When you think of comfort on board, you can imagine the sunbathing area or the can holder for sipping an aperitif in comfort. But comfort also depends on how well the boat behaves at sea. And what if the steering assistance also brings a new level of comfort?
Mercury has developed assistances around its engines: Active Trim to automatically adjust the trim or Joystick Piloting to eliminate stress in harbour manoeuvres. Not forgetting the electronic displays that make maintenance easier.
Active Trim, to put everyone at the helm
There's more to steering a powerboat than just pushing the throttle and holding the steering wheel. You must also adjust the inclination of your engine, the trim, so that the propeller works as well as possible. By being more efficient, performance is better and fuel consumption is reduced. Above all, the boat behaves more smoothly, it thundersteps less and does not porpoise.
The trim must be adjusted continuously by the pilot according to the sea state, speed, boat... Mercury, aware that not all amateurs are experienced pilots, offers the Active Trim.
This unit automatically adjusts the trim thanks to an integrated GPS. The pilot only has to choose one of the 5 programs according to the sea and the type of pilot he wants (cool or sporty), the Active Trim then takes care of everything else. The engine, whether in the de-airing phase or at cruising or top speed, is always well tuned. Active Trim is available on the outboard range and on inboard sterndrives.
Joystick Piloting, the maneuver for dummies
The harbour manoeuvre remains a delicate moment in the practice of the boat. There is always the risk of hitting an obstacle when docking your boat. With the Joystick Piloting, manoeuvring becomes simple and intuitive. With two fingers on the joystick, you can guide your boat without risk. At reduced speed, the boat can move sideways or perform a 360° on the spot. This "magic" is achieved by combining several outboard or inboard motors and making them work independently.
With a Joystick Piloting, anyone is able to perform a successful carrying maneuver, even a young child. This system is available on outboard and inboard from 2 engines (also works with 3 and 4 engines).
This joystick also integrates features such as the autopilot or even the virtual anchor (named Skyhook) to stay in place while refueling for example. Solutions that provide good help for comfort at sea explained in detail here .
Centralized screens
To bring the engine even closer to the driver, Mercury has developed a range of particularly intuitive displays. The VesselView displays not only show all the engine indications instantaneously, but also record engine life to help with maintenance.
This system is now also accessible on his smartphone via the VesselView Mobile, a small box that is installed on the engine and transmits engine data via Bluetooth. The application (IOS or Android) makes it possible to follow the life of the engine and even to share the moments of navigation.
