Mercury Marine has introduced the latest addition to its portfolio of joystick vessel controls, the Joystick Piloting for Single-Engine Outboards with Thruster.
The system was launched at the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show 2025.
Joystick Piloting for Single-Engine Outboards with Thruster has been developed to seamlessly integrate joystick piloting with bow thruster control to provide 360-degree maneuvering and the ability to perform complex maneuvers, such as docking or navigating in confined spaces, that may be otherwise challenging in a single-engine vessel.
“Close-quarter maneuvering with a single-engine vessel can be challenging, even for a skilled captain,” explained Steve Andrasko, vice president category management at Mercury Marine.
“With this new system, the boat operator can command steering, throttle and shifting of the outboard motor and simultaneously activate a variable-speed bow thruster, all with one hand through a single, intuitive joystick.
Close-quarter maneuvering with a single-engine vessel can be challenging, even for a skilled captain.
Steve Andrasko
“The result is confident control of a single-engine vessel even when a boat-handling situation is complicated by wind or current.”
Joystick Piloting for Single-Engine Outboards with Thruster is compatible with Mercury Verado and Sea Pro V8, V10 or V12 engine models equipped with electric steering from 250 to 600hp.
It is also compatible with CAN-based variable-speed thrusters from other partners.
When Joystick Piloting for Single-Engine Outboards with Thruster is integrated with the Mercury’s navigation sensor, it also supports a suite of integrated SmartCraft advanced controls.
These include Skyhook, Bowhook and Drifthook digital anchoring to maintain position
The system also enables SmartCraft Autopilot for optimised navigation.
Mercury Marine introduced its first Joystick Piloting for Outboards (JPO) system in 2013.
This latest addition to Mercury’s portfolio will be available in the second quarter of 2025.
