The helm - arguably the favourite part of a boat for any true yachtsman. If the helm is the key area on board a yacht, then what is the most important item at the helm? Surely that’s the steering wheel?
It appears therefore that it would be fair for me to say that a steering wheel is the most important accessory on board. It is the greatest touch point and connects the sailor to their boat. The sensations of piloting a large yacht on the plane or ripping through the chop in a fast RIB are all felt in your hands through the wheel. Whether it is a hand stitched leather and stainless-steel item, or a practical PU product, the wheel’s design and feel are paramount to a user’s experience.
Here at Timage, we have been proud to represent the finest marine steering wheel manufacturer for a number of years. Gussi Italia manufacture some beautiful styles and feature as the original equipment on a huge number of production yachts and small craft. Here in the UK, many of the production boat builders have specified their standard wheel through us, selecting the most appropriate model for their type of craft and its design. We have customised many models together with the factory in Italy and deliver this most important piece of hardware ready for the end client to enjoy.
Gussi Italia is based in northern Italy, in the beautiful countryside just north of Verona and near lake Garda. Nestled in an inspirational area known very well for its natural beauty and great wine, the company prides itself on its Italian heritage, excellent craftsmanship and industry leading design. Gussi Italia has in the past been awarded an Ibex Innovation Award, an important and trustworthy seal of approval and recognition of the craftsmanship inspired by a continuous quest for high performance.
The Gussi range of steering wheels is usually reserved for boat builders and other OEM clients. Here at Timage, we are pleased that we can offer a good proportion of this range to all our clients including end users. As we buy in larger volume and hold UK stock, a Gussi wheel can be simply bought online through our e-store and shipped anywhere in the world.
As technology continues to push on and digitisation of products become increasing commonplace, Gussi have responded with their new Powerwings paddle system for installation with their range of wheels. This new smart wheel system consists of a pair of paddles that elegantly sit behind any of their range of steering wheels on the boss. The paddles connect into the NMEA 2K system on board and can be used to control a wide variety of components on board in a similar fashion to the stalks found behind the wheel in the automotive sector. Examples of the equipment that can be controlled via the paddles include our Gallinea windscreen wiper systems, audio such as our Rockford Fosgate products, trim tabs, navigation screen functions, engine controls and much more. NMEA 2K integration can also offer control via the navigation touch screen of a brand-new feature to Gussi, the heated wheel.
The Powerwings paddles are fully customisable for our larger clients with the possibility to laser etch the logos or symbols required in order to guide the user to the correct function. 7 buttons per side provides the user with 14 different actions at their fingertips. Add the option of double functionality of each button with a push and hold command and you can take those 14 actions up to an impressive 28. When operating any of the buttons the backlit symbols gently flash to communicate that the command has been received. Powerwings is an extremely versatile product as it can be used together with any wheel, allowing for design changes between different yacht categories or model restyling. In addition, Powerwings can also be used externally, bringing this technology and user functionality to smaller open craft or to flybridge helms.We are very excited to demonstrate how the new Powerwings can enhance the driving experience yet further of any Gussi wheeled yacht, giving even more control to the captain and an even more involved driving experience.
We have released a Steering Wheel Overview on YouTube, view the video below.