Matt, I remember an article in Power Boat, many hears ago, about an auto trim system. Alwayscwondered what become of it.

Anyone have the article. Hell, Matt probably wrote it.

Padraig

once again mercury marine is behind volvo penta in innovation, they came out with evc or electronic vessel control which does the same thing years ago, formula had a boat with evc on it back in 2010, the 400ss that boattest.com performed .

I remember it Padraig but not in any detail. Let me do some digging.

A few weeks ago I spent a day on Lake Tahoe with former offshore racer Rick Bowling in his new (for him, as the boat was used) Formula 31 SS. It had an auto-trim system that, at least for the 1- to 3-foot slop on the lake that day, was pretty effective. Rick is a bit of a gadget and technology guy and he seemed to appreciate the system. For the record, he also has the 37-foot Talon cat—the pleasure-boat-converted iteration of his final Gone Again offshore raceboat, with Mercury Racing 1350 engines, and knows how to trim a boat all on his own. Still, he was impressed by the system on board his Formula.

The Mercury Active Trim system will be available for media testing later this year. I hope to drive a boat with it, but whether I do or don't it's a safe bet that my friend and colleague Eric Colby, who writes for Boating magazine and boattest.com, will. If it's anything like Mercury's Sky Hook system, also GPS-based, I imagine it will be effective.

I want a system that can see wave height and shape and automatically, and instantly, know exactly how to adjust trim and tab position so I can fly well and land well.

Is that asking too much ? Lol....

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Serious note, some day we (or our kids) will probably see this.

YouTube wave height or actual wave height calculations?

Definately not OSO wave height.

They are definitely going to have to come up with faster trim and tab motors to meet your wish

Hell, there was a time when boaters used a chart and compass to navigate, now just punch in a few numbers and let the boat take you there!

Actually, your point is excellent.

Looks at the state-of-the-art collision avoidance systems in cars these days. They provide steering input if you stray from your lane. They slow you down in the event of sudden congestion ahead. For better or worse, and it scares me too at some level, we are close to driverless cars.

Not having driven a boat with the Active Trim system I can't comment on how it works—I can only report that it's coming and what its manufacturer (Mercury Marine) says its does. But technology keeps blowing me away. We live in amazing times.