BOATS & GEAR
PRODUCT ROUNDUP
Reliable and driven ZF Marine provides long-lasting and wide-ranging commercial solutions By Brian Hagenbuch
ver the years, Florida-based ZF Marine has used its reliable transmission, control, and propeller product lines to spread across fisheries nationwide, from lobster fishermen in the Northeast to shrimpers in Gulf of Mexico and salmon fishermen in Alaska and just about everything in between. Drew Orvieto, the senior manager for ZF Marine’s commercial product line, said he has put transmissions in boats ranging from 16 up to 300 or 400 feet, and ZF’s propellers go from the very small all the way up to 2 meters. The control systems come in all manner of sizes as well, with stations housing up to six joysticks with full class approval for larger boats. “One thing that sets us apart from other suppliers in the marine market is
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our ability to cater to all different applications, whether that’s a single screw lobster boat running down in Key West or big commercial tuna seiners out in the Pacific. We have products for anything out there that’s looking to catch fish,” Orvieto said. ZF has also been innovating, with new products like the iDrift, a system that allows for greater control of a heading and speed while drifting. Orvieto added that ZF’s wide range extends to its product line, where control systems, for example, can be the latest electronic setup that would go on a luxury yacht or an old-school cable system. “We can equip the latest sport-fishing yacht or we can do the traditional push-pull cables. In fact, we have some
ZF’s iDrift helps you control drift speed and direction in windy conditions or active current.
old-school push-pull controls on the some of the “Deadliest Catch” vessels, so we like to think we have something for everyone,” Orvieto said. Orvieto added that some fishing boats have ZF systems that have been functioning for years. “We have control systems out in the field that are 35 years old, for example. We have transmissions that have 400,000 hours on them. It’s really impressive stuff when you look at the longevity and the quality that goes into these products,” Orvieto said. ZF MARINE
www.zf.com
Better speed reading A next generation single axis doppler speed log from Furuno By Brian Hagenbuch
uruno has released its DS85 Doppler Speed Log, which is designed to provide the most accurate speed measurement possible and cover regulatory requirements for larger vessels as the next generation single axis speedometer. Beyond nature’s variance of extreme chop and heavy seas, boats create their own noise that can throw off sounding devices. Furuno has devoted its extensive expertise to a new transducer design and coupled it with a higher operating frequency to cut through the noise. The DS85 also has more advanced processing algorithms to further clarify the signal. “Vessel speed fore-aft is a significant factor in arriving in port, especially constricted navigation ways, and of course
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46 National Fisherman \ June 2021
is supremely important when coming alongside the pier. The vessel master and mates need to know the speed of the vessel fore and aft to plan for all maneuvering,” said Matt Wood, Furuno’s national sales manager. On the display side, Wood added that one of the most notable upgrades over the previous generation is a revamped LCD interface that features brighter colors and is easy to read, with an analog speed reading that leaves nothing to interpretation. Network power can accommodate up to three remote displays in the system. A new ball valve transducer makes service — from cleaning to inspection to repair — far easier, and the valve is smaller and lighter than the previous
The speed log fulfills for vessels 150 GT and higher.
generation while still being strong. For larger boats with long runs, the system can accommodate up to 400 meters of cable. And for vessels making a Furuno upgrade, some of the DS80 components can be used, which drives down the installation price. It has eight outputs plus ethernet, providing numerous ways to plug the DS85 into radar and other systems. FURUNO
www.furunousa.com
www.nationalfisherman.com