Mercury Marine introduced Mercury Joystick Steering for single-engine boats, compatible for use with the Mercury Verado® family of V8, V10 and V12 outboards from 250 to 600 horsepower, at the Discover Boating™ Miami International Boat Show in Miami Beach, Florida.
Powered by electric steering, Joystick Steering for Single-Engine Vessels completes Mercury's family of joystick systems, providing effortless command and control to owners of vessels powered by sterndrives, inboards, Zeus® pod drives, multiple outboards with or without bow thrusters , single engine pontoons with Bow thruster and now, offers the same capability to boats with only one outboard engine for propulsion.
“This new joystick steering system is unique in that it is specifically designed for single-engine vessels. It features a simple, single-touchpoint user interface for throttle, shift and steering, facilitating ergonomic one-handed operation,” said Tyler Mehrl, Senior Category Manager, Joystick, Steering, and Throttle & Shift Controls.
In contrast to Yamaha’s rival Helm Master EX system for single outboard engines, Mercury’s “sleek design” joystick controller features no physical buttons, instead relying on the user adjusting settings such as the autopilot and waypoints using a multifunction touchscreen.
The joystick will give the skipper proportional forward and reverse movement – the more you move it, the bigger the engine’s response – while the twist function will provide “precise, intuitive steering.
Mercury said Joystick Steering for single-engine boats "eliminates the need for the operator to use both hands on the throttle, to change direction and steer during low-speed maneuvers such as docking."
"Not only is one-handed operation more convenient, but the precise control the steering system provides will give users more confidence in situations where maneuvering a single outboard can be more difficult than a multi-engine configuration."
When Joystick Steering for Single-Engine Vessels is integrated with a compatible multifunction display (MFD) incorporating GPS and Mercury SmartCraft Connect, it also offers autopilot features. “There are two autopilot features, Heading and Route,” Mehrl explained. “You easily can set up a route on the MFD by dropping waypoints. When the Heading function is activated, you can make 1- or 10-degree adjustments to your heading on the MFD, or 10-degree adjustments by twisting the joystick, so you can use it to really fine-tune your direction of travel.”
The Mercury Joystick for single-engine boats will be available on the European market in mid-2024.
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