Brief Summary
This system is available on Diesel IPS systems only. The Dynamic Positioning System is controlled by software that integrates with Volvo Penta’s electronic platform, EVC. In effect, it holds your boat stationary at a point on the water through GPS coordination with the IPS system. This new capability has many very useful applications, particularly when boating short-handed.
Key Features
- Modern attractively styled Antenna
- Dedicated activation button integrated in Joystick + i.e. no changes on dash board layout
- Adjustable antenna bracket for easy installation
- Deactivation by pressing the button or moving the control levers
Specifications
| Type of Engine | |
|---|---|
| Number of Cylinders | |
| Horse Power | 800 |
| Configuration | |
| Weight | |
| Fuel Type | Both (Gasoline or Diesel) |
| Fuel Delivery | |
| Shaft Length Options | |
| Shift Throttle Control | |
| Displacement | |
| Steering Control | |
| Recommended Fuel | |
| Alternator Output | |
| CARB Rating | |
| Engine Monitoring System |
Captain's Report
There is nothing like having an extra hand at the helm so the skipper can dash out to put on fenders or throw a line. Volvo Penta's new Dynamic Positioning System makes it all possible. Since the introduction of the Inboard Performance System, better known by the acronym IPS and the advancement of the EVC (Electronic Vessel Control), Volvo Penta has been looking more like a software company than an engine company. We are all familiar with the enhanced performance and increased maneuverability that POD drive systems offer to even the novice captains, but remember that the concept is not new -- POD drive systems have been driving commercial ships for several decades. What are new, are the advancements in their operating controls.
The ability to navigate your boat laterally with the tilt of the joystick is easy and safe. Many boaters are not aware of all the elements that go into a successful and effective POD drive system, but one element that is indispensable is the software and programming behind it. More and more propulsion systems available for recreational boats these days rely on software, and not just the kind of application we are used to seeing with computer-aided design or electronic engine function displays.
This software must make hundreds of calculations a second, integrate with GPS enabled components and communicate with and continuously update POD positioning and engine output settings. Perfecting this software is no less a task than Microsoft or Apple developing a new operating system.
Like a fly-by-wire aircraft, when you the boater interface with your boat through the joystick, you are actually interfacing with a computer, which is determining at what angle each pod should be positioned and what RPM setting will be optimal to achieve the desired directional control being inputted by the operator. Over the last few years, we have taken for granted the achievement of this and other systems like it given the extremely low number of anomalies and failures reported.
Volvo Penta recently announced the latest evolution in recreational vessel control which they call The Dynamic Positioning System. Now we should not look at this Dynamic Positioning System as a “new” system or component, since in reality, it is a product of the ongoing evolution in software based around IPS and EVC.
The Dynamic Positioning System is controlled by software that integrates with Volvo Penta’s electronic platform, EVC. In effect, it holds your boat stationary at a point on the water through GPS coordination with the IPS system. A special antenna with double GPS receivers supplies the system with exact information on the boat’s position. With the help of this information, the software controls engine revs, shift positions and the pods. The Dynamic Positioning System is activated by pressing a button on the joystick. Volvo Penta has also made a new 7” color display part of this system where the driver can have full situational awareness of his vessel and the status of the system. Volvo Penta also makes that point that when a vessel is functioning in Dynamic Positioning System mode, the engines are running and the props are turning so it is still considered “underway” and therefore you should always have an operator at the helm. For those of you wondering how you get this system, we are told it will be available as an option for all IPS diesel systems on 2010 models.
