A toolbar running across the top of the screen allows anglers to quickly interface with
the trolling motor or other devices in the boat. (Photo by Brad Wiegmann)
Do You Have Total Boat Control?
By Brad Wiegmann
Stand-alone marine electronic units are a thing of the past. The drive for total boat control now lies with sonar units.
The buzzword in marine electronics is integration. Integration of marine electronics covers everything from the bow to the stern of the boat. The announcement from Garmin at ICAST that it will be integrating with Power-Pole means now every major marine company can control shallow-water anchors from compatible marine devices. This was just the icing on the cake as integration has become a focus for marine electronics.
Although the integration revolution is a positive step for better communication between compatible marine electronics, don’t be fooled. Marine electronics companies are doing their best to keep consumers buying just one brand of products. This was a trend, but has slowly been reversing as total boat control requires one brand of products to interface.
Garmin has OneHelm and advanced boat control integration. OneHelm is directed toward large boats and controls various third-party marine systems, devices and switches. Otherwise, Garmin’s chartplotters/fishfinders can be networked with different marine outboard engines for sensor inputs to display data such as rpm, fuel flow, alarms and more.
Lowrance boasts the Ultimate Fishing System to produce bow to stern as they dive into marine electronics integration. The Ultimate Fishing System controls everything from Power-Poles, autopilots, engines, radar and more. Similar to other marine electronic networks, Lowrance can interface with Mercury, Yamaha, Honda Marine and Suzuki outboard engines.
Mercury VesselView Link is a great example of how outboard marine engines are working to integrate with marine electronics. VesselView Link is a module that’s installed on the outboard engine allowing an angler to monitor data on compatible Lowrance chartplotters/fishfinders. Mercury Smart Connect is the same product, but for Garmin- and Raymarine-compatible marine electronic units. The data from the Mercury VesselView Link is shown on the display screen and, depending on the unit, can be customized to how the screen appears.
Mercury VesselView Mobile is a similar product but attaches a module onboard to the engine that wirelessly connects to your mobile device through Bluetooth. It keeps track of fuel usage, rpm and more accurate than analog gauges. Plus, the app can keep track of engine hours and when routine maintenance is due.
Humminbird’s One Boat Network allows an angler to automatically navigate using chart data, connect to built-in MEGA Imaging motors, command Minn Kota shallow-water anchors and make your smartphone the brains of your boat and more.
What’s truly amazing is the integration between chartplotters/fishfinders and trolling motors. Lowrance, Garmin and Humminbird can steer, anchor lock to a spot, adjust thrust and more through a toolbar located on the screen of the chartplotter/fishfinder or off a mobile device if connected. This allows anglers to create routes for trolling or lock into one spot to fish.
One thing to note on integration is it only works with a single brand. This keeps anglers loyal to one brand when it comes to integration. It’s also important to note that the basic, low-end models may not have the ability to interface with other units.
(Brad Wiegmann of Springdale, Arkansas is a fishing guide, podcaster, social media influencer, professional photographer, videographer and outdoor writer published in dozens of print and electronic media outlets across the nation. Every month, he provides CatfishNOW readers with the latest information on the ever-changing world of fishing electronics. Learn more at BradWiegmann.com.)
