DOMETIC XPA STEERING PROVIDES ENHANCED DRIVING EXPERIENCE FOR RENOVATED PONTOON BOAT, DELIVERS IMPORTANT TEST DATA TO DOMETIC ENGINEERS

Capt. Robert Trosset of Finz Dive and Tackle in Key West, Florida has been gaining a boatload of exposure for Dometic Marine by equipping his popular fleet of dive boats with a wide range of Dometic equipment. In the process, he’s been providing our company with extensive real-world testing results and data under some of the harshest conditions on the water.

Most notable was the recent launch of his new aluminum Razorhead 35-foot power catamaran Park Shark, named for its daily snorkel and dive excursions to Dry Tortugas National Park. This unique boat is fully outfitted with the latest Dometic Marine technology including a DG3 Gyrostabilizer, Voyager 18,000 BTU Air Conditioning, two NRX-60 refrigerators, Dometic Digital Switching, Dometic Blinds, and a Gravity Toilet. Providing all the juice for this vessel’s frequent 10-hour-long day trips to this remote, hot, and humid destination is a Dometic Lithium-Ion battery bank, inverter, and DC-to-DC charging system (Park Shark has no generator). Robert’s been piling up the trips and hours on the water and has nothing but glowing reports about the energy-efficient gyro and all the other Dometic equipment. He loves it, and more importantly, so do his clients who get to enjoy comfortable trips to one of the world’s most famous diving destinations.

It's notable, however, that Robert has been equally impressed with the XPA (Xtreme Power Assist) mechanical steering he’s been running for more than 3 years on his 26-foot Crest Family Fish Pontoon. While Robert may earn his living on the water, it’s also where he and his family turn for fun, and this 2005 pontoon is often their ticket to cruising and fishing adventure.  Recently re-done from bow to stern and repowered with a Suzuki 200HP outboard, Robert also outfitted this boat with Dometic’s XPA steering system. Now, according to Robert, the boat steers smoothly and effortlessly with XPA paired with the boat’s tilt helm rotary mechanical steering.

“I feel absolutely no torque steer when powering along, even with the new, higher horsepower outboard.  I get no feedback through the wheel while running or turning, even when running full speed.  And it takes zero effort to turn in either direction regardless of boat speed.   It’s like having a new boat,” said Trosset. 

Any weekend where Robert isn’t busy guiding a dive trip, you can probably find him and his family out on the water aboard their pride and joy. This has allowed him to log some serious testing hours on XPA steering in challenging saltwater conditions. He’s been providing feedback and performance impressions to Dometic all along, with nary a hiccup to report. This is all the more impressive considering that Robert’s boat is stored and used exclusively in a salt water enviornment.

“I have more than 400 hours on the system and have had no issues or problems at all.  I don’t even think about it — which is exactly what I want from my boat’s steering.  If there was ever a product that makes your boating experience better, it’s the XPA steering,” he added.

This goes to show that you don’t have to own a big, expensive offshore boat to benefit from Innovation Award-winning technology from Dometic Marine.