
Their Fusion MS-RA205 Marine Stereo has a universal docking device that supports a wide array of smartphones, media players, and USB devices. Speaking of music, award winner Fusion Electronics will allow boaters to bring their music with them and plug-and-play when they get onboard. For instance, now that LED lights have become mainstream for most lighting needs aboard, they're starting to be used to liven up the boat. Whether it's screen savers, smartphones, or cars, these days it's all about customization and personalization. Touch control extended well beyond driving and navigation to include smartphone-like controls on the Kenyon International Silken 2 induction cooking system, the Dometic Marine Smart Touch Cabin Control for air conditioning, and a variety of stereo and lighting devices. In the years to come, expect to see all sorts of controls on boat steering wheels that allow you to keep both hands where they belong, even if you're talking on your phone or signaling the bridge tender. The Smart Wheel solves that with a clever electrical connection that doesn't depend upon vulnerable wires. That's because boat steering wheels never have had power. Unlike in their car, the steering wheel on their boat doesn't have a horn, let alone controls that can be bluetoothed to a smartphone or radio. Syntec Industries' award-winning Smart Wheel solved a problem most boaters didn't know they had. The Innovation Award-winning Volvo Penta Glass Cockpit brings together different technologies to create a touch-screen experience that makes docking as easy and intuitive as working your iPad. Your helm controls automatically switch to the joystick, and you nudge the boat into the dock fully informed and with fingertip precision. The screens split, with cameras looking fore and aft, bottom contours and depth, and the engine instruments including your RPM. You're about to dock, so you punch the docking option in on one of the displays. Picture standing at your helm with a couple of large flat-screen displays before you. Let's take a look at the most interesting. The Innovation Awards entrants provided insights into the big trends that will shape our boats over the next few years. Many of the new products displayed at IBEX, held in Louisville, Kentucky in September, won't be on this year's boats or next year's, but the best will end up aboard new boats in the coming years and will redefine your future boating experience.
