Explore the Best Boating Experience WITH A YACHT CONTROLLER

 Part of my argument for the non-flybridge model was the issue of being stuck at the flybridge during docking. You may have great visibility but it is a long way down and around to any dock line. Docking while at the wheel in the pilot house, either flybridge or non-flybridge has its own disadvantages too. Primarily, your vision to the waterline is limited to seeing directly in front of you and out about 100 feet – not much good when you are trying to avoid the dock behind you or even the finger pier somewhere along side your boat. Am I six inches from the finger pier or six feet? 

Our solution has worked out perfectly. We spent a significant amount of money having a Yacht Controller installed almost ten years ago. It was recommended to me by a good friend and exceptional marine technician, who, at that time, was commissioning all of the Marlow yachts. They were moving from fixed wing controls to Yacht Controllers. I further talked to surveyors who said that the source of Yacht Controller problems was batteries in the remote not getting changed. Ever! Many high-end yacht manufacturers have moved to the Yacht Controller. The stories about problems with a Yacht Controller that I have heard have always come down to training or batteries.  

I hang the controller around my neck and control all movement from wherever I want to be on deck. I have backed out of crowded marinas while standing at the back of the boat deck with great visibility.  If I want to move the stern or bow left of right by 3 inches, no worries. Put the transmission in gear for a moment, no problem. If there is a current running, I add 100 rpm to the engine speed. Close quarters handling is amazing. A neat feature of the controller is that it has a silhouette that allows you to change the orientation either to bow up or stern up. A tremendous aid when you need to move bow or stern either in forward or reverse and don’t want to think about which way to push the levers!

As our engine does not have an electronic control module (a major benefit in my mind), the transmission is controlled by an extremely reliable Glendinning servo unit - same people who make the rock-solid engine synchronizers.  

Finally, I’m a “comfortable cruiser”. Tools like the Yacht Controller are one of the many things on Ranger that make this easy and safe. I look forward to demonstrating these. I even leave the Yacht Controller on until I get the fenders set. Pushing this heavy boat away from the dock with a wind fighting you is a lot like work.