Dometic Marine Product Manager Dave Wolfe | Interview
Power Assist (XPA) by Dometic is a Boating Industry Top Products award-winning system and for good reason.
Designed and engineered in the USA, the XPA brings smooth, easy electric power-assisted steering to a wide range of boats, including centre consoles. pontoons, runabouts, RIBS and tinnies.
We sat down with Dometic Marine Product Manager Dave Wolfe, based in Limerick, USA, to talk about how the system provides boat builders, dealers and owners with an affordable, easy-to-install steering upgrade.
Q: We see “reduced steering effort” mentioned a lot when speaking about XPA, can you explain how this works?
Dave Wolfe: “The steering effort is reduced by using the XPA’s electric motor to move the engine. The mechanical steering system just commands the XPA and the ball screw and brushless electric motor steers the boat, providing true power steering.”
Q: How does the Xtreme Power Assist differ from “electric helm” systems?
Dave Wolfe: “The XPA adds power steering to a mechanical system. It interfaces with all Dometic mechanical systems and is fully self-contained - no other modules or electronics are required. No CANBUS network or hydraulics systems required. The XPA simply mounts to any 90-200HP outboard engine and uses the existing mechanical steering. Unlike some other systems, no unusual load is placed on the mechanical cables.”
Q: Can you tell us a bit about which boats will benefit most from the XPA system?
Dave Wolfe: “All 90-200 HP outboard engines will benefit from it. High steering wheel effort can be experienced in pontoon and v-bottom boats and larger props on the 4-stroke outboards tend to create higher torque loads, requiring more effort to turn the steering wheel. The XPA will reduce these loads to a fingertip, car-like steering effort, consistent to port and starboard, and eliminate prop torque effort.”
Q: For a system which brings so much ease on the water, does it require complex installation?
Dave Wolfe: “An excellent question. One of the unique features of this system is the ease of installation. It’s quite straightforward and can be installed by a boat owner with hand tools and basic mechanical skills. It doesn’t require bleeding of hydraulic systems or programming electrical components.
Q: What is your favourite part of the system?
Dave Wolfe: “That’s easy: the lack of steering effort. The XPA transforms a boat from traditional manual steering to modern power steering like your car. It’s perfect for new boats with mechanical steering and is an excellent upgrade to the many cable-steered boats in the market. The XPA is an ideal upgrade for customers with older boats looking for improved steering. They can quickly upgrade to power steering by adding this unit and no other changes are required.”