Advanced Helm Systems Are Revolutionizing Towed Watersports
For a long time, the prevailing notion in boating was that if you wanted an exact, high-quality tow, you needed a specialized inboard ski or wake boat. That’s because, since the late 1990s, these boats have featured computer-controlled speed systems, providing pros and enthusiasts across all towed watersports with precise speed control. Maintaining an exact speed is vital. It keeps the wake’s shape and size—and the boat’s pull—consistent. That enables peak performance for the skier, rider, or wakesurfer in tow.
But that notion is changing. Today, a wider array of boat owners can enjoy a high-quality, precise tow even without a specialized inboard boat. Marine engine manufacturers such as Yamaha, Mercury Marine, and Volvo Penta have developed advanced helm systems designed to simplify navigation and docking.
Advanced Helm Systems for Exactness
Many boaters view these computerized systems primarily as joystick features for easier docking. However, they include capabilities that do much more for the overall boating experience. In turn, they significantly enhance towed watersports.
Systems such as Yamaha Helm Master EX (HMEX), Mercury Joystick Piloting for Outboards (JPO), and Volvo Penta Joystick Surfing feature extremely accurate speed control that matches the precision of specialized inboard ski and wake boats. Beyond speed control, these advanced helm systems also incorporate autopilot features for navigation. That feature is not yet included in many specialized ski and wake boats.
While marine engine manufacturers primarily developed autopilot for navigation and fishing, it is also a godsend for tow sports. Autopilot uses GPS technology to control the boat’s path autonomously with extreme accuracy, allowing it to navigate to specific destinations or run precise trolling patterns. In addition, autopilot enables the boat to maintain a perfectly straight path.
Why Exact Speed and Path Matter
Whether you are a professional or a recreational enthusiast, a straight path is essential for a superior experience behind the boat. When the path remains straight, the shape and size of the wake stay consistent. Slalom skiers and barefoot waterskiers depend on this consistency to provide predictability when crossing back and forth.
For those who use the wake as a launchpad for tricks—wakeboarders, wakesurfers, wakeskaters, trick skiers, kneeboarders—a consistent wake is mandatory to encourage improvement and optimal performance.
Think of the boat’s wake the way a skateboarder uses a ramp. If the ramp’s shape constantly shifted, the skater couldn’t perform well and would fall frequently. The same applies to towed watersports: The wake must remain consistent for optimal performance.
Proof of Concept for Advanced Helm Systems
I wanted to test how speed control and autopilot translate to tow sports. To do so, I organized a session with Yamaha on Lake Allatoona in Georgia, near the company’s North American headquarters. The test boat was a Grady-White Freedom 255 powered by twin Yamaha 200 hp outboards and equipped with the full Yamaha Helm Master EX system. With its 24-foot, 9-inch length and 8-foot, 6-inch beam, the Grady-White Freedom 255 is designed for fishing and family use—not as a serious tow sports boat.
Connor Ashberry from Yamaha, an experienced wakeboarder, handled the riding. I began by observing the boat’s speed, path, and wake as Ashberry jumped the wake. Then I took the helm of the Grady-White myself. Finally, I put on my wetsuit for a barefoot session to feel the results firsthand.
The results were immediate and impressive. The driver accelerated to Ashberry’s requested 19 mph and engaged the RPM-based speed control located on the throttle. Next, the driver engaged the “Course Hold” switch on the dash-mounted autopilot system to lock in a straight path. Though the driver remained at the wheel, the Helm Master EX was firmly in control of both the boat’s speed and path.
As Ashberry jumped back and forth, I monitored the GPS speed gauge and the boat’s stern for any side-to-side oscillation. When experienced riders edge hard toward the wake, they place a significant load on the boat. That typically slows its speed and pulls it off a straight course. To compensate, a human driver must immediately adjust throttle and steering to maintain speed and a straight path. That’s a difficult task for professionals in specialized boats, and nearly impossible in a family or fishing boat.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the Helm Master EX handled the load perfectly. As Ashberry began his edge, the boat’s speed dropped by only 0.2 mph before rebounding instantly to 19 mph—a change virtually unnoticeable to the rider. I also observed that the Grady-White Freedom 255 maintained an exact straight path, resulting in a consistent wake shape.
At the Wheel
I took the wheel as Ashberry continued his wakeboard session, and it felt strange at first. Once I set the autopilot and speed control, I didn’t need to hold the wheel or the throttle. I realized the advanced features of the Helm Master EX allowed me to stop worrying about speed and path. Instead, I could focus on safety by scanning the surrounding water for other boat traffic.
When another boat approached us, I immediately disengaged the speed control and autopilot by placing my hands on the wheel and throttle to take manual control and adjust the boat’s path.
The RPM speed control located on the throttle allows for minute adjustments of just 50 RPM. This enabled me to fine-tune the speed in extremely small increments to give Ashberry an optimal tow, allowing him to jump and clear the entire wake with ease. Bigger and longer jumps provide the rider more time in the air to perform spins and inverted tricks.
On My Bare Feet
I further tested the system by barefoot waterskiing behind the Grady-White Freedom 255. I requested 36 mph for my session. The driver brought the boat up to speed and engaged the speed control. Once on my feet, I could immediately tell that the speed control and autopilot worked perfectly. The system provided an exact and consistent tow.
Putting Advanced Helm Systems in Perspective
Mercury Marine’s JPO and Volvo Penta’s Joystick Surfing also deliver these exact speed and straight-path features. As someone who has been involved with towed watersports for 50 years, I find these innovations amazing. Today, whether you own a fishing boat or a family boat, you can enjoy an exact tow just as the pros do.
Because the Yamaha and Mercury advanced helm systems are designed for outboard-powered boats, they are ideal for various tow sports, but not for wakesurfing. The propeller is exposed aft of the transom, and wakesurfers are too close to the transom for safe operation. Volvo Penta Joystick Surfing, however, is engineered for its Forward Drive sterndrive. The propeller faces forward and is positioned under the hull, and that’s why the Volvo Penta Drive works for wakesurfing (and the rest of the watersports).
Volvo Penta Joystick Surfing is available for both single and twin Forward Drive applications. This allows families to enjoy advanced speed control and autopilot features on boats ranging from 20 feet to well over 30 feet.
Today, families who participate in recreational watersports behind a bowrider or a deck boat or even a fishing boat can enjoy the exact, consistent speed and wake shape previously reserved for tournament boats. To think that an advanced helm system—with its sophisticated computer and its ability to instantaneously control speed and path far better than a human—can now be used for towed watersports blows my mind.
These features allow boaters to improve more quickly and enjoy every session on the water even more. In my book, that’s exciting news.
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