WRITTEN BY: Rob Bowman
May 16, 2019 
The yacht ownership experience has changed pretty dramatically over the last 20 years. Gone are the days when all you had to compare between boats was the horsepower and the price. The process of purchasing a yacht today and the experience of owning it is as unique as the builders themselves. Our premium new yacht brands lead the industry in innovation and creativity which is evident in the technology offered on the latest models as well as throughout the decision-making process. Below are several examples of how competition in the market has resulted in new ways to buy a yacht as well as enjoy it! For more information on any of our new models, please give us a call at (718) 984-7676.
When HCB Yachts first re-launched their new luxury center-console brand, one of the cornerstone's of their customer strategy was centered around the "Crucero Experience". Crucero is a Spanish term meaning "cruise" and perfectly describes the experience each new owner takes as they customize and build their new boat. Each customer is assigned their own personal travel agent to guide you through each step of the process from creating your own custom designs, to choosing how your HCB will look, to the custom delivery process.
To further expand on the Crucero Experience, HCB created its own unique showroom. New customers are able to pull customization samples from the wall displays and literally build their new yacht while sitting at the table. (Seen below is an overview of the HCB Showroom in Knoxville, Tennessee:)
Customers who visit the HCB showroom can shop for HCB apparel, enjoy a latte at the coffee bar, or go through engine options, cabinetry styles, fabric colors, and a whole lot more. Take a moment to explore the HCB Showroom for yourself virtually. (Seen below: A wall of the HCB showroom where owners can choose seat styles among other details.)
Prestige Yachts recently partnered with Raymarine to introduce the revolutionary Docksense technology which is aimed at reducing anxiety and accident while docking your boat. Pulling up at a busy marina can be a gut-wrenching experience for newer boaters, particularly if there are high winds, strong current, and a lot of boat traffic. As displayed on the Prestige 460 Flybridge at the last Miami Yacht Show, those days are a thing of the past.
So how does it work? Raymarine innovation has resulted in a solution they've named "Virtual Bumper Zone Technology". A FLIR machine vision camera on board uses video analytics to create a virtual bumper around the boat. The minute that an object, like another yacht or a dock piling, starts to come close to that bumper zone, the boat will automatically correct its steering and re-position itself. Not only does this reduce the risk for injury or costly damage, but the captain will save some face around the marina as well.
While the partnership between Prestige and Raymarine resulted in a unique offering for the 460 Fly and other models on the way, Garmin and Absolute Yachts began their own collaboration. Garmin introduced its Empirbus Technology recently in conjunction with two new Absolute models - the Navetta 48 and the 62 Flybridge. This is part of the "Garmin One" initiative which aims to combine navigational, operational, and entertainment features into one easily managed solution.
Garmin's EmpirBus Technology as its offered on the Absolute models, turns the boat into a "smart yacht". The digital switching components allow your yacht to have all its components integrated, resulting in complete control of all the boat's functions right from one application. Imagine being able to check your fuel, lower the A/C, and turn on your favorite Pandora station right from your iPad! (Seen below: Garmin's tablet application showing the controls of a yacht.)
While the above experiences and technological advancements are already available today, another collaboration is taking place to help grow innovation, performance, and mitigate the environmental impact from boat building. Princess Yachts was recently selected as one of seven marine companies (the only motor yacht builder selected) to take part in MarineShift360 Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) tool.
In a recent announcement, the MarineShift360 Program Director Todd McGuire had this to say about the new collaboration, "There is no time like the present to adopt sustainability practices, both for business and environmental reasons, ensuring end-of-life considerations are embedded at the design stage. By gathering reliable data from the partners, MarineShift360 will develop a fully comprehensive database that supports a life cycle assessment tool tailored to the needs of the marine industry. Once complete, the tool will empower users to compare choices and investigate alternative materials that increase efficiency and reduce costs, leading to innovation in design -- our ultimate goal for this project.”
SI Yachts is proud to be a chosen dealer of our industry-leading, trend-setting manufacturers like Prestige, Absolute, Princess, and HCB. If you are interested to learn more about the technology on our new yacht models, please contact us today at one of our four locations.
