DOMETIC ENTERS GYRO WARS

Dometic’s new DG3 claims to offer all the advantages of a compact gyro stabiliser without the drawbacks. Hugo Andreae takes a closer look

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Until recently, if you wanted to fit a gyro stabiliser to a sub-40ft boat there was only one place to go - Seakeeper. Its compact Seakeeper 3 model was the only gyro small enough and light enough to fit on this size of planing boat and thanks to its DC motor, it could be run off the craft's existing 12V circuitry rather than a separate AC generator.

Now, however, the market for compact stabiliser systems is turning into a veritable battleground as other marine equipment manufacturers jump on the gyro bandwagon.

Italian company Quick was first to respond with a range of new MC² gyro stabilisers for boats as small as 30ft and now Dometic is joining the fray with a brand new gyro of its own. Called the DG3, it is aimed at exactly the same 35-41ft boat sector as the Seakeeper 3 and Quick MC² 10 but claims to offer a number of significant benefits over its immediate rivals, including a faster spool-up time, reduced power draw and lower maintenance costs.

LOW POWER CONSUMPTION