GYRO WARS

Thanks to new owners Yanmar, Smartgyro’s latest range of efficient, easy-to-install and competitively priced gyroscopic stabilisers now has the firepower to challenge market leaders Seakeeper. Let battle commence

- Hugo Andreae

Until recently boat owners looking for an effective means of stabilisation at anchor have faced a fairly simple choice between fins and gyro stabilisers. But whereas the market for fin stabilisers is well served by a number of players such as Sleipner, Trac, Quantum, Humphree, CMC and others, the options for gyro stabilisers have been rather more limited. Thanks to the compact size and efficiency of its vacuum-sealed gyroscopes (most gyro competitors use larger unsealed flywheels), Seakeeper has become the default choice for many owners and manufacturers alike. Now, however, there’s a new kid in town with both the technology and the financial clout to rival its American counterpart.

ITALIAN START-UP

was launched in 2014 by a small group of ex-military engineers with the knowledge and determination to build their own take on a vacuum-sealed gyroscopic stabiliser. Based in Italy’s boatbuilding heartland of La Spezia, it made steady inroads into its home market but it wasn’t until the Yanmar Group took a majority stake in the company in 2018 that things started to take off. Now, with the financial power and the distribution network to become a major global player, it has recently launched two new gyroscopic stabilisers into the market with a further four set to follow.