Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/542375
www.pdbmagazine.com PDB Pontoon & Deck Boat AUGUST 2015 34 diagonally, or pivot in place, just guide the joystick in that direction and your boat will follow. It truly is that simple. And the more pressure you place on the joystick, the more aggressive the speed is. There is even a "High Mode" button that will give you more thrust in windy conditions. Beyond The Joystick While the joystick is a big part of Helm Master, there is actually a lot more to it. Yamaha's fully integrated boat control system brings the advantages of digital technology to every facet of operation. Besides easy maneuvering in the marina, it also allows you to cruise with command on the water. Rigging and controls are tuned precisely for your application, including Speed Control. This allows you to fine tune your pre-set RPMs by simply increasing by 15 per- cent or decreasing by 10 percent with a simple press of a button. The Trim Assist feature is also very user-friendly with five trim levels so whether you accelerate or decelerate, the boat automatically trims the engines accordingly. This way you're getting the ultimate performance while taking all the thinking out of it. Final Impression Even at over an estimated 6,000 pounds as tested, the Premier eas- ily reached speeds over 50 miles per hour at full throttle and at a cruising RPM of 3000 the boat averaged over 12 gallons per hour at around 25 miles per hour. What impressed us the most was the zero to 20 mph time of just 3.67 seconds! Clearly Yamaha has its 300hp four-strokes dialed in for ultimate power. While there was a time when I once speculated that something as advanced as Yamaha's Helm Master system would never find its way to the pontoon industry, I'm glad to be wrong. While not the only company doing so, Premier is clearly leading the way by offering its 10-foot-wide pontoon floorplans on its highest- level models so that our niche part of the boating industry can enjoy those high-end advancements too. Premier 270 SunSation Spotlight Spotlight PDB Spotlight O N T H E I N D U S T R Y ' S B E S T B O A T S