Volvo Penta introduces Joystick Inboard: World Launch

Volvo Penta released Joystick for Inboard Shaft at the 2016 Press Launch in Gothenberg, Sweden, attended by your crew this week. Given the fact that the Swedish engine maker still sells a good deal of shaft engine installations, this new feature makes perfect sense.

The project leaders premised our test with the boast that this is the most sophisticated complete system on the market for inboard applications that includes all five steering components: thrusters, rudders, gear, slip and throttle.

The Joystick Inboard system has been designed to automatically calculate balance between rudder angles and thrust from the main engines and bow thruster to match each specific boat’s characteristics.

The patented functionality ensures smoothness and precision in every situation, Volvo Penta says, and the result is better maneuverability than any other inboard joystick. For operators who want shaft drive but might not have full confidence or experience in docking, Joystick for Inboard Shaft is the answer.

TOTAL INTEGRATION
Joystick for inboard shaft can be fitted to Volvo Penta D3 to D13 engines. It’s a complete integrated system using a third party’s steering and up-scaled bow thruster with proportional control in either electric or hydraulic.

The new Joystick docking and driving system employs the fly-by-wire steering system module from IPS to move the rudders of the boat in concert with the engines' forward-reverse gears and a bow thruster from, say, Side Power.

The combination of those elements shifts the boat in the direction you move the joystick as per IPS pod drives, but with a little less alacrity. While it’s not as responsive, I did crab the boat into the wind and hold it side on alongside a navigation pole in a decent demo.

"Volvo Penta has long been a leader in joystick control, and the
Joystick Inboard reaffirms that position," says Anders Thorin, Project Leader at Volvo Penta. "Since it
is one of the very few systems that features integrated rudders, no one
else can offer the same level of maneuverability."

FITTED TO THE NEW 600HP D8s
The Joystick for Inboard that we got our hands on for testing was fitted to a pair of the brand-new-also-just-launched 600hp D8 inboard engines with shaft drives on an old Cranchi 48 Atlantique. There was a Joystick docking station in the cockpit and at the lower helm.

We started at the dock and shifted the boat back and forth, moving the 16t boat side on against the wind. You could see the IPS steering unit operate the rudders as the engines shifted in and out of gear and the scaled-up 24V bow thruster whirred away enthusiastically.

While not as responsive as the D8 IPS set-ups also on test — and most European journalists felt like they were going back to the dark ages after driving these more common IPS installations — the system nevertheless got the boat back against the dock. The thrust rating is 10m per second.

JOYSTICK DRIVING ON SHAFT
The Cranchi also had the Joystick Driving function that lets you alter course at any speed by moving the Joystick and adjust the autopilot heading with a twist of the knob. Top speed of the boat driven off the Joystick was 32.9 knots and course alterations were a snap, with no need to lean forward to the autopilot on the dash.

But perhaps the most impressive use of the system is how it spins the boat on the proverbial Swedish krona. The Cranchi also went back hard at up to 7.7 knots. This got us thinking that there could be very real game fishing applications with this set-up on shaft drive boats. IPS is available with Game Fish mode.

With Joystick for Inboard you can still operate the bow thruster separately to the throttles, but there is no need for a stern thruster as the rudders are used instead.

However, at this point in time, Dynamic Positioning System or DPS, the GPS station-holding device, isn't available with Joystick Inboard. But if they can find electric thrusters that don’t overload then this could be a feature in future.

While overshadowed by the latest D8 IPS pod drives, the Cranchi 48 did flaunt a new level of shaft-drive Volvo integration, with the new EVC-E3 engine control system, the new e-Key fob for remote DC activation, the Interceptor System for Auto Trim, Glass Cockpit and a new Battery Management System.

Additionally, as Joystick for Inboard operates with the engines in low-speed mode, the system didn’t unduly clunk in and out of gear or bobble about.

EASY BOATING
Joystick Inboard has been developed in accordance with Volvo Penta’s philosophy of 'Easy Boating', which is the motivation behind pretty much all the new product releases we were party to in Gothenberg. The goal is to make owning and operating a boat as seamless and enjoyable as possible.

"For us, the idea of ‘easy boating’ started with the first joystick in 2006, and ever since we’ve endeavored to make boating simpler," says Stefan Carlsson, head of Volvo Penta’s Marine Diesel segment.

"The Joystick Inboard is another step in this process, and brings the benefits of ‘easy boating’ to an even broader range of boats."

One for shaft lovers wanting the benefits of Volvo Penta's terrific integrated systems. More from Volvo Penta Australia.