The new Dometic DG3 gyrostabilizer leverages new technologies and smart engineering to improve many aspects of marine stabilizer performance and it could have the potential to reset our expectations for a stabilizer system. According to Dometic, the DG3 offers faster spin-up and spin-down times, reduced power consumption and less maintenance than its leading competitors. Its predictive technology is reported to deliver refined performance that is almost undetectable to the captain and crew.
The Dometic DG3 utilizes gyroscopic stabilization to enhance passenger comfort and security by minimizing the rolling motion of a vessel, especially at rest or low speeds. How does it work? A heavy flywheel spinning at high rpm within a gimbal is actuated to generate stabilizing forces through precession. Gyro stabilization, popularized by the Seakeeper brand introduced in the past decade, has been a revelation for owners of mid-size and larger pleasure boats, because it almost eliminates the rolling motion—and resulting motion sickness—that can make time on the water unpleasant for some people.
According to Dometic product manager Steve Watson, the company set out to improve every aspect of prevailing stabilizer technology.
“We started by looking for ways to address wearable components and those that commonly fail,” says Watson. “To address these issues, we support moving parts with bearings rather than bushings, replace hydraulics with all-electric actuation, significantly reduce flywheel rpm and use a corrosion-resistant titanium heat exchanger that does not require an anode.”
Dometic built the DG3 around a flywheel that is larger in diameter than those found in comparable products. “Increasing diameter moves mass outward,” explains Watson, “which allows us to generate the required gyro effect at much lower rpm. We are spinning at 4700 rpm, compared to about 9000 rpm for competing products. This requires less energy and reduces wear on moving components.”
Despite the larger-diameter flywheel, the DG3 is designed to occupy the same footprint as popular competing products and uses a similar raw-water connection, so boat builders will not need to reconfigure a vessel already designed for a gyro stabilizer. The DG3 can be a drop-in refit unit.
A compelling feature of the DG3 is its dedicated 48-volt battery, which is used to spin up the flywheel. The battery powers a brushless DC motor that Dometic says reduces spin-up time by 65 percent, to just 9.5 minutes for stabilization and 16.5 minutes for full operating speed, while drawing just 1 amp of power, compared to 85 amps for competing systems. Equally impressive is the spin-down time—only 16.5 minutes compared to 8 hours for comparable products.
This is accomplished in part through regenerative braking. Like the brakes on an electric car, the electric motor acts as a flywheel brake and a generator, transforming the energy of the spinning flywheel into electrical current that recharges the captive 48-volt battery. Regenerative braking also occurs if the boat is in moderate to heavy seas, further charging the battery as needed. About 15 percent of the battery state of charge is used to spin up the flywheel, and about 10 percent is recovered at shutdown, so only 5 percent needs to be recovered during operation.
Once the flywheel is up to speed, the motor is powered by the house battery system, but its efficient design and robust cooling system combine to reduce its power consumption by 40 percent compared to competing gyros, according to Dometic. The company claims a power draw of 260 to 750 watts (22 to 63 amps), depending on sea state. There is a lead from the house bank to maintain the 48-volt battery when the boat is idle and connected to shore power.
Flywheel precession is accomplished using Dometic’s Inverted Roller Screw technology developed for its SeaStar Optimus electric power steering systems. This alternative to the hydraulic system used on competing devices eliminates the attendant maintenance and potential for leaks in hydraulics. Dometic claims that its electric system is also faster to react than hydraulics, resulting in better roll-damping performance.
“I can feel the difference, which is subtle and hard to describe,” says David Clubb, vice president of engineering and product development at Regulator Boats. Regulator will offer the Dometic DG3 as an option ($57,995) on its new Regulator 35 center console model. We spoke to Clubb as he was returning to port following several days of sea trials on that boat. “The DG3 is adaptive, in that it can anticipate a steady sea state and react so quickly that the boat always has a natural feel. It feels more damped or sophisticated than other systems.”
“The DG3 has a great heading sensor, which allows the boat to heel naturally into a turn,” adds Clubb. “I also think it’s improving stability at speed. The boat feels very steady at 35 to 45 knots. The DG3 responds to all of the customer feedback we’ve received about gyro stabilizers.”
The Regulator 35 is also equipped with the boatbuilder’s new E-Hub Lithium Battery System as standard equipment, with three 300 amp-hour house batteries replacing a genset. The E-Hub system, assembled from components produced by Dometic Mobile Power Solutions, can be charged by shore power, solar or directly by the triple Yamaha F350 outboards available with the boat. That power, says Clubb, easily maintains the house batteries while underway. Clubb says he has left the Regulator 35 parked with all systems running, including air conditioning, for more than 19 hours without depleting the house bank.
The Dometic DG3 is designed for boats from 35 to 41 feet in length, and additional models for other boat sizes are in the works.
“Response from our global boatbuilding partners has been very positive, and we’re already at work on expanding our gyrostabilizer series,” says Dometic Marine Segment President Eric Fetchko. “We are excited about bringing this new technology to the marine market and exploring new ways we can integrate it with our other ride and control solutions in the future.”
The Dometic DG3 is available as an OEM installation through boat builders. And Dometic is currently training its dealer network for refit or new installations in qualified boats. Those dealers can begin placing orders in June. A stabilization category will be added to the Dometic dealer locator at the company’s website.
May 2025
