Story and photos by DinaRella
Innovation in technology continues to forge forward in the performance boating world thanks to Marine Design Corporation (MDC) and Hardin Marine. Fresh off a successful showing in Tampa at the marine industry trade-only event IBEX, the next stop was the 2024 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. Passing by Hardin’s well-stocked trailer of nautical necessities, RDP was most impressed with their Mayfair Digital Heads Up Electronic Trim Indicators, Hatch Sync, and the MDC High-Performance Greaseable Coupler (patent pending). Let’s check them out!
The Digital Heads Up Electronic Trim Indicators lets you leave the cables behind and keep your hands on the wheel. Named “Heads Up” for its added level of safety being in your line of sight, it replaces push/pull cables by utilizing Mayfair’s stainless steel potted sender or any Mercury 3-wire trim sender.
The custom design and proprietary software controller, which is responsible for driving the highly engineered, electric drive motor assemblies takes the place of your push/pull cables. Systems are available as a retrofit for an existing Heads Up, or as a complete assembly that includes a Mayfair Heads Up assembly with customizable bezels and carbon fiber inserts.
Mike Clesceri, the brain trust behind MDC explains, “The resolution spec for NMEA/VesselView only gives you 100 counts from trim down to trim up, and when running fast boats this is not sufficient to ensure drives and engines are even. To achieve the most precise point and speed control, stepper motors with 1,000 steps are used, the same as with 3D printers, laser cutters and robotic arms. The operation is computer controlled through electrical pulses that convert to a current flowing through the windings of the motor. For example, when a drive moves to a specific spot, it calculates how many steps it takes and then locks it in.”
“The new conversion kit gives you a truly precise reading on the indicator sticks which was always a struggle with the cables. When you turn off your ignition, the software auto-retracts the Heads Up indicator sticks to a down position. And when the ignition is restarted, it automatically returns to the same position where the drives or tabs were left at,” he adds. No other indicator on the market gives you the same resolution and accuracy. Imagine 1,000 steps versus 100 steps with just a tap?
With the Mayfair version, options include either clear acrylic indicator sticks with customizable colored smart LEDs or black anodized aluminum sticks, and each kit includes pre-made harnesses for ease of installation. Also worth mentioning, for boat owners who alternate between running on their own and with a throttleman, the Digital Heads Up gives you the option to install one in front of each helm seat, which is something you can’t do with the cables.
Mitch Kramer of Maryland Offshore shared how much his customers love it, especially the Race Edition version due to how the presets return your trim to a programmed sweet spot every time with a push of the button. For the best trim management, he recommends pairing it to a DriveSync or TrimSync installation.
Another IBEX release so new it hasn’t even made it on the website yet, Hatch Sync is made for boats that require two actuators to raise the hatch.
Given that, the actuators don’t always run at the same speed, many boat owners put relays and heavy wires in to try and make them exact. You hope they always operate at the same speed because the hatch is one piece of fiberglass. This is especially important today with the larger hatches and the sunpads. With Hatch Sync, they stay within two millimeters of each other no matter what. Also significant is that, if one actuator fails, the other automatically notices and reacts by moving very slowly at around 10 percent speed to prevent damage to the hatch.
Built in the USA with the same precision and billet strength of their original coupler (depicted in the first photo), our final pick is the MDC High-Performance Greaseable Coupler. By adding a greaseable fitting with an O-ring on the shaft, now you have the ability to grease the drive splines in the boat without removing the drive or having to pull it out of the water.
Not only is this an idea product for diesel engine applications and work boats that require splines to be greased every 20 hours from the constant rattling when in idle... offshore guys are also fans due to the fact, it prevents grease from splattering all over the engine compartment.
Long time, respected engine builder Eddie Young from Young Performance Marine in Mt. Juliet, TN, commented that, “The MDC HP Coupler is a more robust alternative to the OEM coupler and has been a great addition to our performance engine builds.”
Innovation in technology continues to forge forward in the performance boating world thanks to Marine Design Corporation (MDC) and Hardin Marine. Fresh off a successful showing in Tampa at the marine industry trade-only event IBEX, the next stop was the 2024 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. Passing by Hardin’s well-stocked trailer of nautical necessities, RDP was most impressed with their Mayfair Digital Heads Up Electronic Trim Indicators, Hatch Sync, and the MDC High-Performance Greaseable Coupler (patent pending). Let’s check them out!
Digital Heads Up Electronic Trim Indicators
The Digital Heads Up Electronic Trim Indicators lets you leave the cables behind and keep your hands on the wheel. Named “Heads Up” for its added level of safety being in your line of sight, it replaces push/pull cables by utilizing Mayfair’s stainless steel potted sender or any Mercury 3-wire trim sender.
The custom design and proprietary software controller, which is responsible for driving the highly engineered, electric drive motor assemblies takes the place of your push/pull cables. Systems are available as a retrofit for an existing Heads Up, or as a complete assembly that includes a Mayfair Heads Up assembly with customizable bezels and carbon fiber inserts.
Mike Clesceri, the brain trust behind MDC explains, “The resolution spec for NMEA/VesselView only gives you 100 counts from trim down to trim up, and when running fast boats this is not sufficient to ensure drives and engines are even. To achieve the most precise point and speed control, stepper motors with 1,000 steps are used, the same as with 3D printers, laser cutters and robotic arms. The operation is computer controlled through electrical pulses that convert to a current flowing through the windings of the motor. For example, when a drive moves to a specific spot, it calculates how many steps it takes and then locks it in.”
“The new conversion kit gives you a truly precise reading on the indicator sticks which was always a struggle with the cables. When you turn off your ignition, the software auto-retracts the Heads Up indicator sticks to a down position. And when the ignition is restarted, it automatically returns to the same position where the drives or tabs were left at,” he adds. No other indicator on the market gives you the same resolution and accuracy. Imagine 1,000 steps versus 100 steps with just a tap?
With the Mayfair version, options include either clear acrylic indicator sticks with customizable colored smart LEDs or black anodized aluminum sticks, and each kit includes pre-made harnesses for ease of installation. Also worth mentioning, for boat owners who alternate between running on their own and with a throttleman, the Digital Heads Up gives you the option to install one in front of each helm seat, which is something you can’t do with the cables.
Mitch Kramer of Maryland Offshore shared how much his customers love it, especially the Race Edition version due to how the presets return your trim to a programmed sweet spot every time with a push of the button. For the best trim management, he recommends pairing it to a DriveSync or TrimSync installation.
2- Hatch Sync
Another IBEX release so new it hasn’t even made it on the website yet, Hatch Sync is made for boats that require two actuators to raise the hatch.
Given that, the actuators don’t always run at the same speed, many boat owners put relays and heavy wires in to try and make them exact. You hope they always operate at the same speed because the hatch is one piece of fiberglass. This is especially important today with the larger hatches and the sunpads. With Hatch Sync, they stay within two millimeters of each other no matter what. Also significant is that, if one actuator fails, the other automatically notices and reacts by moving very slowly at around 10 percent speed to prevent damage to the hatch.
Marine Design Corp HP Greaseable Coupler
Built in the USA with the same precision and billet strength of their original coupler (depicted in the first photo), our final pick is the MDC High-Performance Greaseable Coupler. By adding a greaseable fitting with an O-ring on the shaft, now you have the ability to grease the drive splines in the boat without removing the drive or having to pull it out of the water.
Not only is this an idea product for diesel engine applications and work boats that require splines to be greased every 20 hours from the constant rattling when in idle... offshore guys are also fans due to the fact, it prevents grease from splattering all over the engine compartment.
Long time, respected engine builder Eddie Young from Young Performance Marine in Mt. Juliet, TN, commented that, “The MDC HP Coupler is a more robust alternative to the OEM coupler and has been a great addition to our performance engine builds.”
