Category: Cabin & deck gear
Another area of boating that may benefit from ever smaller and cheaper wireless computing components is video cameras used for monitoring and just plain fun. It may seem crazy to put a baby product on Panbo but not when you check out the specs of the Withing Smart Baby Monitor. That’s a remotely controlled hi-res pan/tilt/zoom camera in that ipodish box seen above and it can connect to multiple iThing viewer/controllers via Bluetooth, local WiFi, or the Internet. It also has stereo microphones and a temperature/humidity sensor, and it can detect motion and noise anomolies. And if any of these multiple remote monitoring features lead you to think that your boat is unhappy, you can transmit a little sweet talk or play it a lullaby!…
The surprise of the annual FLIR/Raymarine Miami Show dinner-and-demo cruise was the introduction of a higher-end M-Series camera with two-axis gyro stabilization and other enhancements. You can download the M-618CS brochure here, and also see a video illustrating how well it corrects the camera for pitch and yaw (but not roll). I saw it action on the otherwise calm-water cruise thanks to a clever motion-simulating mount FLIR engineers came up, and the stabilization seemed quite effective. The M-618CS — along with its sibling, the Raymarine T470SC — also has a color low-light camera with 10x optical zoom. Plus its 640×480 resolution thermal sensor has a 18°x14° field of view that differs from existing M-Series models, and is purportedly able to detect a person overboard at 4,000 feet. Though even the online discounter prices are north of $33,000, I’m pretty sure that the M-618CS is the least expensive stabilized thermal camera ever…
I’d already gotten some details on the several interesting new products Garmin is announcing today — and was excited about sharing them — but it wasn’t until late last night that I had any inkling about Garmin’s acquisition of Interphase Technologies, a pioneer in phase array forward looking sonar (FLS). Wow! The deal means that Garmin will soon have a new and unique arrow in its quiver of MFD network sensors and that FLS for fishing and navigation will get some of the attention I think it’s always deserved. It’s not just that Garmin will market the Interphase technology better, but that the technology will no doubt be easier to use and to afford when integrated with Garmin displays. It will probably work better too…
Want more LED light at less cost to illuminate your deck or the water beyond? Rigid Industries may be new to the marine industry but the company claims patented optic systems that have already made it “the pioneer of forward projecting high intensity LED light bars” for uses like long-distance racing in souped-up dune buggies (on a course that may be booby-trapped). You can glimpse the unusual reflectors (for LED fixtures) in this photo from IBEX and I can tell you that even those small and inexpensive “four bulb” cubes closest to the camera are blindingly bright…
Winter will not be slow on Panbo largely because I still have lots to cover from my summer cruising and fall travels, and more time to do it in. At IBEX, for instance, I...
Daylight today was at the minimum, at least in my hemisphere, and I was also fiddling with various holiday lights (which might be related phenomenon). So it seems like a good time to write about these SolLight solar-powered LED fixtures that have been lighting up my life for years. I started testing that LightShip model in early 2007 and when Gizmo came along in the spring of 2009 I stuck it to the hatch in the head, where it’s served well for three seasons. It’s left so that the dim red LED comes on at night and then we often switch to the brighter white when using the facilities…
The Dorcy Cyber Light (model 41-4750), list price $29, or $18.50 on Amazon is an ideal flashlight for boating, deserving of a best flashlight award from the crew of my Wednesday night racing team who assisted with this article by comparing six flashlights under a variety of nighttime conditions above and below deck on my 39 foot sailboat.
It may be a bit early to discuss this Scanstrut iPad case because it’s not scheduled to ship until February, but I know a lot of boaters are wondering what’s possible in this realm, and besides it goes with yesterday’s iPads-on-yachts-of-the-future entry. Plus, as noted in this Scanstrut blog, the case is “short listed” for a DAME award in two weeks. And I got Scanstrut to share some information on the optional mount that can go with it…
The Cheoy Lee Shipyard hasn’t been building ships and yachts since 1870 by resting on its laurels, and that young man — who apparently represents generation five of the yard’s continuous Lo family ownership — is obviously pleasing some prospective clients with his demo of the first Alpha 76’s unique “SmartGlass” system. I was impressed too. A slider on his iPad (or a wall switch) made those huge side windows go from crystal clear to deeply tinted to somewhat translucent but completely private. Even if there was a way to fit curtains without messing up the Alpha’s clean interior design, the SPD-SmartGlass technology seems cooler. And let’s further note that the iPad app in Lo’s hands controls much, much more than the windows…
Vetus already had wireless remotes for its thrusters and windlasses, so why not develop a Bluetooth hardware interface and an app that can do more than even a wired control head using the smart phone many skippers already have in their pocket? I can’t find anything about this Remote Monitoring and Command app online but Vetus was showing it off at IBEX and it will probably be officially launched next month at METS. I understand that they’ll also have a new rim drive thruster there, and at Newport they were demoing a 4- and 5-cylinder diesel design that can supposedly benefit from its turbo at any rpm…
