Your Phone Just Became the Most Useful Crew Member Aboard

A boater uses the ezDrive®.ai smartphone app to control the vessel from the stern, providing greater visibility and control while maneuvering in close quarters. Courtesy Derek Gallardo/ezDrive.ai

Center consoles aren’t what they used to be. A decade ago, a 40-footer was considered a large boat. Now, builders are rolling out 50- and 60-foot center consoles with towers, generators, and enough superstructure to block your sightlines from the helm. They’re bigger, heavier, and loaded with more gear than ever, which also makes them harder to handle in a marina.

Add in the fact that most center console and wake boat owners don’t run with a captain or mate. It’s usually family and friends aboard, and most of those passengers have never touched a cleat or a fender before. So when it’s time to pick up a swimmer, back into a tight slip, or hold position while someone on the bow deals with the anchor, the person driving the boat is stuck at the helm when an extra set of eyes and hands would help most.  Trailering can also be a daunting task. Especially for wakesurf boats. Control from your smartphone simplifies this and ensures a more accurate approach to the trailer at the dock. 

That’s the problem ezDrive®.ai was built to solve. The wireless app-driven system turns a smartphone into a full docking command center, giving boaters real-time control of their engines and thrusters from anywhere on deck.

“Having control in the palm of your hands allows you to remain in control while you work on the bow line, drop anchor, get a line of sight on the dock, pick up a downed rider while wake surfing, and much more,” says Chris Willits, Account Manager. “If you’re in a 40- to 50-foot boat tied to the helm, it’s difficult to do certain tasks if you have an inexperienced person helping with lines. ezDrive.ai integrated into your phone has changed that dynamic. It lets you move wherever you need to and still have control while working on the trickier parts of an outing.”

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ezDrive.ai isn’t a one-size-fits-all interface. The app offers three distinct control modes, so boaters can pick whichever feels most natural.

Auto Mode delivers a true 3-axis joystick experience with proportional thruster control, integrating directly with joystick-equipped outboard systems from major manufacturers including Yamaha, Mercury, and Suzuki. As you engage the throttle or toggle the bow thruster, the app relays haptic feedback that mirrors the feel of the OEM controls, so you always know exactly what the boat is doing.

AI Mode keeps that same automated foundation but simplifies the inputs. Instead of manipulating a joystick, boaters simply slide the boat in the direction they want it to move, and the system intuitively fires the appropriate thrusters to get it there.

Console Controller Mode is built for a more familiar, gaming controller-style feel. Held horizontally, the phone puts a virtual joystick under one thumb and directional sliding under the other. Most smartphone users will find this interface instantly intuitive. 

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A docking app is only as good as its ability to function in actual marine conditions, and ezDrive.ai’s engineering reflects that. The interface automatically adjusts its display to cut through glare, so the controls stay visible in direct sun. 

Connectivity range is another area where ezDrive.ai was engineered specifically for boats rather than adapted from consumer electronics. The system uses long-range Bluetooth rather than the standard wireless connections most phone-based accessories rely on. Most modern smartphones already carry the hardware necessary for extended-range Bluetooth, but very few apps take advantage of it. Once a phone pairs with the ezDrive.ai receiver, it automatically recognizes the long-range connection, providing more than enough coverage to move freely around a center console, wakeboard boat, or V-drive.

The system also improves the more it’s used. ezDrive.ai’s automatic integration mode is a learning platform: every registered user who docks with the app contributes data that engineers use to refine AI Mode performance over time, adapting the interface to match how that specific boater actually operates their vessel.

ezDrive®.ai allows boaters to step away from the helm and operate the vessel directly from their smartphone, making docking, line handling and marina maneuvering easier and more intuitive. Courtesy Derek Gallardo/ezDrive.ai No Cutting, No Splicing, No Compromise

Installation is designed to be entirely plug-and-play. There’s no cutting into wiring harnesses, no splicing, and no modifications to the hull. ezDrive.ai integrates directly with existing OEM systems, creating an accurate model of how a boat’s specific helm equipment already operates.

“We don’t want to disturb the user experience you’re already used to,” Willits says. “We create an accurate model that mimics the mechanics of your OEM equipment, and we don’t bypass any features or safety protocols you use on your boat.”

That extends to how control is handed off between the helm and the app. When a boater takes command through their phone, the physical helm power is transferred no differently than transferring to other helm controls on traditional larger vessels. Control is returned to the helm by simply taking command at the throttles or joystick.

Safety Engineered Into Every Layer

Handing engine and thruster control over to a smartphone raises an obvious question: what happens if something goes wrong with the phone itself? ezDrive.ai’s engineering team built in several safeguards to address exactly that.

The system continuously monitors battery level and won’t allow control to transfer to the app if the phone’s charge drops below 20 percent, and it alerts the user well before that threshold is reached. While unlikely, if the long-range Bluetooth connection is lost mid-operation, the phone pulses with haptic feedback and displays an on-screen warning. Perhaps most importantly, the app only permits momentary control, meaning the operator has to be actively engaging the controls for the engine or thrusters to respond. There’s no scenario where a dropped phone or a lost connection results in a runaway thruster or engine.

With ezDrive®.ai, vessel control goes wherever the operator goes, giving boaters the freedom to maneuver from the best vantage point aboard using their smartphone. Courtesy Derek Gallardo/ezDrive.ai A New Kind of Crew Member

If you’ve upgraded into a bigger, more capable center console or wake boat without a corresponding upgrade in crew experience, ezDrive.ai offers something that’s been missing: the ability to be in two places at once. It lets the person who knows the boat best step away from the helm and handle the details—such as lines, fenders, anchors, and passengers—without ever giving up control of the engines or thrusters.

“It’s super practical and easy to use. You don’t have to think about it,” Willits says. “Our goal is to give center console and wakesurf boat owners a far more cost-effective solution than the traditional wireless remote-control systems typically offered in the yachting market.”

ezDrive.ai is coming this fall, bringing center console and wake boat owners a new way to make docking, trailering, anchoring, and close-quarters maneuvering less of a group project and more of a one-person operation. Integration support will be available for a growing range of outboard propulsion and thruster systems.

Learn more about ezDrive®.ai, explore compatible propulsion systems, and get ready for the launch this fall at ezdrive.ai.

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