MasterCraft adds CarPlay and Android Auto to pontoon boats

Major boating brands are bringing the familiar smartphone-connected infotainment systems from cars directly to the helm of new pontoon boats, integrating specialized marine navigation to create a unified on-water interface. MasterCraft Boat Holdings announced on August 5 that its Crest and Balise pontoon brands will make Apple CarPlay and Android Auto standard equipment on select 2027 models, which are scheduled to launch in September.

The integration, developed in partnership with marine navigation app Savvy Navvy, is designed to solve a key limitation of traditional car systems: their lack of proper nautical charts. Standard mapping services like Apple Maps and Google Maps are built for roads and do not include critical data such as water depths, navigational channels, and marina locations. The new system uses Savvy Navvy as the default navigation app within the CarPlay and Android Auto interfaces, providing boaters with nautical charts, smart routing, GPS tracking, live weather forecasts, tidal data, and information on nearby boat traffic all on the helm display.

Jelte Liebrand, founder and CEO of Savvy Navvy, said boaters have long sought a modern infotainment solution. He...