Driving with a Joystick makes Boating a Breeze

Driving with a joystick is now common on outboard-powered boats, which is making boating easier for most and safer for all.

Not all joystick controls for outboards are created equal. While the result may be the same—you lean or twist the dash-mounted joystick to port or starboard and the boat moves that way—how those hydrodynamic moves are achieved can be drastically different from system to system.

Joystick control came to the recreational market with the introduction of Volvo Penta’s IPS pod drive system in 2004. On inboard-powered boats the pods and joystick controls
work amazingly well and have only improved.

Today, outboard engine manufacturers Evinrude, Mercury and Yamaha all offer their own branded joystick control for new builds, while SeaStar Optimus and Yacht Controller
offer systems that can be added as a retrofit or built in during construction. The Suzuki Precision Maneuvering (SPM) Control System is based upon the SeaStar platform, and
Yacht Controller’s Sport package is a joystick system that utilizes the bow and stern thrusters.

Make no mistake, tremendous forces are at work to make 30-foot center console boats move sideways, and all that force is applied at the transom. The transoms on today’s center console boats are stronger than ever, due to the increased weight and horsepower of today’s outboard engines; a single 350-horsepower outboard engine weighs more than 650 pounds dry.

The ability to spin a boat within its own length with the joystick comes in handy in tight channels and marinas. The computer takes over to steer and throttles multiple outboards
individually to maneuver the boat at low speeds through input from a joystick. The same ability to spin and move sideways port or starboard also allows Mercury’s Skyhook system
to keep you locked onto a lat-long coordinate via the boat’s onboard GPS. That’s a real advantage in deep water where you can’t anchor but want to stay on a spot, or if you are
operating the boat alone and want to remain stationary for a few minutes while you move around the boat.

“We added additional features to Skyhook earlier this year,” said Rob Hackbarth, Mercury’s controls, and rigging category director. “Bowhook locks the position of the vessel while allowing the vessel’s heading to change depending on wind and water currents. This is useful when maintaining position is important but maintaining heading is not, and Drifthook locks the heading of the vessel while allowing the position of the vessel to drift with the wind and water currents.”

SeaStar spent a lot of time understanding how to best maneuver the boat with a minimal amount of shifting and movement resulting in the creation of three zones. Those zones are position mode, heading mode, and heading and position mode. “For example, when
the boat is moving sideways, the captain can turn the joystick starboard or port, and push the joystick forward or reverse and the engines will not change gears,” said Shane DeWitt, SeaStar product manager. “SeaStar modulates the rpm of the engines to get the desired maneuver.”

Boats designed and built specifically for joystick control have appeal to customers of all experience levels. “Yamaha Helm Master is a fully integrated boat control system, not an add-on or hacked-in control system,” said Ry Landry, product information specialist,
Yamaha Marine Group. “It was designed by Yamaha to offer a seamless integration of controls and features with the reliability of Yamaha power. This just isn’t possible with aftermarket add-ons.”

The Evinrude iDock joystick piloting system uses gyroscope sensor technology to compensate for wind and current. The two-stage joystick adds power the more the joystick is pushed, so operators can quickly double up on propulsion. iDock is compatible
with new Evinrude E-TEC G2 engines from 150 to 300 horsepower set up in a twin-engine application, and marked by an iDock logo.

Suzuki Precision Maneuvering is available on boats rigged with twin or triple Suzuki AP Series outboard motors as well as its new DF350A. With no conventional steering, throttle or shift cables to run, installation is easy, especially if second stations are involved.

However, adding a joystick control system as a retrofit can be a tremendous benefit. “Our system is old school,” said Gerald Berton, president of Yacht Controller, who reports that he has more than 10,000 Yacht Controller systems in use, and the Sport is a natural evolution of the product for outboards. “It’s really easy to move a boat around with thrusters on the front and back. You don’t have to deal with those tremendous forces generated by two or more outboards trying to spin a boat from the transom.”

While thruster failure is rare, if a bow or stern thruster does conk out, Berton adds, it’s not going to leave the boat inoperable. “If the thruster fails when you are in The Bahamas, it’s not a major deal. But with the other joystick systems, if a hydraulic line
or electronic system fails, you could be stranded. It may not be an easy fix if one of the
engines cannot be controlled.”

USEFUL WEBSITES

Evinrude
evinrude.com

Mercury
mercurymarine.com

Sea Star Solutions
seastarsolutions.com

Suzuki
suzukimarine.com

Yacht Controller
yachtcontroller.com

Yamaha
yamahaoutboards.com

By Doug Thompson, Southern Boating February 2018

Bow Thruster Maintenance

Proper bow thruster maintenance will ensure the best performance from your bow thruster

Bow thrusters are part of what I refer to as the “silent crewmember’s union.” Always willing to help out when needed, thrusters—along with other union members (autopilots, anchor windlasses, etc.)—make our time on the water both safer and more enjoyable. As with any boating equipment, proper bow thruster maintenance is key when it comes to reliability. Here’s how to make sure your thruster is always ready to lend a hand.

Electric vs Hydraulic

A bow thruster is simply a propulsion device that provides lateral (port and starboard) thrust, making the vessel more maneuverable. It is electric or hydraulic and will be either a traditional tunnel- or tube-mounted drive or an externally mounted unit.

Electric units can be further divided into 12- or 24-volt DC types or even the occasional
AC-powered unit. Hydraulic thrusters are commonly found on larger vessels, particularly those that have additional hydraulic systems on board to power anchor windlass or dingy davits.

A typical electric thruster installation involves either running cables of sufficient size to minimize voltage drop from an existing battery bank or installing a dedicated battery in the vicinity of the thruster along with a method of charging it. A third option is piggybacking off of an electric windlass circuit.

Bow Thruster Maintenance

Bow thruster maintenance requirements are determined by the type of thruster you have. Different models have different needs, so the first place to look when compiling your maintenance list is the owner’s manual. Schedule and follow the specific requisite provided there, but here are some other things to consider.

Access the thruster space at least twice a year and inspect the thruster compartment for excessive moisture levels, standing water and leaks. Examine the thruster tube ends (where glassed to the hull) for cracks in the gelcoat or laminate. Another place to check for leaking is the gasket at the thruster saddle, the bracket where the motor mounts to the thruster tube. Inspect the motor and all thruster components for corrosion. Even if there are no leaks, many thrusters are installed in compartments near the anchor locker, where wet rodes and chain create a moisture-rich environment. Running rust, flaking paint or a white, powdery substance on aluminum components are all indications of corrosion

Inspect the motor and all thruster components for corrosion. Even if there are no leaks, many thrusters are installed in compartments near the anchor locker, where wet rodes and chain create a moisture-rich environment. Running rust, flaking paint or a white, powdery substance on aluminum components are all indications of corrosion
and should be addressed. Many manufacturers recommend removal of the motor annually
for examination. This provides an opportunity to check motor brushes, grease couplers, inspect shear pins, etc. It also allows you to view the condition of the sealing gasket
and ensure all mounting hardware is tight.

Secure power to the thruster, then look over and clean all electrical connections. Check both ends of the battery cables for loose hardware, corrosion and other issues; remove and clean any terminals where decay is noted.

Moisture can wick under shrink tubing, so remove it, inspect and clean connectors as required, then recover them. Go over all other thruster system electrical connections and components (battery switches, fuse holders, solenoid connections, etc.).

Check the gear oil level. Some units are completely sealed (meaning their oil level never needs evaluation); however, others require periodic topping-off and changing at regular
intervals. Most units use 90-weight gear oil, but confirm whatever is called for in your owner’s manual.

If your thruster is powered by a dedicated battery, check its installation and condition at least twice a year. It is a good idea to put this on your calendar for the spring and fall months. Check the battery performance with a battery tester. If the battery is not holding a charge, replace it.

Don’t forget the helm control panel and joystick during your inspection, examining each for looseness, deterioration, corrosion, and UV damage. Verify proper operation of the
controls at each helm position, and if you have a wireless remote, now is a good time to install new batteries.

During Haulout

Clean the thruster drive, propeller(s) and inside of the tunnel of marine growth, and check each for cracks or dings. Inspect the drive for corrosion or other problems and the propeller for damage, looseness, etc. Oil in the tunnel beneath the propeller indicates a leaking seal, which will need to be replaced.

Check the condition of the sacrificial anodes (zincs). Although some units have composite gear assemblies and don’t require them, most thrusters will have at least one zinc installed. These should be looked at and renewed annually at a minimum—sometimes more often depending on your vessel’s location and other factors. Always check thruster zincs when you have your other zincs inspected (propeller shaft, rudder, trim tabs, etc.); those zincs can typically be replaced by a diver. Some thruster zincs are specialty items and may not be readily available locally, so carry plenty of spares should they need replacing. In fact, this is a good idea for any extra parts required for your thruster (shear pins, brushes, saddle gaskets, oil seals, spare propellers, etc.).

Apply appropriate antifoulant to the tunnel and drive. Metal drives may require a specific type of antifoulant paint, so follow whatever is recommended in your owner’s manual.

By Frank Lanier, Southern Boating October 2017

Bow Thruster Advantages

Adding a unit is easy, and provides confidence and safety when docking in challenging conditions.

Single-screw boats can be difficult to dock without aid in wind or when fighting current. Even experienced captains will relent for safety’s sake and ask for a helpful hand—someone on the dock who gets tossed a bow line and pulls the boat in. With a bow thruster, however, that helpful hand is a small propeller positioned forward on the boat and it applies side-to-side propulsion to get you safely docked.

If a boat doesn’t have a bow thruster, some boat owners are drilling tunnels through the bows of their boats. The tunnel is structurally engineered to accept the retrofit of a bow thruster, and when properly installed it adds strength to the vessel.

“Many people believe that drilling a 4-inch hole or larger in their boat will weaken the structure,” says Chris Deboy, Vestus America’s sales manager, a manufacturer of bow thrusters and other marine products. “The opposite is true, as long as the thruster tunnel is installed properly, using fiberglass, aluminum or steel, depending on the hull material. The installation can add strength to the bow of the vessel. This would include the proper lamination of the fiberglass tunnel or proper welding of the aluminum or steel tunnel.”

It’s estimated that half of all recreational boats from 30 to 65 feet have bow thrusters. Aftermarket installations are becoming common as people fix up their boats. To complete the work the boat must be hauled out for detailed fiberglass work as a tunnel housing is installed in the hull with the bow thruster impeller. The impeller is driven by an electric motor powered by its own battery. The cost to install a bow thruster on a 40-foot cruiser is approximately $8,000, and about 60 percent of that cost is for labor while the rest is for parts. Three companies have the majority of market share in the U.S.: Lewmar, Side-Power and Vetus.

Side-Power introduced its Proportional DC Thrusters in 2011 and won an NMMA Innovation Award that same year. “You can now operate a thruster relative to the conditions like a throttle providing smoother operation,” says Peter Nolet, IMTRA Corporation’s thruster product manager, the U.S. distributor for Side-Power. “The ‘hold’ feature is very popular. The SE170 is the most popular size for a 50-foot cruising boat and delivers 374 foot-pounds of thrust, and is used on models like the Fleming 55 and a Princess 56. With our full range of Side-Power Thrusters being available in On-Off or Proportional Control, we can meet any customer’s expectations.”

With the proper size electric motor for the bow thruster, the boat should hold its bow off the dock in a 20-knot wind. However, there’s a misconception surrounding the amount of time you can run an electric bow thruster.

“The common misconception is that you can only run the bow thruster for a few seconds,” says Nolet. “Side-Power Thrusters are designed to be run continuously in one direction for three minutes. When pulsing the On-Off thruster, you will get around six minutes of operation. We rarely hear about the motor’s thermal protection tripping, which is a testament to our purpose-built motors. If you have a Side-Power and are only getting a short run time, I would suggest you service the thruster.”

Vetus’ most popular model for a 50-foot cruising boat is the BOW12524D. “This unit is delivered with a single six-blade Delrin propeller which provides 308 foot-pounds of thrust,” says Deboy. “The single propeller allows greater flexibility for installation of the tunnel and thruster. The BOW12524D offers a standard run time of 2.5 minutes per hour and can be ordered as an extended run version, BOW1254DE, with 10 minutes of run time per hour for demanding applications.”

The percentage of new boats with factory installed bow thrusters has increased over the years with an additional increase in bow thrusters on boats under 30 feet. Bow thrusters give owners moving into larger boats the confidence to operate the vessels without worry.

“For 2017 we are offering a new range of retractable thrusters from 3-13 horsepower as well as improving our controller systems,” says Harcourt Schutz, general manager of Lewmar USA. “The new controllers will make dual thruster use easier and more intuitive. You will also see more emphasis on small boat systems.”

Lewmar’s 185TT bow thruster is a popular choice for 50-foot cruising boats. The 8-hp unit offers equal thrust in each direction without the complexity of dual-prop thruster. Its fully sealed lower unit doesn’t require an oil reservoir, which means there’s no maintenance of the lower leg. The propeller is a spline-driven, five-blade wheel for maximum efficiency. “Smaller boat owners are really seeing the benefits of having the addition of a thruster as standard equipment,” says Schutz. “This is creating a much higher level of comfort and confidence when docking, and that is often one of the most stressful parts of boating.”

INFORMATION:
imtra.com
lewmar.com
vetus.com

— By Doug Thompson, Southern Boating Magazine October 2016