Panbo

The Marine Electronics Hub

Category: Good Gear (non electronic)

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LiFePO4 / Cabin & deck gear / Panbo & misc. / Gadgets / Communications / What's on board... / Electrical & Engines / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K / Good Gear (non electronic) / Monitoring & Tracking

Putting Panboat 2.0 to work with test gear from Epoch, Icom, Lenco, Scanstrut, Sensar, Tocaro Blue, and Victron

I have owned Panboat 2.0 for a little over 3 months. Unfortunately, I haven’t made as much testing headway as I hoped courtesy of a very busy fall with boat shows, speaking engagements, and dodging hurricanes. I leave for Amsterdam to attend METS shortly, but once home, I don’t have another show until Miami in mid-February. So, it’s high time I get to work outfitting the new Edgewater 280CX with the goodies needed for testing and begin rolling in some new technology.

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Press Releases / The Trade / Good Gear (non electronic)

Innovation Award Winners Honored Today During the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show

This morning, the NMMA and Boating Writers International (BWI) honored 10 recipients and three honorable mentions with the 2023 Miami Innovation Awards during the Industry Breakfast at the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show.  The Miami Innovation Awards recognize manufacturers and suppliers who bring new, innovative products to market…

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Editors' Blog / Cabin & deck gear / When things go wrong... / Good Gear (non electronic)

Three-strand or plait anchor rode? And which windlass?

Gizmo needs a new anchor rode and windlass, and in my experience replacing boat gear is a lot more satisfying if it’s also an improvement. That’s how I got interested in the somewhat new plaited 8-strand rodes that seem to offer multiple advantages over the 3-strand nylon line I’ve used all of my boating life. But, wait, does plait have its own problems…

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Editors' Blog / How-to / The Trade / Good Gear (non electronic)

Cordless tools make marine electronics installs easier and faster

I’ve just completed an entire electronics refit on a 60-foot boat without ever plugging in a power tool. Besides never having to find a working AC outlet, and never tripping over a power cord, I think that my families of drills, drivers, saws, grinders, vacuums, and heat gun with interchangeable lithium batteries made the job faster and neater. There are many decent cordless tool families to choose from these days, but some detail on my experience may help you make the right choice.

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Sailing & Racing / What's on board... / Good Gear (non electronic)

SV Delos, much more than fun in the Pacific

“Another interesting bluewater cruising boat smartly visiting Camden in October,” I thought to myself, “but what’s up with that giant VSAT dome?” Yes, I failed to recognize one of the world’s most famous cruising boats until I ran into an excited passenger schooner captain/friend waiting for the Delos crew to come ashore. But many more boaters than I envision Delos perpetually adventuring to exotic Pacific locales; for example, check this 2014 Episode #22 video that’s drawn 4.3 million YouTube views…

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Editors' Blog / Good Gear (non electronic)

My love letter to a Milwaukee M18 Wet/Dry vacuum cleaner

I’m a tool guy; little gives me more satisfaction than finding one that makes my work easier. You may have noticed a red, toolbox-like thing with a hose sticking out of it in several of my recent project photos. It’s a Milwaukee M18 cordless wet/dry vacuum that has become an integral part of nearly all my projects, making them easier and tidier.

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Editors' Blog / What's on board... / Good Gear (non electronic)

Marine toilet paper, Scott Rapid- Dissolving a winner

I’m clearly not the only person who can barely focus on anything beyond the endless onslaught of bad news — 2020! — and thus I relish the opportunity to deliver even a tiny slice of the good stuff: There really is a marine toilet paper that’s reasonably nice to use while also dissolving so well that it may never clog your boat’s head. And the fact that I used almost 16 rolls of a tissue that fails on both counts suggests…

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Editors' Blog / How-to / Good Gear (non electronic)

A dry bilge for $50

Water in the bilge, even small quantities, is a recipe for bad smells and generally unpleasant results. Every boat I’ve owned accumulated water somewhere that a traditional bilge pump couldn’t entirely remove. I’ve long been aware of commercial kits designed to completely dry bilges, but the problem never got high enough on my list to spend the money. Recently I came across an article on how to build your own dry bilge system and decided to give it a try. The results are impressive and the cost low.

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Editors' Blog / Fishing & Sonar / Good Gear (non electronic)

Propspeed Foulfree transducer protection, first impressions

When Ben Stein wrote about the new Foulfree transducer “paint” last November, I wondered how much coverage came out of that little $35 tube. I can answer that question now. In the scene above, I’m about to apply Foulfree to six transducers — the two loose and four already fixed to Gizmo’s bottom — and to my amazement, I only used about a third of the tube. So if the stuff really…