Bill Karmis knew one thing for sure when Dockmate’s team talked about adding dynamic positioning to its remote controls for boats: “When companies offer up dynamic positioning, the largest point of performance failure is the electric bow thrusters. They only run for so long.”

One boater Karmis knew had spent a shiny penny adding a joystick and more to a boat with lousy thrusters, only to be frustrated when the dynamic-positioning feature failed. “It would only work for four or five minutes,” Karmis says. The system would still be trying to position the boat, but the thrusters would give out.

This is why the new Dockmate Positioning System ($17,500 plus installation; main system sold separately) has two modes. Open-water mode uses only the engines to hold the boat in place—rotating the boat into the current or wind, pretty much all day long—while close-quarters mode uses engines and thrusters for scenarios such as docking.

“We now have the only wireless-activated DPS that can be easily added to an existing boat,” says Karmis, who is national sales manager for the brand. “And our installation is like getting your teeth cleaned. Everybody else is like a root canal.”

Dynamic positioning is just the latest advancement Dockmate has made since the company came to the United States in 2018. CEO Marc Curreri says today’s boaters feel so much more confident with the ability to steer from anywhere on board that they are now considering Dockmate compatibility when deciding which boats to buy.

“We’re starting to see people coming to us and saying, ‘We’re looking at boat A and boat B. Which one do you guys interface with? Because I need a remote control,’” Curreri says. “It’s not the deciding factor, but it’s becoming a deciding factor.”

Dynamic positioning is far from the last feature the company intends to build into its remote controls. “Dockmate came to the market with more technology than what was available at the time, and it’s still advancing,” Karmis says. “We’re moving with technology and embracing everything that new technology has to offer.”

The post Dockmate’s Dynamic Positioning Upgrade appeared first on Yachting.

Mercury Marine, a division of Brunswick Corp., has introduced Mercury Joystick Steering for Single-Engine Vessels. The system is compatible with V-8, V-10 and V-12 Mercury Verado outboard engines from 250 to 600 horsepower.

This is far from the first Joystick Steering system that the company has brought to recreational boaters. The systems are now available for vessels powered by sterndrives, inboards, Zeus pod drives, multi-outboard installations, multi-outboards with an integrated bow thruster, and single-engine pontoons with deployable thrusters.

“This new joystick steering system is unique in that it is specifically designed for single-engine vessels. It features a simple, single-touchpoint user interface for throttle, shift and steering, facilitating ergonomic one-handed operation,” Tyler Mehrl, senior category manager, joystick, steering, and throttle and shift controls, stated in a press release.

Joystick steering has become increasingly common aboard powerboats and superyachts alike, with systems from various manufacturers available for several decades now. In some cases, boatbuilders no longer even bother to install a traditional ship’s wheel at a boat’s helm, instead having the skipper rely exclusively on joystick control for steering. The crew aboard commercial ships, too, now frequently rely on joystick controls to maneuver through the world’s oceans and ports.

New boaters, in particular, tend to find joystick operation easier to master. Using these systems can be quicker and easier than traditional setups at the helm, and the systems are often compatible with other systems on board, helping to ease additional tasks as well.

Mercury’s new Joystick Steering for Single-Engine Vessels, for instance, eliminates the need for boaters to use both hands to throttle, shift and steer during low-speed maneuvers such as docking. The joystick’s design is sleek, without any physical buttons. It allows for proportional forward and reverse movement, and the twist function provides intuitive steering.

When Joystick Steering for Single-Engine Vessels is integrated with a compatible multifunction display incorporating GPS and Mercury SmartCraft Connect, it also offers autopilot features.

“There are two autopilot features: heading and route,” Mehrl added. “You easily can set up a route on the MFD by dropping waypoints. When the heading function is activated, you can make 1- or 10-degree adjustments to your heading on the MFD, or 10-degree adjustments by twisting the joystick, so you can use it to really fine-tune your direction of travel.”

When will Mercury Joystick Steering for Single-Engine Vessels be available? The system will be available starting April 15.

Take the next step: go to mercurymarine.com

The post Single-Engine Joystick Control appeared first on Yachting.

Dynamic positioning systems have become a must-have feature in recent years, making it far easier for skippers to keep their boats on the same heading or in the same exact spot. This technology makes boating a lot easier for people who, for instance, must pass through a series of opening bridges before heading out to do some coastal cruising. In the past, waiting in a crowded waterway for each bridge to open could be a nerve-wracking challenge. With dynamic positioning, the stress of waiting in place vanishes with the push of a button.

Now, Dockmate—makers of wireless remote controls that skippers can use to control the boat from pretty much anywhere on board—has added dynamic positioning to its products. The new feature is called the Dockmate Positioning System.

The Dockmate Positioning System has two modes, for use in open water and close quarters. In open-water mode, DPS uses the engines to keep the boat in its target position. In close-quarters mode, DPS uses the engines and the bow and stern thrusters to keep the vessel in its target position.

“We have spent a significant amount of time and research over the years to ensure that the Dockmate remote control system provides boaters with the best control of their vessels in some of the more stressful situations like docking and close-quarters maneuvering,” Dirk Illegems, president of Dockmate, stated in a press release. “Whether you are entering a marina or waiting for a bridge or lock, holding your position while stepping away from the helm can be just as important as having fingertip control when pulling into a dock. Our customers have been looking for a dynamic positioning system, and we are happy to deliver.”

Dockmate says this system is driven by a unit that includes a compass, accelerometer and gyroscope. A receiver is installed within the vessel, and it connects to Dockmate GNSS antennas that are installed on the hardtop.

The product is designed for installation on any vessel with at least two engines, and with Dockmate-compatible engine and thruster controls. The operating range for Dockmate with the standard antenna is about 165 feet, and an antenna extension cable can be ordered to increase range to more than 500 feet.

How long has Dockmate been in business? Since 2012 in Belgium, and since 2018 in the United States. The company warranties its products for three years.

Take the next step: click over to dockmate.us

The post Dockmate Adds Dynamic Positioning appeared first on Yachting.

It has been more than two decades since Yacht Controller was created. The product, which enables handheld, wireless navigation from anywhere on board, is now used in dozens of countries. More than 26,000 systems have been delivered for use on some 270 boat brands.

As feedback poured in from all those boaters, it became clear that not all of them wanted the same experience. “We were finding out that you could put a 50-foot boat next to its twin, and Boater A will use it differently than Boater B,” says Tony Valiente, chief operating officer and managing partner of The Yacht Group. “One guy may be happy at idle-speed engine control, and another guy may want added-speed control, and a third guy may want faster-speed control. We weren’t able to accomplish those algorithms.”

And so, the Maximo Yacht Controller was born. It has a 64-bit quad-core processor that will allow it to evolve in tandem with all the other technologies that manufacturers of helm-navigation devices are creating today. The Maximo Yacht Controller has data storage, the ability to handle software and firmware updates, and more.

“The system also has the ability for remote Wi-Fi access,” Valiente says. “That means consumers can access the system via their smartphones and tablets, and my customer-service department can provide real-time customer support anywhere in the world that customers have Wi-Fi access.”

The Maximo Yacht Controller system is designed to be a plug-and-play operation, so it can be installed with new builds, professional refits and DIY upgrades. Installation should not affect other product warranties, Valiente says, because the company works with manufacturers of everything from engines to transmissions to ensure compatibility.

For yachts 85 feet and larger, the company also introduced the Maximo Platinum Series Edition Supremo. It uses CAN-bus cabling, which was not previously possible and which Valiente says allows it to work on increasingly larger superyachts: “We can run the cabling through 300 or 400 feet without losing transmission signal range.”

The post Maximo Yacht Controller Offers Wireless Helm Handling appeared first on Yachting.