
Holds her at 10 kt
Both push the same way, so she holds against the dock, or walks on and off it, in a beam wind with the engines in neutral.
- Under 10 kt
- 10 to 15 kt
- 15 to 20 kt: the sweet spot
- Over 20 kt: more than she needs
Prices are the low end of the fitted total, from our estimate. For your own boat, drive and installer, the finder prices each unit.
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: 1 to 3 h Yard: none Electrician: none No haul-out.
- Fit the track and the unit; charge it You 1 to 3 h DockStar’s own figures: 1 to 2 hours in its buyer’s guide, 2 to 3 hours on its About page. No wiring to the boat. Source.
Your part needs:Hand toolsDrilling above the waterline
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 pontoon or tritoon gets full thrust to 30 ft, and a sailboat to 45 ft. The maker gives one range for every boat.
The table below tries the DockStar Smart Thruster (stern) 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.
| Boat | Full thrust at 15 knots | Still a fit, in lighter wind |
|---|---|---|
| Pontoon & tritoon | 25 to 30 ft | None |
| Sailboat | 32 to 45 ft | 46 to 50 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 50 ft |
| Houseboat | Not listed. This site does not list it for this kind of boat. | |
| 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 | 31 to 45 ft | 46 to 50 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 50 ft |
| Motor yacht | 35 to 45 ft | 46 to 50 ftfull thrust to about 13 knots at 50 ft |
| Bass & flats | Not listed. This site does not list it for this kind of boat. | |
| Wake & ski boats | Not listed. This site does not list it for this kind of boat. | |
| Express cruiser | Not listed. This site does not list it for this kind of boat. | |
| Center console | Not listed. This site does not list it for this kind of boat. | |
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 steers her at 13 or 14 knots, no more than 15 percent under the 15 knot breeze, and the column names that wind. On a boat shorter than the first column’s shortest length, the unit is more than the boat needs.
Two units, one at each end
Where one unit runs out of push, a second DockStar at the other end of the boat picks up. Two units turn a boat far harder than one, because each sits at the very end of the hull, and the remote that comes with this one already drives both. On our 15 knot sizing:
- Sailboat: one unit gives full thrust to 45 ft; two units to 50 ft.
- Trawler: one unit gives full thrust to 45 ft; two units to 50 ft.
- Motor yacht: one unit gives full thrust to 45 ft; two units to 50 ft.
The pair is two separate purchases with no package price: $8,650 to $9,070 for both on DockStar’s own prices, and the second unit can come later.
It is sized for four 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. The unit carries its own battery, so there is no cable, battery or other part to buy. 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.
- The unit$4,270 to $4,570
- Yard labor$160 to $5401 to 3 hours
- Total, 25 to 50 ft$4,430 to $5,110Our estimate
The DockStar Smart Thruster (stern) fitted by a yard. It comes to the same at every length it is sized for. Our estimate.
Fitting it yourself. Tell the finder you will fit a DockStar yourself and it takes the yard’s labor off. With that off, the total is $4,270 to $4,570. That is the unit’s price alone.
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 DockStar’s Smart Thruster user manual, version 260305, 2026, read 30 September 2026.
- In the box
- The thruster, the charger and its cord, the remote, antenna, two propellers with pins and nuts, lanyards, rope, the quick start guide.
- Bought separately
- The track assembly for the hull, and extra remotes.
- Charging
- Nothing is wired to the boat. A 12.8 V, 15 Ah lithium pack inside, and a 4 A charger in the box.
The manual’s words, page 12: “To charge the Smart Thruster, connect the Battery Charger to a 110V power outlet and insert the Charger Plug into the Charger Port/Setting Port. It takes about five (5) hours to fully charge.”
Other parts to buy: none. The box holds everything the unit needs, and nothing is wired to the boat.
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 | 90 lb (41 kgf) As printed: 90 lb, second generation |
| Motor | 1.01 kW (1,008 W): two 12 V PMDC motors at 42 A each |
| Voltage | 12.8 V, its own battery |
| Power | Rechargeable, internal: 12.8 V, 15 Ah lithium (LFP), about 5 hours to charge from empty. |
| Fitting | |
| Type | External, removable |
| End of the boat | Stern |
| What it does to the hull | Four 3 in 10-32 through-bolts for the track, with washers and nylock nuts, and no wiring through the hull |
| Haul-out to fit it | No: the maker says it goes on afloat |
| Maker’s boat length | 20 to 50 ft, the intended use DockStar gives |
| Price and ordering | |
| Price | $4,270 to $4,570 full kit, the maker's own price, dockstarthrusters.com, 23 September 2026 |
| Part number | Not held for this listing |
| Documents | |
| Manual | User manual (PDF)on the maker's site |
| Installation guide | Stern track installation guide (PDF) |
| Warranty | DockStar gives 2 years for recreational use and 1 for commercial use, which needs its written approval first. It covers the first owner only, and it covers the battery. You pay shipping on a claim. DockStar's limited warranty policy, v.260828 |
| The site’s review | DockStar Smart Thruster review |
What holds up
Each point names the fact it rests on.
What holds up
- It goes on with the boat in the water. No haul-out is needed to fit it.DockStar's own statement
What the manual and listings say
This is the note we keep on the DockStar Smart Thruster (stern), written from the maker’s manual, its product pages and the dealer’s listing.
In the box: A complete kit: the battery and charger inside, a wireless remote, two propellers. The hull track is bought separately.
Our note
The range runs from the unit on the cheapest stern track to the most expensive, hull or angled-stern, because the transom decides which one fits. Each figure is the complete system, with the track and every mounting part included. We size it the way we size every thruster on this site.
Its 90 lb is set against the turning effort the boat needs to steer in a 15 knot breeze, as one unit or as a pair, one at each end. DockStar's manual gives boats of 20 to 50 feet as the intended use and no sizing within it. About 10 minutes of run time per charge is many dockings. Recharge is about 5 hours from empty on a 110 V outlet, so plan on shore power or an inverter.
Videos
Two of DockStar’s own videos, from its YouTube channel: the stern unit going down its track on a swim platform, and an owner docking a sailboat alone with the stern unit. 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
The same 90 lb unit, sold for other mounts:
- On a bow track: DockStar Smart Thruster, bow, $4,380 to $4,500.
- On a pontoon deck: DockStar Smart Thruster with pontoon track, $4,570.
- One at each end, two units: DockStar Smart Thruster, bow and stern, $8,650 to $9,070.
DockStar makes the unit in one size only.
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.
- Max Power CT45 stern pod, 99 lb, $3,275.
Every model with a page here is listed, maker by maker, on the thruster index.