Volvo Penta Water Sport Control Offers Complete Integration Of Surf Settings…And More

Start with ballast. Depending on your rider’s preference, as well as how many people are in the boat, you may have to selectively fill ballast tanks or bags, adding more weight here, subtracting it there or favoring stern tanks versus the center to achieve that perfect running attitude. You’ll also have to activate the surf tabs or gates, remembering which setting enhances the correct side of the wake for riders who are regular or “goofy” foot. On a Volvo Penta Forward Drive boat, trim is yet another variable that enters into the equation. Trimming up to that perfect point can dramatically change the character of the wave but it’s a setting that’s hard to duplicate on consecutive rides.

And then there’s the dreaded job of holding speed. Almost anyone who has ever towed a skier or wakeboarder has probably at one time heard a complaint, or been forced to make continual adjustments after the spotter relays a rider’s “faster” or “slower” commands. It’s a challenging task for even the best driver, making some form of speed control almost a must.

If you’re thinking it would be nice to have one, simple, intuitive way to set and control all of the above, you’re in luck. Volvo Penta Water Sport Control is a simple to use, integrated touchscreen that will feel like second nature to anyone who’s ever used a tablet or smartphone. Water Sport Control takes all the hassle out of prepping your boat for that next rider and reduces it to just a few simple taps on a screen.

Ballast? An easy-to understand graphical interface shows each tank or bag’s capacity and handy icons allow you to fill all, choose to fill individual tanks in 25-percent increments or, at the end of your session, quickly drain everything to get ready to load up or run back to the dock. Tab or gate position can also be easily selected, building and shaping the wake on each surfer’s preferred side. Power trim can also easily be raised via the Water Sport Control, the display having the advantage of displaying the specific angle in degrees to eliminate any confusion. (Looking for a starting point? Try 5 degrees, building higher depending on rider preference.)

As to speed, captains everywhere will breathe a sigh of relief knowing they’re not going to get an earful from the rider or have to stress about trying to maintain that perfect speed with near constant throttle adjustments. Water Sport Control’s speed control is GPS-based, and will lock in surfing speeds down to one-tenth of a mile an hour up to 14 mph, and in one mile per hour increments after that for skiers and wakeboarders. Water Sport Control even takes the trial and error out of accelerating to the rider’s perfect speed to get started. Simply push the throttle down and the boat will accelerate up to — and then hold — the desired speed automatically.

Perhaps the real time and hassle saver, however, comes courtesy of Water Sport Control’s three individual, custom surf profiles. Once you dial each rider in, save their profile as easily as you would save a radio station on a car stereo. Then each time that rider hops in the water, all their preferred settings — ballast, trim, tabs and speed — will instantly be set with just the touch of a button.

And Volvo Penta’s Water Sport Control isn’t just limited to the obvious watersports. It also includes all the functionality of Volvo Penta’s renowned Glass Cockpit, incorporating radio control, engine data, navigation information and more. Users can even customize the display to keep tabs on a little of each, for example keeping an eye on the waterway chart on the left side of the display while the right summarizes the current watersports settings. As the system is built in partnership with Garmin, users can even add additional input, like sonar.

It’s all part of Volvo Penta’s Easy Boating vision – making it easier and worry-free for you to enjoy your boat to the max.