Want to know how old a boat is? Take a look at the helm design and equipment. A dash full of analog gauges, switches and small, monochrome displays telegraphs an older boat. A sleek dash with little more than a few large screens indicates a more recently built boat.

Boat helms largely reflect broader trends, especially from the automotive sector. But do these trends reflect the desire of boaters and help us all be better out on the water?

It has been almost 25 years since BMW introduced iDrive, the mouselike control system for luxury cars. Consumer reaction wasn’t exactly positive. The system forced all of the car’s secondary controls to the monitor and rotary iDrive controller. That move allowed BMW to clean up the dash by removing most physical controls. But many consumers were frustrated by the lack of physical controls for simple functions, such as adjusting climate control.

BMW spent much of the next decade redesigning iDrive and adding physical buttons back to vehicle interiors. As an auto enthusiast, I still remember reading reviews of BMW cars extolling their many virtues while bemoaning that buying their cars also meant living with iDrive. Other manufacturers saw BMW’s experience with iDrive as a cautionary tale. Touch screens have made on-screen controls more user-friendly, but even today, more than two decades later, Tesla’s reliance on a single, main display is a lightning rod for criticism.

As these vehicle companies were removing physical controls, boat helms were exploding with switches and displays for myriad systems. Helms began to approach airplane cockpits in terms of complexity.

Fortunately, in the past six or seven years, all major chart plotter manufacturers have adopted HTML5 applications for control of third-party systems. Now, instead of separate controls and displays for stereos, stabilizers, lighting, engines and climate control, there can be single, centrally mounted displays.

HTML5 apps, when combined with NMEA 2000 digital switching, give boatbuilders the tools to remove nearly all the switches, buttons and dials from the helm. A clean console does come with potential trade-offs — first and foremost being that screen controls aren’t always available like a simple mechanical switch. On-screen controls also can mean a longer period of distraction for the operator.

When I board a new boat, one of the first places I go is to the helm to see the balance between easy systems access and simplicity. I believe the holy grail is dedicated real estate for critical and frequently accessed controls, such as running lights, horn, trim tabs and navigation, while controls that are accessed less frequently are managed using apps and pages on a chart plotter that are not always displayed.

Dedicated real estate doesn’t have to mean physical switches. It could be an area on a multifunction display that always shows those controls. It could be a small display that only controls those systems, or physical switches. However, I believe it’s important that there is consistency so the operator can develop muscle memory when it’s time to turn on navigation lights or sound a danger signal with the horn.

As for the displays themselves, chart plotters have gotten larger. Not long ago, a 12-inch display was the largest offered. Forget those days. Garmin’s flagship GPSMap 9000 series is offered in models up to 27 inches. Other manufacturers generally offer displays of at least 24 inches. Screens this large are showing up not just on yachts, but also on center consoles and performance boats. They often have helms built around a single, large display. Similarly, cars have begun using extremely wide displays for a combination of primary dashboard and infotainment applications. These displays let designers create a branded experience that stretches the width of the cabin.

On boats, Simrad’s NSX Ultrawide is the first ultrawide display from a major electronics manufacturer. The Ultrawide’s 8-to-3 width-to-height ratio is significantly wider than existing 16-to-9 wide-screen displays. The NSX Ultrawide is aimed primarily at boatbuilders whose helms would otherwise have two displays. The single display gives a cleaner look, reduces space lost to bezels, and offers flexibility in on-screen layouts with one, two or three side-by-side apps working nicely.

Simrad offers what I believe is the only ultrawide chart plotter or multifunction display, but companies such as Ocean Systems and Nottrot offer even wider sizes: 18-to-3 for the Ocean Systems display. These options lack plotter functionality but have strong engine display and traditional dashboard functionality.

For boatbuilders, helms with fewer physical switches and components mean a more straightforward installation on the factory floor. Additionally, controls delivered via touch screen are significantly easier to customize. Updating a switch panel by rearranging pixels on a screen is far simpler than moving physical switches. That advantage becomes even larger with the addition of new systems to a boat. If the stabilizer system requires a separate display and keypad, that real estate must be found on the helm. On the other hand, if the controls are presented on an MFD via HTML5, no physical changes are required beyond connecting a network cable between the display and the stabilizer system.

Boats live a long time, often 30 years or more, and a good bit longer than the average car. So while the marine segment often parallels automotive, our industry has different challenges. There is an open question about what will happen as boats age while equipped with highly electronic and potentially customized control systems. Will replacement components be available in 20 years?

Fortunately, marine electronics have become quite reliable, but even with those long lives, expecting them to last the life of the boat is a big ask. Using components like Simrad’s NSX Ultrawide may ease end-of-life concerns. If the Ultrawide is utilized in large numbers, it is likely that subsequent products will follow the form factor or offer a path from old to new.

The sheer number of systems, limited dash real estate and desire for a cleaner look mean the chart plotter or multifunction display will only become more of a focal point. The most successful examples put critical controls at the boater’s fingertips as quickly as possible.