Electronic Throttle Controls

Has anyone replaced their throttles to electronic controls? We have twin 3208 Turbo cats and curious about the cost?

Yep, with Kobelt. *They work flawlessly and allow for very precise control over throttle, plus are progarmmable so you can introduce a split second delay before changing gears. *They allow multiple control stations as well as remote handheld controls over transmission, throttle and thrusters. *The Kobelt has manual overrides in the ER as well. *Very highly recommended, and as I recall, Kobelt was the most reasonably priced of the options I researched.

do you recall what the cost was?

jlamb15 wrote:
do you recall what the cost was?

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*$3,800.00 for the single unit, bronze. *There was added cost in the remotes. *You can see the unit on the starboard side of the gauge panel.

I have twin 3208 cats. My boat has the ZF Mathers Microcommander control system. I have controls in the pilothouse, flybridge and a 25' corded remote. I like the system. The throttles and transmission are on a single smooth lever with a postive detent for idle and neutral.* I think your looking at $7K or so for the entire system.

*

what are the benefits of the eletronic throttles? Seems like a large expense for?????

*

The main benefit is the ability to have remote or cockpit controls for ease of docking, or fishing. With cable controls it is harder to add an additional control staion and since the cables move mechanically they become harder to use over time. With hydraulic controls it usually more expensive to add another station than to replace the whole system with electronic controls.
If you add a remote control station marine surveyors will also suggest remote engine stops as a safety measure.

Any recommendations on ZF Mathers MicroCommander techs in the Mid-Atlantic?

You might want to check out Glendinning also for a price comparison: they offer a system like Kobalt and MicroCommander

Delfin, did you install them or have them installed? How difficult were they to install.

Delfin is a gone pecan.

Zf Mathers Micro Commander for us. I love'em.

Rogerh said:

Delfin, did you install them or have them installed? How difficult were they to install.

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Not a totally gone pecan.....

The installation isn't difficult. Wires from a control head (about 1/2" cable) to the actuator. The main thing is mounting the actuator, which weighs a bit. From there it is short cables to throttle and gear shift. One advantage I don't recall being mentioned of electronic controls is their ability to be programmed with a very slight delay before engaging the gear. I have to assume this reduces wear and tear, and I have mine programmed for a 1.5 second delay before engagement. We also have two remote stations, which have come in handy when backing into impossible spaces as you can control everything from the top deck where you can see what is going on and whom you are about to run over. Handy.

We have the Mathers-two full stations and a wing station. Love them! Have never had any issue at all with the system. Like Delfin, we have a short delay programmed. We were told the same thing Delfin mentioned-eases wear and tear on the transmission.

Oh the Admiral is considering banning me from TF! I have just added this to my wish list of updates along with AP.

Where can one pruchase these electronic throttles?

I am going to have fun updating our manual 3208 T/A's.....

Keep in mind adding an electronic control system presents an entirely new list of things that can (and do) fail. And they can fail in ways that can cause a loss of control in the most inopportune moments (been there!!). A neaby lightning strike can mean a dead boat, seen that too.

If you have mechanical engines, you are removing one of the best features of old style diesel power- the ability to run under adverse electrical conditions.

If the features are worth it to you, go for it. But fully understand the downsides.

Ski in NC said:

Keep in mind adding an electronic control system presents an entirely new list of things that can (and do) fail. And they can fail in ways that can cause a loss of control in the most inopportune moments (been there!!). A neaby lightning strike can mean a dead boat, seen that too.

If you have mechanical engines, you are removing one of the best features of old style diesel power- the ability to run under adverse electrical conditions.

If the features are worth it to you, go for it. But fully understand the downsides.

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Interesting.....

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

Interesting.....

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One of the nice features of the Kobelt product, besides what I recall as better pricing, is manual overrides. True, you have to actuate the manual control from the engine room, buy that's what second mates are for.

6524 - Electronic Actuator

jlamb15 said:

what are the benefits of the eletronic throttles? Seems like a large expense for?????

*

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I have a Micocommander 585 ce on my auxiliary engine. One of my major mistakes. Now 15 years later the unit is no longer supported and you cannot buy/steal etc a 3" diameter plastic belt and must replace the whole unit. The unit has been the source of trouble over the years, in part because mechanics don't understand it. Spent a season trying to get someone to adjust it correctly after the auxiliary engine was moved when our tanks were redone.
Unit also fails if the electrical level is too low.

Currently have been waiting since January for the Microcommander dealer here to work on the unit. Basically he is not interested.

Have standard Morse controls on my main engine which get used 20 times as often as the Microcommander controls. So far with a thirty year old boat the Morse controls have not had to be served or even adjusted.

I have micro commanders on our boat, the PO had them installed when the boat was new as a major upgrade. I have concerns about their reliability, but so far they have worked flawlessly.

They have some really nice features, the "beep" when they go into neutral is nice for tight quarters maneuvering. They shift really, really smoothly, so smoothly that they take a little getting used to. My flats boat throttle seems like a clunker now in comparison.

Only thing I have not liked so far, and perhaps you guys have a solution to this, is that you have to go to neutral to switch control from the lower helm to the upper. So if I am running on AP and want to go up to the FB, I have to stop the boat, run up, call for those throttles, then put the boat back in gear.

Alaskan Sea-Duction said:

Interesting.....

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Actually - Logical!

Stick with cables!
I've seen and have friends that have too many failures with electronic controls.
I've owned boats as well and have had them fail while docking....causing damage to the boat.
Electronics and salt water do not mix!
Cables are way more reliable!
KISS

On Volunteer the Morse cable throttle/shifter emitted a obnoxious ticking that was a result of the mount at the injector pump transferring fuel pulse noise up the cable to the pilothouse.

I had a bud that bought a pallet of Mathers electronic stuff... we managed to get complete controls for three boats + a lifetime of spares.. it cost me $ 200 for my part.

I changed both the bridge and flybridge to electronic control and for the three years I owned the boat after the conversion it was totally trouble free. I have a couple of other boats I run with them and have had no problems on those either.
They worked really well and were very smooth. And it was totally quiet on the bridge.. no more ticking sounds!
HOLLYWOOD

When these things go south they go dead. One of our yacht club members has had his electronic controls fail twice in two years. Luckily within twenty feet of a dock each time, with others nearby to assist. Spend 5-10 grand for LESS reliability ? Not for me...

Spend 5-10 grand for LESS reliability ? Not for me...

You bet , but remember the outboard style #33 cables can be had in a more robust #43 size , which are a bit harder to get into tight curves.

Robster_in_edmonds said:

When these things go south they go dead. One of our yacht club members has had his electronic controls fail twice in two years. Luckily within twenty feet of a dock each time, with others nearby to assist. Spend 5-10 grand for LESS reliability ? Not for me...

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You do know that cars do not have throttle cables anymore?

They are similar "fly by wire" type systems, true they do not have the rotary belt that the MircoCommander has but still no direct connection.

I have not had any experience with any of the new electronic controlled engines with electronic controls though..

The one boat I sometimes operate has used them an average of 2000 hrs a year ( yes 2000 is not a typo) and has had them for ten years with no failure.

There is always some percentage of failure is all systems.. never heard of a failure in a cable system?

The big advantage of electronic controls is that the system can have parameters set to drop engine rpm and time between shifts to allow for prop mass to slow before reversing direction, ease of gear change, multiple station location, remote control.

Would I but a NEW electronic system to replace the simple 2 station control on my Ocean Alexander?.. no way.. just think of all the Margaritas I can have for the same $ .. I could even afford to have some of them served to me by dancing girls..

HOLLYWOOD

Our relatively new to us NT42 has Twindisc electronic controls (one station). As far as I'm aware they've never had any attention after almost 11,000 engine hours but now need a small repair done - on a mechanical component.

On our previous boat we had to replace all four mechanical control cables after 4000 hours.

Conrad said:

Our relatively new to us NT42 has Twindisc electronic controls (one station). As far as I'm aware they've never had any attention after almost 11,000 engine hours but now need a small repair done - on a mechanical component.



On our previous boat we had to replace all four mechanical control cables after 4000 hours.

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Yes I heard good things about them Nordhavn used them in some of their larger models I believe too.

I have never had an electronic system fail. I have had three separate cable system failures. Has anyone ever tried to trace a steering cable run on any decent sized boat? It can be a real nightmare unless the failure is at the ends, rudder or helm. Anywhere in between can be a real undertaking to track down.

Just ordered a second ZF microcommander set up for a client's boat after 2 years trouble free on a commercial landing craft I had installed them on. Previous system was 33C cables and as well as the cables breaking the gearboxes were suffering repeated failures (like every 6 months at least) Absolutely no gearbox preoblems since the ZFs were fitted and proper programming. Bill at Roberts Maritime Systems did me a very sharp price. (5K for twin engine two station including all data cablining of over 300')