What is a Seakeeper Ride? How Does Seakeeper Ride Work?
What is Seakeeper Ride, & how does it work? We explain how the Seakeeper Ride system functions underway on boats.
What is a Seakeeper Ride?
Investing in a Seakeeper Ride means redefining your boating experience. Say goodbye to the discomfort of waves and embrace a new standard of stability, ensuring you can focus on making memories rather than managing motion. Explore our Seakeeper Ride options at Tri Sea Stabilizers and see how you can elevate your time on the water. Discover why we are the trusted local dealer in the Florida Keys, Tampa, Naples, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, and Wilmington NC. Join the ranks of satisfied boat owners who have already transformed their marine adventures.
Seakeeper Ride: Frequently Asked Questions
What is Seakeeper Ride?
Seakeeper Ride is a revolutionary Vessel Attitude Control System (VACS) that significantly reduces boat roll and pitch, enhancing comfort, control, and confidence on the water. Unlike traditional trim tabs, Seakeeper Ride utilizes advanced aerospace technology to anticipate and counteract boat motion, delivering an unparalleled boating experience.
How does Seakeeper Ride work?
Seakeeper Ride employs a network of sensors to constantly monitor the boat's motion. These sensors relay information to a sophisticated control system that instantaneously adjusts high-performance actuators. These actuators, mounted on the transom, create dynamic lift forces that counteract boat roll and pitch, ensuring a smoother and more enjoyable ride.
What are the key benefits of Seakeeper Ride?
Seakeeper Ride provides a range of benefits, including:
Eliminates up to 70% of underway pitch and roll, leading to a significantly smoother ride.
Optimizes running angle automatically through the Trim Command Curve feature, enhancing fuel efficiency and performance.
Maintains a level deck regardless of weight distribution, ensuring passenger comfort and safety.
Improves turning performance by automatically adjusting the heeling angle, resulting in a more comfortable and controlled turn.
Delivers faster acceleration and a quicker time to plane, enhancing safety and overall boating experience.
How much does Seakeeper Ride cost?
The cost of a Seakeeper Ride system varies depending on the model required for your boat size. The unit price ranges from $4,500 to $20,500, with installation costs averaging between $4,500 and $13,000. It's important to note that these prices are averages and do not include taxes, shipping, or any vessel-specific work.
What is included in the Seakeeper Ride installation cost?
The Seakeeper Ride installation cost typically includes:
Mounting the Seakeeper Ride actuators on the transom.
Connecting the system's hydraulics and electrical components.
Integrating the control system with the boat's existing electronics.
Testing and calibrating the system for optimal performance.
How do I get a precise cost estimate for Seakeeper Ride on my boat?
To receive a custom Seakeeper Ride estimate tailored to your specific boat, it's recommended to contact an authorized Seakeeper dealer like Tri Sea Stabilizers. Their expert team will assess your vessel's requirements and provide a detailed cost breakdown, including installation and any additional considerations.
What boat sizes are compatible with Seakeeper Ride?
Seakeeper Ride offers a range of models designed for boats from 26 feet up to 42 feet in length. Each model is engineered to provide optimal performance for a specific boat size range, ensuring the most effective motion control.
Where can I find more information about Seakeeper Ride?
For detailed information on Seakeeper Ride, including product specifications, brochures, and dealer locations, visit the official Seakeeper website or contact an authorized Seakeeper dealer like Tri Sea Stabilizers. Their knowledgeable team can answer your questions and guide you through the process of acquiring and installing Seakeeper Ride on your boat.What is a Seakeeper on a boat?
A Seakeeper represents leading marine motion control technology that is designed to eliminate at least 80% of a boat's pitch and roll. This is accomplished by dampening the vessel's cyclic roll motions on the water and can vastly improve the boating experience for everyone. The Seakeeper is a gyro stabilizer for boats, which means it employs the physics of gyroscopes as a sea stabilizer. The science of gyroscopic motion ensures that rotating objects tend to maintain the orientation of their rotation, and its use in the Seakeeper produces a mighty gyroscopic torque to port and starboard, which effectively and efficiently battles the problem of boat roll.
Welcome to the Seakeeper Ride system overview. Here we emphasize the unique advantages of Seakeeper Ride over traditional transom-mounted systems, highlighting its ability to eliminate up to 70% of pitch and roll while underway. The text emphasizes the "Vessel Attitude Control System" (VACS) capabilities of Seakeeper Ride, focusing on how this advanced technology offers intuitive, automatic control for a more comfortable and enjoyable boating experience. Below we outline several features of Seakeeper Ride, such as its Trim Command Curve for optimal running angles, auto-leveling for even weight distribution, and improved turning performance. The page concludes with calls to action to learn more about Seakeeper Ride, explore its products, and subscribe for updates.
The Seakeeper Stabilizer Refit Process: WHAT TO EXPECT!
Everything you need to know on the Seakeeper Stabilizer Refit process can be found here.
The Seakeeper Refit Process:
What to Expect!
We meet potential Seakeeper clients at boat show’s and Event’s as well as receive many calls and emails with request’s for Seakeeper information. Our very first priority is to educate everyone, on the Seakeeper product, as much as possible. By educating our future Seakeeper Installation and Seakeeper service clients on the front end of the process and letting them know exactly what to expect, we create an excellent experience as well as a customer who will trust us not only with the Seakeeper refit process but their future Seakeeper maintenance and services.
Our first way of educating our clients is immediately providing them with our custom Seakeeper educational pamphlet “What to Expect; When Expecting A Seakeeper”. This one pamphlet is our cliff notes document to the entire refit process and we are outlining it here so that everyone can be educated on the entire process from considering a Seakeeper Installation to becoming a Seakeeper owner.
THe Beginning
InItial Contact
No matter how the contact is made, the very first thing we do is provide a potential Seakeeper client with our custom “What to Expect; When expecting Seakeeper” document. We discuss the vessel type with the client and what Seakeeper’s may or may not work in the vessel along with discussing the average cost involved in a Seakeeper installation on that particular type of boat. The initial contact will be made by one of our Seakeeper sales team in one of any of our Florida or North Carolina locations. Feel free to contact us to reach someone at our Seakeeper Fort Lauderdale, Seakeeper Tampa, Seakeeper Florida Keys and Seakeeper Wilmington locations .
This is an example of a Seakeeper performance prediction which tells us which Seakeeper unit is right for your vessel.
Site visit
The next step in the process is a site visit to confirm the Seakeeper unit size and installation location on the vessel and go over any potential modifications that may be needed. We will provide an performance prediction from Seakeeper engineering when needed and answer deeper questions on the installation process such as work location and timelines.
Estimate
At this point we are ready to complete and send your finalized estimate for your Seakeeper installation. The estimate will include the Seakeeper, Shipping, taxes, labor and materials needed for the installation. It is important to note that most Seakeeper estimates do not include hauling, boat transportation, yard storage and forklift fees or any other specialty or contracting fees not pertaining to the Seakeeper refit itself.
Approval
Once the new customer has approved the estimate and is ready to move forward our office will send the Seakeeper installation contract for the client to review and sign. These documents will include a payment schedule, original Seakeeper Installation estimate, Client Information and agreement document, Invoice for the full amount of the Seakeeper, shipping and applicable taxes and again include the “What to Expect; When you are Expecting Seakeeper” document.
Seakeeper PAYMENT SUMMARY
INitial Deposit
The intial deposit will include the full amount of the Seakeeper Unit, applicable taxes and shipping will be paid prior to ordering the unit. Once the unit is ordered, Seakeeper will set an estimated shipping date we can share with you.
SeCOND DEPOSIT
Prior to starting the installation, 50% of the labor and other materials from the estimate are due. This is not invoiced and collected until close to or upon arrival date of the vessel to the installation location.
FINAL PAYMENT
Final payment is due prior to final sea trial and vessel leaving the installation location
THE SEAKEEPER INSTALLATION
Above is an Example of a Sea Trial Report after the Seakeeper refit process is complete.
SCHEDULING
At this time the client will be taken over by the Refit Manager and the scheduling department who will provide estimated ship date for the unit and overall estimate of start date, assist client with facility and transport logistics and provide a team leader contact or direct contact for the client to keep open communication with throughout the process.
Arrival
At this time we would confirm any modification to the vessel as well as display and thru hull locations. Never forget to remove all personal items and belongings from your vessel during the entire Seakeeper installation process no matter the location and security level of the yard.
The Work
Most Seakeeper installations take between two and 4 weeks to complete depending on the complexity of the installation and the amount of Seakeeper units being installed. During the Seakeeper installation process the client will be provided with updates and photo’s, if requested, throughout the installation. All clients should use the Refit Manager and Team leader as their primary sources for updates and information.
DEPARTURE
Prior to departure and after final payment for the Seakeeper refit installation is received, the client will get a full Sea Trial. The sea trial will include a full Seakeeper tutorial on the unit itself as well as a completed roll reduction report for their records.
We ask all clients to try to have their Captains and any family or friends who may be using the Seakeeper, to attend the sea trial in order to be educated on the new addition to their vessel.
THE FUTURE OF YOUR NEW SEAKEEPER
SEAKEEPER SERVICE
For information on Seakeeper Service Intervals, Seakeeper Service Pricing and regular maintenance go to Seakeeper Service.
Seakeeper Warranty
For information on Seakeeper Standard Warranty, Seakeeper Extended Warranty and Pricing, go to Seakeeper Warranty.
What Is The Best Yacht Stabilizer?
We often get asked about the difference between the Seakeeper Gyro Stabilizer and the well known fin stabilizer. We have included Seakeeper’s answer to that very question here:
Seakeeper vs. Fin Stabilizers: What is the Best YachT Stabilizer?
When it comes to stabilizing your boat, we know you have options. So why should you choose Seakeeper over fin stabilizers?
WHAT ARE FIN STABILIZERS?
Fin stabilizers are external appendages affixed to the hull of a vessel below the waterline. They utilize either the movement of the water, or move themselves, to create a force opposite that of the waves. If a wave pushes the boat to starboard, the fin stabilizer pushes back with a force to prevent the boat from rolling.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN UNDERWAY FIN STABILIZERS AND ZERO-SPEED FIN STABILIZERS?
Underway fins can only work to stabilize the boat while it’s underway, utilizing the movement of the water over the fins underwater. More modern fin systems can change position, angling to respond to the boat’s movement and/or water movement. These “zero-speed” fins can move on their own so they can be used while the boat is at rest.
WHAT IS A GYRO STABILIZER?
Seakeeper is a completely internal, computer-controlled gyroscope that can eliminate up to 95% of boat roll on vessels as small as 23’ and larger than 200’. Inside a vacuum encapsulation, a flywheel spins at speeds of up to 9,750 rpm. When the boat rolls, the sphere tilts fore and aft (precesses), producing a powerful gyroscopic torque to port and starboard that counteracts the boat roll.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE SEAKEEPER STABILIZER AND FIN STABILIZERS?
Seakepeer completely distinguishes itself from fin stabilizers in these aspects:
Zero-speed fins require short bursts of power that far exceed the stored energy requirements of Seakeeper’s spinning flywheel. In other words, fins don’t have the ability to exert a constant roll-reducing torque throughout the vessels entire natural roll period, which can cause the boat to jerk.
Fins create drag, reducing both speed and efficiency, thus ruling them out for high-speed boats.
Seakeeper is completely internal with no underwater hull penetrations, unlike fin stabilizers. External fins create a hazard as that can easily hit or snag common underwater features or debris.
Stabilizing fins are typically only available for boats greater than 40 or 50 feet (12 or 15 meters), so they leave out the majority of boats on the water today.You can find all the information you need on our Seakeeper Installation pricing here.
THE EASY AND BEST CHOICE FOR A STABILIZER IN ANY VESSEL IS THE SEAKEEPER!
When you’re buying a boat, or choosing to refit your current boat, you could research for days about everything on board. Between the boat itself, the electronics, power, and other additional options, it can be overwhelming! But when you’re looking for stabilization, the choice is simple, and more than 10,000 Seakeeper Owners can agree! Choosing a Seakeeper over fin stabilizers makes for the most comfortable, efficient boat you’ll ever own.
For more information on the best Stabilizer or to get your quote today, contact us here.
