Sea-Doo could bring Apple CarPlay to the water, but it appears that Apple is being resistant to the concept.

While there is mixed support for CarPlay among automakers, Apple's infotainment platform may have an unlikely venue in the future. One that doesn't involve wheels at all.

Sea-Doo, the maker of jet skis and pontoons, could one day use CarPlay on its personal watercraft. That would mean being able to connect to your iPhone using CarPlay, while skimming waves and trying not to drown.

According to Watercraft Zone on a visit to the Sea-Doo factory, global product strategy manager Christian Comtois confirmed that the company had considered adopting it.

CarPlay is already used on some three-wheeled motorcycles under Can-Am, BRP Powersports' sister brand to Sea-Doo, with it used on a 10.25-inch touchscreen. Since Sea-Doo uses the same display and system, it wouldn't be a massive stretch of the imagination for the company to port it over.

A buoyant idea

Bringing CarPlay over to a jet ski isn't a horrible idea, if you look at what Sea-Doo already uses for its 2026 models. The existing infotainment system includes the essential speed and fuel statistics needed to pilot the craft, as well as many other elements.

There's marine navigation, complete with support for the BRP Go! app, as well as support for media playback from a connected smartphone. There's even Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support in some cases.

For all intents and purposes, what Sea-Doo already has is effectively an in-car entertainment system, albeit made to work more for water-based travel.

This is a thing that Comtois mentions, as it's a system that "works well when you're on the road." Navigation is going to be less than ideal when using CarPlay on the water, regardless of whether they use Apple Maps or Google Maps.

The biggest advantage would be access to music apps, he adds, but that would require more development.

And, the ocean or lake is an excellent surface for RF propagation for 5G. No trees, no hills, and no structures as a general rule means longer RF range. Maybe avoid big waves on the ocean, though.

Bobbing Apple

When it comes to whether customers would care, Comtois says that people do want Apple CarPlay, calling it "sexy" and something people already know how to use in cars. However, the company still has to determine whether it really needs to do the work to add that support.

There is one other place where the idea could run aground, and that's with Apple itself. Comtois explains that it's "very difficult" to get Apple to accept an off-road or powersports application, as it needs both approval and the engineering for the instrument cluster.

That said, there is confidence that it could get approval from Apple at some point. There are some other requirements, such as adding a microphone, but it's a feasable project for the future.

It ultimately all depends on whether it floats the boat of Sea-Doo's customers. With enough feedback, CarPlay could be made shipshape for a life at sea.