Mercury Marine has announced the development of its Active Trim system, which will automatically deliver instant trimming of boat engines. When it’s available early next year, Active Trim will simplify boat operation for novices and experts, while improving engine performance and decreasing fuel costs, Mercury says.
Company tests on a broad range of boats indicated fuel savings of 14 to 54 percent, when running in the auto mode versus fully trimmed down in manual mode. The key is Active Trim’s exclusive and patented GPS-based control system. Unlike systems that use only engine rpm to control trimming, Active Trim will employ boat speed and engine rpm. This approach solves problems with the engine trimming up instead of down, if the propeller breaks loose in hard turns. Mercury says. It also solves issues with the engine trimming up too early or too late while the boat is climbing on plane.
Active Trim will come with five selectable trim profiles that accommodate most boat applications, from small skiffs to high-performance offshore vessels. The profiles also allow operators to personalize Active Trim to their driving style and compensate for changes in boat load, operator preference and weather conditions, while maintaining full auto operation.
Active Trim can be overridden by using the regular manual trim buttons, though auto mode can be easily reengaged.
The Active Trim panel will be compatible with analog and digital gauges, and designed to accommodate mounting in a broad range of boat applications. It will not require use of a multifunctional gauge, and will be easy to install on high-volume boat production lines, the company says.
Active Trim will be compatible with any new Mercury Outboard or MerCruiser engine with SmartCraft, including outboards from 40 to 400 hp and MerCruiser packages from 130 to 430 hp. The system will also be available for retrofitting to engines already in the field. Pricing is not yet available.
