The Marine Electronics Hub
About two weeks ago I wrapped up the installation of Dometic’s Optimus All Electric Steering System. I first wrote about this system the end of last year as it collected several major innovation and design awards. At the time I was intrigued by what it promised and the improvements it could bring to the installation and operation of outboard steering systems.
The late September day when Dan Hillier took me fishing in western Maine turned out wet and windy. So instead of exercising his deep trolling expertise on wide-open Lake Sebago, we launched from a crude dirt ramp into a hideaway pond so that I could at least enjoy another of Dan’s skills — explaining his extensive system of Humminbird electronics and integrated gear…
Sorry to report that completely illegal AIS fishing net buoys are still for sale on eBay, and thus there may be strings of them still out in the oceans confusing cruisers and other mariners. I thoroughly understand how AIS buoys could help commercial fishermen protect their assets and income, but these devices look like regular AIS vessel targets while further misusing the technology in ways that can mess up real boat and ship AIS transmissions in the area…
Over the next four weeks I’m teaching a marine electronics seminar. The course covers the basics of electronics and outfitting a boat for cruising. We will touch on installed equipment, safety gear, mobile apps,...
I run a lot of wires on my boats and often in a hurry. I used to tell myself that I’d remember what a wire was for and hence didn’t worry about labeling it. Experience — and the sheer quantity of wires I run — has demonstrated that’s not a winning strategy. So, a few months ago I undertook figuring out how to label my wires better. Here’s what I’ve learned.
Holy cow! While the timing is weird, the current Wall Street Journal features a lovely portrait of the Ben and Laura Stein family aboard Have Another Day in Fort Myers. And although the headline writers got a little carried away — yesterday, for instance (and ugh), Ben was replacing the vacuum head system duck valves in his “luxury watercraft” — Panbo readers may enjoy a peek at Stein life beyond all the electronics…
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…
Last Thursday, Soundings Trade Only published “FLIR evaluates Raymarine sale” and resulting rumors about Ray’s troubled state are probably circulating already. Business must be bad if a sale is publicly contemplated, right? But the details of FLIR’s announcement only suggest that Ray is a small slice of a very large operation which thinks it can find more growth in other markets. Moreover…
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While walking the floor of the Miami International Boat Show something caught my eye in Si-Tex / Koden’s booth. I saw what looked like a PC screen running Coastal Explorer but with a radar display shown. It turns out this is a new version of Koden’s RADARpc that interfaces nearly any Koden or Si-Tex radar with a PC running Coastal Explorer.
