Quick Gyro Stabilizers

Quick SPA manufactures a line of gyro stabilizers for boats called the MC2 series. They are distributed here in the USA by Quick’s USA subsidiary headquartered in Linthicum, MD. Quick recently added five DC-powered gyros for smaller boats to go along with nine AC-powered units for medium to yacht-size vessels. All are effective at stabilizing roll and guarantee high performance both underway and at anchor. MC2X stabilizers are compact, and according to the company will reduce roll up to 95%.

For more info on Quick Gyros Stabilizers, click here.

Editor’s Report by Capt. Nick Martinez

gyro stabilizer

The MC2 X5 Gyro stabilizer.

gyro

gyro stabilizer

Inside the MC²X Series gyro stabilizer the flywheel rotates on the vertical to lessen wear on bearings.

How It Works

onboard

Quick has installed their gyro onboard this Buddy Davis center console and use it to demonstrate the product at boats shows up and down the east coast – such as this stop in Annapolis.

Quick’s gyro stabilizers are comprised of a spinning flywheel mounted in a gimbal frame, allowing two of the three possible rotational degrees of freedom. The frame is then rigidly mounted to a location on the vessel. Most often, the device is located in the engine room of the vessel but can be mounted at any location. Allowing it to precess as the ship rolls can cause its spinning rotor to generate a counteracting roll-stabilizing moment to that generated by the waves on the ship's hull.

There are three intertwined parts to the process of creating gyro- stabilizing torque. Note that each of these things is simultaneously occurring at the same instant in time, but it is helpful to consider each of them separately. Once the flywheel is spinning, the following process leads to the development of a stabilizing torque that opposes rolling motion:

Waves cause the vessel to roll
Rolling motion combines with the spinning flywheel to create precession motion
Precession motion combines with the spinning flywheel to create stabilizing torque

The physics that cause these intertwined actions is called gyro-dynamics. If the flywheel spins in the opposite direction, the induced precession motion will be in the opposite direction, but the stabilizing torque will be identical.

About Quick

active control

The underside of the Quick gyro’s active control uses hydraulic rams to help optimize torque.

Quick is an Italian manufacturer headquartered in Ravenna, Italy. Established in 1983, they produce over 5,000 marine products from windlasses and thrusters, to lighting and water heaters to chargers. They have been doing business in North and South America since 2006 under Quick USA and do business in the UK under Quick Nautical Equipment.

Key Features

Compact design
High installation flexibility
Precession lock function from a remote panel
Equipped with Quick electric motors
Low noise emission
MC²X Mobile App (iOS and Android)

Distinguishing Features

Air-cooled system

Controls

stabilizers

MC2 stabilizers can be managed using remote touchscreens with graphic display. A vessel can have multiple control stations, if desired, and the touchscreens are available in 4” and 5" sizes.

mobile app

MC2 Mobile App can record the performance of the stabilizer. The Mobile App is comprehensive and viewable on both smartphones and tablets (iOS and Android).

Sizing Options

There is a formula for accurately sizing the units for any boat that goes beyond boat length alone. For that reason, consult your Quick distributor to match your boat to the right gyro – the service is free. Quick rates their AC/DC gyros based on the torque the unit generates to counteract roll, measured in nanometers (N-m).

MC2 X2 DC

Output torque: 2000 N-m
Power absorbed 500 W max

MC2 X3 DC

Output torque 3900 N-m
Power absorbed 750 W max

MC2 X5 DC

Output torque 5560 N-m
Power absorbed 1250 W max

MC2 X7 DC

Output torque 6678 N-m
Power absorbed 1300 W max

MC2 X13 DC

Output torque 12850 N-m
Power absorbed 2500 W max

MC2 X5 AC

Output torque 5560 N-m
Power absorbed 1400 W max

MC2 X7 AC

Output torque 6678 N-m
Power absorbed 1500 W max

MC2 X13 AC

Output torque 12850 N-m
Power absorbed 3000 W max

MC2 X16 AC

Output torque 16350 N-m
Power Absorbed 3200 W max

MC2 X19

Output torque 18700 N-m
Power absorbed 3500 W max

MC2 X25

Output torque 25464 N-m
Power absorbed 4500 W max

MC2 X30

Output torque 30333 N-m
Power absorbed 6000 W max

MC2 X40

Output torque 40324 N-m
Power absorbed 7000 W max

MC2 X56

Output torque 55882 N-m
Power absorbed 7000 W max

demo boats

Quick’s demo boats include an Axopar 28 and a Pardo 43, as seen at the recent Genoa boat show.

The new MC² Quick Gyro X2 and X3 stabilizers are designed to be installed on small boats. More specifically, the X2 is perfect for day cruisers and small center console boats while the X3 is suited to sportfish and small cabin cruisers. For boats with limited storage room powered by outboard engines, a compact 12V battery-powered stabilizer is the ideal option.

Power draw for the smaller X2 and X3 units ranges from 40 to 60 amps. They can operate off properly-sized house batteries. The units take a very specific bearing grease and the amount of grease is critical so annual inspection and maintenance every 2,000 hours should be done by a certified service technician who would also check hydraulic pressure.

The MC² Quick Gyro X5, X7, and X13 stabilizers are designed to be installed on bigger boats. The choice between the DC-powered units and the traditional AC series will depend on the eventual presence of an AC power supply on board. Quick gyros can be matched to any boat up to 250 tons or about 120' (36.58 m) in length.

Price

Prices start at $22,000 for the X2, which does not include installation by a certified technician.

Observations

This advertisement gets the message across, no roll – perfect.

A Quick gyro will noticeably improve comfort on board, reducing roll up to 95 percent and will provide a chance to enjoy boating, whatever the sea conditions. We note the units spool up relatively quickly, 14 minutes, and are quiet at 70 db. BoatTEST looks forward to testing the Quick gyros.