Volvo Penta is launching its Assisted Docking system as a retrofit upgrade for many yacht owners with Volvo Penta IPS (Inboard Performance System), from the year 2012 and onwards.
The launch includes software updates, demonstrating the will of Volvo Penta to keep improving the IPS over time. Volvo Penta’s Assisted Docking system compensates for dynamic variables such as wind and current and helps the vessel stay on its intended course.
The system made a splash when it was launched last year – with award recognition at the METSTRADE Show, IBEX and the Consumer Electronics Show (CES).
Retrofitting
Assisted Docking is available for retrofit in the aftermarket for D6-IPS, D8-IPS and D11-IPS packages – from model year 2012 for EVCE and EVC2.
How Assisted Docking is retrofitted will be boat specific. Procedures will range from a simple software update to full upgrade kits that also include the Joystick and Dynamic Positioning System (DPS), antenna and Glass Cockpit interface.
“Previously, this technology was only available for new boats,” explains Anders Thorin, Product Manager Electronics at Volvo Penta. “But we want to ensure that our current customers are able to continually enhance their experience on the water as we continue to make boating more accessible, safer and stress free.”
“Offering software upgrades for our Volvo Penta IPS system means that boat owners can unlock newfound performance in their existing vessels,” said Johan Inden, President of Marine Business at Volvo Penta. “We will continue to innovate and explore how digital enhancements can deliver a continually improving experience for our customers.”
“I was not prepared for such a seamless experience,” says Maria Ronger, an existing Volvo Penta customer, and new Assisted Docking user since testing the system on her yacht. “This is a boat that I know well, I’ve docked her many times. I was wary that the docking system might feel artificial and take away from my boating experience, but it is not like that at all. It is smooth. It does not take over, and it is a helping hand. I still feel in full control, but Assisted Docking gives me a new level of confidence.”
(Volvo Penta launches Assisted Docking retrofit upgrade – barcheagazine.com – April 2022)
