Boating is a wonderful escape for many people. Taking a leisurely cruise is a cathartic method to wind down after a long day or week at work. Pushing the throttle forward is a good way to get your blood pumping, whether you’re towing the kids in an innertube behind you, or just cruising for the pure fun of it. And heading out to your favorite fishing spot can be both relaxing and exhilarating if you land a decent catch. You might even bring home something for dinner. What could be better than that?
For those who are in the market for a new center console or other boat, there are a lot of emerging technologies that will make your boating experience even better—or at least more convenient. Here are a few exciting things on the horizon.
IoT (The Internet of Things)
The Internet of Things is being widely used by consumers at home and in their vehicles. Why not have connectivity on your boat, too? There are a number of IoT technologies that can be added as aftermarket conveniences, but manufacturers are starting to see the benefit of putting them into production models.
That said, you should start seeing more and more IoT applications in the near future that will allow you to do a number of things, including:
- Turn on your air conditioning remotely with your smartphone so the cabin will be nice and cool when you arrive
- Monitor safety issues when you’re not onboard, such as a low battery alert or if there’s water in the hull
- Keep track of and control devices from your smartphone, so you can turn off all the lights to save power, turn up the music, check that your blower is on, or even see where your fuel gauge level is without ever losing sight of your fishing line in the water
- Track and store your course direction, in the event you want to return to your “secret spot” more easily
Autonomous Boats
Using technology that was developed for self-driving cars, boats are also now becoming autonomous. Boat autonomy is currently being developed more for work applications, such as bridge inspections and search-and-rescue missions. However, in the very near future, this technology could be used on power boats and cabin cruisers to detect obstacles in the water that might not be seen by humans.
When in autonomous mode, the boat would not only identify the object and how large it is, but it would make course corrections to avoid hitting said object. Wouldn’t it be great if you could just punch in a set of coordinates for your favorite fishing spot, put the boat in autonomous mode, and work on setting up rigs on the way out?
Electric Power
Many boat manufacturers are listening to consumer concerns about environmental issues associated with power boating and are putting more electric boats into production. These boats will potentially have batteries that can be recharged by wind power, solar energy, or even the flow of water going by to extend battery range. Innovations in construction and chemistry are also making batteries lighter and more powerful to provide the same experience current boaters enjoy fuel-combustion-powered boats.
Microplastic Filters
Microplastics are a huge environmental issue that are difficult to detect and retrieve from the water, but they are regularly ingested by marine life such as turtles, fish, and oysters and can cause serious harm and even death. Microplastic pollution is created when larger plastic items such as grocery bags, product wraps, and plastic bottles that leak into the ocean are broken down by the salt, sunlight, and waves.
Suzuki Marine is actively testing a microplastic filter device that is designed for installation on outboard motors. It will integrate with the motor’s cooling system, allowing microplastics to be
“scooped up” while the boat is in motion out on the water. The filter can be removed for cleaning after each trip, and it can be reused. Suzuki engineers are integrating a by-pass system in the event that the filter gets too clogged during motor operation to keep the engine from overheating.
If this technology proves to be successful and economically viable, there’s a good chance you’ll see these filters coming out on more production model motors, not just from Suzuki but other big manufacturers as well.
In the meantime, if you’re ready to start looking for a boat for your summertime adventures on the water, check out our nationwide inventory of new and used vessels at Boatline.com.
By Barrett Baker
