Adding Stern Controls on Hatteras

Check the costs both ways including carpentry. I think the electronic controls with a yacht controller may be the best way to go in the end. You could then control the boat from the back of the bridge deck or in positions making it easy to single-hand. Plus, it doesn't leave controls accessible for someone to play with.

You're going to want to make phone calls.

I would NEVER use a remote control docking system that is non-corded. Yacht controller was installed on a 70' azimut I ran with microcommanders, it took too much voltage and made the controls go bonkers and we ripped it out.

We had it on a Carver. Not my way, but they worked fine for the owner. It sounds like a good investment for your situation.

You should never be operating a yacht that size single handed. Period. You can pay for a lot of mates with $13,000 and have a much safer situation if there is a loss of engine, a fire, or any other issue........

Hi,

Would you care to explain to everyone how a remote control system can increase the voltage it requires to run on during the course of operating?

I didn't install it, however it is connected into the microcommander system to make it shift foward and reverse and such. The yacht controller parts (electronics) that were installed drew too much amperage from the microcommanders and they have very small wires, so it then dropped the voltage at the control heads. Under operation, the boat went from Neutral to foward, one time I went to reverse and it went to 1300 rpms and stuck in reverse and I had to spin the boat with the other engine and shut it down. For 5 years prior to that we had not 1 control issue.

Needless to say Microcommander came to the boat, determined it was the addition of the yacht controller stuff, removed all of it, and we shipped it to the owner in a cardboard box to Colombia.

And here my big concerns were that a battery would die or one of those plastic toggles would break off at the wrong time.
Patch, you might want to have the throttles included in that connection as well.
Bottom line with any electronics or electronic controls is that they are subject to failure without warning. Always be prepared to sprint for the manual controls.
A 54' Hat can certainly be single-handed with an experienced skipper although I'm not a proponent of solo cruising.

Not if the wind is from the stern or side. You'll be hooking up springs as your boat drifts back out of the slip or your stern quarter introduces itself to your neighbor's.

I too have been doing it for many years on many different boats. The spring lines will not keep your stern from swinging with a cross wind in a slip with only one piling, and wind coming off the dock will keep you away once you've fully stopped. What could push you back except reverse gear. It sounds like you're talking about using the springs as a brake. They're there to secure the boat, not stop it. Only with the wind/current pushing into the slip would I consider using the springs first. Now with a side-to docking the spring is usually 1st, so you can work off it.

Google is your best friend. Microcommanders are a set of electronic engine controls that were installed in a lot of yachts and very prevelant in the 90's and earlier 2000's. They still install them sometimes and are made by Glenndenning I believe.

Have you ever used a remote control car? Ever have it lose frequency and do weird things? You're pulling into a marina surrounded by yachts with all kinds of RF interferance such as: TV remotes, Sat dishes, radars, cell phone extenders, etc etc etc Or, what if you drop the remote in the water?

Microcommanders are or were made by Mathers and are now under the ZF name, you can find them on ZF's website they still have them there. Have them on my 2002 46' Azimut

That's correct. They were and are very sensative to low voltage or voltage spikes and do crazy things when that happens. Also make sure to keep the FB controls covered as they are not very weatherproof.