Sea Ray with Axius Drive at Fox Chapel Marine
Monday, August 25, 2008

When I bought my first cruiser, my father, a lifetime boater, told me how lucky I was. “When I was a kid all we had was a little 14’ Lyman with a 30 horsepower Evinrude outboard. We had to fill it up with water so the boards would swell before we could launch it,” he said. “Today you guys have air conditioning and power toilets and call that boating.”

After I drove the new 310 Sea Ray Sundancer with the high tech Mercruiser Axius Drive System, I started to think about what I would say to my kids 20 years from now. “When I was a kid we had to actually use separate throttles and shifters to dock a boat. Now you guys just use a joy stick.”

Recently Fox Chapel Sea Ray gave us the opportunity to test drive their new 310 Sundancer with the latest boating innovation that could change boating as we know it in a way that fiberglass changed it over 40 years ago. Mercruiser’s new Axius Drive System allows even novice boaters the ability to maneuver larger vessels in tight quarters using the intuitive joy stick feature. Boat owners will never have to fear docking at a busy marina again.

A few of the staff members at BoatPittsburgh.com had the opportunity to test drive the new system. We took the new 310 Sundancer out on the Allegheny River with a normal current and brisk wind to simulate some maneuvers with the Axius System.

After a few minutes of getting familiar with the joystick and controls, I began to put the boat into some maneuvers as if I were docking it. It performed as advertised. The joy stick really does give the captain complete control of the vessel. Give the stick a twist and the boat would turn almost in its own length. When I moved the stick sideways, the boat responded.

The only challenge was getting a feel for how much thrust to apply. When using the joystick, the boat’s speed is proportional to how far the stick is moved from center. To keep the controls from being too “touchy” in tight quarters, I just pressed the Docking Mode button, and the RPMs are limited for precise docking. The authority of the joystick is reduced in half for a more refined touch when docking under various conditions. This means the joystick has twice the resolution, preventing the operator from overcompensating or moving the joystick too far.

The docking mode and joystick control are not the only advantages of the Axius System. VesselView which displays a variety of vessel and engine information with the push of a button.

Auto Heading, is an advanced software which allows the captain to maintain course and make precise corrections easily and with minimal effort. Captains may choose a heading and lock it in via the touch of a button on the Axius CAN control pad. The pad also allows the captain to vary the course port or starboard by using the arrow keys. The course will change by 10 degrees per tap. The joystick functions as another method of correcting course, but in 1 degree increments, when Auto Heading is enabled. Auto Heading can be quickly disabled through the CAN pad or by simply turning the steering wheel.

Advanced Auto Yaw Control is also available via Axius Plus Piloting. Using the integrated GPS and electronic compass, this feature accurately holds the bow of the boat at a precise heading regardless of conditions. This feature is especially useful when executing lateral movements, such as moving away parallel from a fuel dock. This feature reduces the amount of twisting on the joystick.

At this time, Fox Chapel Sea Ray has the only boat in the Pittsburgh area with the Axius system. If you are a new boater that has been afraid to move up because of docking issues, this boat may be the one for you. Click here for more information and to contact Fox Chapel Sea Ray.


Submitted by: Terry Grantz

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