With the addition of our new Yacht Controller, docking the KE52' has become even easier and, in reasonable conditions, even the average yachtsmen should be able to single hand her. For those of you not familiar with this clever little device, Yacht Controller is a wireless remote that allows the captain to operate the transmissions and thrusters from anywhere on the boat. In the case of Daystar, our company show boat, this means that we can walk to the cockpit, gain unimpaired, close up views of the dock, and carefully maneuver the 52' fore and aft, port and starboard, and guide her carefully into her berth. Daystar is equipped with both bow (standard) and stern (optional) thrusters from Side Power, and her twin Yanmar diesels move her with authority.John is shown here bringing Daystar in on his first try with the new Yacht Controller. His initial impressions are that the system is very easy to use and operates exactly as expected. We've had many prospects ask about a 3rd station for docking, but John says that we'll now be able to offer something much better because close quarters handling can be done from the very best vantage point, wherever that may be.
We're often asked about the availability of pod drive systems like IPS and Zeus, and while we can't offer joystick control, with twin engines and both bow and stern thrusters, maneuverability closely approximates those systems. Couple this with the Yacht Controller, which decouples the captain from the helm so he or she can move about the boat, and we think this is a very viable alternative that actually offers some real advantages over the pod drive.
