![]() What could be even better than joystick handling? How about hands-off automatic docking? Volvo Penta has already demonstrated an early version of a self-docking prototype system that it claims is targeted for a 2020 launch. We tested this function on a pontoon boat in 20-knot gusts - a situation ripe for docking disaster - and found that while it wasn't a silver bullet due to a microsecond of time delay, it did in fact erase the majority of the wind's influence and made docking far easier in the extremely difficult conditions. But the iDock senses the change and applies power correspondingly to keep the boat on course and in position automatically. If a big gust of wind grabs the bow and shoves it off course, with other systems you'd have to increase pressure on the joystick to counter the effect. This allows the system to sense when outside influences change the way the boat responds to your commands. One of the most interesting developments comes via Evinrude's iDock system, which incorporates an aircraft gyroscopic sensor. Future PerfectĪs easy as joysticks can make close-quarters boat maneuvering, manufacturers are in an arms race to constantly improve these systems. In fact, we watched as a sailboater who had never docked a twin inboard diesel in her life took the joystick in hand and put the boat into its slip without so much as rubbing a piling. Bottom line: Maneuvering the boat was a piece of cake. We had the opportunity to test a Dockmate Twist prior to its introduction to the market last fall and used it to pull a twin-engine diesel inboard boat with a bow thruster into and out of its slip several times. Both can also integrate bow or stern thruster control on top of engine controls, and can interface with virtually any electronic engine-control system. New systems from the likes of Dockmate (the Dockmate Twist) and Yacht Controller (the Fusion Wireless Joystick Remote) provide wireless handheld remotes about the size of a cellphone, which incorporate a small joystick. And with a little advance planning, you can have it. In these cases, you might find yourself wishing for a joystick you could hold in the palm of your hand. You may not be able to see the swim platform from the helm, on some boats a bow pulpit is hard to keep in view, or passengers can get in the way of your line of sight. When it comes time to wait for a bridge opening or for another boat to complete its crossing in a tight channel, pressing a button replaces constant throttle-jockeying and maneuvering.Įven with joystick control, docking can be a challenge, especially on boats with restricted visibility. During a day of wreck fishing on a Grady-White Canyon 456 with Helm Master we found the handling abilities vastly superior to traditional bottom-fishing methods of anchoring or drifting - but those not interested in fishing can also benefit. Our on-the-water experience fishing on boats equipped with these systems has proved them to be incredibly valuable. ![]() Positional micro-adjustments are also as simple as the press of a button or a tap on the joystick. These abilities are most useful for anglers, who may want to drop their lines over a specific spot on a wreck or reef then keep the bow upwind as they fish allow the bow to swing downwind as they hover in one spot, or keep the bow into the seas as they drift across productive bottom or fly fishing kites from the cockpit. Almost simultaneously, Yamaha's Helm Master, SeaStar's Optimus 360 and Mercury's Joystick Piloting systems announced control modes allowing you to hold the boat in a static position, hold position without determining heading, or hold heading orientation without determining position. More recently, significant advancements have been made among several outboard joystick systems. Even steering by joystick at cruising speeds became possible. They could press another and jog the boat a few feet this way or that. Thanks to GPS integration, skippers could press a button and command the boat to hover in place regardless of wind and current. Joystick control changes the game.Īlong with joystick technology came added handling controls that had never before been possible. ![]() Give it a twist, and the boat spins on its own axis. Give it a nudge to port, and the boat walks to port. Give the joystick a push forward, and the boat moves forward. The integration of joystick controls, which first became popular on a large scale with Volvo Penta's IPS system, then Cummins MerCruiser's Zeus system, and then expanded to include inboard, sterndrive, and outboard power systems of many different types, was mankind's greatest leap forward to date in resolving this issue. Slowly but surely, technology is solving our docking dilemmas.
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