The Sideshift Story
From Humble Beginnings to Revolutionary Technology for the Everyday Boater
Published: Monday, January 25, 2021
In 2001, when Steve Houle purchased a brand new 26′ Bayliner, he couldn’t wait to get his family out on the water to share the fun of boating with them. The day came and, as Steve’s wife attempted to board the boat, a powerful gust of wind blew unexpectedly and pushed the boat away from the dock. She lost her footing and nearly fell into the water, while Steve fought hard against the wind and tried to reposition the boat. However, the wind was too strong and his brand new boat was pushed sideways, crashing into a sailboat, shattering the driver’s side window, and causing significant damage. What should have been an idyllic family outing had turned into a nightmare. The boat never completed its maiden voyage and Steve was left with a large bill to pay.
As Steve began the task of repairing his and his neighbor’s boat, he also began searching for a solution to provide better control when docking.
“I spent months looking for a reasonably priced bow thruster solution,” said Houle, “but the typical cost was going to set me back more than $10,000. I knew my brother and I could create a better solution for a lot less money.”
Being engineers and boaters themselves, Steve and his brother, Mark, embraced the saying “necessity is the mother of invention”—this was no exception. Steve and Mark began working on an easy-to-install bow and stern thruster solution that the average boater could afford. The result of their efforts was the marine industry’s first externally mounted bow thruster. It worked! And, it worked so well that other boaters started noticing and asking about it. Impressed with the technology and cost, people began asking Steve and Mark to make one for their boat. Word spread, and the brothers initially started selling the product on eBay.
Fast forward twenty years and Steve has moved on to start another successful business but Mark is still onboard as President of Canadian-based Sideshift. The company continues as the only North American volume manufacturer of externally mounted thrusters, shipping to thousands of customers in over fifty countries.
Those of us who have had the “pleasure” of docking in overcrowded marinas can relate to Steve’s story from personal experience, or, at minimum, can imagine it happening. Many boaters will find themselves refreshing their weather apps while considering the cancelation of their planned outing all because the risk of handling their boat in a tight space is just too stressful. Your plans don’t have to be part of those otherwise-beautiful-day cancellations.
The Canadian manufacturing company with humble beginnings has become a leader in thruster technology, still helping people get more enjoyment from their boating experience by reducing docking stress. Sideshift now offers a wide range of externally mounted thruster solutions for all types of boats, including cruisers, trawlers, wake boats, pontoon boats, and houseboats. Plus, the unique universal mounting systems provided by Sideshift means easy DIY installation with no holes below the waterline.
Sideshift continues to stand by their mission: To allow all types of boaters to experience the joy and excitement of a day on the water without the stress of docking.
Visit sideshift.com to discover more today.
tags: boating business, boating innovation, boating solutions, Boating Technology, bow thruster solutions, bow thuster, docking, docking solutions, docking technology, thruster technology
