New, easy-to-install fins can also be programmed to operate in conjunction with the Humphree interceptors

Swedish company Humphree, which offers a wide range of motion control aids for powered vessels, plans to introduce a range of larger fin stabilisers to meet the requirements of bigger vessels.

Humphree has found an expanding market for its fin stabilisers that were developed from its experience with interceptors. The range of fin stabilisers was developed to take advantage of the fast-acting electric servo motors that the company had developed to operate their interceptors. The speed of response of the motor is a vital element in any automatic stabilisation systems and Humphree quotes a response time of 0.7 seconds for their servo motors.

Fin stabilisers are a relatively new area of activity for the company and they have found a ready market for their products, partly spurred on by the effectiveness of the stabilisers and partly because of the very simple installation. The operating motors are located directly onto the end of the main shaft and by operating on the vessel’s 24 volt electrical system there is no requirement for complicated hydraulic pumps and piping.

Currently the range of stabiliser fins available from Humphree extends to 1 sq.metre and for larger vessels the fins can be doubled up. The new fins planned to be introduced to the market in the next few months will be sized to meet the requirements of larger vessels such as superyachts. The fins can operate to stabilise the vessel when underway as well as when stopped or operating at slow speed.

One of the advantages of the Humphree stabilisers is that the design of the fin has been developed so that its shape can be quickly modified allowing it to be adapted to fit closely to the hull shape. The fins can also be fitted to catamaran hulls, located inside the tunnel so that they provide stability both against pitching and rolling and they can also be programmed to operate in conjunction with the Humphree interceptors to provide a complete suite of motion control features.

Humphree is now part of the Volvo Penta Group.