March 11, 2025
By Jeff Weakley & Ed Killer
Jeff Weakley is Editor of Florida Sportsman magazine; Ed Killer is the Managing Editor. Yamaha Helm Master EX Wireless Control This one gets our “Whoa, did you see that?!” award, but it’ll take us a while to fully process—a hand-held remote controller that’s essentially a portable helm. Captain Shannon Pickens from Ocean City, Md., gave a thorough demonstration aboard a Grady White 336 Canyon with twin 450 XTO Yamahas. With the controller (and MOB devices for captain and crew safety), the captain can make fine adjustments to drift heading, bump the boat port or starboard to catch docklines, engage FishPoint virtual anchoring and untold other chores—from anywhere on the boat.
Seakeeper’s Ride system features. Seakeeper is well-known for its ever-expanding lineup of gyro-stabilizers, those seemingly magical spinning orbs that level out a boat fishing or idling in rough seas. The Seakeeper engineering team has now tackled the benefits and deficiencies of trim tabs, the familiar moveable plates powerboaters have relied on for decades to improve hole shot and adjust running attitude. Seakeeper’s Ride system is compact and computerized. It entails heavy duty plastic blades that automatically rise and drop, to port and starboard of the engine, to instantly adjust for pitch, roll and yaw while running. How exactly does it work? Water-testing aboard a Contender 29 Bay and a Sportsman 26 at the Miami Boat Show, Florida Sportsman Editor Jeff Weakley made a video to show you more:
Recon Trolling Motor SIMRAD dropped its brand-new brushless trolling motor, RECON, at the Miami Boat Show featuring a newly designed FreeSteer 360-degree joystick remote control. It has a revolutionary eight-way directional anchoring allowing for positioning the boat without having to re-anchor every time. The RECON is of course compatible with all other SIMRAD electronics, too. The ultra-strong and precise trolling motor is available in 54-, 60- and 72-inch shaft lengths. Miami Boat Show price: $3,499.
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Kicker Marine M-Class audio speakers. Kicker Marine, a leader in on-the-water audio systems, debuted its new M-Class speaker systems featuring stronger and higher-quality materials to offer better corrosion resistance while enhancing sound quality. Jeremy Bale, national brand manager for Kicker, pointed out that any sound company can pursue volume, but Kicker reached for a better-quality sound experience overall—and got it. In the design process, Bale said they were selective in the materials they chose, such as carbon fiber in the cones, glassed infused on the baskets and Teteron on the larger tweeters. It makes for a more efficient sound. Miami Boat Show price: $499-$1,000
ResQLink 400 One of the worst stories we are occasionally tasked with covering at the magazine is that of mariners lost at sea. Often, these incidents are preventable by a small electronic device that costs less than a typical cell phone. Nothing new to report here, but just a reminder that carrying something as simple as a ResQLink by ACR personal locator beacon could be all that a mariner needs to be rescued. It’s a big ocean (or Gulf) out there, help rescuers by giving them a signal to home in on by buying and carrying a PLB on your person. Miami Boat Show price: $379-$420.
