Revolutionary Electric Curved Fin Stabilizers from Sleipner Might Revolutionize the Industry
Sleipner Introduces Game-Changing Electric Vector Stabilizing Fins
Highly-anticipated and in development for four years, Sleipner's all-electric Vector fins have arrived, boasting a range of innovative features designed to maximize efficiency, quietness, and safety.
In the face of increasing demand from boatbuilders, Sleipner—a company known for its popular hydraulic Vector stabilizing fins—has finally ceded to pressure and unveiled its revolutionary electric fins. Ronny Skauen, the Sleipner CEO, speaks to Motor Boat & Yachting, assuring that these latest fins deliver the same level of performance as their hydraulic counterparts while outperforming electrically-driven competitors.
The new fins have been meticulously crafted to ensure the same high levels of safety, reliability, and quality as their hydraulic counterparts. Skauen attributes the delay in development to the rigorous measures taken to resolve issues associated with traditional electro-mechanical systems, including unwanted noise and the possibility of motor or gearbox seizing.
With safety at the forefront, the new fins incorporate several key innovations, including a unique gearbox design called the Harmonic Drive Strain Wave gear, which offers exceptional reliability and unusually high gearing ratios. Despite its costlier and slightly power-hungry nature, Sleipner points to the similar use of this gear by the Mars Rover space vehicle and Lockheed F35 fighter jet as evidence of its durability and worthwhile investments.
Resolving the issue of noise required creative problem-solving, with the solution being a new damping material and arrangement that retains the required torsional rigidity while isolating the actuator from the hull. This allows for seamless operation without the distinct rise and fall in pitch often found in electro-mechanical systems—a significant improvement over hydraulic systems.
The shape of the fins themselves has undergone a significant transformation, with Sleipner developing an extended, cutaway shape that keeps the faster-moving tips further from the hull. This design prevents any unwanted interaction with the hull, increasing stability while also reducing drag and unwanted side-effects like sway, yaw, and anchor walk.
The result is unprecedented gains in stabilization efficiency compared to flat fins of the same size, with Sleipner's own measurements showing that these new fins are now twice as effective at anchor. The fins' larger rotational swing, relative to hydraulic arms, also allows for greater flexibility in stabilization, while more sophisticated algorithm controls enable the system to counteract anchor walk with occasional backward paddling.
Sleipner's new electric fin stabilizer range will likely consist of five packages, catering to vessels ranging from 55ft to 130ft, with fully installed prices starting at around €90,000 inc VAT.
First published in the June 2023 issue of our website.
Further Reading
For more information on the benefits and advantages of electric stabilizing fins, check out our article, "The Future of Stability: Electric Stabilizers Explored."
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- Sleipner, a company renowned for its hydraulic Vector stabilizing fins, has finally introduced electric fins, designed to maximize efficiency, quietness, and safety on yachts.
- The new electric fins from Sleipner have undergone meticulous crafting to ensure they deliver the same performace as their hydraulic counterparts, while outperforming electrically-driven competitors in the yachting lifestyle.
- With exceptional reliability and high gearing ratios, the new fins incorporate a unique gearbox design called the Harmonic Drive Strain Wave gear, similar to that used in the Mars Rover space vehicle and Lockheed F35 fighter jet.
- To address noise issues, Sleipner developed a new damping material and arrangement, retaining torsional rigidity while isolating the actuator from the hull, offering seamless operation that outperforms both hydraulic and traditional electro-mechanical systems.
- The extended, cutaway shape of the new fins keeps the faster-moving tips further from the hull, preventing unwanted interaction, increasing stability, reducing drag, and minimizing unwanted side-effects like sway, yaw, and anchor walk, providing unprecedented stabilization efficiency for electric-vehicles in the maritime field.
