... written for Panbo by Ben Stein and posted on Mar 22, 2018
In the lead-up to any major boat show there are a lot of press releases flying around. The 2018 Miami International Boat Show was no different, and one such announcement was from a new division of Brunswick called Nautic-On. While I made a mental note to see what they were all about, frankly my expectations were meager. But what I encountered was a style of boat monitoring that far exceeded my expectations.
... written for Panbo by Ben Ellison and posted on Mar 16, 2018
This week both Garmin and Lowrance made major fishfinding announcements, but the overall Sonar Wars context most definitely includes the sharp Humminbird Mega high-frequency side imaging seen above. There's also some good news for cruisers in the Navico MFD software update, plus an opportunity to preview a new press release feature coming to Panbo...
... written for Panbo by Ben Stein and posted on Mar 9, 2018
Within minutes of announcing Garmin's acquisuition of ActiveCaptain in May 2017commenters here and elsewhere immediately began to worry about its future. On Wednesday evening, the Polar Navy announcement above poured fuel on that fire, suggesting that the many non-Garmin charting apps and MFDs which display ActiveCaptain cruising information would lose access to the database this May. But that quote is not the whole story by a long shot. Actually, Garmin is emphatic that AC data will remain freely available to developers and users...
... written for Panbo by Ben Ellison and posted on Mar 6, 2018
At the Miami boat show, Furuno showed off interesting new products aimed at both ends of the market. Prominent at their booth were two strikingly large multi-touch displays being driven by a single TZTouch2 Black Box, a new choice for larger vessels and an especially easy upgrade for existing Furuno black box systems. But nearby were entirely redesigned multi-touch 7- and 9-inch plotter/fishfinders (that even have a radar option), plus an innovative new autopilot that further confirms Furuno's growing attention to smaller boats...
... written for Panbo by Ben Stein and Ben Ellison and posted on Feb 26, 2018
MIBS 2018 saw the manufacturers putting the multi in MFD, with Garmin and Raymarine each introducing multiple new multifunction app and app-like display integrations interfacing to all sorts of third party boat systems, plus consumer electronics gadgets and online services -- actually every single brand seen below, with lots more likely coming. The results are exciting, but what the heck are MFD apps? Fortunately, Raymarine is illustrating all three ways they can be created and why it's useful to know how it's done...
... written for Panbo by Ben Ellison and posted on Feb 14, 2018
Airmar's newly announced UDST800 Ultrasonic Smart Triducer is real! I've held one in my freckly hand and even installed it on Gizmo. The reality of a new product would not normally be news, but the history of Airmar's high tech ultrasonic and electromagnetic speed sensors has frustrated boaters wanting the promised precise and reliable Speed through the Water results, which should be many boaters, I think...
... written for Panbo by Ben Ellison and posted on Feb 11, 2018
Doctor Ducer is in the house! Seriously, the already impressive Airmar TDT1000 Transducer Diagnostic Kit is now key to the company's new certified installer program, and thus you and your sick fishfinder may one day appreciate a boat call by an informed ducer doc with the right tool. And if an ACI installs the transducer in the first place -- let's call it "preventative medicine" -- you get a significant warranty upgrade. I tested the tester last month and learned a lot about Airmar and sonar nuances in the process...
... written for Panbo by Ben Stein and Ben Ellison and posted on Jan 28, 2018
That new 24-inch Simrad NSO evo3 screen must look spectacular with its 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, 1200 nits of brightness, and IPS-style wide viewing angles. And these big screens -- there will be 16- and 19-inch models too -- can purportedly be viewed with polarized sunglasses, thanks to the use of combined LCD and polarizer. The new NSO design is also packed with connectivity, including a Simrad-first J1939 engine input, and a black box processor is no longer needed. We've got details on the series, and then let's ponder recent Navico acquisitions...
... written for Panbo by Ben Stein and posted on Jan 15, 2018
As I sat down to write this article I flashed back to an eye-opening technology experience at the 2015 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. My wife and I found ourselves on the Seakeeper roll stabilization demo boat in the mouth of the Port Everglades inlet with a Viking 60-foot sportfish doing circles around us throwing as big a wake as possible. Our demo ride led to a major install on our Carver motor yacht, which I can recall in vivid detail, but which also significantly improved our subsequent family voyage around the Great Loop...
... written for Panbo by Ben Ellison and posted on Jan 9, 2018
It seems appropiate to kick off 2018 with a discussion of heating technology, specifically the diesel-fired hydronic system I installed on Gizmo last year. It was a significant purchase and a major install, but the 66 degree pilothouse temperature seen above certainly made my early December ICW trip a lot more pleasant. I'll explain why I chose hydronic, detail how the system went together, and profusely praise Sure Marine Service, a marine heating equipment distributor par excellence...
