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# Maxwell AA710 Review: The Remote That Makes Anchoring Easier
- URL: https://www.goodkit.io/maxwell-aa710-review-the-remote-that-makes-anchoring-easier/
- Published: 2026-08-21T19:07:57.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-22T04:12:04.000Z
- Description: After three seasons aboard, the AA710 has made anchoring easier with reliable wireless windlass control and an integrated chain counter anywhere on deck.
- Author: goodkit crew
- Tags: Marine, Electrical, Reviews, #approved

The Maxwell AA710 is an expensive way to operate an anchor windlass, but after using ours since 2023, it has become one of those upgrades that is difficult to imagine giving up. The wireless remote lets us deploy and retrieve the anchor from wherever we have the clearest view of the chain, the water, and what is happening at the bow. Its built-in rode counter means we can also see how much chain is out without staying beside a fixed display.

We retained the original foot switches on deck, and they remain useful backup controls. The AA710 did not replace them so much as remove their biggest limitation: they require the operator to stand in one particular place. With the remote secured around a wrist, we can move across most of the deck, lean over the side for a better view, and still operate the windlass.

After roughly three years aboard, the remote, counter, and wireless connection have worked without a failure. For a piece of marine electronics that regularly comes onto a wet foredeck, that reliability matters more than its long feature list. The Maxwell AA710 is GoodKit Approved.

## The freedom to move is the real upgrade

A conventional pair of foot switches can raise and lower an anchor perfectly well. Their problem is location. The person operating them may not have the best view of the anchor roller, the chain entering the water, or the seabed alongside the boat.

The AA710 lets the windlass operator stand wherever the job requires. That is particularly valuable when retrieving the anchor and watching for the moment it comes into view, checking the direction in which the chain is leading, or looking down the side of the boat while keeping clear of the moving rode.

The supplied wrist loop is not decorative. We use it when operating the remote near the rail so that a dropped controller does not become a very expensive contribution to the seabed. The remote is simple enough to use one-handed, and the raised directional controls are easy to understand without working through a complicated menu every time the anchor moves.

## The chain counter is more important than it sounds

The AA710 is not merely a wireless up-and-down switch. Its screen displays the amount of rode deployed, along with signal strength and battery status. Knowing how much chain is out makes it much easier to set an intentional scope rather than estimating from windlass run time or painted chain markings.

The counter requires proper installation. A magnet is fitted in the windlass gypsy, with a sensor positioned so that each gypsy revolution is detected. The system is then calibrated for the gypsy and rode. This adds work to the installation, but it is what allows the display to translate revolutions into deployed chain length.

One particularly useful detail is that the counter continues tracking when the windlass is operated from another control. We can use the existing deck foot switches and still retain the rode measurement, provided the sensor and base station remain powered and correctly configured.

The counter tells us how much rode is out; it does not replace the hardware that transfers the anchoring load away from the windlass. We use a [Mantus M3 chain hook](https://www.goodkit.io/mantus-m3-chain-hook-review/) for that separate job.

The remote should read zero before the anchor is deployed. Like any counter that depends on a sensor and calibration, it is information to verify rather than a substitute for watching the actual anchor and rode.

## Reliable range across the working deck

Maxwell specifies a typical minimum wireless range of 10 meters, or about 30 feet, although installation and the boat's structure affect the result. On our boat, the connection covers nearly all the deck area where we would reasonably want to control the windlass.

We have not experienced unexplained disconnects, intermittent commands, or a shrinking usable range since installing it in 2023\. The remote does not need to reach a distant dock or another boat; it needs to maintain a dependable connection as the operator moves around the bow and adjacent deck. Ours does that.

Boats with substantial steel, aluminum, or carbon-fiber structure between the handheld remote and base station may require more careful base-station placement or Maxwell's optional antenna. Our experience establishes that the standard system works well on our installation, not that every hull and equipment layout will produce identical range.

## Built for wet, awkward work

The handheld console feels like marine equipment rather than a generic radio remote. Its case is substantial, the controls are protected by a rugged outer structure, and the battery compartment uses a perimeter seal. After years of use around saltwater, we have not had water intrusion, case damage, or control problems.

Maxwell rates the remote and base station for water resistance, but we still treat the AA710 as a water-resistant electronic controller rather than something intended to be submerged. When replacing the batteries, the manual specifically calls for checking that the perimeter seal is clean and undamaged and tightening the rear screws evenly.

The remote uses two ordinary 1.5-volt AA alkaline batteries. That is a welcome choice on a cruising boat: replacements are readily available, and there is no proprietary rechargeable pack gradually becoming impossible to source. The display includes a battery-status indicator, and changing the batteries does not erase the saved settings or measurements.

## The safety lock creates a small delay

Our only recurring annoyance is the pause between deciding to move the anchor and actually operating the windlass. The controller goes to sleep after a period without use and restores its safety lock. Waking it requires a short connection delay, and unlocking it requires holding the center Mode button for about two seconds.

That occasionally produces a moment of impatience when everyone is ready to drop or retrieve the anchor and the operator is standing there holding the button. It is not a serious problem, but it is noticeable because fixed foot switches respond immediately.

The behavior is intentional. It conserves the AA batteries and helps prevent an accidental button press from starting a powerful windlass. The default auto-off period is five minutes and can be changed in the setup menu to between four and 20 minutes. We would not eliminate the lock even if we could; we simply wish the wake-and-unlock sequence felt a little quicker.

## Keep the deck switches

We would install the AA710 alongside conventional controls rather than making a wireless handheld the boat's only way to operate the anchor. Our foot switches provide an immediate local backup if the remote is misplaced, its batteries are depleted, or any part of the wireless system stops working.

The combination is better than either control by itself. The foot switches are permanently mounted, instantly available, and mechanically straightforward. The AA710 adds mobility, a display, and a rode counter. Keeping both provides convenience without turning a single portable device into a critical point of failure.

## Is the Maxwell AA710 worth the price?

This is the difficult part of the recommendation. The AA710 costs much more than a simple wireless windlass fob. Buyers are paying for the handheld display, rode-counting sensor system, base station, protected marine construction, and the ability to expand the system—not merely two wireless buttons.

For a boat that anchors infrequently or has deck switches in an ideal location, that expense may be hard to justify. A less costly wireless remote can provide basic mobility, and marked chain can provide an approximate rode measurement.

For us, the integrated counter and freedom to operate the windlass from the best viewing position improve a task we perform repeatedly. Three seasons of trouble-free use have also made the initial cost easier to accept. It is a premium convenience, but it solves a real operational problem every time we anchor.

Once the anchor is down, control gives way to monitoring. Our [anchor alarm that can be set from shore](https://www.goodkit.io/anchor-alarm-you-can-set-from-shore/) handles that next part of the anchoring workflow.

## The bottom line

The Maxwell AA710 has made anchoring easier. Its wireless range covers the useful working area of our deck, the chain counter provides clear rode information, the controls are simple, and the sealed handheld case has survived marine use without an issue since 2023.

The short wait to wake and unlock the remote can be irritating, and the price will rule it out for many boats. Installation is also more involved than pairing a basic wireless fob because accurate counting requires a correctly installed magnet, sensor, and calibration.

Those drawbacks have not changed our conclusion. The AA710 lets the windlass operator move to the safest, most informative position instead of being tied to a pair of deck switches. We kept those switches as backup, but the remote is now the control we prefer. The Maxwell AA710 is GoodKit Approved.

What we liked

- Lets the operator move to the best view of the anchor, chain, and water
- Built-in rode counter shows how much chain is deployed
- Reliable wireless coverage across the useful working deck
- No failures or connection problems since installation in 2023
- Substantial case, good perimeter seal, and simple controls
- Uses ordinary replaceable AA batteries
- Wrist loop helps protect an expensive remote near the rail
- Counter continues working when the existing foot switches operate the windlass

What to know

- Very expensive compared with a simple wireless windlass remote
- Waking and holding the Mode button to unlock creates a small delay
- Accurate counting requires installing and calibrating the gypsy magnet and sensor
- Wireless range depends on base-station placement and boat construction
- We would retain hard-wired deck controls as a backup

## Where to buy and learn more

**Disclosure:** Dupree Products is affiliated with GoodKit's publisher. This review is based on our own onboard use of the AA710 since 2023.

- [Maxwell AA710 wireless remote and rode counter kit at Dupree Products](https://dupreeproducts.com/products/maxwell-wireless-remote-handheld-w-rode-counter-p102981?ref=goodkit.io)
- [Maxwell AA710 official product information](https://maxwellmarine.com/product/auto-anchor-wireless-controllers-and-counters/?ref=goodkit.io)
- [Maxwell manuals, including the AA710 installation and owner's manual](https://maxwellmarine.com/manuals/?ref=goodkit.io)

The verdict

Three seasons, no problems, and far more freedom at the bow. GoodKit Approved.

anchoring usability10 / 10

reliability10 / 10

range9 / 10

build quality9 / 10

value7 / 10