Today’s makers of fishing boats and gear suffer from iPhone syndrome: They want to make the on-water experience as seamless and fun as playing with a new app. And in many ways, they’re succeeding.

Hydraulic steering systems are so super reliable that boaters may forget about them. But if you were to lose steering, you’d be put in a dangerous—perhaps life-threatening—situation. For this reason, ...

While many hydraulic-assist steering systems are available, engine-makers are pushing fly-by-wire steering. In fact, for many applications, we wouldn’t be surprised if digital steering replaced ...