Power Boat routing is a new weather routing and departure planning feature available through the PredictWind Forecast website https://forecast.predictwind.com/ for PredictWind subscribers with a Standard or Professional level of subscription.
To review your subscription and upgrade if required, please click here: https://forecast.predictwind.com/register/change/package
What is Power Routing?
Power Routing provides a recommended route between waypoints from your set start time for each available weather forecast model based on your boat's parameters and routing preferences.
The Power Boat Routing algorithm performs billions of calculations to find the most fuel-efficient or comfortable route for your boat to motor a given route. The algorithm considers the boat's drag due to windage and the drag due to wave conditions. The routing uses the world's most comprehensive ocean current and tidal currents to find the optimal route. The Router will also enable you to view the Roll, Vertical accelerations and Slamming Incidence your boat will likely experience through the route.
How to set up Powerboat Routing
Setting up the Powerboat Routing can be done on the PredictWind Website at https://forecast.predictwind.com/atlas/powerRouter/# or in the PredictWind App; once set up, all the PredictWind Apps will use these settings saved on your account.
Powerboat Routing feature walkthrough video
To set up Powerboat Routing:
Log in to: https://forecast.predictwind.com/
Click on the Weather Routing menu, then the Power Routing sub-menu.
On the top menu, click on Routing Preferences.
Type in the following parameters for your vessel:
Height (waterline to top of wheelhouse, metres)
Economic boat speed (knots).
Economic RPM.
Economic fuel consumption (Litres/hour).
Boat Dimensions
Next, select your Boat Dimensions from the drop-down box and type in your:
Displacement (metric tons).
Waterline Length (m).
Beam (m).
Draught (m).
The router will use these supplied dimensions to alter the performance of your boat based on the influence of wind and wave conditions.
Route Defaults, Tidal & Ocean Currents
Next, set the Depth Avoidance; this will use a depth contour to avoid water shallower than the depth you specify. This is an important setting. If you find a route can't be calculated, or an odd route is suggested, please check this setting is accurate for your boat or try adjusting it to a lower setting. We recommend using the lowest setting that is safe for your boat.
Select the Ocean Currents Model you wish to use in the route.
Route Optimization Selection
Next, at the top of the page, you can choose to optimise for fuel efficiency or comfort.
If you select Comfort, you must specify the additional conditions you wish the router to avoid. The route will still try to optimise for fuel efficiency but will avoid the specified conditions.
These are also critical settings. If you find a route can't be calculated, or an odd route is suggested, please adjust these settings upwards to increase the range of conditions available for the optimized route to follow. We recommend using the defaults or higher settings if you're comfortable with those.
Run a Power route
Now your boat parameters, dimensions and routing preferences are configured, select the Power Routing tab. Drag and drop the green Start Waypoint and the red Finish Waypoint to your desired locations.
Routing Options
You may also position these using GPS coordinates by clicking Edit on the waypoint icon to reveal the Latitude/Longitude of our start & finish positions for editing. You can also add port and starboard rounding waypoints if desired. Please make sure all your waypoints are well in the water.
Boundaries
To add a Boundary:
Click on the Waypoints icon.
Click on Boundaries, then Create Boundary.
Click on the map where you want to add a boundary and add sufficient points to make it a closed shape. Once you have the points on the map, you can move each point and add a lat/long if you wish to be specific.
To delete the boundary, click on the centre and delete.
Run a Powerboat Route
You can now calculate your powerboat route; click the Download button. Your route will be calculated using your Powerboat parameters and show six routes related to the six weather models, wave and currents.
When you click on the weather model from the bottom right, you will see a control panel pop out; you can change the display here.
Forecast Options
ECMWF is Black
UKMO is Yellow
Spire is Orange
PWG is blue
PWE is Red
GFS is Green
Display Controls
These include map display types:
Streamlines
Wind barbs with colour contours
Wind arrows with colour contours
Display Parameters
Parameter selections which you can select here include:
Wind
Currents
Rain
Cloud
Air temperature
Gust
Cape
Wave
The animation play speed is also adjustable in this pop-out.
Route Display & Use
Wind Maps
The displayed wind maps relate to that model and the associated route. For example, selecting the PWE model corresponds to the red track, and the boat is displayed on the active route.
You can turn off one or more of the displayed routes by clicking on toggle routes and clicking on the tick box to turn on or off. Click x to close.
Animate the route
Press the play button or control the display with the time slider ball or the forward and back arrows.
By clicking on any point on a Powerboat route, we get details for that point on the route.
Routing Tables
At the top of the screen, click on Tables. The tables include detailed data about your routes for all models. We have Graphs with many important details along our route, including the Roll, Vertical Acceleration and Boat Slamming.
Tables include Wind, Summary, Route, Wave, Atmosphere And Current.
We also have the Export function, which allows you to export the weather route in several digital formats for Navigation software.
Click on the Map button to go back to the routing Map.
Congratulations! You are now ready to use the PredictWind Powerboat routing!
Related Articles
Please review the articles below for more information available in Powerboat Routing Help about how to set up and use Powerboat Routing: