Category: Vessel Controls

Electronics manufacturer Navico today announced plans to expand its Ensenada, Mexico, production facility by 35 percent and add a new building. “We continue to build incredible momentum in the business and believe it’s the right time to expand our capacity to boost production of new and existing product lines,” Navico president Knut Frostad said in a statement. “Being part of [the Advanced Systems Group] now for six months has only strengthened our outlook for future growth of product demand from customers, partners and OEM boatbuilders.”

Yamaha Motor has introduced a further round of improvements to its Helm Master EX control system.

Launched in 2020, the Helm Master EX allows everything from single outboard family RIBs to multi-outboard blue water cruisers to be controlled using an intuitive joystick control system.

Dockmate, manufacturer of advanced wireless remote control systems for yachts, announced today an absolute revolution in easy and stress-free docking with SoftDocking, its newly-patented technology. Regardless of the size or type of boat, power or number of engines, one thing that every boater understands is that docking is made more complex by the delay between engaging the throttle and the moment the boat begins to move. Unlike cars, where there is no immediate burst of power when the gas pedal is pushed and the driver can ease into motion, boat engines will fully engage immediately when put into gear. Docking skills are so critical to safe and enjoyable boating that beginner, and even some advanced, boating safety courses have sections entirely dedicated to safe docking techniques.

Perhaps no other boat type celebrates leisure and camaraderie better than the beloved pontoon. With their wide-open decks, pontoons seem to naturally encourage friends and family to gather together on the water. Today, more and more people are upsizing their pontoon boats to enhance their fun on the water, and as these boats become bigger and are used for a wider array of activities (tow sports, cruising, even fishing), boaters are turning to Mercury’s industry-leading lineup of innovative high-horsepower outboards to properly power these larger rigs. While the increase in size helps to further facilitate on-water activities, a large pontoon boat with a single source of propulsion can be quite tricky to maneuver in close quarters. Throw some wind and current in there, and these large floating rectangles can really challenge a boater’s docking skills.

ABS and Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) are to work together on a series of autonomous projects.

ABS specialists will work with HHI’s Korea Shipbuilding and Offshore Engineering (KSOE) and its autonomous navigation subsidiary, Avikus, to integrate autonomous and remote-control functions into vessels. The work will be carried out in compliance with requirements outlined in the ABS Guide for Autonomous and Remote Control Functions. The Guide provides a mix of goal-based and prescriptive requirements set against a wider risk-based approach.

ABS and HHI signed a Strategic Framework Agreement at the recent Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, which will lead to a series of Joint Development Projects (JDPs).

On the 30th anniversary of the DAME Award, Andre Hoek, Chair of the DAME Jury, presented Sweden’s Volvo Penta with the top honour for its Assisted Docking System, at the opening event of METSTRADE 2021. A further five products were named as Category Winners and 15 received Special Mentions.