Why no engine sync'ing?
 

My aircraft experience is showing with this question......

Why is there no engine syncronization system (to my knowledge) available on today's multi-engine boats? I can understand the need for separate throttle control for docking/maneuvering, but once underway and running it would seem that having one throttle (engine) as the "master" and the other throttle (engine) as the "slave" would be an advantage as only one throttle would have to be manipulated. I can understand how "back-in-the-day" the cost to implement such would be prohibative. But with todays digital engine management systems I would think the feature would be relatively easy to include.

Thoughts??

Tom

They are available and more common on bigger boats.

I don't know why their not used on go-fast. I would like to have synchronizers on my boat. Anybody know why their not used on go-fast?

They're available from simple stuff like a gauge to make it easier to do, all the way to automated single lever control. They're just not typically used on the hi-po stuff we love around here. Maybe that's the real question.

Big in the cruiser\yacht market......a google should turn up a lot of systems, but you'll see they're aimed at bigger (and slower) pleasure boats.

I had 28 ft baja force that had it, I havent seen
one since and that was 1988.

The 1988 357 Formula we had had the gauge.

Clarification......(sorry)

I meant why we don't see it (digital auto throttle sync'ing) on todays' premium go-fast boats.

Tom

They have exactly that option on the Safe Boat used by the coast guard and law enforcement agencys

tda3,
I always thought dual engine boats should have an aviation style tach that you see on piston twins. One head with dual needles. That way all you do is put one needle on top of the other and then you know the engines are synched.

What is youe aviation background?

X-driver

Because they already cost to much and this would just put the price higher !!!!!!!!! :eek:

Agreed, would be a good idea. Some people have a good ear for sync'ing twins. I remember dialing in my boat with Tres Martin several years ago, first thing he told me was drive gauge was off costing me speed. Adjusted trim to compensate and picked up three MPH.

go fasts are to go fast.... set up properly all engines should run the same rpms at WOT.... what else matters? lol.....

I'd venture reaction time.

When your running, leaving the water and re-entering, I have not seen syncros who could throttle very fast.

I would not relinquish the directness of linked throttles. Running diesels might be different they do not spool up as fast.

the carver I drove this summer has throttle sync. They work well for large slow cruisers, but they do not react very quickly. I liked it because I was able to sync the throttles and choose an idle speed with a dial which was great for a little extra go while maneuvering in tight spaces with wind. I do see a place for it, but just not in the go fasts, if everything is running properly then your engines should be pretty damn close rpm wise

the 10meter fountain i just bought has one.it looks oem.i am probley going to chittt can it.

My Smartcraft has a Snyc gauge in it.

My Sea Ray has it. Makes those turbo Cummins whine like a 3 year old boy on his way to Sunday school.

This gives you something fun to do while driving. I try to do it by ear without looking at the tach. I don't need it, of course that's what I said about EFI before I had it.

I'm a Manufacturing Engineer with Gulfstream Aerospace. Don't do much in the way "engineering" anymore 'cause I'm a group head. Which is a fancy way of saying that my job is keeping the kids playing together in the sandbox. :lolhit:

Ok - here's my thoughts and, granted this is from someone with no real world experience in piloting an offshore performance boat, however.....I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last month. Seriously - I did.

My brain says that since we've relinquished (in many cases) the introduction of fuel into the induction system to digital management systems (i.e. fuel injection), the next logical step would be to move to throttle by wire and get rid of mechanical linkage. I'm sure I can hear the moans & grons and folks are rolling their eyes, but hear me out. If aircraft companies and car companies can certify such systems to very rigid standards, marine companies should be able to implement such a system - especially since there is plenty of knowledge/experience out there to tap into.

Once that hurdle is overcome, it should be relatively easy to digitally manage the RPM's of muti-engine go fast boats with the movement of a single lever. In my way of thinking, when you're running along at speeds in excess of 100mph and up, throttling a single lever would be more efficient and potentially safer.

Hmmmm.....the fact that there's no evidence that such systems exist might be pointing to a possible business product. Yeah.....uh huh.....go ahead.....laugh at me now. But when I develop this system and become filthy rich with the world beating a path to my door, who'll be laughing then??

(SLAP)

Wake up Tom.

LMFAO

That's funny we had an auto throttle problem on one of our GIV's the other day, not sure i would want to be thinking about work when i'm on the water...:lolhit:

But it would be a cool thing to have the throttles working themselves and all you have to do is drive, untill it misses a hole and the drives explode on reentry!

Good friend has twin 300 verados and has the electric helm with auto sync. on his Donzi fish. He uses it a lot as his hearing is not so good and the Verados are kinda quiet.

The Merc Verados have a great sync system when ordered with the electronic throttles. But the throttles on all of the electronically controlled engines (not just Merc) have had some issues, not sure I would want to trust them to run big power yet. I met a guy at the boat show last year that had the Volvo set up and actually kept a spare throttle assembly on the boat because he had several failures. And a couple of years ago we had a sportfish here in Annapolis crush a Fountain fish boat against a dock because the electronic shifters on the SF failed at a very bad time.

I believe Merc already has a drive by wire system on some of the I/O packages. I think some of the 6.2 L engines have it. Not sure if any others do.
Eddie

This is what I think will happen......

There will be someone (NorTech, MTI, Skater???) who decides that leading and being innovative trumps playing it safe and will go for an all digital throttle system. And they'll do it smart by hiring it out to some leading edge company and not do it like (with all due respect) Merc or Volvo who did the engineering in-house. They'll then prove it out on the race course where driver(s) will praise the ease of the system. The net result will be increased market share due to the company being out front leading and saying "Innovation - that's how we roll". :)

BTW - it's cool reading the various responses and perspectives. I really like this forum. How long before I start getting flamed, called names and other such signs of affection?? LOL....

Tom

Yes. DTS. You can get it on 496's as well. Buddy has a 2008 350SS with twin 496HO's/Bravo III X's, DTS, and Axius. Has engine sync as you can throttle off a single shift/throttle lever. You never drive this boat with both levers. Around the dock you use the joystick and from there you go to single lever operation.

Engineering wise, that would be dead easy to do. Throttle by wire is now old technology.

You could do throttle by wire, engine synch and change to rpm control all at the same time. What I mean by rpm control is that the position of the throttle would represent the desired maximum rpm for the engine. Given that, when you launch out of the water the computer would cut the fuel to keep the rpm constant upon re-entry. I'm not sure about the response time but I bet it would be plenty fast for that to work.

Once the controls pass through a CPU, your options really open up.

Very interesting....

All quite intelligent and informative conversation I would say with absolutely no reason for riddicule or bashing.....just my .02:drink:

Question: Is it hard on the engines/ boat if in a twin engine application the rpm are off a by a couple hundred at wot??

My Ski Nautique has drive by wire with GPS controlled speed. It adjusts speed 3Xper second. Capable of pulling me through a slalom course at 16.95 seconds no matter what the wind, boat load, how hard I pull. Very amazing and so far fail safe. Note that a cable still opens the butterfly on the throttle body. For water skiing they have already created a Gps guided steering systems. I have no doubt that software could be created that would not allow the engines to overrev when coming out of the water. I know that management software could protect the engines more than the average captain.