Docking made easy
Joystick system gives total controlHolding a deep sea gas exploration drilling platform in a stable position despite all the effects on wind, wave and tide would seem an almost impossible task -- but now the technology that enables that control is allowing owners of luxury cruisers to experience the same fingertip manoeuvrability.
The Twin Disc Express Joystick Systems (EJS) was developed for the commercial sector but was officially released worldwide this year during the Miami Boat Show.
The first manufacturer to adopt the system was Bill Barry-Cotter of the Queensland-based luxury cruiser company Maritimo. He installed the system aboard a Maritimo C60 Sports Cabriolet and was immediately blown away by the results.
"The Express Joystick System offers seamless docking and slow-speed handling on traditional shaft-drive boats by combining the Twin Disc QuickShift marine transmissions technology with hydraulic bow and stern thrusters," Barry-Cotter says."We were the first production cruiser manufacturer to adopt Twin Disc's Express Joystick System even though most of the components have been in use in the commercial marine sector, such as the oil and gas exploration areas, for some time."
"Twin Disc introduced the system to us and we built a C60 Maritimo with this technology basically as a demonstrator. I was impressed with the performance from the start and now the number of sales we have made where owners specify they want this type of propulsion vindicates our decision to go down this path."
Barry-Cotter says about 40 per cent of all the shaft drive boats being built by Maritimo now have Twin Disc EJS installed and he expects that to continue to increase.
The Twin Disc joystick system combines proportional hydraulic thrusters with precise control of propeller speeds and directions via the Quick shift transmissions. It enables a level of handling previously only available with the use of pod drives. Barry-Cotter says the system has superior performance to most pod drives and eliminates many of the high-cost maintenance issues associated with pod drives.
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
