Sponsor Product Overview

Making Waves Summer 2016 Making Waves Winter 2020Seakeeper

And the Death of Rock and Roll

RFA Sponsor Product Overview by Gary Caputi

In the first Making Waveslook at an RFA spon- that designed and manufactured motion control sor’s products and services we are focusing systems for high-speed commercial vessels. The our attention on a company that has created an two got together in 2002 to try and wrap their entirely new category of products for the recrea- heads around a vexing problem. How do you tional marine market—boat stabilization systems. take the anxiety out of recreational boating and Since 2008, Seakeeper has gone from being a grow the market? novelty to possibly the most sought-after option on new boats to ever come down the pike, and with their growing product line and simplified installation the company is rapidly expanding into retrofitting existing boats. The duo identified what they felt was the greatest cause of angst among potential boat buyers— boat roll. You know, the side-to-side movement a boat exhibits when at rest or in motion that causes the dreaded seasickness for some folks. They Seakeeper is the brainchild of co-founders Shep envisioned a gyroscopic stabilization system McKenney and John Adams, who between them aimed specifically at the recreational market, but have decades of experience in the marine indus- little did they realize, they were embarking on a try. McKenney is a former co-owner of the Hinck- multiyear project that would require a giant leap ley Yacht Company and was responsible for the in design and manufacturing technology to make development of their groundbreaking JetStick™ their vision a reality. fly-by-wire control system, which sparked a revo- McKinney and Adams began research and devel-lution in electronic navigational systems. Adams opment in 2003, but it would take over five years is an expert naval architect who had been im- before they showcased their first demo unit to an mersed in the mechanics of vessel stabilization for initial group of boat builders, right in the middle decades. He led Maritime Dynamics, a company of the Great Recession. Still, their fledgling sys-

tem’s ability to reduce vessel roll was so impres- their intended job and how incredibly reliable sive that several boat builders with a forward they are in actual long-term operation in the malooking perspective placed orders and Seakeeper rine environment. It is a testament to the level of was in business. As the recession eased and word commitment the company has put into research started getting out, more orders started rolling in and development, engineering, and manufactur(pun intended), and soon Seakeeper was hard ing. pressed to keep up with demand. Today the company offer units large enough to accommodate Over the years I have been on dozens of boats yachts weighing up to 100 tons and small equipped with Seakeeper systems. Most of the enough to mount under the leaning post of a 23- earliest encounters were on larger sportfishing foot center console, with sizes for every recrea- boats, but as the popularity of the systems grew, tional craft in between. the company continually downsized and simpliSo how does a Sea- they could be inkeeper work? A stalled on smaller outwhisper quiet fly- board-powered wheel spins horizon- boats. With the introtally at speeds up to duction of their latest 9000 RPM in a vacu- achievement, the Seaum created inside keeper 1, the technolthe unit’s ball-shaped ogy is now available housing. The hous- for boats as small as ing is mounted on a 23 feet and it takes cradle with comput- up so little space that er-controlled hydrau- it can easily fit underlic rams that rotate it neath the helm seat forward and back in or in a small belowline with the long deck compartment. axis of the boat, the The unit is tiny, powsensors timing the ered entirely by the movement to the roll boat’s onboard 12rate of the hull. The volt system and force generated by draws about the the moving gyro ne- same amperage as gates up to 97% of hull roll, and instead the boat the onboard stereo system. It spins up to operatgently rises and falls as the waves pass beneath. It ing speed in 15 minutes and does for a small boat might sound simple, but the technology and what the larger models have been doing for big manufacturing behind it are anything but. The diesel-powered vessels since the original models precisely balanced flywheels are machined to tol- were put into operation back in 2008. erances of 1/10,000 of an inch and ride on aerofied the systems so space bearings while the housing maintains a One of my early experiences with a Seakeeper sealed vacuum chamber that allows it to spin fast- came during a boat test I was conducting for er, requiring far less electrical power to achieve Marlin Magazinesome years ago aboard a just the velocity needed to accomplish the task. So- launched 65’ convertible. I was with Russ Garufi, phisticated computer components and sensors owner of Titan Boats, a custom sportfishing yacht are required to drive the hydraulic rams. With all builder out of Ocean City, Maryland, and this was this amazing technology, much developed specif- the first of his boats to be equipped with a Sea-ically by or for Seakeeper, the true wizardry be- keeper and he was dying to give it a try. He ran hind it all is just how unobtrusively the units do the boat off to an area of shoals several miles off-

shore where large swells formed into steep 4 to 6foot waves when they struck the shallows. He turned the boat broadside to the sea and took it out of gear. In no time it was rolling violently forcing us to maintain a tight grip on the helm chairs as the flybridge moved from side to side. It sort of makes you feel like a bobblehead doll as your whole body is exposed to the G-forces and the muscles in your back, hips and legs tense and work overtime to maintain balance.

“Here goes,” he said as he engaged the Seakeeper, and in a matter of seconds the boat stopped rolling completely and simply rose and fell gently as the waves passed under the hull.

“I still just can’t believe it,” he muttered over dinner later that evening. “That has to be the greatest development in boating I’ve seen in my lifetime. I’ll never build another boat without one.” And Russ was not alone in his conviction as the demand from yacht builders continued to grow at a frenetic pace. OEM customers were standing in line to get them. Over the ensuing years I have experienced the same results on every boat, large and small, that I have tested or fished that was equipped with a Seakeeper. Spending time on a boat with one is so much easier on the human body as to be nearly miraculous and if you think it works great on a larger boat, I think the benefits are is even more appreciable on smaller outboard fishing boats. Spending long days on the water is more demanding than we realize until we experience the alternative. Just the effort to stay balanced as a boat is rolling all day whether drifting, trolling or at anchor, even if the seas are relatively calm and the roll is modest, is physically stressing. The shifting back and forth takes a toll on your back, hips, and legs and when it gets really bumpy, your shoulders, arms and hands from having to hold on. You might not realize it, but you are burning up energy because your muscles are constantly working. The magic of a Seakeeper is its ability to maintain a stable platform under your feet and that is a major stress reliever. The first long offshore run I made on a boat with one was an eye opener. I got off the boat after being aboard for 20 hours of running, trolling in rough water and

This overhead shot shows a factory installed Seakeeper in a specially designed compartment below under the cockpit sole of an 80' Viking Convertible .

dancing around the cockpit fighting fish, and re- the customer or dealer’s request, and of the 20% alized I was not anywhere near as tired as I nor- that don’t order one a good portion are back to mally would be. My back didn’t ache, my muscles have one retrofitted in a matter of months,” Heaweren’t sore, and there was way more bounce in ley said. “Lucky for them we design all of our diemy step. sel boats with dedicated space below the cockpit Pat Healey, the president of the Viking Yacht keeper, so the retrofit is pretty easy. With the inCompany and an avid tournament angler, had troduction of the smaller 12-volt line for outboard this to say on the subject. “When I would fish a boats we are experiencing the same demand for multi-day tournament before the advent of Sea- the units with our Valhalla center consoles. Over keeper my ass would be dragging by the end of 80% are ordered with a factory-installed Seakeepday two and my hips and legs would be aching. er.” When we installed the first Seakeeper in one of sole specifically for the appropriately sized Seaour demo tournaments boats I noticed an imme- If you would like to learn more about these rediate change. By the end of day two I was so markable systems, I suggest you hop over to much less physically stress and tired, the differ- www.seakeeper.com and check out the consumence was dramatic. The entire crew noticed the er resources that explain in detail how they are difference and we haven’t launched a demo built, how they work and what unit is applicable without on since.” for your existing boat, or that new one you’re planning to purchase. I can assure you that once “Over 80-percent of the Vikings we sell leave our you fish with one, you will never want to go fishNew Gretna facility equipped with a Seakeeper at ing without one again.

Predator-Prey Interaction Study Reveals More Food Does Not Always Mean More Consumption

Decades of data allow researchers at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center to look at predator-prey interactions in a different way: among multiple species throughout the water column. Article Courtesy NOAA Fisheries

Scientists at the Northeast Fisheries Science Cen- sand dollars, and sea urchins. ter have developed an unusually rich picture of who is eating whom off the Northeastern United States. The findings, published recently in Fish and Fisheries, provide a close look at fish feeding habits for 17 fish species, predators, and their prey. “We have the largest, continuous dataset of fish feeding habits in the world at the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, and that enabled us to do a study of this scale and scope,” said Brian Smith, a food habits researcher at the center and lead author of the study. “We focused on common and The predators are divided into 48 predator-size important prey for the many predatory fishes of categories, and 14 prey species. Fish predators interest, and hopefully filled in some gaps in inforincluded Atlantic cod, Atlantic herring, haddock, mation relating prey availability to predation.” goosefish, pollock, spiny dogfish, winter flounder, and yellowtail founder among others. Prey species included forage fish, squid, zooplankton, shrimp-like crustaceans, shellfish, brittle stars, Feeding patterns within and among different groups of fishes vary by the size of the fish, the abundance or density of the prey, and other factors. Researchers who study marine ecosystems