Docking Made Easy with Dockmate
Published: Sunday, November 27, 2022 12:00 pm
By: Jordan Balbresky
Even for some of the most experienced boaters, docking can be stressful. The best way to dock confidently and reduce stress is to have complete control of your boat, to have clear visibility of your surroundings, and to be in the best position on your boat to handle lines when needed.
That sounds like you need to be in three places at once, but not necessarily. With the Dockmate wireless remote control system you can easily operate electronically-controlled engines, bow and stern thrusters, and the anchor winch and horn from anywhere on board using a small handheld device. With “plug-and-play” connectivity for engine and thruster systems, Dockmate’s remote control allows you to maintain command of your boat’s movement while you are away from the helm.
The result is a more confident, safer and less stressful docking experience, even when you are single-handed, as well as an easier way to recover your anchor from the bow or navigate through locks.
Dockmate offers a pocket-sized extension of the boat’s controls that can mimic its response time and feel for a seamless user experience, and it can be customized to meet the specific preferences of individual boaters. Using the included software, installers can make adjustments to the throttle RPMs in order to ensure improved response time and boat handling to meet challenging conditions, such as in heavy wind or current.
Regardless of the size or type of boat and propulsion, or the number of engines, one thing that every boater understands is that docking is made more complex by the slight delay between engaging the throttle and the moment that the boat begins to move. Unlike cars, where there is no immediate burst of power when the gas pedal is pushed and the driver can ease into motion, boat engines will fully engage immediately when put into gear. Dockmate has solved this problem with their patented SoftDocking technology which has the ability to provide a measured and fully-customizable engine response, eliminating the difficult-to-predict ‘kick’ that boaters often dread when maneuvering in close quarters.
Dockmate has also developed a feature called Throttle+ which provides customized, pre-determined, and on-demand throttle RPMs. This feature is extremely helpful when there's a heavy wind or current and you need more than just idle speed, and an immediate boost of throttle is required to safely maneuver your boat to the slip.
Each Dockmate system includes a wireless, handheld transmitter that is rugged, waterproof and floats. This transmitter has an easy-grip rubber finish and includes a lanyard and wireless charger, as well as a plug-and-play receiver compatible with most brands of engines and thrusters. The Dockmate signal reaches up to 165-feet, which is by far the longest range available and does not require an expensive range repeater on boats over 80-feet, such as with competitive products.
For boaters with the most common analog engine and thruster controls, Dockmate has developed a solution for you with the new RED transmitter which is offered in SINGLE or TWIN configurations. It comes pre-configured with analog idle speed engine modules and on/off thruster modules, and with an optional anchor control module.
Take control and make docking your boat a snap. For more information on Dockmate visit www.dockmate.us.
tags: Boat Docks, docking solutions
