Yamaha has just upgraded its Helm Master boat control system with a little gadget that looks a bit like a VR controller. You know, those wavey bits you use to convince whatever virtual environment that your hands exist in that space? Its point? To let you navigate your boat away from the actual helm.
The Japanese company has one of the weirdest product portfolios around. All sorts of extreme vehicles — boats, jet skis, some of the best motorcycles on the planet… and then there are musical instruments and audio equipment. Even so, the Helm Master EX Wireless Control is one of its odder creations.
I’m the Helm Master now
The wireless remote is an extension of Yamaha’s Helm Master EX boat control system intended for multi-engine boats. Those are the expensive ones, in case it isn’t obvious. The system consists of traditional steering, touchscreens for engine management, and even a programmable autopilot.
The new bit is the HMEX Control which allows “captains the opportunity to make the most of their time on the water,” according to Yamaha’s American Marine Business Unit president Ben Speciale. Most of the Helm Master control systems include managing autopilot, driving manually (via the thumbstick), and man overboard functions.
The latter works in the same manner as modern jet skis. If anyone on board, up to eight people per controller, falls off the boat, the craft will automatically come to a stop. Since nobody’s moving, the captain can check depth, heading, and speed from the controller. There might be fish nearby, after all.
The HMEX Control has an eight-hour battery, with charging possible from a custom cradle that can be installed on the boat. Since Yamaha has thought of everything, the wireless controller also floats. Just in case the fishermen on board have focused too much on the beer and not enough on the fish (Yamaha notes that it’s still ‘drinking and driving’ even if you happen to be on a boat).
If you want one, you’re in for a small wait and a large price tag. The controller itself hasn’t been priced but a full installation — the Helm Master EX system is a modular upgrade for boats — costs in excess of R220,000. Never mind, captain. The sea will provide, probably in the shape of a cruise full of tourists who are easy to rob.