Yamaha's Helm Master EX takes much of the stress out of the trickiest part of any day on the water: getting in and out of a busy marina. With intuitive joystick control and integrated steering, it lets you manoeuvre into a tight space and hold your position calmly, and you still get to take the credit.
Most of us know the feeling. The trip has gone well, the weather has been kind, and then you turn into the marina to find the fairway crowded, the wind pushing you sideways and a gap between two boats that looks smaller every second. On a conventional outboard set-up you're juggling throttles and wheel, often with someone on the bow fending off. It's where confidence goes, and it's where a lot of owners decide they'd rather not take the boat out short-handed.
Helm Master EX is Yamaha's answer to that. Instead of working each control separately, you move a single joystick in the direction you want the boat to go, and the system works out what the engines and steering need to do. Push it sideways and the boat moves sideways. Twist it and the boat turns on the spot. Because the steering is integrated with the engine controls, the whole thing behaves as one system rather than a set of parts you have to coordinate yourself.
Holding position is the other part that owners tend to value once they've tried it. Waiting for a lock, a fuel berth or a slot on the pontoon is much easier when the boat isn't drifting while you sort out lines and fenders. It also gives you a moment to think, which is often all that's needed to turn a fraught arrival into a tidy one.
There's a practical side to this beyond comfort. Easier handling means more people aboard can bring the boat in, so you're not always relying on the most experienced hand at the helm. Couples and families who mostly go out on their own often find that this changes how often they use the boat. Fewer knocks and scrapes in the marina are good for the boat, and for its condition when the time comes to sell.
If you're looking at a new or used outboard-powered boat, it's worth asking what control system is fitted and how it's been maintained, and getting a proper demonstration before you decide. Joystick systems feel unfamiliar for the first few minutes, then quickly become second nature. The best way to judge is to try one yourself in a real marina, rather than read about it.
As a family-run brokerage and Jeanneau and Delphia dealer, with offices at Swansea, Corfu, Milford and Poole, and working closely with our sister company Euroyachts at Largs and Troon on the Clyde, we're happy to talk through how Helm Master EX could suit the way you use your boat.
Visit us and find out how the Helm Master EX can change your time on the water. Get in touch with any of our offices and we'll be glad to help.
