Brunswick Corporation operates at a scale that few companies in boating can match. It is the world’s largest marine technology company, spanning propulsion, electronics, boatbuilding, parts, accessories, and digital services.
Through its ownership of Navico Group, Brunswick controls many of the electronics systems fitted to boats operating in New Zealand waters. Navico Group includes Simrad, Lowrance, and B&G, along with charting and digital services used by both power and sailing boats.
In New Zealand you can access the suite of technology products at Advance Trident.
Brunswick also owns Mercury Marine, including Mercury Racing and Avator electric propulsion, along with boat brands such as Sea Ray, Lund, Boston Whaler, NAVAN, and New Zealand builder Rayglass Boats.
Rayglass has been part of the Brunswick group since 2016. The boats are still designed and built in Auckland, retaining their offshore hull designs and local identity, while drawing on Brunswick’s propulsion and electronics resources. That link matters when Brunswick talks about technology reaching production boats.
Why CES matters to boating
CES, the Consumer Electronics Show, places Brunswick outside the traditional boat show environment. It puts boating into the broader technology conversation rather than treating it as a niche leisure market.
CES 2026 is now underway in Las Vegas, running through to Friday 9 January. Brunswick has returned with its largest marine exhibit to date. The focus is not a single headline product, but how the company’s ACES approach is appearing in boats that are either in production now or close to it.
ACES stands for Autonomous or Assisted, Connected, Electrified, and Shared boating. At CES 2026, the emphasis is on showing how those ideas translate into hardware and software already finding their way into real boats.
Assisted boating, shown rather than promised
The most significant technology on display is Simrad AutoCaptain, shown on two boats. One is a new Sea Ray SLX making its global debut. The other is the NAVAN C30, appearing at CES for the first time.
AutoCaptain is designed to assist with route planning, low-speed manoeuvring, docking, and situational awareness at the helm. It is not a hands-off system in the automotive sense. Instead, it acts as a co-pilot, reducing workload during higher stress phases of boating.
Brunswick is reinforcing that message with an on floor helm simulator. Visitors can experience assisted manoeuvring and autonomy behaviours in a controlled environment rather than being shown a concept video.
Sea Ray SLX and integrated helm design
The new Sea Ray SLX shown at CES is presented as the most technology focused Sea Ray built to date. The helm draws heavily from automotive design, with steering wheel integrated controls and dual Simrad NSX ultrawide displays.
The change is not about screen size. It is about how systems work together. Navigation, propulsion, and onboard systems are designed to communicate more directly, rather than operating as separate layers.
For recreational boaters, this means fewer overlapping interfaces and more consistent controls at the helm.
Our friends at Sports Marine represent Sea Ray in New Zealand.
NAVAN C30 and practical electrification
The NAVAN C30 offers a more practical look at electrification. Solar panels are built into the hardtop and deck, supplying power for onboard electronics and charging a Fliteboard eFoil.
It is not about replacing internal combustion engines. It is about energy management, reducing generator use, and supporting onboard systems more efficiently. This approach aligns closely with how many owners already use their boats, particularly when anchored or spending time at rest.
The C30 also reflects a broader design shift within Brunswick brands. Layouts are cleaner, interfaces are clearer, and systems are designed to reduce workload rather than add complexity.
Talk to Sports Marine in New Zealand about the NAVAN C30 – we understand that, between you and me, if you want to see one, they can make it happen.
Performance electrification and fishing platforms
One of the more eye-catching launches is FLITE RACE, developed with Mercury Racing. Capable of speeds up to 34 mph, it sits firmly in the performance category rather than casual recreation. While niche, it shows how electrification is being used as a performance tool, not only an efficiency one.
Brunswick has also brought freshwater fishing into the CES environment with the Lund Crossover XS. The setup combines a Mercury Racing 150R outboard, a Mercury Avator 35e electric kicker, and a Lowrance Recon trolling motor.
This mixed propulsion approach reflects how fishing boats are already used. For anglers, it mirrors real use, combustion for transit, electric for control, and digital systems handling positioning and station keeping.
What to take from Brunswick at CES 2026
Once the CES gloss is removed, the message is straightforward. Fully autonomous boats are not arriving tomorrow. What is arriving is better assistance, clearer interfaces, and systems that reduce workload instead of adding to it.
For New Zealand boaters, that matters because many of these technologies already sit within brands found locally. From Rayglass hulls to Mercury propulsion and Simrad electronics, Brunswick’s CES 2026 showing is less about future promises and more about how modern boats are being shaped right now.
