How smart can a yacht be?
Taking technology seabound is becoming more popular every year. A yacht is a space of complete luxury, designed to be a place where you can escape the reality of life on land and enjoy exquisite views, top-tier service and either total relaxation or entertainment. Smart automation has made its way onboard with integrators around the globe providing essentially exactly what they can do for homes and commercial spaces, on a yacht. From lighting & shading, to smart control, security and climate control, everything has been modified to be marine grade standard.
What can be automated?
The simple answer is if it can be in your home, it can be on your yacht. The same system an owner uses in their home, can be installed on their boat - reducing any time needed for system training as it will function in the same way and the interface will look exactly the same.
Discretion is something that a lot of yacht owners need - with a limited amount of space they do not want areas all over the boat being taken up with wiring and technology. A popular solution for this is to have one, small dedicated space, like a 'media room,' where all the technology is centralised.
On a similar note, updates and troubleshooting are factors that previously boat owners would have to consider should something need fixing. However, with the advent of systems like Savant and Lutron, integrators can push updates over the air so it no longer matters where the boat is - they don’t have to helicopter people in or return to shore anymore, much more can be done from a distance.
Something that would need to be a consideration is that on larger, perhaps charter yachts, more than the owners need to know how these systems run. It is important that the crew are fully system-literate in order to ensure the smoothest onboard experience, as well as being able to show guests how to control their customisable systems.
Top three marine automations
- Balconies. Many yachts now have ejectable balconies on the side of bedrooms which when docked can be opened with the touch of a button, giving guests and residents a place to sit above the ocean. They will also automatically retract when the boat is in motion heading back out to sea.
- Smart Control. As these vessels tend to be split across multiple floors with various different rooms across each, smart control allows the users to control any smart aspect of the boat from their phone, remote or tablet. Therefore those who are in charge of closing everything off for the night do not need to travel around the entire space turning off lights and closing blinds - they can control it all from one easy to use interface.
- Video displays. Entertainment onboard is a primary feature of every yacht experience. An outdoor cinema area can be designed on the top deck with now huge 200" screens being installed that rise and lower on a lift. All these systems have to be weatherproof to protect from sometimes harsh conditions.
