Oh boy. Where do I start? First of all, I have a Yacht Controller installed on my Sea Ray 58 Sedan Bridge. I use it every time I am on the boat and I cannot imagine living without it. Can I handle the boat without it? Sure. I have been boating for more than 40 years and hold a USCG Masters license. I have taught sailing and boat handling since I was 18. I know how to handle a boat. As with most other pieces of equipment on the boat, the Yacht Controller is not necessary, but surely is a welcome tool. As such, it falls in a category with the windlass, chart plotter with electronic charts, AIS, and automatic fog horn, all items I could easily live without, but choose not to.
At 58 feet, my boat is still easy to handle with two people, and even OK for single handed operation in the right sea conditions. The single station helm is centerline on the fly bridge which gives wonderful un-obstructed views fore and aft while underway. But engine controls are mounted to starboard of the helm which does not give the helmsman the ability to see the port side of the boat. Visibility to starboard is better, I can see the side of the boat, but I have to walk away from the shifters to see crew on the starboard side deck. This may seem like a design flaw to some, but is actually the norm as vessel size increases. Larger vessels, fishing boats and even some sailboats are equipped with second or third helm stations (or partial control stations) to compensate for, or enhance, visibility. Larger still and you begin to see wing stations both port and starboard and/or control stations as the aft end of the upper deck.
When we bought Sea Gull, we looked at a lot of options for a second helm station. The Yacht Controller seemed to be the most elegant, versatile system on the market. We don’t have to go into the electronic versus mechanical argument since Sea Gull already had electronic primary controls. The only leap of faith was the wireless function (more on that later). We also looked at wired controls, both fixed position and with a long cord, but the wireless seemed more appropriate for us.
It’s usually just two of us operating the boat. We often have guests, but it is rare that we have people who can help handle the boat. The first place the Yacht Controller is helpful is when anchoring. I bring the boat to the position where I want to anchor and stop. I then walk to the bow and begin to lower the anchor. With the Yacht Controller in hand, I can bump the engines into reverse as the anchor chain pays out. Once the anchor is down and the right amount of scope is out, I can give the boat a good burst of reverse thrust to set the anchor. When it’s time to weigh anchor, the process is reversed. I can be at the bow with a foot on the windlass control, a hand on the Yacht Controller and the wash-down hose in the other hand. I bump the boat forward and bring up the anchor washing with fresh water as I go. Once the anchor is aboard, I can use the Yacht Controller to hold the boat in position while I get back to the bridge.
Docking is the place where the Yacht Controller really shines. At the very least it allows me to see the port side of the boat as we approach a dock. I am also free to move to the front of the fly bridge, to get a clear view below the bow or even to descend to the cockpit. Having this freedom of movement allows me to both control the boat and handle dock lines, essential for single-handed or even short-handed operation.
Remember, that with a boat of this size, close is not good enough. With even a little wind or current it is almost impossible to move the boat by manual brute force. You cannot haul the boat fore or aft along the dock or pull the bow or stern line to move the boat closer to the dock. All movement is done with engines (and bow thruster) in a slow, purposeful way. The Yacht Controller allows me to be in total control.
OK, so the one negative we found was last summer while cruising in the Chesapeake Bay. On two occasions the radio link between the Yacht Controller and its base station crapped out. This happened in Rock Hall, MD and in Annapolis at the worst possible moments – while backing into the dock. In both cases it took only seconds to take command back at the main controls and avoid any mishap. In talking with a technician at the company, these are areas known to have radio interference on the frequencies that the Yacht Controller uses. I wish I had known that before, but now I know. By the way, the tech service guy gave me his cell phone number in case I ever had another problem!
One final note: This is not a toy. People kid me all the time that I could just sit on the dock and send the boat out for a cruise. It sounds great, but there are inherent dangers too. When I am at the starboard quarter snubbing a spring line, I cannot see the port bow. When I am on the bow handling the anchor I cannot always see what is directly behind me. To compensate, we have a lookout on deck or on the bridge who keeps track of these blind spots. Like all of the other tools aboard, we use the Yacht Controller judiciously every day.
