CarPlay will soon move beyond the road, with Crest and Balise set to bring Apple’s in-car interface to the helm of select pontoon boats. Here are the details.
CarPlay takes to the water
As spotted by MacRumors, Crest and Balise, two pontoon brands owned by MasterCraft Boat Holdings, announced today that Apple CarPlay and Android Auto will come standard on all new Balise models, as well as Crest Conquest and Caribbean models, beginning with the 2027 model year.
The company says the first compatible models will launch next month, with Savvy Navvy offering access to the following features through CarPlay directly from the helm display:
- Savvy Charts™ in day, night or satellite view
- 2D and 3D chart views
- Smart routing: plot a route at the helm, or plan it at home and watch it appear on the display when you step aboard
- Search for places: marinas, harbours, anchorages
- Your saved markers, ready to select
- Nav mode showing live ETA, speed, remaining time and distance, next manoeuvre and current position
- Nearby boat traffic, which you can toggle on and off
- Live location sharing, see friends on the chart
- Bathymetry
Here’s Savvy Navvy founder and CEO Jelte Liebrand on the announcement:
“Boaters have been asking for a modern infotainment system for years. […] Plan your trip on the couch, step aboard, and it is already at the helm. No complicated ways to synchronise things; it just works. Savvy Navvy for CarPlay works on iOS and Android with any compatible display. I’m thrilled to see Crest and Balise put CarPlay in front of their boaters.”
The announcement was made earlier today during Crest Marine’s annual dealer meeting, where dealers “had the opportunity to experience the new integration firsthand through on-water demonstrations, showcasing its capabilities and customer benefits.”
To learn more about today’s announcement, follow this link.
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