Yachts with throttle up at binnacle level?

[maby]

We're looking to upgrade from our 33i and we've hit an unexpected problem - the position of the throttle. Having fought with the throttle down at floor level on our previous boat, the fact that the SO33i has it mounted high on the binnacle pillar is an enormous relief - we have a finger berth into which we reverse, and I can step round the binnacle, facing in the direction of travel and able to retain full control at all times. I really don't want to go back to having to struggle with a throttle lever down at floor level.

We were intending to go for a larger Jeanneau - something in the mid-forty foot range - but they all have twin wheels with the throttle out of reach. Having trawled the web, the only current production model I can find with the throttle up high is the Beneteau Oceanis. Is there anything else I should be looking at?

 

[Tanqueray]

Why not just move the throttle rather than restrict your choice of boat over it?

Plenty of kit available for the job.

 

[maby]

Why not just move the throttle rather than restrict your choice of boat over it?

Plenty of kit available for the job.

We have thought about it, but would prefer to avoid amateur hackery on a brand new boat!

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

We have thought about it, but would prefer to avoid amateur hackery on a brand new boat!

Get it done professionally then.

 

[Tanqueray]

We have thought about it, but would prefer to avoid amateur hackery on a brand new boat!

Get the builder to do it as an 'extra'. Unless you are buying a boat without any deck fittings or hatches it will already have been 'hacked'.

 

[FullCircle]

There is a kit for duplicating the controls.... get a competent yard to do it - Jeanneau have a very inventive cost estimating department, as I found out when I bought my SO35.

 

[maby]

thanks to all for suggestions - we are already talking to the jeanneau dealer about the possibility of getting something retrofitted onto one of their offerings.

Do I assume from the lack of other suggestions that there are no other options apart from Beneteau that do it as standard?

 

[Al Dickson]

Moody 45DS controls

We have them on the Moody - think they are called Vetus or something, all electronic .... would have thought they would be pretty easy to retro fit ?

 

[maby]

We have them on the Moody - think they are called Vetus or something, all electronic .... would have thought they would be pretty easy to retro fit ?

Now that's interesting - I was only thinking of mechanical couplings - which would be far harder to install!

 

[Supine Being]

Here's a link to their remote throttle controls

http://viewer.zmags.com/publication/06fa8bec#/06fa8bec/56

 

[maby]

Vetus does look like a good option! Just been talking to them and they suggest something like £8k fitted and commissioned - not cheap, but we would be saving close to £20k by deleting the Jeanneau 360 degree docking system that various owners have scared me off from!

 

[short-handed]

My Catalina 36 has what you're looking for but I don't thing they're a common boat in the UK. Good boat though!

 

[stuarta]

One thing to be aware of with electric controls is that they can have a delay between moving the throttle and the engine response (something to do with actuators??). They have an electronic system on the Plymouth pilot vessels which, according to one of their skippers, had a delay of up to 7 seconds - not ideal when trying to do personnel transfers in any kind of sea state !

However, I'm sure the technology is getting better all of the time (fly-by-wire is hardly new) and I suspect that relatively small engines are faster to respond. They have now got the Plymouth boats down to something more reasonable.

 

[A1Sailor]

We have them on the Moody - think they are called Vetus or something, all electronic .... would have thought they would be pretty easy to retro fit ?

What a lovely picture
WhereIzzit?

 

[scottie]

The concept of a throttle that can be accessed through the spokes of a wheel let alone twin wheels is a broken arm waiting to happen!!

 

[A1Sailor]

The concept of a throttle that can be accessed through the spokes of a wheel let alone twin wheels is a broken arm waiting to happen!!

I guess one perhaps reaches around/over the wheel? Perfect set up for both right and left-handed helmsfolk!

 

[Seajet]

The concept of a throttle that can be accessed through the spokes of a wheel let alone twin wheels is a broken arm waiting to happen!!

I agree; if anyone suggested a layout like that on an aircraft they'd be sacked !

It might be obvious common sense to reach around the wheel to the throttle, but sooner or later in the lifetime of the boat someone will definitely reach through the wheel.

The throttle/gear selectors must be somewhere away from the wheel, probably in front of it to one side.

 

[maby]

The concept of a throttle that can be accessed through the spokes of a wheel let alone twin wheels is a broken arm waiting to happen!!

Hmmm, lets be reasonable about this - it is a yacht, not something big with servo steering - the only way you could break an arm is by forcing the wheel round hard yourself! You'll only be standing on that side of the wheel for low speed, close quarters work, so I think it should be reasonably safe...

 

[A1Sailor]

I agree; if anyone suggested a layout like that on an aircraft they'd be sacked !

It might be obvious common sense to reach around the wheel to the throttle, but sooner or later in the lifetime of the boat someone will definitely reach through the wheel.

The throttle/gear selectors must be somewhere away from the wheel, probably in front of it to one side.

Em... it isn't an aircraft.
Em... the throttles seem to be in front of the wheels, and offset.
I had the combined throttle/gear lever on the binnacle of the Moody336 I had for 5 years. It was very convenient, and I didn't break an arm.

 

[Ripster]

Em... it isn't an aircraft.
Em... the throttles seem to be in front of the wheels, and offset.
I had the combined throttle/gear lever on the binnacle of the Moody336 I had for 5 years. It was very convenient, and I didn't break an arm.

In fact if you look closely they are behind the wheel if you are stood at the helm. But I do agree, it is probably unlikely that anyone will get their arm stuck, let alone broken. Mine is mounted on the side of the binnicle as well, so in theory the same could happen, but you just reach around the wheel.