When the chart ends, the guesswork begins - unless you have real-time seabed intelligence. The WASSP W3P multibeam sonar system is changing how explorer yachts approach poorly charted waters, with live 3D mapping deployed from a tender.
Many captains will know the feeling of approaching waters where charts are decades old or, in some cases, non-existent entirely. The depth sounder gives you a number, but it tells you nothing about what's around you. Is there a rock shelf to starboard? A wreck just off the bow? A sudden drop that makes anchoring impossible?
For explorer yachts pushing into the world's most remote cruising grounds, the WASSP W3P multibeam sonar system has become the tool that gives captains peace of mind in poorly charted waters.
The WASSP W3P is a portable, tender-deployed multibeam sonar system that gives yachts the ability to scout the seabed before the mothership commits. Unlike a traditional depth sounder, which measures just one point vertically below the vessel, the WASSP W3P uses 224 beams simultaneously across a 120° swath from port to starboard, capturing the entire underwater landscape in a single sweep and revealing depth contours, underwater features, obstructions and the shape of the seabed in both 2D and 3D.
The system is designed to be flexible. It can be mounted on a tender via a quick-release transom or duckboard bracket, allowing crew to deploy it rapidly without permanent installation. Alternatively, it can be installed permanently on either the tender or the mothership, depending on operational needs. Once deployed, the W3P streams live bathymetric data wirelessly back to the bridge, so the captain and crew can watch the seabed unfold in real time without needing to be on the tender itself.
So what happens if the tender moves out of wireless range? The W3P continues mapping without interruption, storing data locally. Once the tender returns within range (typically one to two nautical miles in ideal conditions), the buffered data automatically forwards to the mothership, ensuring no mapping information is lost.
The W3P is an all-in-one solution. The integrated pole mount includes the wideband fairing transducer, an integrated digital processor, a WASSP V200 satellite compass and a built-in inertial measurement unit (IMU) to ensure accurate data even in rough conditions. Wireless licenses for both the tender and mothership are included, along with a separate wireless antenna kit for the mothership, making setup straightforward without complex cabling or retrofitting.
The W3P also offers advantages over forward-looking sonar (FLS) systems, which are typically mounted in the bow of the mothership and require drydocking for installation. While FLS excels at collision avoidance - spotting floating containers, icebergs or submerged objects - it's less suited to generating accurate high-resolution seafloor maps. More importantly, FLS can't "look around corners". When a bay or lagoon is surrounded by reefs or rocks, a bow-mounted FLS on the mothership can't survey beyond those obstacles. A tender-mounted WASSP, by contrast, can be sent ahead to scout and map areas the mothership cannot yet safely approach.
The captain of a 60-metre sailing yacht has been using the WASSP system in areas with unreliable charting. “WASSP soundings often play an important role in deciding where we safely anchor," he explains. "Furthermore, if we have time to scout a location before guests come on board, we will scan ahead with the WASSP to help identify the safest passage through pilotage areas. WASSP has been handy for pinpointing spuriously marked wrecks and other underwater features."
He is clear that the system doesn't change how the vessel operates on a fundamental level, but it adds confidence. "It is an additional tool that we routinely use as an 'off-the-beaten-path' vessel. Being able to quickly download the soundings on board and overlay the vessel's GPS position on an electronic chart adds a much-needed level of confidence when operating in remote areas. It allows us to be a bit more adventurous where we anchor at times with guests on board.”
Beyond depth mapping, the W3P offers additional capabilities that extend its utility. Backscatter mapping reveals seafloor composition - mud, sand or rock - helping identify the best anchorage spots where holding is secure. The 3D water column target feature can detect and map objects between the surface and seabed, from schools of fish and marine mammals to submarines or ROVs. For yachts with scientific or environmental research interests, this data can be stored, shared and built upon over time, creating detailed collaborative maps that benefit the entire explorer yacht community.
With over 120 superyachts and cruise ships worldwide now using WASSP's wireless systems, the ability to generate your own real-time seabed data is becoming a standard part of the toolkit for explorer yachts.
WASSP will be exhibiting at the 2026 Monaco Yacht Show as part of the Furuno Italia stand at Darse Sud DS50. For more information about the WASSP W3P multibeam sonar system, visit the team at the Monaco Yacht Show, or visit the WASSP’s website and contact them directly.
Sponsored content created for Electronic Navigation Ltd.