Volvo Penta has released a revolutionary joystick docking system for single diesels.
Volvo Penta has released a revolutionary joystick docking system for single diesel Aquamatic sterndrive installations. The new system integrates the steering, bow thruster, gear and engine speed into one easy-to-use joystick control. The company is the first in the industry to integrate the steering of the diesel sterndrive with the control of the bow thruster on a single engine installation.
Docking a boat can be stressful. Now, similar to the joystick control found on larger multi-engine-installation vessels, easy single-hand control is available for smaller single-diesel-engine boats with Volvo Penta Aquamatic sterndrive installations. The captain simply presses the Docking button on the base of the joystick control, and boat maneuvering features – steering, gear control, bow thruster, throttle – are controlled easily with just one hand.
One feature that makes the new system easy to use is the turn function on the joystick: you simply adjust the boat’s joystick control in the direction you want the boat to move, instead of having to consider traditional factors like counter-intuitive drive direction, gear choice and hands-on actions with multiple controls. This is easy to learn fingertip control, compared to adjusting the steering wheel, gear lever and bow thruster controls independently, while monitoring the drive angle gauge, often all at the same time.
Volvo Penta offers this Joystick Docking for new single Volvo Penta Aquamatic sterndrive DPI installations, or as a retrofit for existing Volvo Penta single DPI installations. The company will also introduce the option without bow thruster in the coming months.
www.volpower.co.nz
