DIGITAL DISPLAY

Intended to deliver on the promise of today’s smart devices, Granata’s billet aluminum dash features one expansive Cadillac-esque screen that incorporates all the apps. These include a GPS, fish finder, 360-degree camera, automated docking system, and marine audio system that can sync with your own music.

The automated docking system works the same way as a self-parking car. Once you pinpoint where you wish to dock, take your hands off the wheel and allow your boat to do the rest. It takes the stress out of docking just like a self-parking car eases the anxiety around parallel parking.

Another app provides gauges for fuel, temperature and volts; you can even calculate your remaining hours of fuel as you go. Analog faces offer a classic feel, but you can choose a different look as you would with an Apple Watch.

“I want people to be able to customize the dash based on how they prefer to use it,” Granata says. “But no matter how it looks, it’s still one screen that works one way.”

How will the integrated dash work with different technology producers? That’s where design innovation will meet innovation from suppliers such as Garmin, Simrad and Furuno. That might involve software, or it could mean using the Cloud, according to Granata.

“Going into the future, no one has all the answers,” he notes. “As an industry, we have to challenge ourselves. The automotive world uses supplied parts just as we do, so it behooves our suppliers to create dashboard modules that house certain information. That way, a boat manufacturer can choose what they deem necessary for a certain size boat.”