The introduction of the Seakeeper Ride to the marine industry has paved the way for the creation of a new category of navigational stabilisation, the Vessel Attitude Control System (VACS), derived from the Attitude Control Systems (ACS) used in air and space craft to control pitch, roll and yaw while underway.

“Seakeeper has always been committed to coming up with disruptive technologies that represent a radical change from what is currently available,” said Andrew Semprevivo, president and CEO of Seakeeper. “Seakeeper Ride is not an incremental improvement, but transforms the feeling of being on a boat in motion.”

How it works

Seakeeper Ride controllers are mounted on the boat’s transom below the waterline. Using proprietary inertial sensing hardware and software, the system takes 1,000 measurements per second to understand the boat’s behaviour in all three axes. It then commands the deployment of custom-designed rotating blades, making 100 adjustments per second at speeds of up to 300 mm/s, creating lift that instantly manages the boat’s movement.

Chris-Craft Boats, Scout Boats and Sportsman Boats will have Seakeeper Ride as standard equipment for a wide range of models.

At launch, three products with different blade sizes will be available: Seakeeper Ride 450 for 19-26 foot boats (MSRP: $4,500), Seakeeper Ride 525 for 27-30 foot boats (MSRP: $7,500) and Seakeeper Ride 600 for 31-35 foot boats (MSRP: $10,500).

Initially, Seakeeper Ride will be available as standard equipment only on select models of Sportsman Boats, Chris-Craft Boats and Scout Boats starting in September 2022, with plans to increase OEM offerings over the next year, as well as retail for DIY installation.