Mercury Marine has added Joystick Piloting for Single-Engine Outboards with Thruster, giving owners of such boats 360-degree maneuverability for tasks like docking and navigating.
“Close-quarter maneuvering with a single-engine vessel can be challenging, even for a skilled captain,” Steve Andrasko, vice president category management at Mercury Marine, stated in a press release. “With this new system, the boat operator can command steering, throttle and shifting of the outboard motor and simultaneously activate a variable-speed bow thruster, all with one hand through a single, intuitive joystick. The result is confident control of a single-engine vessel even when a boat-handling situation is complicated by wind or current.”
Joystick Piloting for Single-Engine Outboards with Thruster is compatible with 250 hp to 600 hp Mercury Verado and Sea Pro V-8, V-10 or V-12 engine models that have electric steering. It is also compatible with CAN-based variable-speed thrusters from a variety of manufacturers.
The new type of Joystick Piloting adds to the portfolio that Mercury Marine has been unveiling since its first outboard system in 2013. When Joystick Piloting for Single-Engine Outboards with Thruster is integrated with the Mercury navigation sensor for GPS position and heading sensing and with Mercury SmartCraft Connect, it also supports a suite of integrated SmartCraft advanced controls previously not available for single-engine vessels. These include Skyhook (locked position and heading), Bowhook (locked position) and Drifthook (locked heading) digital anchoring to maintain position regardless of wind, current or heading. The system also enables SmartCraft Autopilot for easier navigation.
According to the company, the single-engine joystick allows for proportional forward and reverse movement, and the twist function provides precise, intuitive steering along with progressive thruster activation.
When will Mercury Joystick Piloting for Single-Engine Outboards with Thruster be available to boat manufacturers and through Mercury Marine repower dealers? It’s expected to be out in the second quarter of this year.
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