The Formula 370 Super Sport with twin 425 hp MerCruiser sterndrives idles down the canal toward Biscayne Bay in Miami. Although the driver has never piloted a boat before, she isn't making the usual rookie mistakes of overcorrecting and swerving. The line is straight and the driver is in total control. Oh, just one more thing, the person behind the wheel is second-grader Morgan Rubin. And she's not touching the wheel either. Don't start dialing CPS just yet. Rubin is using the new Axius system, and she's steering the boat like a seasoned captain.

 Early this year, MerCruiser unveiled Axius, the new joystick system designed especially for gas-powered sterndrives. Best of all, it requires no special hull design or equipment other than having Mercury's SmartCraft, Digital Throttle and Shift, twin sterndrives and a "black box," which holds the system's computer. The ramifications of Axius and its diesel system brethren are huge, especially for prospective boaters with no experience or owners who are looking to move up to larger boats that they previously felt might be too much to handle. Because Axius is so intuitive, the learning curve is drastically reduced. In fact, so much so that we wondered if it were possible to take a family whose only boating experience was as occasional passengers, and put them in charge of Formula's luxurious 37-foot cruiser.

Enter the Rubin family: Dan, Michelle, and 6-year-old Morgan, who volunteer for our experiment to see whether a family of nonboat drivers can safely pilot this beautiful and rather expensive sport cruiser in and around the tricky, narrow, twisting snake of an urban waterway otherwise known as the Miami River. A fourth member of the family, 2-year-old Camryn, shyly stays in the luxurious cabin with grandmother, Arlene.

Mentoring the Rubins is Vic Spellberg, Formula's resident captain who handles a variety of duties from PR master to boat delivery captain. He begins by familiarizing them with the Axius system. "The first thing you have to understand," Spellberg said, "is that the joystick provides incremental thrust in whatever direction you want to go. So when you tilt it a little, the boat will go slowly in that direction. If you push it farther, it will go faster. A nice feature of Axius is that you can switch from the normal mode, which can give you up to 2200 rpm, to docking mode, which limits your rpm to 1100 and makes it easier to gently control."

Michelle volunteers Dan to go first, so he heads to the helm and uses the joystick to move away from the seawall. Like most other first-timers, he pushes it a little too hard and the boat moves abruptly away. He quickly lets off the stick causing the boat to rock. The next time he is smoother and gently eases the 370 away, although the tide pushes the boat backward. 

Spellberg then has Dan spin the boat by twisting the control, and it pivots on its axis. After a few more practice maneuvers, Dan looks comfortable and Spellberg chuckles and says, "Not bad, about a one-minute learning curve. I think you are ready to dock it." So Dan starts by moving the joystick to the side and back slightly to counteract the tide, which is now at his stern. He gently eases it straight sideways and toward the slip. "Remember, this thing doesn't have brakes," says Spellberg, "so when you get close, let the stick go to slow your movement, and then give it a tiny bit of pressure the opposite way to stop us." Dan nails it, and gives up the helm to his daughter Morgan who has been dying to get her hands on the joystick since the moment we
left the dock.

Although initially disappointed when Spellberg has her first take the steering wheel, he wants her to experience both ways of controlling the boat. Any misgivings are replaced with a huge smile as she steers the Formula down the canal, using surprisingly few corrections. In a couple of minutes she gets her wish and switches to the joystick. Watching her drive the boat is a study in concentration as she gently bites her tongue, which is protruding slightly from the side of her mouth to help sharpen her focus. Like Dad, at first she tends to be a bit abrupt, and when she turns, she lets go of the forward thrust. "Keep it going ahead when you twist the joystick to turn, Morgan," says Spellberg as he places his hand over hers to demonstrate. She nods and guides the 370 Super Sport out of the canal, between two narrow markers, and into Biscayne Bay. When I compliment Morgan on her driving skill and say, "I think you actually did better than your dad," she pumps her fists in the air and does a little dance ... sorry, Dad.

After prying Morgan's hands off the joystick, Mom finally gets a chance at the wheel. Putting the Formula on plane and feeling the power of 850 hp at her disposal causes a sly grin to surface as she steers the boat going 54 mph toward the cruise ship terminal. As the Miami skyline gets closer, she takes the boat off plane and tries her hand at the joystick.

Like the others, she picks it up quickly, which doesn't surprise Spellberg. "In our focus groups we found that women and kids - especially those who have played video games - tend to pick up the feel of Axius quicker than their male counterparts who have only had some boating experience."

On the cruise home Michelle takes the wheel and upon reaching Spinnaker Marina, we decide to put her under a little pressure. With only a couple of minutes of videocamera battery left, we want to shoot her docking the 37-footer. There's just enough juice for one take, and she responds to the challenge by nailing the maneuver on the first try as she gently eases it into its slip. After tying up, everyone has a good laugh when 2-year-old Camryn chimes in, "I want to drive the boat." And you know ...
she probably could.

This innovative system eliminates the "worst 15 minutes of boating," which for some is docking the boat, according to Vic Spellberg of Formula. It couldn't be simpler to operate: You move the joystick in the direction you want your boat to go.

Cost: The Axius option on the Formula 370 Super Sport is $22,395 or less than 5 percent of the boat's total cost, and is well worth it.

Axius Plus: This advanced version has several additional features such as VesselView, which informs the driver of many of the boat's functions. Auto Heading allows the driver to easily make one degree heading changes using the joystick. Advanced Auto Yaw Control accurately holds the bow of the boat at a precise heading regardless of conditions.

Aftermarket Axius?: Boaters are jumping for joy for the new Axius system. But in order to get one you'll have to buy a new boat. Why? Cost. The cost of the Axius system, its components, re-powering the boat and labor would make an Axius system installation on an existing boat "prohibitively expensive." You're better off just buying a new boat.

Kids driving boats - In the state of Florida, even a 6-year-old can legally drive a boat providing an adult is along to supervise. So is this a good idea? That depends on a lot of factors.

Age - Maturity level has a lot to do with it. Some youngsters are wise beyond their years and are very conscientious. Others are not.

Level of supervision - A 6-year-old steering a boat at idle speeds with an adult sitting alongside poses a very small risk and it helps enhance their experience by getting them involved. As they get older and gain more experience, more autonomy can be granted.

Solo piloting - In Florida, anyone under 21 must complete a safe boating class and be in possession of a Florida Boater Card, unless they are accompanied by someone over 21 or over 18 who has the aforementioned card. Check your local boating laws for restrictions or licenses for minors or adults who drive boats. BW