Monthly Archive: January 2018

Simrad NSO evo3 multifunction displays, and hints of Navico future 15

Simrad NSO evo3 multifunction displays, and hints of Navico future

Simrad_NSO24_w_3_windows_aPanbo.jpg

That new 24-inch Simrad NSO evo3 screen must look spectacular with its 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, 1200 nits of brightness, and IPS-style wide viewing angles. And these big screens — there will be 16- and 19-inch models too — can purportedly be viewed with polarized sunglasses, thanks to the use of combined LCD and polarizer. The new NSO design is also packed with connectivity, including a Simrad-first J1939 engine input, and a black box processor is no longer needed. We’ve got details on the series, and then let’s ponder recent Navico acquisitions…

Seakeeper install…. 7,000 miles later 28

Seakeeper install…. 7,000 miles later

Seakeeper_demo_boat_aPanbo.jpg

As I sat down to write this article I flashed back to an eye-opening technology experience at the 2015 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. My wife and I found ourselves on the Seakeeper roll stabilization demo boat in the mouth of the Port Everglades inlet with a Viking 60-foot sportfish doing circles around us throwing as big a wake as possible. Our demo ride led to a major install on our Carver motor yacht, which I can recall in vivid detail, but which also significantly improved our subsequent family voyage around the Great Loop…

Ode to hydronic boat heating, and Sure Marine Service 27

Ode to hydronic boat heating, and Sure Marine Service

Maretron_DSM410_showing_boiler_in_action_cPanbo.jpg

It seems appropiate to kick off 2018 with a discussion of heating technology, specifically the diesel-fired hydronic system I installed on Gizmo last year. It was a significant purchase and a major install, but the 66 degree pilothouse temperature seen above certainly made my early December ICW trip a lot more pleasant. I’ll explain why I chose hydronic, detail how the system went together, and profusely praise Sure Marine Service, a marine heating equipment distributor par excellence…