2022 Volvo Penta joystick control review

“Do you want to dock the boat?” It’s a question that’s rarely asked on a boat review, and one to weigh up carefully when the boat you’re taking control of happens to be the only $1.7 million-plus Riviera 465 SUV in the world. 

However, this time when the question is asked, we’re very keen to give it a go. And it is because this particular boat is the first in Riviera’s fleet to feature the most recent update to the joystick control system fitted to its twin 600hp Volvo Penta D6-IPS800 drive system.

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What’s significant about this version of Volvo Penta’s joystick control is an update that allows users to “stack” one-metre movements together.

Tied in with the system’s virtual anchor, which can automatically hold the Riviera 465 SUV at station against wind and tide, it offers users a whole new level of control and confidence.

Volvo Penta’s joystick control system is designed to make life easy for skippers when making small, precise manoeuvres in marinas and while coming aside jetties.

In the past, skippers had to manually juggle steering, throttle and shift, and bow thrusters to bump boards in and out of tight berths. It’s a difficult task for experienced skippers, let alone someone stepping up to a larger boat for the first time.

In its early days after it launched in 2006, Volvo Penta’s joystick control for inboard engines was fairly primitive and only worked on boats fitted with a pair of Volvo Penta’s IPS pod drive system featuring forward-facing duoprops.

It could turn the boat, crab it sideways, and move it diagonally in response to intuitive inputs via the joystick – twist it and the boat turns in that direction, tap it and the boat moves that way.

Over time, Volvo Penta has evolved the joystick control system to incorporate bow and stern thrusters, work equally well with the pods, sterndrives and shaftdrive systems, and tie in with satellite navigation so that the system can act as a virtual anchor. 

It has also rolled out a new assisted docking feature, made its technology available as a retrofit for older boats, and took another significant step forward last month by launching a system that will work with single inboard-engined boats.

There’s more to come. Volvo Penta already has teased that future systems will use cameras around the boat to create a virtual fender system that will automatically distance the boat from objects that it is likely to hit.

This latest evolution of Volvo Penta joystick control gives the skipper the ability to just tap or quickly twist the joystick controller to make a small, controlled movements – a quick twist will rotate the boat a degree, while a quick tap will move the boat a metre in the direction the joystick was moved.

You can stack the commands so that three taps will move the boat three metres in the direction indicated, or use three short, sharp twists to swing it in a three-degree arc.

I was invited to stay at the helm while returning from a morning out testing the 15.9-metre length overall Riviera 465 SUV on the Gold Coast Broadwater.

The boat was berthed at the marina outside R Marine Crawley in Runaway Bay, accessed via a narrow canal leading in from the broadwater. Our berth was on the second finger of a floating jetty, with boats occupying surrounding berths alongside and opposite ours.

The Riviera 465 SUV is equipped with two identical joysticks – one at the helm, and another in the cockpit on the port side.

From the helm, once the boat has stopped moving it’s a simple process of pushing the “Docking” button to place the system in its assisted docking mode. By default, the system will hold the boat at station until you start to use the joystick.

This gives us a chance to leave the helm and move to the joystick mounted in the cockpit.

From here, we have good sightlines along the port side – the side of the boat that will come alongside the finger.

Once you’re at the aft joystick, it’s a simple process of just pushing the override button to take control of the boat away from the helm.

We’re going to berth the boat with its stern in, which will require me to spin the boat through 90 degrees, move it sideways to be in line with the finger, and then back it in.

Given the overall length of this boat, I’m a little wary about spinning it around in the confined space of the marina – the bowsprits of the boats opposite the Riviera 465 SUV look awful close, and our bow looks far away.

Having played with joystick systems before, I know that they work best with measured inputs – rather than tapping, you need to give deliberate, sustained commands that give the engines, steering and pod drives the time they need to respond.

So that’s what I do here. However, once I reach about 45 degrees, I’m worried that I may have the bow too close to the boats opposite.

This is where Volvo Penta’s system shines. As soon as I’m unsure about something, I just let the joystick go and the system automatically holds the Riviera 465 SUV at station. I can look, reassess – in this instance reassure myself that I have plenty of room around the bow – and then pick up where I left off.

A long twist of the joystick and a couple of taps brings me roughly parallel with the finger, while a couple of taps to port brings us into the middle of the berth.

From there, it’s a process of pulling back on the joystick to shuffle the Riviera into the space, stopping about a metre from the jetty, a couple of flicks of twist to get the alignment with the finger just right, and then a tap sideways to bring us about 0.3 metres alongside. Let go of the joystick to allow the system to hold at station, jump ashore, tie the mooring lines, and it’s done.

I have to admit that when it comes to docking a boat, I’m much happier for a seasoned skipper to take the helm. And it is just a confidence thing. Yes, despite a philosophy of never approaching something at a speed faster than what I’d like to be moving if I was to hit it, the odd rough landing still happens. When it does, I’d rather it be my boat that I'm skippering than someone else’s.

It says something, though, when Riviera is prepared to give you the helm of one of its newest models and has enough confidence in Volvo Penta’s joystick control system to allow me to try it out in a real-world scenario.

At no stage during the entire berthing process did I feel as though I did not have control of the Riviera 465 SUV. The one time I was unsure about clearance, the automatic station hold stepped in to give me time to reasses and regroup. With a little bit of practice, berthing would become a quick and seamless process.

Unfortunately, Riviera may have created a bit of a monster. Now, if there’s a joystick anywhere on the boat and I’m invited to take the helm to berth it, the answer is always going to be “yes”.