Cruzer
Senior Member
- Joined
- Jun 18, 2017
- Messages
- 122
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- OLOH
- Vessel Make
- 60 Jefferson Marquessa Motor Yacht
There is another thread going on the topic of wireless controls that has raised what are a lot of common concerns about such a system. Every boater has their personal threshold for what electronic interfaces they are willing to rely on. Like any personal preference topic, that is a conversation that can go on endlessly and not something we are aiming to conquer here. But that discussion inspired this thread, the point of which is to perhaps assist anyone who has specifically considered a high-end wireless control system, specifically Yacht Controller, which we are able to speak to from experience. The points raised here are based on our use and understanding. We have absolutely no affiliation with or interest in Yacht Controller. We’re just satisfied customers and enthusiastic about the product which certainly isn’t right for everybody. Again, we are not looking to debate the use of wireless controls, but rather to provide what is hopefully some useful, first-hand information.
One of the very first upgrades we made to OLOH after we closed was the installation of a Yacht Controller (we’ll refer to it as YC), giving us wireless control of our thrusters and gears and the option to control our windlass, all from a waterproof controller which is always on a lanyard hanging from the Captain’s neck when being used. We made the decision to go with YC after having helped our friend move his 75’ motor yacht up and down the east coast and getting to know and understand the system on his boat. After two and a half years on OLOH and hundreds of instances of docking and undocking, grabbing and releasing moorings and deploying and retrieving our anchor, we can say without question that it is one of the best tools we have at our disposal. It is neither a toy nor a gadget. It is a sophisticated piece of technology with an immense amount of R&D behind it and, according to them, somewhere close to 20,000 installations. Given the critical nature of when and how it is used, we would not have gone with a system that wasn’t proven at this level. A tech employed by the company flew to our location to install and commission the system which took around two days. While the modules are designed to be “plug and play” with different setups, every installation can present its own unique challenges and we would only be comfortable having this done by someone who works every day with this equipment with a lot of installations under their belt.
Reliability is, understandably, the biggest concern people seem to have in discussions we’ve seen about wireless docking controllers. Again, this comes down to proven technology. We use our YC every time we pull into or out of a slip. Prior to untying or arriving before quarters are close, we test every function on the YC to ensure everything is working and it is our standard practice to always test our thrusters to minimize the possibility of surprises when we expect them to be there for us. In the time we have had our YC and in the much longer time our friend has had his, it has never not worked. We have never experienced unreliable or intermittent operation.
Anyone can read their promotional literature which points out the specifics of the tech so we’ll spare you a cut & paste and rather point out two of the key features that give us confidence. The YC remote communicates with its receiver simultaneously on two frequencies. With interference being among the biggest concerns with wireless controls, redundancy was essential to us. Also, when the system and remote are both powered up they are constantly communicating. The moment that communication is broken a loud alarm sounds. We test this feature with some regularity by powering down the remote while the primary system is still powered.
I know from other YC users that we all have different approaches and comfort levels with how we use the system. For us, our primary mode is using it as “wing stations” where the Cap will stand just outside the pilothouse when departing or arriving at a dock. For us, being able to bring the boat in or out of a slip from this vantage point is invaluable. We have tested it from every part of the boat (we’re 60’) and it works flawlessly everywhere (again, an alarm would sound if out of range and we can hear the alarm everywhere on the boat), but we prefer to always be steps away from the pilothouse helm out of an abundance of caution. We will use it from the foredeck at an anchorage or in a mooring field which removes a layer of crew communication and, for us, makes much easier work of managing those situations. But even there we can be at the helm in a few seconds (the Cap has even gone so far as to get the Garmin interface which puts data as a heads-up display in his sunglasses so he can keep an eye on depth in anchoring situations). The only time we will use it from the dock is to bump the thrusters to adjust lines once the boat is fully secure with the engines shut down. No need for a discussion on the foolishness of operating a boat by remote control from a dock.
Regarding the need for fly-by-wire controls in order to interface with a system like YC… While you don’t need to have fly-by-wire helm controls, for boats without them you would have to interface a wireless controller system with an electronic actuator system which is not an insignificant added expense. One of the collateral benefits of having such an actuator is it can act as an emergency backup should gear cables or hydraulic controls fail. OLOH already had digital throttle and shift so no conversation was necessary in our case.
Battery life on the remote has been excellent. We are diligent about changing the batteries every couple of months when we are on the move (and removing them when the boat will be sitting for an extended period). And while we have never run them down, I know from others that you have sufficient warning when the batteries should be replaced before it will stop working.
This type of a system is most certainly not for everyone. The OP of the other thread is on a single engine vessel and would like rudder control. This will not provide that. It is also an expensive undertaking. We can only speak to our individual situation but the added benefit for us has proven to be well worth it and we would do it again. We would not personally have looked at a less proven system in order to save a few boat bucks. If anyone has any specific questions about our experience or system, please feel free to ask.
One of the very first upgrades we made to OLOH after we closed was the installation of a Yacht Controller (we’ll refer to it as YC), giving us wireless control of our thrusters and gears and the option to control our windlass, all from a waterproof controller which is always on a lanyard hanging from the Captain’s neck when being used. We made the decision to go with YC after having helped our friend move his 75’ motor yacht up and down the east coast and getting to know and understand the system on his boat. After two and a half years on OLOH and hundreds of instances of docking and undocking, grabbing and releasing moorings and deploying and retrieving our anchor, we can say without question that it is one of the best tools we have at our disposal. It is neither a toy nor a gadget. It is a sophisticated piece of technology with an immense amount of R&D behind it and, according to them, somewhere close to 20,000 installations. Given the critical nature of when and how it is used, we would not have gone with a system that wasn’t proven at this level. A tech employed by the company flew to our location to install and commission the system which took around two days. While the modules are designed to be “plug and play” with different setups, every installation can present its own unique challenges and we would only be comfortable having this done by someone who works every day with this equipment with a lot of installations under their belt.
Reliability is, understandably, the biggest concern people seem to have in discussions we’ve seen about wireless docking controllers. Again, this comes down to proven technology. We use our YC every time we pull into or out of a slip. Prior to untying or arriving before quarters are close, we test every function on the YC to ensure everything is working and it is our standard practice to always test our thrusters to minimize the possibility of surprises when we expect them to be there for us. In the time we have had our YC and in the much longer time our friend has had his, it has never not worked. We have never experienced unreliable or intermittent operation.
Anyone can read their promotional literature which points out the specifics of the tech so we’ll spare you a cut & paste and rather point out two of the key features that give us confidence. The YC remote communicates with its receiver simultaneously on two frequencies. With interference being among the biggest concerns with wireless controls, redundancy was essential to us. Also, when the system and remote are both powered up they are constantly communicating. The moment that communication is broken a loud alarm sounds. We test this feature with some regularity by powering down the remote while the primary system is still powered.
I know from other YC users that we all have different approaches and comfort levels with how we use the system. For us, our primary mode is using it as “wing stations” where the Cap will stand just outside the pilothouse when departing or arriving at a dock. For us, being able to bring the boat in or out of a slip from this vantage point is invaluable. We have tested it from every part of the boat (we’re 60’) and it works flawlessly everywhere (again, an alarm would sound if out of range and we can hear the alarm everywhere on the boat), but we prefer to always be steps away from the pilothouse helm out of an abundance of caution. We will use it from the foredeck at an anchorage or in a mooring field which removes a layer of crew communication and, for us, makes much easier work of managing those situations. But even there we can be at the helm in a few seconds (the Cap has even gone so far as to get the Garmin interface which puts data as a heads-up display in his sunglasses so he can keep an eye on depth in anchoring situations). The only time we will use it from the dock is to bump the thrusters to adjust lines once the boat is fully secure with the engines shut down. No need for a discussion on the foolishness of operating a boat by remote control from a dock.
Regarding the need for fly-by-wire controls in order to interface with a system like YC… While you don’t need to have fly-by-wire helm controls, for boats without them you would have to interface a wireless controller system with an electronic actuator system which is not an insignificant added expense. One of the collateral benefits of having such an actuator is it can act as an emergency backup should gear cables or hydraulic controls fail. OLOH already had digital throttle and shift so no conversation was necessary in our case.
Battery life on the remote has been excellent. We are diligent about changing the batteries every couple of months when we are on the move (and removing them when the boat will be sitting for an extended period). And while we have never run them down, I know from others that you have sufficient warning when the batteries should be replaced before it will stop working.
This type of a system is most certainly not for everyone. The OP of the other thread is on a single engine vessel and would like rudder control. This will not provide that. It is also an expensive undertaking. We can only speak to our individual situation but the added benefit for us has proven to be well worth it and we would do it again. We would not personally have looked at a less proven system in order to save a few boat bucks. If anyone has any specific questions about our experience or system, please feel free to ask.
