Panbo

The Marine Technology Hub

Category: What’s on board…

4

Charts / Monitoring & Tracking / Navigation / What's on board...

The Q Experience from Next Four, A fresh take on chart plotters

Rarely do I have the opportunity to review a truly new chart plotter. For as long as I have been reviewing equipment, chart plotters come from Furuno, Garmin, Navico, or Raymarine. So, it is pretty exciting for me to get my hands on a truly new line of chart plotters. Although NextFour’s Q Experience is new to me and Panbo readers, Q is not as new as you might think. The company just marked ten years of building chart plotters designed to feel as natural as a smartphone. Panboat has spent the past several weeks running around with a dual-display unit suction-cupped to the helm, and I’m ready to share my early impressions. Is Q really as natural to use as your phone? Let’s find out.

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Stabilization, trim, and roll control / What's on board...

Smoothing the seas, pitch and roll control systems compared

There are numerous systems that control a boats pitch and roll. These systems use a variety of in water devices to control the flow of water and alter how a boat runs through the water. In recent years quite a few systems have been introduced and updated including Lenco Pro Control, Seakeeper Ride, and ZipWake. With numerous options and different technologies, how do you decide which system is right for your boat? I put together a fleet of test boats to try and answer these questions and compare the systems performance. Read on to see the results and determine the best fit for your boat.

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What's on board... / Electrical & Engines

Lenco Pro Control, effective and affordable trim and roll control

What do you call a system that mounts on the stern of your (generally planing) boat hull that influences how the boat rides through the water? For decades, a default answer of trim tabs described just about all such systems. But not any more. Now, we have systems with traditional tabs, vertical intercepters, and at least one system that fits none of our definitions. One company calls their system a vessel attitude control system or VACS for short. Hmm, maybe that’s what we should call these systems? Wait, no, that won’t work, they’ve trade marked it. So, what are we going to call them? My current best option is pitch and roll control devices or PARCD for short. It’s a mouthful, but at least it describes the function of these systems. So, with that out of the way, let’s take a look at Lenco’s Pro Control.

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Cabin & deck gear / What's on board...

DBMIBS 2025: Dometic DG3 Gyroscopic Stabilizer

Dometic made quite the splash at the Discover Boating Miami International Boat Show this year. They introduced the DG3 gyroscopic stabilizer and with that introduction launched an advertising blitz. Ads for the DG3 were everywhere: on the floor of the convention center, on the walls, and seemingly everywhere you looked. Obviously, Dometic thinks the launch of a new gyro is a big deal and I agree.

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Press Releases / What's on board... / Safety & SAR / The future

Sea.AI Enhances Safety Onboard World’s Fastest Crew Transfer Vessels

Sea.AI, the leader in AI-powered maritime safety solutions, has announced the integration of its Sentry system into the first three cutting-edge AIRCAT Vessels, marking a major advancement in offshore navigational safety. Designed for crew transfers in offshore industries such as wind farms and oil & gas installations, these vessels use powerful fans to generate an air cushion between…

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Press Releases / Network & control / What's on board... / The Trade / NMEA 2000, 0183 & Signal K

Maretron and Raymarine announce strategic collaboration to integrate MConnect and Raymarine Axiom displays

Integration offers enhanced vessel monitoring and seamless user experience Hudson, NH: Raymarine – global leader in high-performance marine electronics for the recreational boating, marine first-responder and law-enforcement markets – announced today a strategic collaboration...

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Press Releases / Fishing & Sonar / Cabin & deck gear / Gadgets / What's on board... / Safety & SAR

New Sirius 12 gyrostabilized binoculars from Koden combine rock steady vision with great value for fishermen and boaters

Koden, a name long trusted for professional-grade marine electronics for fishing and navigation, has entered the premium optics market with its new Sirius 12 Gyrostabilized Binoculars. These compact and lightweight, yet ruggedly built binoculars...

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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.