PartsVu Xchange Talks Boating: What's New With Yamaha?

Scott: Oh, absolutely. Everything is about making a big boat drive like a small boat, and controlling a boat like we control our houses these days.

We can unlock our front doors with our phones while we're still in the car. It just takes time to bring this same technology to the marine industry. But, we're getting to this point, so the phrase “integrated boating experience” is a very good description.

I believe the MyYamahaOutboards app launched in July of 2021. Can you give us an overview of the app?

Scott: Although we just launched the app, we have been working on it for a long time. The app will mainly focus on service and record service history throughout the life of your engine. So, it's specific to a primary ID number, but it's got all the fun things that an app should have. Within the app, I have a picture of my boat, the exact brand and the type of boat, and a preferred dealer or marina that I go to. There are many features, and boaters can go to the consumer website to see all the fun stuff.

You can record a trip and make notes about that trip, along with all your maintenance history, and that's the key thing about it. If you take your boat to a dealership and they do a 100-hour service, for example, they can record the service into the Yamaha Marine Business System. Then, when you go in to refresh your app, it'll show that your 100-hour service was performed by XYZ dealer.

Not only can the dealer record information, but the owner can as well. If a DIYer did their 20-hour break in service, they could record the service in the app, and it will associate with the serial number of that engine. So, if the owner sells it later, that service and any other service or repairs are recorded.

For do-it-yourself people are there any concerns? If you’re doing your own 100-hour service for example, using Yamaha products, is there any risk owners will void their warranty?

Scott: Boaters doing their own maintenance work will not void or damage their warranties. Obviously, a certified Yamaha mechanic needs to do warranty work at an authorized Yamaha dealer, but boaters can absolutely do their own maintenance work.

How proactive is the app in suggesting maintenance?

Scott: The app is not counting your engine hours— we don't have that access yet, though I'm sure we may at some point down the road. Reminders and alerts are based on a timeframe. You buy your engine, and in six months, 12 months, we shoot you a reminder on the app. If you opt-in to receive emails, we can also email reminders. Our goal is to get the dealer involved as much as possible, so not only are we reminding you, but your dealer is as well.

Related to the integrated boating experience is the Helm Master EX. Technology as a whole has advanced so much since the first Helm Master. This has to be a major upgrade, correct?

Scott: Our Helm Master EX, which is version two, just launched last year. Our original Helm Master was launched about seven years ago. When it was originally launched, it was just awesome— the boat control system itself is a fully integrated boat control system. Now with Helm Master EX, it’s stepped up exponentially.

The biggest thing about it is that many of our engines now come integrated with electronic steering, so there are no more hydraulics for certain engines. It allows us to use software that provides instantaneous boat control, including autopilot functionality.

For Helm Master EX, we have different stages. Stage one is you have the electric steering engine and our new control box or throttle. Once you have those, you can add the autopilot. And then if you have autopilot, you can add the joystick feature.

Can you give us an overview of some of the new joystick features?

Joystick features are FishPoint, DriftPoint, and StayPoint. For FishPoint, if you're out fishing offshore and you want to stay over a reef or a rock or something, you can just hit FishPoint, and it will hold you in that spot.

DriftPoint is a feature where you can hold your heading and you drift with the wind or the current. With autopilot, this capability has been stepped up. Say you have a peninsula or a dock that is in your way— you can create a track, recognize when you're drifting, the engines will then move you back, go around that peninsula or dock, and then move you back into position.

StayPoint and FishPoint are similar, but StayPoint is used for situations like waiting at a bridge in a strong current. StayPoint will use all RPM levels to keep you in one spot. However, FishPoint uses low RPM levels so it doesn't drown out the charge while you're trying to find fish on your chart plotter.

Hydraulic systems are proven and trusted in the marine industry. Have there been concerns around the reliability and the durability of an electronic system in the marine environment?

Scott: Hydraulic systems are still the most common. I'm sure that will change, but it's going to be years down the road. Hydraulics are still a little more affordable.

But electronic steering itself is maintenance-free for the life of the engine. There is no need to add fluid or add grease or whatever.

Isn't Helm Master now available for smaller, lower horsepower engines?

Scott: Yes, you typically saw Helm Master on larger boats— triple engine, quad engine, and bigger.

However, we just won an innovation award at IBEX in 2020 for the single engine Helm Master, which is a joystick all the way down to single engine boat control.

Especially for newer boaters, it’s interesting that Helm Master indirectly correlates to the MyYamahaOutboards app. Helm Master lets you keep track of engine trim, etc. You could also log that information in the notes of your MyYamahaOutboards app. It’s helping you to manage your boat in a couple of different ways.

Scott: The app is very intuitive and this is honestly just the beginning. With the app right now, it's really geared towards tracking maintenance, bringing in that customer, reminding them it’s time to get back to the dealer so we can get your service done, and recording all of that. But down the road it will be able to do much more.

So here's the million dollar question: Where do you see boating technology heading? What do you think the future holds?

Scott: Yamaha is now in a partnership with Siren Marine, a company heavily invested in the “internet of things.” Siren is focused on the integration we’re all used to, where you can be in your car and turn your lights on in your house with your phone. All these apps are part of everybody's daily lives now.

Siren Marine is bringing that world to the marine industry, which is easier said than done because electronics take a beating in the marine environment. They're jerked around whenever you're on the boat, and then, of course, you have the water, and everything's exposed. So it's hard to make the technology reliable, but Siren Marine has been doing some great stuff. We've partnered with them now, so with their systems and capabilities at our fingertips, there will be a lot of important advancements in the near future.

Can you share a piece of non-Yamaha information? What are some of your favorite places to boat?

Scott: I grew up most of my life in Georgia, so the lake life is fantastic for me, but since I've moved to Florida, I've picked up free diving. I free dive and I spearfish. Going down to the Keys— and I have been to the Bahamas once— the clear water is like you're in an aquarium. I get caught up in being in the reefs, all the species around you, and the blue water.