The Yamaha Helm Master is a fully integrated boat control system which includes an enhanced binnacle control, streamlined digital display, push-button start/stop switches, an RFID key fob, and an innovative joystick

yamaha helm master
The Yamaha Helm Master system features an enhanced binnacle control and a joystick. Photo by PropTalk

With the latest version of Helm Master's SetPoint modes, fine-tuning your position while in StayPoint, FishPoint, and DriftPoint using just the joystick is now possible. And the new Pattern Shift feature allows the operator to troll below standard in-gear trolling speed by shifting into or out of gear to meet a desired target speed. In calm water, resulting minimum speed can be set at less than 0.5 MPH.

PropTalk recently had the opportunity to see the Helm Master in action on a Grady-White Canyon 326 with twin Yamaha F300 outboards on the Miles River in St. Michaels, MD. Captain Shannon Pickens breaks it down for us in the video below.

Yamaha Helm Master SetPoint Modes

FishPoint: keeps position. Point your bow or stern into the current to stabilize the boat’s lateral motion, and select FishPoint/Bow or FishPoint/Stern to use minimal RPM to hold your position. A new feature allows for one forward/rearward/sideward bump of the joystick to move the boat’s position in 10-foot increments up to 100 feet. FishPoint is great for stationary fishing directly below the boat, and it’s as quiet as it gets without dropping an anchor.

DriftPoint: keeps heading. Keep your bow pointed in a certain direction and drift; DriftPoint uses a dual antenna GPS to maintain your heading. A new feature allows for one twist of the joystick that will move the boat’s bow heading angle by five degrees, and additional twists will rotate it by up to 50 degrees. DriftPoint is great for drift-fishing a wreck, kite fishing, or watching a sunset from the stern.

StayPoint: keeps position and heading. This mode “marks” your position and heading, and uses Helm Master’s dual antenna GPS and independent outboard articulation and thrust vectoring work to maintain that spot within 10 feet of your mark (in ideal conditions), and within a 75-foot circle in higher winds and currents. The new features will allow for one forward/rearward/sideward bump of the joystick to move the boat’s position in 10-foot increments up to 100 feet. One twist of the joystick will move the boat’s bow heading angle by five degrees, and additional twists will rotate it by up to 50 degrees. StayPoint is handy when waiting for a bridge or your turn to approach a fuel dock.


Learn more about the Helm Master system from Yamaha at yamahaoutboards.com.

For more on Yamaha's XTO Offshore outboards, click here to check out our video.