5 Types of Helm Upgrades
February 14, 2023 5 min read
As a focal point of activity on your boat, the helm is a natural spot for customizations and upgrades. You won’t have to spend too many days on the water before your patterns of use become evident and you start getting ideas. From there, you can develop a plan for tailoring your console to suit you and the way you use your boat.
Let’s take a look at the main categories of console/helm customizations and the products available to meet your needs.
Hands free, Heads up
When underway you really should be in hands-free and head-up mode, so the first two obvious helping hands are something to hold your phone and something to hold your drink. Drink holders are available with a SeaSucker mount and simpler press-on vacuum mount styles, and in several permanently mounted flavors.
If you have a flat surface to work with, and a little space underneath, a recessed cup holder can be an easy install with a single cutout with a hole saw and drop-in installation.
A stainless steel cup holder — available in various diameters and depths — adds a touch of style to the utility. You will likely want to run a drain line with this style of drink holder to avoid draining water and other liquids into your console.
It’s often the case that helm real estate is at a premium and a vertical mount on the side of a center console or nearby bulkhead is better placement for a drink holder. A style suitable for bulkhead mounts will keep your drink near at hand but not in the way.
Phone's Secure
A free-floating phone is in grave danger at sea, given that they don’t float, yet you’ll want yours close at hand, and charged up, when the moment to grab a photo or some video pops up. Styles of phone holders familiar from car dashboards are one solution. The advantage of this style is that they provide a heads-up display format, which is useful if you are using an app for navigation. Both suction-mount and permanently-mounted styles are available.
Alternatively, a combo drink holder mounted on the side of the console may work perfectly for you.
But a phone sitting in the open on the helm is susceptible to overheating and water exposure, plus other misadventures. A recessed organizer box solves all three problems, and adds a built-in USB charger to keep your phone charged for the moment when something big gets hooked.
Tackle Management
Do you find yourself rooting for fish handling gear in the moment of handling a big fish? “Where’s the pliers? Where’s the Boga Grip?” Sound familiar?
A center console is a great place to keep and organize tackle that needs to be both out of the way and at the ready at the same time. Pliers, lip grippers, knives, gaffs, nets, leader material, and terminal tackle are all in the category of needed periodically-to-rarely but also efficiently-to-urgently. Combo racks collect everything into one place.
You can even go so far as to turn your console into your tackle box with inset and tilt-out tackle tray storage units that are available in a range of sizes and configurations. The helm is also often a good location for adding rod storage.
Places for This and That
For general storage, adding a glove box can answer all sorts of storage questions, from car keys and wallet to boat registration to a two-way radio and other things that might need to be handy but also protected from the elements and loss, while a catch all storage box provides open storage and quick access to items like sunscreen and reading glasses.
Mesh Storage
Mesh webbing provides storage that’s flexible in all dimensions — size, shape and location — and expands the storage possibilities on your boat. Permanent or stick-on mesh storage units can be added just about anywhere. Stick one on the back of your console access door to take advantage of otherwise unused volume.
Keep in mind that Boat Outfitters can build all of these to custom sizes to suit your needs.
Comfort and Convenience
Helm pads give your feet a break on long days at the wheel.
An easy install with an adhesive backing, you can get helm pads pre-cut or custom-fitted in SeaDek and Shark Deck.
Going a little further, a custom-sized helm riser can give your feet a break while also giving you a better view from behind the helm. Simply provide your desired length, width and height, and pick a Starboard color for the riser and a Shark Deck color.
Dress It Up
Plain or weathered switch covers can be enhanced by replacing those unlabeled or worn actuators with laser-etched replacement rocker switch covers. With labels that are etched rather than printed, these switch covers not only dress up your helm but also improve function as the labels are illuminated and readable at night.
An actuator removal tool makes this an easy aesthetic upgrade to your helm
Replacing weathered switch covers (left) with new laser-etched covers is a 10-minute job and instantly improves the appearance of your helm. Hard plastic, laser-etched covers are both more durable and more practical, since the labels are translucent and visible in the dark.
Today vs. Forever
One thing holding many boat projects back is the need to drill holes in pretty fiberglass. SeaSucker vacuum mounts get around that with up to 210 pounds of holding power (and a built-in indicator letting you know when the vacuum needs to be recharged), and you can move them around as you like. Most types of helm accessories are available in either permanent mount or vacuum mount. You can decide how committed you are to your mods.
