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The recent Dusseldorf Boot, the first big boat show of 2019, saw the debut of the Pershing 8X, one of the most visited craft during the event, which was also dubbed the Show’s “Wow Boat” due to its premium spec. A genuinely dazzling 24-metre.

One of the signature features that brilliantly underscores the stunning quality of the Pershing 8X is the presence aboard of XENTA’s Integrated Control Systems: a twin steering position with the Tactile version of the Helm by Wire system (one interior and the other on the spacious fly), two Electronic Throttles and two Joysticks. The Pershing 8X is powered by twin 2435 hp MTU engines coupled with TopSystem surface drives. Thanks to XENTA’s advanced technology, the system integrates propulsion control with the maneuvering and navigation systems. The Joystick delivers optimal maneuverability in ports and tight water, using the surface drives. Flanking these is the Dynamic Positioning System which allows the boat to hold its position even in high winds or strong currents: the optimal solution when preparing to moor or waiting to refuel or for a bridge to raise.

Just as Ferretti Group member Pershing Yachts is the go-to for all motoryacht owners looking for superior speed and performance melded with instantly recognizable, sporty design, XENTA has set the benchmark for Integrated Control systems in the nautical sector. Over the last 15 years, around 4,000 owners have chosen its technology for their motoryachts: efficient and reliable, XENTA’s Helm By Wire steering, Electronic Throttle and Joystick systems can be installed aboard craft with any kind of propulsion. Aside from the aforementioned surface drives, XENTA also supplies integrated control systems for line shafts, water jets and Pods, guaranteeing helmsmen superior feedback and control.

As one of the leading designers and manufacturers of Integrated Control Systems for yachts and superyachts, XENTA is returning once again to the Palm Beach International Boat Show which takes place between March 28 and 31 at West Palm Beach, Florida.

Also this year, XENTA will be presenting its exciting new product for the 2019 nautical year at the Show:  the XENTA Remote Control. This portable wireless remote control not only allows users to control main engines at low revs but also stern and bow thrusters, and the anchor winch. Thanks to the XENTA Remote Control, boats can now be maneuvered in complete freedom and safety even when helmsman is well away from the steering console. In other words, the helmsman can move freely from stem to stern as they maneuver to keep a close eye on all phases of mooring.

The XENTA Remote Control is extremely intuitive and user-friendly. Light yet tough, it is the optimal interface between boat and helmsman. One of its standout features is its Stop button, which if something goes wrong, resets all the boat’s controls to safe mode.

“We decided to start taking part in the Palm Beach International Boat Show in 2016 because it is very much on the rise – declared Lorenzo Mongiardo, co-founder and owner of XENTA with Stefano Bertazzoni– It also attracts a huge number of very different visitors from both North and South America who come because they know all the top nautical brands will be there. We have been on the US market for 10 years now and we have several clients here that have asked for our systems for their new boats but just as many that wanted to retrofit them on their existing craft. One of the prerogatives of our systems, aside from their efficiency at sea, is that they are so easy to install and the speed with which we can turn a traditional control system into an electronic one to enhance both steering pleasure and guarantee maximum efficiency in all conditions”.

The first propulsion systems with surface propellers were too complex to manage for a novice yachtsman. A technical and cultural barrier broken down by TOPSYSTEM with its surface transmission that combines the technical advantages of this type of propulsion with an ease of use and management able to create a new era in the field of high performance boats. Thanks to a fully automated control system, result of a partnership between TS Drive Srl, owner of the TOP SYSTEM SURFACE DRIVE brand, and XENTA. The integrated devices are able to regulate electronically and completely autonomously the surface drives with variable trim and direction. The patented electronic system “EASY SET®” is composed by a series of components that interact electronically with each other for a fully automated boat control.

A complete system has just been installed on board the fast open Rizzardi 48 IN that, together with the Topsystem TS-65 surface transmissions, includes the oleodynamic rudder managed by the “Helm by Wire” electronic module designed by XENTA. The module can be programmed in two versions: in the “Standard” version, the steering wheel is passive and the guide is controlled by a variable electromagnetic brake that allows the rotation force and the position of its end stops to be varied according to the speed and pace of the boat. In the “Tactile” version, the steering wheel is active, which means that it gives the captain tactile sensations, a real driving feeling in automotive style.

In addition, the XENTA Joystick for surface transmissions, another component integrated in the EasySet System, is revolutionary and represents an epochal step for the total management of the two transmissions. The Joystick can be selected in two operating modes: Docking and Cruise. In the “Docking” mode the propulsion devices are managed autonomously, translating the movements of the joystick to the movement of the boat allowing the captain to fully concentrate on the most suitable maneuver and leaving the system to define the action of the engines and the maneuvering propellers.

The system is controlled by a touch-screen monitor located on the dashboard and it can be customized electronically with various functions. Of course, the manual controls are always available to ensure maximum driving pleasure in the continuous research for maximum performance.

Having taken part in the 2018 Cannes Yachting Festival, XENTA is now bringing its yacht and superyacht steering and control products to METSTRADE, which takes place in Amsterdam between November 13 and 2018. Stand 12.023.

Once again, aside from exhibiting its technology and a simulator to give users a taste of the efficiency and feel of its systems, XENTA will be presenting a new yacht and superyacht engine Remote Control designed specifically to make remote maneuvering and mooring even easier. The helmsman can use the Wireless Remote Control to maneuver the boat with complete freedom and in complete safety from any part of the boat, so that they can efficiently control all the various stages of mooring. The XENTA Remote Control can control your main engines at low revs as well as stern and bow thrusters and the anchor winch.

The XENTA Remote Control was designed to be extremely intuitive and user-friendly, offering the optimal interface between boat and helmsman. It is light but has a high strength-to-weight ratio, guaranteeing superb robustness and mechanical and thermal stability (working temperature range -25°C – +70°C). One of its greatest strengths is its backlit panel which means it can be used at night. It also has a Stop button, which if something goes wrong, resets all the boat’s controls to safe mode.

With over 4,000 installations worldwide, Riva, Ferretti, Azimut, Monte Carlo Yachts, Pershing, Princess, Sunseeker and Cerri are just some of the leading international yards that have chosen XENTA as their partner in developing Integrated Control Systems for their yacht and superyacht models.

Please come and visit us at our Stand (12.023) where we will be delighted to show you our technology.

XENTA Helm by Wire: steering a yacht has never been so good and effective Ferretti Yachts has chosen XENTA technology for the new Ferretti 670 steering system. Drive by Wire control system, present on board the Ferretti Yacht 670, takes full advantage of electronics and mechatronics to make points of connection between the main deck and the systems responsible for motion (engines, inverters and thrusters) and for boat control (rudders), substituting all mechanical connections with electrical signals. The latter creates a network able to provide vehicle information within the XENTA electronic control system.

The digital information exchanged between the steering wheel placed on both the control stations (internal and external) of the XENTA steering system and the main Control Unit, allows dedicated software to control the yacht’s rudders with micrometric precision. The rudders, activated by electro hydraulic actuators. It is no longer necessary for them to remain coupled, but are now independent units, released and able to rotate on their own vertical axis, with different impacts according to steering conditions. The two rudders’ independent operation, at different rates, enhances boat’s turning performances and ensures the maximum safety in all situations XENTA Helm by Wire’s “Tactile” version, offers unique sensations to the captain, a proper automotive driving feeling. The steering wheel is self-centering and able to return autonomously to its center position, optimizing the turns end.

At the end of the turn, when the wheel is in its center position, autohelm is automatically activated, relieving the captain of the need to make continuous corrections. Under navigation, the “Tactile” system adapts the wheel sensitivity and the ends of stroke, to experience a never felt before precision and turning fluidity. The effectiveness of the system designed by XENTA for the Ferretti 670 becomes even more evident when, through the use of the joystick, maneuvers are performed in restricted quarters, in port or in a marina. It makes it possible to perform millimeter evolutions in a water tissue, literally with two fingers, making lateral translations, virtually unthinkable with traditional steering systems.

Ferretti Yachts has chosen XENTA technology for the Ferretti 670’s new control system.  The Drive by Wire control system aboard the latter uses both electronics and mechatronics to convert to By Wire all the systems connecting the bridge with components involved in moving (engines, inverters and thrusters) and controlling (rudders) the boat. The result is that all mechanical connections have been replaced by electrical signals, creating a network capable of transmitting information within the XENTA electronic control system. The digital information exchanged between the helms in both of the XENTA steering control positions (interior and exterior) and the Main Control Unit, allows dedicated software to control the yacht’s rudders with incredible precision. The rudders, which are moved by electrohydraulic actuators, no longer work merely as a pair, but independently of each other. In fact, they can move freely and rotate on their own vertical axis and at different angles to suit the steering conditions.  The result is perfect trim and turning at all speeds and with all loads, with minimal speed loss and a smaller turning radius.

The Tactile version of the system offers the helmsman a uniquely superior automobile-style steering experience. The wheel is also self-centering which means it returns automatically to its central position, thereby optimizing the end of the turn.  Another of the XENTA Helm by Wire system’s great strengths is the Autocourse function which allows the helmsman to maintain the selected bow direction without needing to continuously correct it. The smart system “learns” the helmsman’s wheel movements and then uses them to maintain a specific direction and progressively replace the helmsman in a natural way.

The impressive efficiency of the system XENTA designed for the Ferretti 670 becomes even clearer when the XENTA Joystick is used as this allows the helmsman to execute awkward, difficult maneuvers easily and safely in even the most challenging mooring conditions.

At the 2018 Cannes Yachting Festival, XENTA is hosting the world premiere of its new engine Remote Control designed to make remote maneuvering and mooring even easier than ever.

XENTA, a company that has been the standard-bearer for the Italian nautical sector’s success in the high tech segment, is one of the most engaged companies in the area of nautical user-focused electronics.  Its Integrated Control Systems are the state-of-the art and not only make boats modern but open up a whole new way of seafaring to the person at the helm.  Ferretti, Azimut, Monte Carlo Yachts, Pershing, Princess, Sunseeker, and Cerri are just some of the yards that have chosen XENTA to partner their motor yacht and superyacht models, several of which will also be making their world debuts at the upcoming Cannes Yachting Festival. XENTA will also be present at the 2018 edition (stand PAN352).

Aside from exhibiting its technology, XENTA will also be hosting the world premiere of its new Remote Control which was designed and developed to allow users to maneuver their boat in complete freedom and safety from any point between bow and stern, and thus keep close eye on all the stages of mooring. The Remote Control allows users not just to control the main engines at low revs but also both bow and stern thrusters in addition to the anchor winch. The device was designed to be extremely intuitive with a light, tough, optimal interface between boat and user. Its features include a Stop function which will return all the boat’s controls to safe mode should any problems arise.

XENTA systems can be used on all motoryachts, old and new, as custom installations are standard for us. In 2017, XENTA was presented with the Ferretti Group’s “Best Innovation Award” for its digitalization of the control systems used aboard the Group’s vessels.

The car and yacht sectors have a growing number of technological factors in common, with innovation in both areas focused on sparking client emotions to ensure that the onboard/in-car experience is completely rewarding as well as enhancing other aspects such as safety and user-friendliness.  Equally, in an effort to set new trends, we see frequent crossovers between the car and yacht design worlds with both using evocative forms to underscore the values that make the difference in a design, not least uniqueness and personalization.

Lexus, the luxury brand of Toyota, Japan’s leading car manufacturer, recently presented its Sport Yacht, a high performance 12.8m fast commuter. This is an iconic craft from a design perspective and sports the very best that today’s tech can offer in terms of systems, apparatus and engines. In short, it is a genuine Lexus in its own right.  Driven by two edgy 5-litre petrol V8s, obviously Lexus, which unleash their power into the water via inboard-outboard units with stern drives, the Lexus Sport Yacht uses a XENTA steering system. This choice by the Japanese designers very clearly reflects the tenor of the boat and is the perfect tech complement to the exclusive lifestyle epitomized by Lexus’s cars and based on indisputably superior driving pleasure and comfort.

“We are proud that a marque as importance as Lexus has chosen the XENTA steering system for its Sport Yacht,” declared Stefano Bertazzoni who co-founded and now co-owns XENTA with Lorenzo Mongiardo. “The goal we set ourselves for our Integrated Control Systems for yachts and superyachts is the same too: we want to guarantee all boating enthusiasts the feeling of absolute mastery – perfect control of every single maneuver – that the latest cars guarantee their drivers on the road”.