YACHT DOCKSTAR TREK DRIVER

Is it the handling of a sterndrive? No, it’s hard to beat vectored thrust. As the rudders are located forward of the propeller, the hull’s pivot point is moved forward. We also backed the boat into a slip and spun it - to port - roughly within its own length.

With Dockstar, I simply spun the wheel to port, gained the necessary clearance and backed away. Backing away from a lengthy dock when starboard-side-to can be a daunting task, especially if the wind is pushing the boat up against the dock itself.

YACHT DOCKSTAR TREK DRIVER

A Dockstar-equipped boat handles much like what we’ve come to expect from an outboard or sterndrive, pivoting in unison with the wheel as the driver spins it to port or starboard. Most notable is that the system is, ultimately, not all that noticeable. I tested two Dockstar-equipped models at MasterCraft’s Tennessee factory and can vouch for the system’s handling prowess. Dockstar will initially be available as an option on seven models between 20′-23′, including an all-new 2017 model yet to be released. Dockstar requires no modification to existing hull shapes, allowing the company to use a common part. These rudders, each approximately half the size of the traditional steering rudder, and linked to operate in unison, flank the driveshaft and fall within the perimeter of the propeller’s slipstream to direct prop wash and better provide the sideways force necessary to turn the boat in either direction. Or, at least as easy as an outboard or sterndrive.ĭockstar adds a pair of smaller rudders forward of the propeller. MasterCraft’s enticement to the latter crowd is Dockstar, a steering system enhancement the company claims will make docking and maneuvering an inboard in reverse as easy as parking a car. Most inboard consumers learn to adapt, but the quirk keeps countless others, who may benefit from an inboard’s superior wake potential, behind the wheel of a sterndrive. A direction determined solely by prop torque, the directional force created by the spinning propeller. There’s nothing forward of the prop to deflect prop wash (and no vectored thrust like you’d find on a sterndrive or outboard you can’t “steer” an inboard’s prop), so no matter which way the wheel is turned the boat backs effectively in only one direction. But shift into reverse and that rudder is effectively nullified. When moving forward, the propeller’s steady flow of water passes over the rudder aft to produce agile, spirited handling.

Or you could just have one small cabin with the bunks and convert the rest of the space into cargo facilities for a merchant or trader.Ski and wake-boat manufacturers have gone to great lengths preaching the merits of inboard power, but for all the positives the fact remains inboards have an Achilles heel - manueverability in reverse. I can see several different configurations right off the bat, like taking the cabin with the bunk beds (if that's what the bed with the stairs is supposed to be) and the utility room next to it and combining them into a game room or personal gym and spa.

This little baby could be endlessly customizable. If you look at the trim stripes on the Spindrift from 'Land Of The Giants', that's the sort of pattern I'm thinking of. The pattern would be one thick white band at the center, with a thinner border of the hull color on either side and then dark blue bands of equal thickness to the light blue. Would you want to spend a month or more with an airline toilet as your only bathing facility?Īs far as color schemes go, my first impression is an overall light blue, with alternating bands of dark blue and white starting on the rim and then arcing over the top just aft of the airlocks. I don't forsee a civilian yacht being able to match the cruising speed of Star Fleet line vessels, so trips between star systems (even closely spaced ones) are going to be in the range of weeks at least.

I think the washrooms are fine as they are.

Yacht dockstar trek