Category: Cabin & deck gear

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Blu3 Nemo, the ideal boat maintenance dive rig?

It’s understandable that Blu3 headlines its unique Nemo surface-supplied diving device with an attractive image shot in warm, shallow water. But while a mere 10 feet of hose strikes me as quite limited for even hookah-style sport diving, it may well work fine for untangling a lobster pot line wrapped in your prop or other underwater boat tasks. Especially since the floating part of Nemo is quite small and should easily follow a diver around…

14

Bilge pump switches, tough boats, and safe 2020 wishes to all

“NO ELECTRONICS” as a product feature? Is that where we’re at as the decades turn? But I also deduced evidence that these new-to-me USS Ultra bilge pump switches actually are ultra reliable. Despite premium pricing, the excellent marine chandlery in Rockland keeps plenty of Ultras in stock, and so they’re probably installed on some of the many nearby commercial vessels. Which especially includes the growing fleet of tough, handsome, and well-equipped offshore lobster boats that I’d like to tell you about…

10

ScanStrut Rokk Wireless phone charging, testing the first generation

The Scanstrut Rokk Wireless charging pad I tested practically disappears under my phone, and obviously there’s no USB charging wire involved either. But that’s the idea, and there’s even a model that I could have completely hidden under that varnished cherry surface, or the similar  counter at Gizmo’s pilothouse helm. Just put the phone down in the right spot and charging happens!..

2

2019 IBEX Innovation Award Product Winners Announced

The 2019 IBEX Innovation Awards, managed by the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) and judged by Boating Writers International (BWI), were presented at the International BoatBuilders’ Exhibition and Conference (IBEX) during the annual Industry Breakfast on Tuesday, October 1st. Eight BWI judges with various technical backgrounds in boating selected the new product winners from over 100 entries submitted by marine trade companies – the largest program to date…

4

Cruisair AC unit extraction, quality Wera tools helped

How different are boats, boaters, how we boat, and where we boat? On the very day that Ben Stein despaired about Have Another Day’s South Florida air conditioning addiction, I proudly humped this old Cruisair AC unit off Gizmo with no replacement plans. The sense of accomplishment actually came from a challenging extraction process, and that may have been much harder without some particular hand tools…

9

Fusion Apollo and Signature Series, a boatload of audio goodness

A day on the water is better with good tunes, and the rise of streaming has changed how we get music on board a lot.  For the last decade, Fusion has lead the way with stereos that use the latest technology to deliver audio on boats.  I’ve just finished a complete install of the company’s current gear aboard Have Another Day and as you will read, Fusion continues to leverage the latest tech and deliver great sound.

11

Clogged air conditioning condenser coils make for a hot boat

A hot room and air conditioning fans on high blowing warm air isn’t a good way to start your day.  About two weeks ago I woke to just that.  I knew something had to be wrong with the air conditioning but figuring out what involved a few wrong turns before finding what turned out to be a pretty obvious problem…

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Weems & Plath Signs Exclusive Manufacturing & Distribution Agreement With Orca Green Marine

Weems & Plath, manufacturer of fine nautical & weather instruments since 1928, today announced it has signed a worldwide licensing agreement with RevesOcean Network, LLC, owner of the Orca Green Marine (OGM) brand of LED Navigation Lights to manufacture and distribute the OGM Series of LED navigation lights…

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Dockmate wireless docking remote, life is easier with a remote control

Many times I’ve wished I could step away from Have Another Day’s helm but still control the engines from a better vantage point, or from where I want to handle a line. So it was great when Dockmate U.S. representatives came to Gulfport, FL to install their wireless remote system for me to review. In this entry, I’ll describe the system and my experiences with using it so far, which have been positive.

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Lumishore Launches Innovative Glass Bridge Touchscreen and Rotary Dial Display

Lumishore, manufacturer of high-performance LED lighting systems, announced today the release of an intuitive, dedicated glass bridge touchscreen and rotary dial display – the EOS STV 2204-i. The intuitive EOS STV 2204-i is a dedicated glass bridge touchscreen and rotary dial display, which allows the vessel owner to achieve unrivaled levels of color options and lighting modes over the full color spectrum…