Wow! It's great how they engineered a smaller unit for smaller boats. When I first saw the concept it was being designed for somewhat larger boats of about 20+ metres.
Great video. At my marina, the SeaKeeper dealer truck is always in the parking lot. I was told by my boat dealer that this is the second most feature requiring maintenance and repair. I was also told that it is worth having in these three use cases: 1) you are overnighting on the boat frequently 2) you fish offshore a lot in choppy seas 3) you have a large yacht (40+ feet). It doesn’t help you much when running on plane and causes a strange sensation relative to controlling the boat. It is a sexy yet expensive option, and it is a major “moving part”.
How bad is missing a maintenance. We all see the guy who skipped on his zincs one time. But really if you skip one seasonal maintenance what snowball are we rolling?
Captain Steve what an awesome video thank you so much for showing the installation how the system works. Definitely appreciate your videos. Thank you 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I could see this being installed on a coastal cruiser for those who like to anchor out, but don't like the roll of a boat at anchor. If I ever get a Greenline 39 Hybrid, It will have a seakeeper on it!!!
Simply being in a helium vaccuum does not eliminate friction... it eliminates air resistance and drag. It still has rotating parts and bearings, thus still requires lubrication
@@joeKisonue Grease is a lubricant. And there is no such thing as a maintenance free bearing. Within the first revolution of the bearing under load 90% of the grease is slung to the outer walls of the cage/seal and provide no lubrication. Bearings live on 10% of the grease they have packed in. That grease wears and goes bad, maintenance P points being based on vibe detection, those points being set based on load and rpms. Marketing terms are one thing, but actual engineering is entirely different.
It's a bit disappointing that there were a few physics blunders in the description of the systems. It's hydraulic actuation. Not pneumatic. Helium vacuum? Not frictionless. Also, not a thing. Maybe partial vacuum with helium. Introduced. It was not clear how the precession acts when under way. Is it still active but overcome by forces greater than the gyro can counter? Or does it aquire a speed reference to "park" the rams over a certain speed over ground sentence. This detail in particular seems quite important as to limit the stress on both gyro and hull structures if roll cancelation is not desired. One last detail. A precession force on the roll axis is most effective at centerline and as close to the intersection of the Z axis null point. Any departure from this location would create greater movement of the gyro to cancel roll.
Question, Captain Steve. We are looking at buying a large (60' range) power catamaran. Would you recommend a Seakeeper? Perhaps one in each hull? Thanks.
I'm going to assume they purge the chamber with helium before drawing a vacuum on it, so that whatever tiny amounts of gas are left inside are inert, since having a true vacuum would be incredibly difficult.
@@FlesHBoX this is correct. a perfect vacuum is impossible to achieve, and a near perfect vacuum is almost as difficult. they use an Inert light gas that will have as little effect on the imperfect vacuum, as well as for keeping the containment dry. it is the same as using nitrogen to purge an AC system before vacuuming it down to add the freon.
@@FlesHBoX nitrogen would be a much better (and affordable) gas for purging/drying. I believe it has more to do with being able to be pressure tested with helium before vacuum as the helium molecule is so much smaller than nitrogen or dry air. Space walk suits are pressure tested with helium for leaks. I've heard SK has had issues with vacuum failures so I am sure this is their marketing, but the phrase "helium vacuum" just struck me as ridiculous.
@@hodges8joshua Helium is lighter than nitrogen so would provide a better environment for the gyro to spin with as little resistance as possible. I mean, ideally there would be no gas to induce drag, but if you had to choose, helium would make more sense. Though it does make sense that they would use helium for leak testing, but if you're going to be using it already, why waste what little remains inside the chamber to then purge it with nitrogen. Especially since they are pulling a vacuum and can recover most of the gas anyways. I mean, the term is a bit odd, and I would love to hear their explanation of it to really know what they mean by it.
Are you planning on having the gyro active for a long period of time when the boats engine is off? Otherwise you shouldn't need much batteries. Of course it depends on how big generator(s) you have but I think it should be able to power the gyro when it's up to speed and the engine is on.
The information that I was given, that gyro requires much more amps than the alternator(s) are capable of producing, even with a special charger - after a nice 3 hour picnic, you will have to go into a full mad rush mode to find shore power.
@@shurikkouzmine8399 For the smallest version, the Seakeeper 1 made for boats up to 30' it says "DC input 300 - 600 Watts (Sea State Dependent)". I'm not sure but I think most engines can provide that from the standard alternator but then there's not much power left to other things. www.seakeeper.com/seakeeper_products/seakeeper-1/
Shurik, reach out to us at seakeeper.com/contact and someone will be happy to help explain the power requirements for your specific vessel, batteries, engines and Seakeeper unit!
I am shocked that you could just mount this model to the decking. I would think that you are asking for stress cracks or worse. Does anybody else see an issue here?
Have you seen the things people do ? I saw a guy mount his grill with a self tapping screw right into his battery. Obviously an intelligent installer should be used.
Can anyone see if these would fit in a trophy truck? I really want to see trucks fly more level in real life. I think this device can make off-road racing better(cooler) and safer.
They are too heavy to be worth it, this smallest model weighs more than 400 lbs once you account for the additional battery and larger alternator it requires.
The negatives are the power consumption, the added weight, the maintenance. Other brands are simpler that do not use hydraulics or have the need for cooling. the power requirement is a big issue. the extra batteries and cost and weight associated with that, or having to run a generator. An outboard will not produce enough power at idle to power a stabilizer, not even enough at high rpm, plus that contributes to wear an increased maintenance of the engine. They also take up more space, plus plumbing in the cooling system adds complexity. Some of the non bias points I have learnt.
Its not the afford part lol. Its the buying something thats heavy, difficult to install/service and isn't proven to be reliable yet. Someone could be able to afford 10 of these but doesn't want to deal with the complexity when problems arrise.
a following sea produces pitch, which the seakeeper is not designed to compensate for. if the seakeeper compensated for pitch, then just about every boat with one installed would submarine the first time it hit a wave head on!!! If you have a following sea, then you can match the period of the waves and ride your bow wave to create a near perfect ride without the seakeeper.
On 50+ footers with flybridges and shallow draft, the seakeeper is inadequate...unless it head on or at anchor, there is not enough fulcrum to keep the vessel reasonably upright...it almost "holds" the roll, when the seakeeper reaches the end of the gimbals. I'm talking moderate to heavy weather, with 15 to 20 degree heel...Even in a beam sea of 4 footers, you get 10+ degrees of heel.
What an amazing product, literally the first boat product I’ve shown my wife that she’s given the good ahead for.
I showed their automated trim tabs to my wife and she just asked how much it cost!
Wow! It's great how they engineered a smaller unit for smaller boats. When I first saw the concept it was being designed for somewhat larger boats of about 20+ metres.
Great video. At my marina, the SeaKeeper dealer truck is always in the parking lot. I was told by my boat dealer that this is the second most feature requiring maintenance and repair. I was also told that it is worth having in these three use cases: 1) you are overnighting on the boat frequently 2) you fish offshore a lot in choppy seas 3) you have a large yacht (40+ feet). It doesn’t help you much when running on plane and causes a strange sensation relative to controlling the boat. It is a sexy yet expensive option, and it is a major “moving part”.
How bad is missing a maintenance. We all see the guy who skipped on his zincs one time. But really if you skip one seasonal maintenance what snowball are we rolling?
Should’ve had a beer spill test. Sip, Set down, Pickup....all the important processes.
Z
Captain Steve what an awesome video thank you so much for showing the installation how the system works. Definitely appreciate your videos. Thank you
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I could see this being installed on a coastal cruiser for those who like to anchor out, but don't like the roll of a boat at anchor. If I ever get a Greenline 39 Hybrid, It will have a seakeeper on it!!!
I love Greenline yachts. They make amazing boats.
Had no idea how these work. Thanks
Simply being in a helium vaccuum does not eliminate friction... it eliminates air resistance and drag. It still has rotating parts and bearings, thus still requires lubrication
Not on the gyro itself. Use of greased sealed ceramic bearings would be maintenance free.
@@joeKisonue Grease is a lubricant. And there is no such thing as a maintenance free bearing. Within the first revolution of the bearing under load 90% of the grease is slung to the outer walls of the cage/seal and provide no lubrication. Bearings live on 10% of the grease they have packed in. That grease wears and goes bad, maintenance P points being based on vibe detection, those points being set based on load and rpms. Marketing terms are one thing, but actual engineering is entirely different.
What even is a helium vacuum? Isn't that an oxymoron?
It's a bit disappointing that there were a few physics blunders in the description of the systems. It's hydraulic actuation. Not pneumatic. Helium vacuum? Not frictionless. Also, not a thing. Maybe partial vacuum with helium. Introduced. It was not clear how the precession acts when under way. Is it still active but overcome by forces greater than the gyro can counter? Or does it aquire a speed reference to "park" the rams over a certain speed over ground sentence. This detail in particular seems quite important as to limit the stress on both gyro and hull structures if roll cancelation is not desired. One last detail. A precession force on the roll axis is most effective at centerline and as close to the intersection of the Z axis null point. Any departure from this location would create greater movement of the gyro to cancel roll.
Question, Captain Steve. We are looking at buying a large (60' range) power catamaran. Would you recommend a Seakeeper? Perhaps one in each hull? Thanks.
Can a couple of seakeepers be fitted to a cat to smooth out the rool?
(Roll) should read before I post haha
⚓️ Excellent report 👍
What's a helium vacuum?
I'm going to assume they purge the chamber with helium before drawing a vacuum on it, so that whatever tiny amounts of gas are left inside are inert, since having a true vacuum would be incredibly difficult.
@@FlesHBoX this is correct. a perfect vacuum is impossible to achieve, and a near perfect vacuum is almost as difficult. they use an Inert light gas that will have as little effect on the imperfect vacuum, as well as for keeping the containment dry. it is the same as using nitrogen to purge an AC system before vacuuming it down to add the freon.
@@FlesHBoX nitrogen would be a much better (and affordable) gas for purging/drying. I believe it has more to do with being able to be pressure tested with helium before vacuum as the helium molecule is so much smaller than nitrogen or dry air. Space walk suits are pressure tested with helium for leaks. I've heard SK has had issues with vacuum failures so I am sure this is their marketing, but the phrase "helium vacuum" just struck me as ridiculous.
@@hodges8joshua Helium is lighter than nitrogen so would provide a better environment for the gyro to spin with as little resistance as possible. I mean, ideally there would be no gas to induce drag, but if you had to choose, helium would make more sense. Though it does make sense that they would use helium for leak testing, but if you're going to be using it already, why waste what little remains inside the chamber to then purge it with nitrogen. Especially since they are pulling a vacuum and can recover most of the gas anyways.
I mean, the term is a bit odd, and I would love to hear their explanation of it to really know what they mean by it.
will these help on sailboats moored and sleep on roll seas?
Yes
do they have giant ones in cruise ships ?
We use fins that are activated by gyroscopes. The fins extend like wings and counter the roll. These are also used on motor yachts of course as well.
love the idea of one of these but not sure i like the cost and what sounds like additional yearly running costs 😢😒
they are getting cheaper all the time. its like any mechanical part that needs additional cost.
Forget that how bout fuel this season
It's a shame there isn't one for a sailing yacht.
I would buy it right away that day.
If you're stationery and trying to fish, does the seakeeper cause any vibration or anything that scares away the fish?
Yes for small pond fish like Crappies and red gills
great demo always was curious!!!!!!!!!!!
Good review 👍
Has price been released yet?
Roughly 15K
if you have to ask, then you can't afford it!!!
Charlie Odom Lol 🤣🤣🤣
Approx $14,900
@@charlieodom9107 That's the dumbest saying. Do you not think Warren Buffet asks the price before buying something?
Anybody knows the price of this Seakeeper 1?
Approx $14,000
16k now thanks to inflation
So if you put another one in perpendicular to it, this will stop pitch? 😁
If to stop pitch you run the risk of becoming a submarine.
When I got a dealer quote, I was told that THREE li-ion batteries are needed to have a gyro work for up to 3-4 hours. Confused
Are you planning on having the gyro active for a long period of time when the boats engine is off? Otherwise you shouldn't need much batteries. Of course it depends on how big generator(s) you have but I think it should be able to power the gyro when it's up to speed and the engine is on.
The information that I was given, that gyro requires much more amps than the alternator(s) are capable of producing, even with a special charger - after a nice 3 hour picnic, you will have to go into a full mad rush mode to find shore power.
@@shurikkouzmine8399 For the smallest version, the Seakeeper 1 made for boats up to 30' it says "DC input 300 - 600 Watts (Sea State Dependent)".
I'm not sure but I think most engines can provide that from the standard alternator but then there's not much power left to other things.
www.seakeeper.com/seakeeper_products/seakeeper-1/
Shurik, reach out to us at seakeeper.com/contact and someone will be happy to help explain the power requirements for your specific vessel, batteries, engines and Seakeeper unit!
I love Seakeeper
I think the Gineico stabilizers are better, simpler, no hydraulics or cooling system to fail and lower RPM for longer lasting bearings.
Awesome technology!!
Captain Steve is awesome!
I am shocked that you could just mount this model to the decking. I would think that you are asking for stress cracks or worse. Does anybody else see an issue here?
Not really. Fiberglass is pretty flexible
Have you seen the things people do ? I saw a guy mount his grill with a self tapping screw right into his battery. Obviously an intelligent installer should be used.
This could be very very interesting use in Greenland!
Why is Greenland rocking?
can it be used in a 20' fishing boat??
Its 400 pounds....plus battery... where are you going to put it?
Great review
The competitors are actually just as effective and cost just a fraction. Only reason this is popular is because they are good at advertising.
what are the competitors? especially for smaller boats in the 30 foot range?
Adding some weight too the boat but i like it
Can anyone see if these would fit in a trophy truck? I really want to see trucks fly more level in real life. I think this device can make off-road racing better(cooler) and safer.
They are too heavy to be worth it, this smallest model weighs more than 400 lbs once you account for the additional battery and larger alternator it requires.
All my yachts have sea keepers
Shocking! I thought it was gimmicky.......I was wrong big time.
It would need to last 10+ years to not be gimmicky. I just dont see that happening, especially based on their warranty
Nice
if it was in the boat i could see it more
Can we trust a review that never lists negatives to the product?
No you should definitely seek a professional non biased test and review
The negatives are the power consumption, the added weight, the maintenance. Other brands are simpler that do not use hydraulics or have the need for cooling. the power requirement is a big issue. the extra batteries and cost and weight associated with that, or having to run a generator. An outboard will not produce enough power at idle to power a stabilizer, not even enough at high rpm, plus that contributes to wear an increased maintenance of the engine. They also take up more space, plus plumbing in the cooling system adds complexity. Some of the non bias points I have learnt.
Needs a better warranty
I like that
Takes up a lot of room, this boat looses a live well, expensive, not worth it in my opinion.
Total junk. Just wait till you make a warranty claim. Good luck.
Ha can't afford boating Bob? Keep your cards close
Its not the afford part lol. Its the buying something thats heavy, difficult to install/service and isn't proven to be reliable yet. Someone could be able to afford 10 of these but doesn't want to deal with the complexity when problems arrise.
In a big following sea, on larger boats, The SeaKeeper is junk, no substitute for fins....
Good luck getting fins on a 30 foot center console.
OK, U Say “junk” on following-seas, What about the other Dozen+ 🌊 sea conditions?
a following sea produces pitch, which the seakeeper is not designed to compensate for. if the seakeeper compensated for pitch, then just about every boat with one installed would submarine the first time it hit a wave head on!!!
If you have a following sea, then you can match the period of the waves and ride your bow wave to create a near perfect ride without the seakeeper.
Chris that's not what it's designed for Chris.
On 50+ footers with flybridges and shallow draft, the seakeeper is inadequate...unless it head on or at anchor, there is not enough fulcrum to keep the vessel reasonably upright...it almost "holds" the roll, when the seakeeper reaches the end of the gimbals. I'm talking moderate to heavy weather, with 15 to 20 degree heel...Even in a beam sea of 4 footers, you get 10+ degrees of heel.