Panbo

The Marine Technology Hub

Yearly Archive: 2025

1

Cabin & deck gear / Handheld / Gadgets / Safety & SAR

FLIR Ocean Scout Pro, high resolution, handheld thermal

FLIR’s Ocean Scout Pro is the latest iteration of a handheld, thermal scope from the market leader in thermal night vision products. The Ocean Scout Pro boasts a high-resolution, high frame rate sensor, simple operation, and a companion app for both Android and iOS. The updated Ocean Scout Pro offers streaming to a mobile app (though not without some frustrations, more on that later) and a bright easy to see viewfinder. So, how does the Ocean Scout Pro do on the water? Let’s take a look.

19

LiFePO4 / Electrical & Engines

Blue Heron Extreme series battery, feature rich and high performance

Blue Heron is a relatively small battery brand. So, you may not have heard of them as they have less marketing power than the bigger battery brands I’ve reviewed. But, that doesn’t stop them from offering a premium battery with impressive features and customer service. Perhaps in part because of their smaller size, Blue Heron provides services not typical of similar batteries, like testing and balancing the batteries prior to shipping. Let’s take a look at the battery, the service, and the value that Blue Heron offers.

3

Press Releases / The future / The Trade

Raymarine Launches Pathfinder ECDIS

Raymarine – a global leader in high-performance marine electronics —announced today the official release of the Pathfinder ECDIS (Electronic Chart Display and Information System). The IMO-compliant Pathfinder ECDS is a premier maritime navigation solution for use both as a primary and backup navigation system for all vessel types, from workboats to large cargo ships and superyachts…

2

Press Releases / Electrical & Engines / Green Boating

ePropulsion Expands Award-Winning Line-Up With The New Spirit 2 Electric Outboard

ePropulsion Americas, a global leader in marine electric propulsion systems and services, announced today the launch of Spirit 2, the latest addition to its acclaimed Spirit series. Celebrating ten years of innovation in electric mobility on the water, Spirit 2 delivers an exceptional combination of power and portability, redefining what boaters can expect from a compact electric outboard. Designed to offer powerful performance without sacrificing portability, Spirit 2 blends high-efficiency engineering with intelligent, user-friendly design to set a new benchmark for small electric outboards…

1

Press Releases / The future / The Trade

DAME 2025 winner brings aviation sector expertise into marine instrumentation

This was a year in which several of the category winners were in close contention to take the top prize. Despite the strong line-up of alternates and a close debate, the Jury kept revisiting LXNAV’s E360 chartplotter. The appeal of this entry included its easily integrated compact, cohesive design, matched by an intuitive user interface, broad range of functions and responsive screen…

4

Press Releases / Safety & SAR

Iris Innovations launches Photon next-generation marine night vision camera

Iris Innovations, a world leader in specialized marine camera technology, has announced the launch of Photon, a compact ultra-low-light 4K night vision camera designed to make safe nighttime navigation accessible to every boater. Whether cruising after dusk, fishing before sunrise or patrolling remote coastlines, Photon delivers exceptional clarity and full-color imagery in near-total darkness – all without the need for infrared or thermal imaging…

12

LiFePO4 / Editors' Blog / Electrical & Engines

Testing LiFePO4 cycle ratings, are they accurate?

One of the biggest advantages of lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4 or LFP) batteries is their cycle life. A LiFePO4 battery is likely to last thousands of cycles compared to hundreds of cycles for most lead-acid chemistries. While shopping for batteries, you are likely to see cycle ratings ranging from 2,000 to more than 6,000 cycles. Traditional wisdom also holds that LiFePO4 batteries last ten years or longer. Based on the way batteries are cycled on boats, it is relatively unlikely batteries will ever see 2,000 cycles in ten years, let alone 6,000. So, you may not make a purchasing decision based on cycle ratings, but, they indicate the quality of the cells in the battery and how the battery will perform over its lifespan. So, armed with an understanding of what cycle ratings mean, I set out to measure the life and capacity of a battery over many cycles.

6

Press Releases / Electrical & Engines / The future / Green Boating

Molabo launches 48 V serial hybrid with Fischer Panda

Molabo, the German manufacturer of safe, high-performance 48-volt electric propulsion systems, will unveil its new 48 V serial hybrid system at METSTRADE 2025. The innovation integrates Molabo’s proven low-voltage ARIES drive with Fischer Panda’s lightweight and compact AGT-series generators, extending range and power while maintaining Molabo’s signature safe-to-touch simplicity and efficiency…

0

Stabilization, trim, and roll control

A weekend with Dometic’s DG3 gyro stabilizer

Many people spend halloween trick or treating or at parties. Not me, I travelled, along with several other marine journalists, to the Florida Keys to spend a weekend aboard two boats equipped with Dometic’s DG3 gyroscopic stabilizer. The time onboard provided ample opportunity to experience the impact the DG3 makes on the rolling action of the vessel. Plus, Dometic provided one relatively common hull, a 37-foot center console, and a far less typical hull, a 35-foot, aluminum, power catamaran. With two full days on the water, I got the full experience of what the DG3 can do and how it goes about doing it. Read on for a full report and my thoughts on the DG3 compared to Seakeeper’s gyros.