IPS-Joystick test

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Technical details
Producer:	Volvo Penta (SE)

Volvo Penta boasts about the easy handling of the IPS-joystick. "With a few simple hand movements, the boat driver can safely place the boat at the quayside even in difficult wind conditions" promises the Swedish manufacturer. But is it really that simple? To find the answer, we asked Mrs. J. van den Brink from Holland to do a special test. Mrs. Van den Brink – 74 years old and the mother-in-law of our reporter – never drove a boat before. Furthermore she´s a complete disaster where it concerns modern electronics. And that combination was exactly why she seemed to be the perfect person to check out Volvo´s ´docking revolution´. The Dutch Bavaria-importer Erik Huis in ´t Veld was brave enough to put a boat at our disposal that costs 450.000 euro: the Bavaria 42 HT.
Volvo Penta IPS Joystick was introduced at the London Boat Show in January 2006. In spite of all the ingenious technique that´s in it, at the helm the instrument seems to be not much more than just a little stick. And more important: it works as simple as it looks. To make the boat go right or left you just point the stick in the wanted direction and the boat will follow that movement automatically. The only two conditions are that the boat has an IPS-drive system and that you are driving at low speed.
The joystick is used only in situations that requires very precisely maneuvering. You just have to push the button, to put the system on. From that moment it will take over the function of the regular helm and gas handles. When you push the stick to the right or the left, the boat will move sideward in that direction. When you push it forwards, backwards or diagonally, the boat will follow that movements to. And if you turn the stick around, so will the boat. If you want a combination of all these movements, you can also push and turn the stick at the same moment.
The IPS-joystick just uses the common diesel engine of the boat, in combination with the units of the IPS-drive system. The system reduces the engine speed automatically to maximum 1500 rpm to prevent the boat going into plane by accident, but if necessary a booster function will give some extra sideward power. You can use the stick without any limitation. As long as there is diesel in the tanks, you can maneuver. If you want to stop the joystick-function, just push the on/off button again. The system will automatically turn off, when you touch the helm or gas handles.
It doesn´t looks too difficult, but to the complete inexperienced Mrs. Van den Brink it can´t be easy enough. After a short trip with the Bavaria at one of the Frisian lakes she suddenly realizes that – perhaps – she said just a little bit too easily ´yes´, when we asked her to be our test person. Doubt is coming retrospectively to her in a very strong way. The Bavaria 42 is much bigger and the harbor much smaller than our interim test skipper seemed to realize in advance. "Till now we had no problems making curves, did we? So just write in your article that the boat is very easy to handle", she tries. Then, after a moment, she still decides to give it a try.

Crash course
What follows can be described as a crash course boat control. Bavaria-importer Huis in ´t Veld shows for a shot moment how the joystick works and than blandly gives it – after a few reassuring words – in the hands of the highly tensed Mrs. Van den Brink. And so the same Dutch lady that was at home not even able to fathom the users manual of her new mobile telephone, now suddenly is driving a sailing miracle of modern technique. To be honest: routine is not the main characteristic at this phase of the test. Little bit to the right, little bit to the left, little bit forward, little bit backward... But then – as if she didn´t do anything else before – our test skipper turns the 13 tons weighing boat a complete 360 degrees in the narrow space between a landing and a boathouse. It may be clear: Mrs. Van den Brink is ready for The Test. Can a complete inexperienced per