Volvo Penta offers retrofitted Assisted Docking for older engines
Volvo Penta’s big-boat guardian angel is now available for skippers looking for a bit of electronic help at the jettyMarine engine maker Volvo Penta has announced its Assisted Docking system that seamlessly keeps a boat in control even in wind and tide can now be retrofitted to a number of its older powerplants.
The joystick-based control system can now be fitted to Volvo Penta’s D6-IPS, D8-IPS and D11-IPS six-cylinder engine and pod drive systems installed since 2012 and featuring fly-by-wire controls.
However, Volvo Penta has said each boat will most likely need a unique installation ranging from a simple software upgrade to a full joystick and global positioning system, and a Glass Cockpit interface.
Volvo Penta electronic products manager Anders Thorin said Assisted Docking was previously only available in new boats, but the company now wants to enhance the experience on the water for existing customers.
Volvo Penta’s Assisted Docking, launched last year and already enhanced to include more functionality, is a half-step between manually manoeuvring a boat – usually a skill honed over years of experience in a wide range of conditions – and fully automated docking where the skipper has little to no input in the process of squeezing into a tight berth or alongside a crowded jetty.
Helping "seasoned" captains
Assisted Docking allows a skipper to step back from the helm and reassess things while the boat automatically holds station, even against tide and wind.
Volvo Penta says it has continued to refine the system to “behave intuitively in all situations so that anyone can feel like a seasoned captain”.
The Volvo Penta D6-IPS uses a turbocharged 5.5-litre in-line six-cylinder diesel engine producing 400hp, 450hp, 500hp, 600hp or 650hp depending on the state of tune.
The Volvo Penta D8-IPS is a 7.7-litre in-line six-cylinder turbo-diesel producing either 600hp, 650hp, 700hp or 800hp, while the Volvo Penta D11–IPS is a 10.8-litre in-line six-cylinder turbo-diesel engine producing 650hp, 800hp or 950hp.
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