The U.K. company Scanstrut has been making all sorts of radome mounts and similar gear since 1986, and I know I'm not the only one who's admired their smart and handsome engineering. I learned at the Miami show that they were working on a line of universal electronics pods, and today that line is not only official, but a few nice new design twists are revealed. For instance, the preview literature for the Deck Pod above -- meant to mount MFDs up to 15" on fly bridges and the like -- illustrated its heavy duty silicone gasket and other features, but showed a mount that "only" swiveled. Well, look what they came up with for the finished product; apparently you can just unlock that lever and position the ball-mounted pod however you'd like. Nice! I've long held that such view flexibility can make displays more useful in varying light conditions, and I've often proven the postulate using RAM mounts, but this looks like a truly elegant solution...
Dutch Panbo reader Eric Criens (thanks Eric!) reports that this good looking LED strip lighting on his 25–year-old Midget 26 (still in production) was easily fashioned from a relatively inexpensive Ikea “Dioder” kit (see below and this alternative). Apparently you can just cut off the transformer and feed 12 volts to the two wires on the white-only strips to get the above. But if you want to go snazzy, Eric says the four wires on the multicolor versions can be fritzed with to produce a choice of white or red illumination. (Report back if you figure out exactly how.)
This is more than usually peripheral to “marine electronics” but these days everything electrical on boats is coming together, and, besides, I like it! Arid Bilge Systems makes what appear to be vacuum pumps that suck nearly every last drop out of areas that are never completely dried by conventional bilge pumps as well as odd places like compressor pans that can’t be serviced by conventional bilge pumps. I say “apparently” because I can’t find much on that company site about the specific technology (or pricing). But Arid Bilge does do a good job of explaining the many benefits of a truly dry boat, to which I will add my 2 cents…
Last winter, thanks to Lee Guite of East Boothbay, I tried some LED bulbs Lee used to replace the incandescent ones in the Aqua Signal nav lights aboard his Dulcinea. Lee got pretty carried away researching available replacement bulbs and the ones he finally chose were “flux” models from the LED Shop in Australia. In the photo above I was trying to get a camera comparison of his steaming light versus an OGM combo LED running light. They both seemed fairly effective, but now the LED Shop has more powerful SMT bulbs, and Orca Green Marine has dropped the multi-LED models altogether in favor of single LED lights. I don’t know much about LEDs, but they do seem to be in a state of rapid technological change, which means that one LED may perform quite differently than another, and none of them may be what we’ll be using a few years hence.
Bebi Electronic’s LED lights most likely don’t employ the latest technology, like touch dimming, but there’s a lot to like about them. The company purportedly provides clean work for folks living in the village of Nakabo, Fiji, which is about 40 kilometers from the nearest power line. Bebi has all sorts of styles, including units that can be used for running and anchor lights, and prices seem quite reasonable. This Beka style cockpit light, for instance, is cleverly housed in a PVC pipe cap and only costs $36.50. I saw it last summer hanging aboard Dan Gingras’s Lionheart (thanks, Dan!).
Neato! Touch the red button on this new Hella Marine EuroLEDTouch dome light, and you get red light; hold your finger there for two seconds and it will cycle through four dimming levels. The white button gets you white light, and your preferred dimming level is remembered for each color until you do the two second thing again. The dome is 5” across, 1.2” deep, completely waterproof, retails at $180, and can be had with a black shroud instead of the white shown. Hella doesn’t claim any sort of brightness equivalency for this LED fixture, unlike, say, Sailor’s Solutions 10–watt-halogen claim for its Sensibulb. I dare guess that Hella is using up-to-date LED technology, but I have learned that all LEDs are not the same, by any means. Maybe I can get one of these to test alongside the new version Sensibulb that’s headed this way.
Who isn’t fascinated by the Maltese Falcon, the 289’, $100,000,000 yacht that sails under a very unusual DynaRig, actually three rotating carbon fiber masts carrying fifteen automated square sails on carbon yards? I did get to see a phenomenal 18” model of the Falcon (built by Rob Eddy, another local gem), but I would so like to get a sail aboard this vessel, or least a glimpse at what the electronics its very techy owner Tom Perkins chose for her. I do know that Tacktick is quite proud that its Micronet wireless wind sensors were used to help test the rig during construction in Turkey. And today, which happens to be the Queen’s birthday, the company won the Queen’s Award in the Innovation category. A tip of the crown, then, to Tacktick. I’m pleased to report that I’m going to test a Micronet wind, depth, and speed system on my Rhodes 18 this summer, and that today is finally warm enough to think about boating.
PS: Speaking of Queens, check out this time-lapse video of the Queen Mary II visiting San Francisco. This site, BoatingSF, also has an interesting newsletter on AIS.
My April PMY column about Charles Industries, and isolation transformers specifically, is now online. Also up are some new product write-ups meant, in part, to illustrate how companies that traditionally supplied engine and boat manufacturers are now making plays for helm space and consumer attention. One is instrument maker F.W. Murphy, whose HelmView is seen above as part of Volvo Penta’s EVC system but is also capable of chart plotting using its SD slot for Navionics cards (below). This puppy can handled three simultaneous CANbus connections, including NMEA 2000, as explained here, and at the Murphy site (and also as used aboard a Cruisers Yachts 447). HelmView’s retail price is not trivial, but it might make a super geek gauge. I also covered Charles’ new IMcharger series, which has optional helm display and/or N2K output, electronically controlled fuel tank selectors from Parker Fluid Control, and a nifty BilgeWatch8 monitoring system that I still have in the test lab, and will expand on here one day.
The first LightShip I tested had rather stiff and ineffectual suction feet and kept falling off the south window I stuck it on so that its little solar panel would charge up its Ni-Cad battery (no doubt the winter chill coming through the glass didn’t help). Then one last fall killed it dead. But that’s how I found out that SolLight had upgraded the suction cups, and now test unit #2 is stuck firmly to my office window and working like a champ. You can switch between red and white LEDs, and there’s even a light-actuated off switch if you want to just leave the sucker on all the time. At $15 a piece, less in volume, I’ve got to believe that lots of LightShips are going to go boating. There’s more detail here and, by the way, the SolLight bottle lamp I tried almost two years ago is still working fine.
If I were at the New York Boat Show this week, I’d check out the headset systems being shown by the relatively new company Piratecom. Their wired gear doesn’t solve the roving deck hand problem, but looks like it can do most anything a captain and crew seated on a loud boat would want…like up to five headsets noise cancelling both ways, triple audio inputs plus a cell phone connection (some exceptions) to the skipper’s set, and an intercom. There’s also a “Captain Isolate” switch such that he/she can speak to the crew but they can’t speak back, useful for cell calls or, you know, just noise-cancelled peace.
Offshore Systems was showing this nifty fuel gauge at METS, and it was getting serious attention from show walkers. Developer Bruce Coward told me that last year he had to spend half his time explaining what NMEA 2000 is, but this year most folks seemed to understand it already. Progress! In fact, Offshore makes both an N2K networkable version and one that can just extend the tank info from an existing analog gauge. But going 2000 means you’d have tank info anywhere you wanted it, plus you could use Coward’s water-sensing and no-moving-parts tank sensors. I’m afraid this gear is pricey, however, and I can’t seem to find online dealers for it.
At METS it was announced that Nexus Marine, once a part of Silva, is now an independent operation. This won’t matter much in the U.S. where the gear has been marketed under the Nexus brand for some time (it’s a long story). What will matter is the two new instrument systems that Nexus previewed: the NXR, “unashamedly aimed at the international racing circuit and superyacht sector”, and the NX, “high-quality, compact instrumentation for the cruising sailor using technology usually associated with high-end racing systems”. The NX features a wireless connection to a (rather wild-looking) masthead wind sensor, which Nexus terms “wireless where it makes sense” (take that, TackTick!). Details should be revealed at the Miami Boat Show. In the meantime, I thought Nexus’s Web explanation of wind shear and its T.R.U.E. calibration system interesting (click on “Read more” at bottom right of main page).
If you’re now lusting after a thermal camera, you might consider the interesting idea of combining one with a searchlight. If you were on passage at night, you’d leave the thermal going and if you spotted something indistinct on the water (mind you, this camera, and the Flir, only output 320 x 240 pixels, which is higher res than many thermals), you could just hit it with the light, which would already be pointing at it. Ditto for some thief sneaking up a banana republic pier, especially effective as this baby packs 15 million candlepower and its Xenon beam size can be remotely controlled. The Carlisle & Finch NightFinder debuted at Ft. Lauderdale and is not on the company’s site just yet, but I recall that it costs something like a good used car. Hey, I was in the superyacht tent. I’m home again, with a zillion possible Panbo’s in hand, but also knackered and on deadline…so that’s it for today.
Notice the two throttle/shifts (bigger shot here); one controls a small Vetus diesel, the other an electric motor, both turning the same shaft. I didn’t get all the technical details or the performance numbers—this area outside the Cape Town Boat Show was noisy with cars and water taxis—but I did get the sweet story behind the boat. The gentleman shown, who spoke much more quietly than your average salesman, is in fact an instructor at the Whisper Boat Building Academy, which was recently started to teach deaf youngsters the skills need to join the region’s very active boat building industry. So the hybrid launch is a project boat, whose sales help finance the school, and the two young men below are two of its proud builders.
NVTi’s new 5000 and 6000 series multi-camera night vision gear got a nice mention from an interesting blog called Core77, which noted how the industrial designers behind the striking look above did a study of the yacht aesthetic which led them “to embody notions of speed, precision, durability and sex appeal as the camera's key characteristics. The camera head, consisting of a brilliant white aluminum body and tungsten rings, and its motor base are separated, allowing the unit to appear sleek, agile and vigilant on the deck.” (Which happens to be my personal on-deck goal as well.) It’s funny to see this baby and the company’s now rather plain-looking earlier designs all lined on NVTi’s product page. From there you can also find out about the various improvements the company has made on a technology that had already impressed me quite a bit. You can get wider field of vision on the thermal cams, yet more zoom on the low lights, plus 2-axis gyro stabilization on the whole shebang, and—very cool—the ability to lock onto a target selected off your radar screen. “…be it a floating container or another vessel, the cameras will automatically track to that location. Locking onto the object, the cameras will follow it until the craft passes by safely.” I’m guessing that this feature uses MARPA, but I’m not sure; there’s a picture, none too great, below, and good tracking videos here. All nice, but do note that this new design starts at $73,000.
Did you cruise some mega systems with Intelisea on Monday? Well, now you might want to visit another relatively new monitoring company, Krill Systems, and download its SoftDisplay demo (it’s a single zipped .exe file and needs only XP or 2000 to run, no installation). You may miss that “carefor more champagne, sir?” feeling, but I think you’ll find well thought out software for monitoring important stuff on, say, a 45’ trawler. Krill is aiming for less than mega with a starter kit at $4,500. That gets you an Electrical System Sensor Pod (below), a Tank & Switch Sensor Pod, all cables and sensors, an Ethernet Switch, and the SoftDisplay to run on your yacht’s computer. Krill also makes a waterproof 8.4” display (a dedicated CE PC actually) with built-in WiFi lest the Ethernet run is too difficult. Of course more sensor pods can be added and, because Krill’s front end is a small PC application, off ship monitoring should be fairly easy to setup. Here’s the full image of the SoftDisplay screen above but you really should try the demo, drilling down to see how tanks are calibrated, bilge alarms set, etc. Also note developer Casey Cox’s unique bonus display of incoming NMEA navigation data.
Stuck in an office far from your boat? Or maybe your mega ride is in the yard for repairs? Well, then, scooch on over to Intelisea, a relative new comer to the world of high end monitoring and control, and enjoy some mouse time touring its online demo. The software design is elegant (and admired in the programming community), and it’s fun to think of yourself minding a 100+’ yacht packed with sensors and PCs. Intelisea systems are being installed on three large new yachts right now, but the builder is so far unwilling to publicize them (frustrating for the sales guys!). The systems are “complete sensor-to-user solutions” and, of course, very customizable, but Intelisea does quote a “standard” price of 60k for a 30m yacht.
The perfect complement to your ultimate helm full of screens and buttons? How about a plush leather Stidd chair…maybe even, as here, with joystick and trackball controls built right into the arm rests? Stidd virtually owns the high end helm seat market, but I’m sorry to report that something seems to be amiss. In fact, it’s not really the sort of story I like to cover, but when three independent and reliable sources voice similar concerns to me, all unsolicited, in just over three months, I feel obliged to speak up.
First, an otherwise cheery megayacht captain showing off a major rebuild grumbled about how much trouble he’d had getting something like a $100,000 worth of Stidds, citing very poor communications and multiple failed delivery dates. Then a friend having a custom boat built called me out of the blue to ask if I knew anything about Stidd; he has a friend who raves about Stidd’s customer service, but this fellow’s boat builder couldn’t get straight answers about product availability, if his calls were returned at all.
When the owner himself stepped in, he claims he couldn’t get Stidd to take his check, let alone give him straight dope on product availability. He—quite experienced at business—is the one who suggested that Stidd, and its prospective customers, might be suffering through a “success disaster”. And he has purchased his chairs elsewhere. Finally an industry insider I mentioned these reports to allowed that his company has also had a tough time with Stidd…poor communications, unpaid bills, etc. Three strikes and you’re out? I don’t know about that, but it sure sounds like getting a fine Stidd chair has become a hassle.
Olympus Stylus 720 SW camera, waterproof for sure!
May 16, 2006
“Honey, I think that man down there kneeling on the water taxi float is drowning a cell phone or camera or something!” I must have looked weird trying to see if this borrowed Olympus Stylus 720 SW really could survive a salt water dip. I took pictures underwater (of murky Boston Harbor), rinsed the thing off under the tap, above, and… it’s still working fine. That’s impressive, and very nice to have around a boat (tip of the hat to Eli Boat, where I learned about it). But I’ll leave the extensive reviews/feature lists to the pros at Steve’s Digicams, Digicam Review, and Digital Camera Info—so I can just bitch about some minor issues:
* Why would Olympus use what seems to be a proprietary mini USB plug? That’s it at right (photographed with the 720 SW) next to a normal mini USB plug which works for my Canon XT camera and all sorts of other devices. And why couldn’t its relatively small battery be charged via the USB cable (like my new Motorola phone)? At any rate, owners of the 720 SW do have to drag along a special interface cable and a charger that’s bigger than the camera.
* While the 720 SW has lots of shooting modes—some very specific and useful, like shooting through glass (changes how the autofocus thinks)—it does not let you use traditional camera settings like shutter speed and F stop, which traditional photographers (like me) may find quite annoying. It also has no view finder at all and, though the LCD is brighter than other digital cams I’ve used, its still hard to use in bright sunshine.
* Finally, like the folks at Digital Camera Info above, I wasn’t all that tickled by the quality of the photos the Stylus took. Below, and bigger here
, is one of the best (a 2 photo collage, actually, showing the view from my roof). But then again, I am used to a very good digital SLR; I suspect a lot of people will be pleased with this camera’s performance, and especially its ability to take abuse.
I wear a watch with hands, but I’m not crazy about traditional engine gauges, especially when there are rows and rows of them, and most especially when they’re digitally rendered. Yes, a screen like this SmartCraft/Northstar combo looks ‘wow’, but isn’t Simrad’s version above, bigger here, much more screen efficient and informative? By my count, the bar gauges on this half display represent nine data points, or eighteen dials with dual engines. I haven’t seen this monitoring in actual use, but I’d hope that there could be ticks for ‘normal’ values, and maybe changing or flashing colors for critical values. Electronic engines combined with the smarts and displays of navigation electronics offer such wonderful possibilities (which, of course, is why the break up of Brunswick New Technologies seems especially mysterious).
Note that Simrad can display data from engines that use the NMEA 2000 protocol, or can speak it through an electronic bridge. Note too that this screen also shows Simrad’s unique radar overlay “sandwich”. See how the yellow targetry lays over the charted land but then the nav aids lay over everything (like the lighthouse at about 2 o’clock and 2 range rings from the boat). This is a little nuance that everyone else should copy!
Zeus (4), IPS joystick, and what does it all mean?
Apr 19, 2006
Volvo also introduced an omni-directional no-thruster-needed joystick at the Miami Boat Show. It has a computerised control module running a pair of independently turning IPS drives, like Zeus, but doesn’t have Zeus’s nervous system. That’s me trying it above, and while it just can’t have the precision of Zeus without the feedback, it too is a big advance in easy boat handling (plus it’s available right now). So, looking forward, we see two major marine engine manufacturers with new drive systems that offer significantly easier handling (and some other features) and are very electronic.
If I was an independent electronics manufacturer I’d be nervous. The Brunswick team—Mercury, Cummins, Northstar, and Navman—are already a little ahead in terms of the relatively simple business of putting engine data onto a CANbus (SmartCraft) so it’s available at all displays. I know companies like Lowrance and Raymarine are trying to get this sort of engine relationship using NMEA 2000, and there’s been progress, but once systems get as complicated as Zeus I doubt that multiple manufacturers will be involved. In fact, a Zeus engineer pretty much told me that it would be impossible to develop something like station holding unless it was all in-house (and note, you Ethernet freaks, that it’s all done with CANbus). Thus I found it interesting that Altor, the Swedish equity fund that’s taken over both Simrad and Lowrance, also just purchased a large Swedish boatbuilder with close ties to Volvo Penta. “Is this the beginning of a Nordic-centered Brunswick,” is the question I asked in my latest PMY column (mostly about Lowrance, and hopefully online soon). Will other engine and electronics companies merge or make alliances? Will all this push the independent players to greater support of NMEA 2000? Time will tell.
So what do I mean that the new Zeus propulsion system has nerves as well as brains? Well, hooked into the drive controller is an ultra high precision GPS and inertial navigation sensor which feeds it fast updates on the boat’s location along with which way she’s heading, sliding, twisting, rolling etc. Thus the drive gets instant feedback about how well it’s doing what you asked it to do. In other words, if you’re coming alongside a dock and you push the joystick a little bit to starboard, Zeus will take you a little bit to starboard no matter if the current or wind are pushing you hard toward the dock, away from it, or in some other direction. Zeus can do what the very best boat driver does, i.e. observe what the yacht is actually doing in real time, figure out all the forces involved, and compensate for them to get her to go where he wants her to go. Of course the ultimate expression of a totally integrated drive/navigation system like this is its ability to hold station, which seemed rock solid during the demo. It works so well, in fact, that the Cummins guys say they have put Ingenuity next to dock and stepped ashore—no dock lines (though that will never be an advertised feature). That well!
Now it must be noted that the specific navigation sensor hardware being used on the demo is apparently a very expensive Oxford Technologies RT3000 working with private Omnistar differential GPS corrections, which adds a serious subscription expense. But it’s clear that Brunswick’s electronics division is hard at work trying to provide the needed level of precision by the time Zeus becomes a real shipping system. In fact, Zeus may explain why Brunswick picked up MX Marine, which I couldn’t figure out last Spring. The image above shows a Navman/Northstar auto pilot that’s been souped up to work with Zeus’s amazing capabilities (note how the pilot is neatly showing you what the drives are up to as you cast a line, or take a picture, or whatever). It seems obvious that many Zeus boats will be Brunswick hulls with Brunswick drives and Brunswick electronics—all one—which is worth one more Zeus entry, tomorrow.
Above is the Zeus demo boat, which has just departed a slip at Miami’s Sealine Marina and now—instead of the normal hard right, hard left exit—is going dead sideways down the channel. Leaving those bow lines neatly on the pilings was also impressively easy—no stretching—because the driver could bump the bow where he wanted it with just a little twist and push on the joystick. Now omni-directional joystick control, typically using twin engines and a bow thruster, has been around for a while, but Zeus is more powerful and much more precise, and eliminating the thruster eliminates the weakest link. Whereas close-quarters maneuvering is about the hardest thing to learn about boating these days, this is a revolutionary development. So how the hell does it work?
Well, surprise, there is a micro processor involved! Zeus’s control module can steer, shift, and throttle each drive independently…drives which can turn 45 degrees outward and 15 inward, and can do so at a screaming 45 degrees per second. Hence the driver’s simple command to go sideways, or any which ways, results in some complex vector analysis and propulsion commands that only a human trained like a helicopter pilot could pull off (illustrated below). So Zeus is way beyond drive-by-wire technology; it has brains. In fact, it has a nervous system too, which I’ll explain tomorrow.
Zeus 1, the most innovative electronics at Miami was a propulsion system!?!
Apr 12, 2006
Above is a 42’ Maxum that Brunswick, specifically the Cummins MerCruiser division, was using as a special demo boat at the Miami Boat Show. Obviously (bigger here ) it’s loaded with Northstar’s new 8000i multifunction displays (and, yes, that lower one seemed a bit odd as you could kick it if you were being ‘casual’ like this model). Now I’d love to test the 8000i on the water (especially once the finished system ships in June), but this demo was much more about that fat joystick, and the engines, drives, and electronics it’s attached to, all called Project Zeus. I got to experience it myself and, by golly, it’s a very big deal indeed. The drives are similar to the IPS system that Volvo introduced last year, except that the props face aft (which I, from the bays of rocks and lobster traps, strongly favor). I won’t go into Zeus’s claims of efficiency, low noise, etc., though you might want to check out the press release. What I want to tell you about is how I watched a guy joystick this boat’s bow within a few feet of a day marker and then do a 360 around the mark with the bow always within those few feet. I also saw how you could push the “hold station” button on the Navman pilot and boat would sit exactly in place despite wind and current, and without thrusters. This is really revolutionary stuff, and important, I think, to the future of boating and marine electronics. More tomorrow.
Airmar Weather Station, really here and really works
Apr 11, 2006
I’ve been posting on Panbo for almost exactly a year now, and one of my first entries was about the sailing version of Airmar’s WeatherStation. While I’m sorry to report that that product still does not exist, the powerboat version does and I’ve been testing one. Above, and bigger here, is a screenshot of the PC software that comes with the ultrasonic (no moving parts!) sensor. This particular screen shows the controls available (left) and also what data can be graphed over time. Clicking on any of those graphs switches it to the gauge-style real-time reading. The software is very easy to use but needs some work; for instance, the wind speeds are graphed to a 0–100 knot scale, which means that low speeds hardly show any differentiation. And wind direction history is not kept, which is something that must be fixed for the coming sailboat version (which won’t have a GPS, but will have an inclinometer supposedly able to correct the wind sensor for heel).
But I quibble. There are a lot of neat ways to use the WeatherStation, well illustrated in its latest PDF brochure. I have most of the setup below working (I just haven’t installed the “Smart” depth/speed/temp sensor yet), and it’s a powerful little network. A PC charting program like CE easily collects wind/GPS/heading/air temp coming out of the optional combiner via USB at 57,600 baud, plus the Furuno RD30 (a very handy device) provides alternate data display, and there’s room to run more NMEA 0183 devices into or out of the combiner. Nice detail: according to the WeatherStation manual (another PDF) the combiner favors alternate GPS or heading inputs over what’s built into the unit. I think that means that the built-in sensors can serve as automatic back ups. Nice!
I mentioned OctoPlex when it received a special mention at METS; now I’m trying to write a column about it and the whole coming revolution in marine power systems. It’s not coming easily, I’m way past deadline, and so this will be short! Here’s the deal: electronic circuit breakers combined with data networks like NMEA 2000 mean the end of conventional circuit breaker panels. The concept is often called “distributed power” but Nigel Calder also uses “the three cable boat” in a series of articles he’s done recently in Professional Boatbuilder, Sail, and Yachting Monthly (none, unfortunately, online, but look down this page for Nigel’s pithy answer to the question “should I try this now”)). In its simplest form plus and minus cables carry power around the boat, teeing off wherever needed to an electronic circuit breaker (ECB) which is controlled by the third (data) cable. ECBs are also known as MOSFETs and they’re complicated animals, but have features like the ability to constantly measure voltage and amperage and even modulate amperage (i.e. dim light circuits). Combine those features with networked, microprocessor-based switching—and, hey, you might as well throw in tank, bilge, etc. monitoring since you’ve already got the network and screens—and you start getting something as powerful as OctoPlex. Check out a much larger version of the schematic here. This system can automatically shed power loads, protect individual circuits against brown out, setup custom dimming programs, tell you if a nav light blows out, and so forth…sky’s the limit. But can things go badly wrong on the three cable boat? Hell, yes! Which is why OctoPlex is redundant every which way. More on that later.
Well, I could not help but notice that everybody seems to have a secret desire to produce LED lighting products. There must have been at least a dozen or more companies with LED products. I think these products are great and are certainly the future of marine lighting (and perhaps someday your home as well). Look for a lot of new products this boat show season. Noteworthy units were displayed by Hella Marine and LopoLight, which has navigation lights for vessels as large as 50 Meters. — Jeff Hummel
It’s noteworthy that LopoLight’s latest use carbon fibre to further reduce weight, and have also somehow reduced power consumption. But the company still hasn’t fixed its web site so that it works properly in Firefox, as noted here last June.
I’m a sucker for anything that connects to a PC. The new AutoAnchor Rodecounter for the PC is an interface box that provides anchoring information for PC based applications. It is designed primarily for large yachts, with glass screen PC displays, but is also generating interest for use on smaller vessels using laptops. It features accurate rope/chain or all-chain rode counting, with pre-set calibrations for specific windlasses, a docking alarm to warn the skipper the anchor is approaching the boat, and “plug and play’ software. The company also produces units with a display. — Jeff Hummel
Offshore Systems 3271, the perfect fuel tank sensor?
Nov 25, 2005
This Offshore Systems fuel sender sounds perfect…stainless steel with no moving parts, measures fuel tank level to 1% accuracy, installs and delivers data all via a NMEA 2000 trunk line, and it can reportedly detect water in the fuel! However, it costs $295 with a 20” probe, more with longer (cutable) probes, and I’m just a tiny bit dubious about the water sensing capability. This sensor is “capacitive”, which I think means it uses the same technology as the “dielectric” bilge pump switches I discussed here once. If the Offshore sender detects water in your fuel it sends alternating “full” and “empty” signals. I wonder if a small amount of water might trigger this, and then you wouldn’t know how much fuel you had? Maybe I’m just being paranoid, but I’d like to hear about successful field trials. Note that Offshore has a new 3125 2000 Sender Adapter which will work with standard resistive senders, and thus with any fluid {corrected 11/28; it turns out that Maretron is not distributing Offshore's sensors (but is working on its own NMEA 2000 tank sender adapter)}.
Update 11/26: I got this note from Offshore Systems: “The water sensing feature really works. Whenever the bottom of the probe detects water the sender sends alternate tank full / tank empty messages at the default rate of 1 message every 2.5 seconds. This will make any display very noticeable to the user to indicate that this tank is contaminated and should not be used until it has been drained and cleaned.” Sounds good…like a little water floating on half a tank of diesel—where it won’t really cause problems—also won’t set off the alarm and stop tank level measuring.
At METS, the U.K. company TackTick—a prior DAME winner for its Micronet wireless instruments—introduced these remote displays. Like the Micronet fixed displays, they’re solar powered and, using a Universal Wireless Interface, can show most any NMEA 0183 data, besides, of course, what’s collected with Micronet sensors. I’m just now realizing how powerful this Interface could be—capable of, say, data networking GPS, PC, another manufacturer’s instruments/sensors, and Micronet. In fact, TackTick even supports proprietary data sentences created on the boat’s PC and then displayed as desired on the Micronet screens (pdf here). It sounds like a savvy sailor or developer could use this to create a very sophisticated instrument system.
Speaking of which, Sailing Anarchy put up a fascinating piece on the super high end sail racing instrumentation that B&G is capable of these days. Note that it is apparently written by a B&G employee, but nonetheless…wow.
Here’s wishing all the Yanks in Panbo world a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. It’s spitting snow here in Maine, perfect for holing up with friends, family, and a lots of good food. There’s much to give thanks for, but let’s include gizmos too. Needed they’re not, but aren’t they fun?
Volvo Penta won an Innovation award at MAATS for its new QL Boat Trim system. Instead of tabs and hydraulic rams, QL uses vertical blades housed in these rectangular blocks (two sizes, right), which mount on the transom. I’m not sure if the actuators are hydraulic or electric but do know they are contained right in the housing, making for a tidy install. Volvo claims they are quite fast acting, but I do wonder if they offer the same lift and stability as flaps? On the other hand, I’ve bitched in the past about how tabs can be hard to use without good indicators and am pleased to see that the QL control module (top) not only has built-in indicators but also very clear command keys. Nice.
Bennett NMEA 2000 Trim Tab indicator, cheaper & better!
Aug 1, 2005
Here’s a NMEA 2000 application I hadn’t thought of, but one that makes terrific sense: the Bennett NMEA 2000 Trim Tab Interface will install easily back near the tab motors, tee into a 2000 trunk line, and send the status of the tabs to all displays on the network. Plus it will work with any of the company’s currently available tab systems (80% of US market), and it will only cost $120. I’ve been on many boats, including my own 25’ Ralph (recently back in the water), where indicators would make the tabs much easier to use, but when I’ve asked builders why they don’t install the currently available ones, they say they’re too unreliable and/or too expensive. This looks like a far better solution, and another reason why boaters and builders might move to 2000. There are two caveats, however. One is that specific displays will have to be programmed to show the tab information they are receiving. The example above is a 2000 plotter/sounder by Lowrance, which has already agreed to support Bennett’s interface. (The tab window could be more efficient—i.e., show the info well in less space—but I suspect that this is just a prototype). The second is that this product, introduced at MAATS, won’t be available until 2006. But that gives companies like Raymarine, Simrad, and Maretron time to program their displays to work with it, plus it will encourage other electronics companies, boat builders, and boaters to climb on the NMEA 2000 bus. Bennett doesn’t have information about the interface on its site yet, but there is a neat, if slightly geeky, simulator. It’s perfectly possible, by the way, to also control tabs via NMEA 2000, which would simplify installation, particularly on multi station boats, and would also enable integration of the controls with, say, Maretron’s pitch and roll sensor.
Given that it’s notoriously hard to photograph a video screen, this is a fair image (bigger here) of what I was seeing yesterday in about 20’ of water using Splashcam’s Deep Blue camera. Plus I should note that Camden Harbor is a bit murky due to the river that dumps into it (and maybe some other dumping, like aboard visiting yachts). I could actually see that lobster trap somewhat better than the photo shows, and when I aimed straight down (with the camera surfaced, via a simple adjustment strap) starfish, shells and annoyed crabs were very sharp and colorful...and fun to see for the first time since I gave up diving. It was also simple as pie to hook Deep Blue to the Raymarine E120, which can handle 4 cameras. As you can see, you can even name the video inputs (as I’ve done with an interesting aft facing camera I’ll write about soon). Plus there are a lot of picture adjustments behind that “presentation” soft key. But dangling electronics in salt water is hard service. Deep Blue seems very well thought out and built, but the double O rings on one of its lights apparently failed in 50’, and the innards don’t look very happy today. In fact, it’s hard to blame on Splashcam as the design uses Pelican MityLite xenon flashlights rated to 250’, which seems like a smart idea (and Pelican offers a “forever” replacement policy). Another camera I took out didn’t work at all, but that’s another story.
I shot this picture last winter during a demo in the ICW near Ft. Lauderdale. What you see (bigger here) is the ultra low light (.00015 lux!) output of a Night Vision Technologies (NVTi) 3000 Series pan and tilt cabin top triple camera. What you couldn’t see with your plain eye was that day marker, not to mention the water surface, trees and other shore details. Regular eyesight was mainly screwed up by the bright shore lights. Had it been pitch black—or had I been looking for something with a distinct temperature signature, like a man overboard—I could have switched over to the thermal camera. In daylight I might be spying around using the color cam with 220x(!) total zoom ability. Since all three cameras pan and tilt together, it’s very easy to try the different imaging technologies on a given target. This is expensive, but effective, technology.
Above is a video camera designed to live on the outrigger of a sport fishing boat, ready to catch the action from a better angle than you normally see…i.e. better than the back side of a guy fighting a big one. Apparently it’s rugged enough to take the banging around and to be washed and waxed just like the rest of the boat. Veteran captain and video guy Mike Latham sells and installs packages of multiple cameras and recording decks which look very effective. He can even set up a little wireless controller that will turn everything on with a single button push.
I’ve been researching boat cameras and finding neat developements. One is the SeaMoon Passerelle, which sees 360 degrees at once. The screen image above shows the hind end of a big yacht in two 180 degree panoramas, no remote control panning needed. (Note that the boat is obviously in a yard; hence the vacuum cleaner and taped up glass doors). Below is a diagram of how it’s done without moving parts; two reflective surfaces (yellow) collect the 360 x 60 degree image for the CCD. SeaMoon seems to be a relatively new division of SeeNite, and its site is fairly minimal (lacking, for instance, these illustrations from the product brochure).
I’d appreciate any comments on unusual cameras and/or unusual ways to use them afloat.
Another Friday LED wonder: this shot of Lopolight’s production line suggests the extra high quality construction of these Danish-made navigation lights. The internal electronics are next potted in epoxy and a machined aluminum top plate finishes off the package. They are expensive but may indeed “work forever” on very little power. Note that you need to use Internet Explorer, not Firefox, to get beyond the home page of Lopolight’s Web site.
One of the things I enjoy about the marine industry is how an inventive boater—there are lots, particularly sailors for some reason—can still get a product to market. You’re looking at the world premier of Navlight Indicators…Larry Schaffer sitting in a rented booth at Strictly Sail Miami, ready to explain his very clever navigation light accessories. He has since put up an informative Web site, so I’ll just note that he’s created little LED’s that will show you just how your running/anchor lights are switched, plus a current sensor system that will make them blink if a light fails. You can get a dedicated panel that showcases the idea, or parts so you can upgrade an existing panel. Good job, Larry!
Tip of the hat to Scuttlebutt for today’s kind News Brief about Panbo. It’s been crazy here, it’s Friday, and I’m going to keep it quite light. So meet LightCap, a 32 oz water jug with a solar panel, Ni-Cad battery pack, and both red and white LEDs built into its top. It sounds like a foolish thing but I’m liking the prototype Sollight sent over. You can’t quite read by it but there’s a wonderful shimmer created by the light passing through the water, which also gives it some stay-put heft. LightCap could definitely add a little more magic to a balmy summer evening spent relaxing in the cockpit.
Do unto others dept: visit Zephyr, a newish blog pleasantly probing “sailing culture for voyagers, zealots, poets and populists”.
I've seen through-hull underwater lights before, and from the same supplier (Underwater Lights USA & E-Fish TV) there is now a through-hull underwater video solution. Streaming right to your LCD screen in de salon so you don't have to dive in order to enjoy great marine life...
"This $1,835 waterproof camera from Underwater Lights USA can be set up for any zoom angle from 35 to 70 degrees and can send broadcast-quality, 470-line-resolution output to any number of monitors (in NTSC or PAL formats). Three and three quarters inches long with a diameter of 13'4", it fits in any of the company’s underwater light housings for steel, aluminum, or fiberglass hulls and thus is serviceable from inside the yacht."
Unfortunately, and I can speak from personal experience, theft of marine electronics is a big problem. So hereby I welcome any good solution, especially when it's a relatively simple one...
"But, by using one of DuraSafe's new GPS/Depth Finder Locks, you can thwart a thief's attempt to make off with your valuable electronics. The DuraSafe Lock replaces one of the standard knobs that attach a GPS, depthsounder or VHF radio to its bracket. There are seven different versions to fit the different knob thread sizes used by major manufacturers of marine electronics, such as Raymarine, Lowrance, Eagle, Garmin, Humminbird, Navman and Furuno." (DuraSafe at Amazon.com)
Using a PDA to navigate while it's connected to a GPS receiver via Bluetooth demands a lot of your batteries. Solar power is a solution many boaters are already used to, and this little product is a nice example of how it will be used even more. I highlighted a similar product, the Notepower portable solar module, a while ago.
"Folding open and close like a laptop, the charger can slurp enough power in four or five hours to fully recharge two cellular phones (or PDAs, or digital cameras, or what have you). Bic Camera intends to sell the Pocket Chargers for around $215."
How important it is that your EPIRP works correctly is proven many times a year. This spring only, NOAA satellites were key in saving 54 lives in 27 potentially deadly situations throughout the United States. So when McMurdo beacons are under fire again, this is not good news for the manufacturer. They even ordered a recall of their products.
"Doug Ritter, executive director of Equipped to Survive Foundation, announced today that he would be conducting an "independent evaluation" of McMurdo's GPS-enabled 406 MHz distress beacons. This announcement came in response to McMurdo's July 7th press release saying that its FastFind Plus PLB and Precision EPIRB performed "faultlessly" in recent tests, a few months after Ritter found performance problems."
Yachting and Boating World (YBW) comes away moderately impressed from MAATS (Marine Aftermarket Accessories Trade Show) and in their newsletter they mention some of the highlights. Besides the one I liked best, EchoPilot's CASS (Collision Avoidance Sonar System), they have some other tips as well.
"For example no less than three stands were devoted to devices to keep birds off boats — everything from whirly solar-powered helicopter-like blades to moving owls to clip on trip lines for boat rails. Hmmm. Items more effective at catching my eye included a neat car-toppable pontoon you can rig out on a lake or riverside using screw-in oil-rig style legs, a new waterproof switch panel from BlueSea with great design detail and fuse-blown indicators, and very nicely engineered polypropylene-moulded dinghies with modular RIB collar and sailing rig options from Walker Bay."
The Marine Aftermarket Accessories Trade Show was held last week in Las Vegas. Two interesting marine electronics won a Marine Manufacturers Association Innovation Award during that event.
"EchoPilot's CASS (Collision Avoidance Sonar System) is a wideband active surf zone sonar based on military research that can see floating and semi-submerged objects up to 1,200 yards ahead of the boat in real time. The system transmits using multi-frequency (a "swept chirp" of 20 -80 KHz), which ensures greater performance in rough waters, according to NMMA."
"Equally impressing to the judges in the Aftermarket Electronics category was Vexilar’s AlumaDucer, the only transducer designed to transmit through aluminum with zero signal loss. Built like other transducers, it is designed to automatically compensate for the loss of signal strength when mounting a transducer on an aluminum hull, the association reported."
A couple of months ago I mentioned Ascend Marine's Deep Blue Anchor Alert. MegaYacht.com has a short article (free subscription required) on this product as well.
"The components housed within the anchor unit include the accelerometer and transponder. As the anchor moves, the accelerometer calculates the severity of the motion, rating it on a scale of one to eight. This score is then relayed ultrasonically from the transponder to the boat where it is received by the transducer. It is then transmitted to the display and shown on a bar graph."
I was talking about having problems with watching and securing my own boat the other day. Here's another solution for those of you with similar problems (and a GSM cellphone...).
"The Harbormaster Mark II is a new remote wireless monitoring security system that checks a vacant boat's vital systems and on-board conditions. The system uses a GSM based network to send data about the boat to a central server, enabling the boat owner to be able to check their craft at any time via the World Wide Web, mobile phone, text message, fax or email."
I have a boat that I use to spend time on the beautiful Amsterdam canals, but the only problem is that thieves are trying everything to get something useful from my boat. And, unfortunately, they succeed every now and then. May be this is a solution. It's nothing new, but increasingly popular...
"These Internet protocol, or IP, cameras, made by companies including Cisco Systems' Linksys unit and Sweden's Axis Communications, function as stand-alone servers that stream video over the web."
I've highlighted some more entertaining diving gear in the past, but Gizmodo now has a really good one... The Aqua FM Swim Snorkel Radio from Aquanaut.
"Even better, the Aqua FM snorkel uses no earphones, and instead uses bone conduction to pass the audio signal through your teeth right into your dome. And if you want to test the range of FM underwater, feel free; the radio snorkel is waterproof to 33 feet."
Of course you can read this weblog to learn all about marine equipment that might save your life someday, but now there's also a new three-part video series called "Taking the Search Out of Search & Rescue."
"Endorsed by the U.S. Coast Guard"These three videos - "Rescue 21," "Using Your DSC Radio" and "The GMDSS System" - cover other safety equipment as well, including EPIRBs, SARTS and Inmarsat satellite communications."
There are many technologies and gadgets that will assist you when trying to catch some fish. Barnegat's solution is one that will please non-fishers as well.
"Barnegat Light Marine Products introduces a light that mounts under the swim platform to attract marine life for viewing, fishing or diving. Its internal components are potted to prevent corrosion, and a 4-foot cable allows for electrical connections inside the boat."
A story on MariTrack, another solution to meet new requirements for ship security alerts and vessel monitoring. Although it primarily focuses on commercial vessels for the moment, I'm sure some of these solution will come to the private yachting market as well.
"It includes a Ship Security Alert System, which can transmit a distress message with a ship's longitude, latitude and the time of day. The alert system is designed as a defense against piracy, which is still a huge problem in some parts of the world, Romey said. MariTrack also has a Vessel Monitoring Service, to track ships' locations in specified waters. Not yet mandated but included in MariTrack is an automatic system that identifies ships as they approach one another, and a long-range system that tracks where ships have been since they left port."
Somehow batteries are often located in difficult spots. But keeping them in good shape is very essential, even if you have only a small percentage of the gadgets that are mentioned on this website.... Trailer Boats Magazine reviews Flow-Rite's Qwik-Fill solution, which "replaces standard wet-cell battery caps with a pair of manifold-like caps that allow the cells to be filled perfectly without even seeing or touching the batteries."
Looking for some fresh air while boating...? Check out Dirt Devil’s CV950 central vacuum cleaning system...
"Dirt Devil’s CV950 central vacuum cleaning system has the power to rid your boat of germs and mildew, protecting you from allergens and dust mites, while its small size lets you get the most out of your space on board. This lightweight vacuum comes with various accessories, including rug tools, a crevice nozzle, and upholstery and dusting brushes."
Big Fish, A Fishing Gadgets And Technology Roundup
May 30, 2004
Looking for some technology and gadgets that will help you catch some fish? Boating World has a round up of 9 products that will help "stack the odds a little more in your favor"... Highlighted products are the Eagle Cuda 240 S/GPS, Navman TrackFish 6600, Raymarine DS600X, Humminbird Fishfinder 565, Garmin Fishfinder 250C, Northstar 6000i, Bottom Line Tournament 320 MAX, Furuno LS4100 and C-MAP’s NT+.
"These days, a host of electronics is available to help anglers in their timeless pursuit of fish. True, they won’t catch the fish for you, and you’ll likely still wind up getting outwitted by more than your fair share of dastardly sea creatures. But these cutting-edge gizmos will help stack the odds a little more in your favor. The rest is up to you."
I've written before about ways to prevent serious damage being done to your on-board electronics as a result of a lightning strike. Here is an article that makes some interesting statements about the way we try to avoid being struck by lightning. And you will learn that over an 80-year life span, your chances of being involved in a lightning strike are about 1 in 3,000 (averaged worldwide stat)....
"Devices claiming to reduce your chances of being struck, by bleeding ions or electrostatic charge off of your masthead, do not work. If the device increases your mast height, it will actually increase your probability of being struck. This opinion was rendered in response to my direct question on the subject, and was unequivocal."
The DIY newsletter (free subscription) helps you make sure your AC will work once the summer starts...
"Spring weather in many regions may not require the use of your boat's air conditioning unit but by mid-summer you'll be glad you have this amenity. An hour spent maintaining the AC now will ensure it pumps out cold air when needed. Check your service manual and follow the procedures below."
Looking for a better way to detect stray electrical currents, and therefore prevent injuring swimmers or damaging underwater metals? Have a look at ESC's DockTester, a winner of the the 2003 NMMA Innovation Award.
"Before DockTester, onboard electrical problems could only be detected by an impractical, time-consuming visual inspection of every wire and connection. DockTester easily identifies the existence and magnitude of stray electrical currents on vessels and in the surrounding water. The portable in-line tester connects between a boat's shore power cord and the dock's AC receptacle."
LEDs have been discussed many times before on this weblog, and here is an another example of the advances in this area. Orca Green Marine's TriAnchor is the first to achieve compliance to the USCG standard with a LED-based Tricolor and Anchor combination light.
"For example, a typical bicolor filament light for sailboats up to 65 feet will draw 25 Watts of power. That's 2.1 Amps at 12 Volts. Much of that power is wasted in heat production. OGM's LED lights use only 1.2 Watts, or 0.1 amps at 12 VDC. At this low power draw, a boat will be able to run his navigational lights for over a month without the need to recharge to boat's battery bank. Also, very little energy is wasted in heat, which means your lights will run cooler and more efficiently. The LEDs used in OGM lights produce only the color required to meet 72 COLREGS requirements. So no colored filters are required, which have a tendency to darken,crack and cloud with age."
Spending lots of time on board, don't know what to do with your waste? If you've got the space, Uson Marine might have the solution (free subscription required). The UKP-6060 Refrigerated Sack Compactor, especially suited as a waste solution for the yacht market. At least, that's what they claim.
"The compaction normally gives an approximate 80%, and up to 95% volume reduction thanks to a silent heavy-duty electromechanical drive. In addition, the waste is compacted in durable plastic bags, and the unique built-in refrigeration system keeps the waste at a hygienic 4°C, ensuring the elimination of odors and bacterial growth."
A couple of weeks ago I had a post on a company called MarineLED that keeps sending out these press releases through which they promote their new 'wireless lightning technology.' It sounded a bit like, as reader Dave stated it, a bad PR spin. I received an email from the company in which they try to clarify the whole thing.
Good Morning,
An associate happened across your post dated April 26 on the following site:
In reading this I am glad you posted the question, as in looking now at our press releases, we see that the "wireless" part was not explained very well, if at all. This was clearly a bad move on our part, and we have updated the press release to make it more explanatory (partially copied below).
It's critique like this from the other boaters and readers of our material out there that help us grow and get it right, and we thank you for your feedback on this press release - it has been an invaluable lesson in how we explain ourselves. Please have a look at the revised text below and let us know if this helps the explanation.
Thanks again, and have a great day
-Frank-
- The MarineLED Team -
info@marineled.com
http://www.marineled.com
Boat security seems to be a hot topic today... Further to my earlier post on this new boat security system, the Yachtwatcher, Motor Boat & Yachting has a special feature on this topic to be published in their June 2004 issue.
"A boat is an expensive bit of kit to leave in the open air unattended for long periods. But is boat theft as rife as is supposed? We talk to some of those involved in chasing lost boats and discover what type of security products are just the job to give you peace of mind."
Muir has launched several new electronic anchor controllers. Top of the range is the Auto Anchor 500RCX model which will dock the anchor automatically, by remote control, ideal for vessels where it is difficult to see the windlass or anchor rode from the helm. Not sure if this isn't really a relaunch, since this product has been around for a while I believe.
"The 500RCX also incorporates motor overload protection and automatic cut out to stop the anchoring operation if the windlass jams. It is operable with all chain or rope/chain combination rodes and it replaces the solenoids with solid state switching."
Not a first of its kind, but German firm NAVCOS has launched Yachtwatcher YW 5000, which sends a text message to a yacht owner's mobile phone in the vent that it is broken into or it should leave its moorings. Besides that, you can even send individual control commands via your mobile phone and turn on or off the refrigerator or the bilge pump for example.
"After activating the Yachtwatcher YW 5000, on board sensors are used to monitor the status a yacht, and GPS measurements are taken at regular intervals. The same system can also be used to activate equipment on board the yacht, such as a bilge pump, or a refrigerator. The YW 5000 features a 12 channel GPS receiver, integrated dual band GSM modem, power management system for lower power consumption, and can store 32,000 positions, which can be accessed and analysed to determine the route taken by a boat should it be stolen."
I'm sure this is an issue that many of you are fully aware of. "Your helm area looks a little hodge-podge. A bracket-mounted fish finder here; a flush-mounted radio that has been shoe-horned in over there. What seemed like a good spot for the GPS a few years ago now looks odd." Go Boating Magazine has a column on how to do something about this...
"When it comes to updating your helm control area, you don't have to engage in a major reconstruction effort. If there is enough structure remaining to tie into, a plexiglass cover plate will provide a new surface to mount all the new goodies and whatever you decide to keep. An added benefit is that you can basically start all over again and arrange your gear in a logical, orderly layout."
Practical Boat Owner has published its water resistant digital camera test online. Check it out if you are in the market for such a device, but be aware of the fact that there are many more options out there. These, the Pentax Optio 22WR, Casio GV-20, Sony Cybershot DSC-U60, and the Ricoh Capillo 300G, are low-end cameras as Gizmodo correctly notes.
"As it's awkward getting a fair representation on to the printed page, we have also put the jpegs on this page for you to download and compare. All the images were taken in a basic automatic mode, at their finest setting, but to show you how they could look, the last image has been tweaked slightly in Photoshop."
So when you're list of on board electronics and gadgets looks like a summary of this website, how do you make sure interference won't be spoiling the party? Well, start by reading John Payne's electronics column in DIY boat owner magazine's 2004#1 issue.
"Noise sources on a boat are often classified as radio frequency interference (RFI) or electromagnetic interference (EMI). They are major enemies of electronic systems, corrupting your GPS position fixes, degrading radio communications and causing general electronics performance problems. RFI is essentially interference and noise that is superimposed as a disturbance or voltage transient either on the electrical power supply or the data and signal lines. This is then processed along with the good data to corrupt or degrade the processed information."
There's no question that the trend towards light-emittingdiode technology is very strong. I have covered it a couple of times already and the benefits are clear. Trailer Boats Magazine has discovered them as well.
"What would you say if I told you there were products for your trailer that would save you time and money, and make it look more attractive? And the best part is you can install these products yourself in a matter of minutes with simple hand tools. These amazing products are light-emitting diode (LED) systems. LEDs are certainly not new, but they have recently been incorporated into lighting systems for trailers, and these products are readily available at reasonable prices."
In Boating World Magazine's May Gear Locker they showcase a nice gadget that allows you to detect above-normal operating temperatures of your equipment.
"Being proactive can help you avoid major problems, including those that may occur in your engine compartment. Telatemp’s pistol-grip IR (Infrared) Thermometer gives an early warning of potential equipment failures by detecting above-normal operating temperatures. Its built-in laser pointer allows you to pinpoint specific locations on machinery. Basic accuracy is +/- 2 percent of reading over a range of zero degrees to 600 degrees Fahrenheit or +/- 4 degrees Fahrenheit, whichever happens to be greater."
And for the second time this week, we have some 'wireless lighting' news. However, this time it is for real, since this solution uses solar power and therefore does not require any electrical wires.
"Just because the sun slips away each night doesn't mean that you can't still utilize it. When electrical wires aren't an option, you can trust solar energy to keep the lights on. Heath/Zenith motion-detecting solar lights can be placed near the dock to illuminate your boat at night and startle any suspicious strangers. Detecting motion up to 60 feet away and operating up to 14 days without recharging from direct sunlight, these lights are energy-efficient, saving an estimated 9 billion kilowatts of energy and minimizing energy pollution."
A different kind of marine electronic equipment than I normally write about, but nevertheless it will be relevant to some. I know what hassle it can be to be able to have a BBQ on board, but may be this is a solution...
"You won't need to faff around with matches or lighters as the Q features handy built-in igniters. There's even a built-in light, so you can see what you're cooking in the dark. The chic but sturdy Q utilises high grade gas jets, giving you uniform heat for perfect grilling every time. And, unlike rival grills, the Q BBQ boasts 105 square inches of non-stick, dishwasher safe cooking surface, more than enough for a flame-grilled feast."
I've covered the gadgets and electronics on board of the WallyPower before. Since many visitors to this weblog come through Google searches on the 118 WallyPower, I thought I'd post this link to a New York Times article that discusses the WallyPower and the fact that it is relatively cheap at $25 millon... And, they found a gadget on board this yacht that I missed. The pizza oven.
"Over the course of many decades and countless deprived tycoons, it has been one of humankind's most vexing challenges: how to get, quickly and comfortably, from Portofino for breakfast to Sardinia for lunch and then, should the whim strike, St.-Tropez for dinner...."
"...It splits the difference between a lightning-quick motorboat with no room for a pizza oven (which the WallyPower has) and an individually tailored Titanic that can do a party of 500 people but just 20 miles per hour...."
"...He then explained how aerodynamic design, water-jet propulsion and a special polycarbonate material worked to make the WallyPower so fleet. He apparently did not think it worth mentioning that the boat's three 5,600 horsepower engines chug down about 1,000 gallons of fuel an hour at maximum cruising speed (75 miles an hour). He talked instead about applications of military technology and sophisticated wind-tunnel tests."
Fuel cells are a hot topic in many areas, ranging from cellphones to the automotive sector. However, boating could be an industry segment where this new technology can be applied very soon. It's a very efficient way to power your boat's systems.
"The vessel can obtain its raw water where ever it is, as an onboard water maker is used to purify it, so that an electrolysis unit can split the water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can then be used by fuel cells to power an electric propulsion motor (right) and supply the vessel's other onboard energy needs. When under sail, the electric motor functions as a generator, thus providing another renewable energy source."
Can't find any reviews of this system, but it appears to be a nice way of securing your boat and be alerted via your cellphone when something is wrong....
"The BlueRay Marine Security System supervises your boat, reporting intruders and other key events. Intruders trigger an immediate on-board siren, while all events generate detailed alarm messages direct to your mobile phone. The EB201 sends a text message to up to four mobile phones of your choice. That means there are no on-going monitoring charges."
For you liveaboards, this is the way to make sure you have fresh herbs all the time...
"Just when you think there is nothing more to invent for the kitchen you find out you are totally wrong. The Italian (where else) kitchen brand Smeg designed this inhouse, computer controlled, greenhouse for your kitchen. Which is quite handy, if you prefer fresh herbs."
A couple of weeks a go I mentioned Ascend Marine's Deep Blue Marine's Anchor Alert, a wireless anchor monitoring system. To make the anchoring experience completely wireless (except for the anchor chain...), I got a tip from Carl Midson on Coastline Technology's Windlass Radio Remote. Carl claims it's brilliant if your shorthanded on board, so check out this review in Power & Motoryacht.
"Sometimes it’s easy to inadvertently activate foredeck-mounted windlass footswitches, and cabled remotes can restrict movement around the area and often need to be passed up through a hatch, which is inconvenient at best and can be dangerous under harsh conditions. The Windlass Radio Remote allows you to control your windlass from anywhere on your boat, no matter what you’re doing and regardless of the conditions."
I know a lot of the high-end electronics that are being presented here require power. Lot's of it. So every time I come across an article or how-to-guide helping you to make sure this power is available, I will post it here. BoatFix.com explains battery system wiring hookups. Next to that, there is also a Google Groups discussion on 'wiring questions.'
"Below you will find information on marine battery system wiring hookups. We do not claim to be experts in all fields. Nor can we promise to be correct on all issues. Nor can we address the content of these pages. But, I hope you will find this page useful. We want to thank the technical service department of Guest Corp., for their technical assistance with this page. We recommend that if you are not fluent with electrical systems, you get assistance from a trained individual."
A company called Marine Robotic Vessels (MRV) International has developed the Ghost Guard. This brilliantly named vessel (an Unmanned Surface Vessel or USV) uses some technologies that will hopefully be available to all of us very soon. It will give 'push-button sailing' a whole different meaning...
So what's next? The boating equivalent of DARPA's Grand Challenge for autonomous ground vehicles?
"Almost any hull can be configured by MRVI as a Ghost Guard™ to function as an affordable method of mounting water-borne surveillance in all weathers and by day and night. The heart of the Ghost Guard system is MRVI's new generation software, which comprises remote command and control, navigation, route planning/re-planning, event and crisis management, full onboard diagnostics and dial-up diagnostics. COTS-sourced integrated systems, including camera and vision systems, will provide surveillance that could not be mounted in any other way. Using a launch and recovery system, Ghost Guard can be deployed, operated and recovered from vessels underway." Click here to download the Ghost Guard video (62MB, .avi).
Now here's a great way of generating electricity. Forget about solar, wind or generators. The waste you flush down the toilet could one day power your equipment on board. And...."even better, the device breaks down the harmful organic matter as it generates the electricity, so it does the job of a sewage-treatment plant at the same time. Penn State's microbial fuel cell (MFC) harnesses chemical techniques similar to those the body uses to break down food - but diverts the electrons liberated in the reactions to produce electrical energy."
But, don't get to enthousiastic to soon since this system would produce only 51 kilowatts on the waste from 100,000 people....
The BBC is running a story on the advances of in-car entertainment. It's not difficult to see how all of this can be applied to yachts as well. Especially the smaller, multi-cabin, boats will benefit from the economies of scale that are being realized in the automotive industry. It's not difficult, nor very expensive (Amazon), to create a personalized entertainment set-up in every cabin. And in the cockpit or saloon as well for that matter. In case you don't feel like any roof-mounted displays, why not use Sony's new wireless Air Board (LF-X1) which is for sale as of last Friday.
One other nice feature that is discussed by the BBC article is voice-control over all these entertainment devices. Again, the development in the automotive sector will create a precedent for yachting. Voice-control can not only be applied to entertainment, but to navigation as well, even more since PC technology is making a strong entry into the maritime environment.
"We're also building in 20GB hard drives Now you can take your home movies, and potentially other DVDS, record them onto a disc, record them onto a unit and keep them in the car. Now you don't actually have to bring in the DVD or the discs."
"A lot of it is voice-controlled and voice-interactive as well, the navigation systems, for example. But voice technology is far from perfect, and a screen can also be a life-saver. A rear view mirror can be connected to a video camera on the back bumper, or simply show an image of the backseat, obviously of potential use for baby monitoring."
This product has been around for a while, but you might have missed it. And that's a shame because keeping the boat free of barnacles and growth is typically a high-maintenance job requiring yearly haul-outs and headaches. And all you need to prevent this is a sound.
"Barnaclean utilizes electronic resonators that emit low-frequency sonic waves to create a micro-thin layer of rapidly moving water over the hull, drive system or running gear. This movement makes it difficult for fouling organisms to attach themselves. To further protect, the low frequency mimics a predatory sound, creating a hostile environment for foulants."
The Marine Maintenance Magazine features a how-to guide on keeping your drinks and food cold on board by correctly servicing your refrigerator. Lot's of tips and tricks that will save you money and frustration by preventing that things will fail to work...
"Most marine refrigeration systems are ignored until they fail. Provided foods remain cold and it's making ice, there's no great urgency for you to inspect the refrigeration system when there are so many other maintenance jobs calling your attention. Often systems are buried in a locker or under a berth - "out of sight, out of mind." The day will arrive, probably during a heat wave, when you open the icebox lid and are greeted with the nauseating smell of spoiled food. This might have been prevented had you added refrigeration to your maintenance log."
We talk a lot about wireless communications on board, but let's also look at some of the other cords that can be removed. Start with the vacuum cleaner.
"Take a cord out of your boating life with DeWalt's DC500. The cordless/corded DC500 is a fully-loaded vacuum cleaner designed for industrial-strength jobs. It can run on optional 12-, 14.4- or 18-volt batteries, and is compact enough to use around those hard-to-reach spots on-deck. The DC500 handles heavy-duty debris with its 2-gallon filter"
LED lights are making an entrance everywhere, replacing 'traditional' lighting technologies. They have many advantages, that can be even more relevant with boating requirements in mind.
"LEDs create powerful illumination using very small amounts of energy, and last much longer than standard bulbs. Innovative Lighting harnesses this power in its new line of Two-Mile LED Navigation Sidelights, rated for powerboats up to 65.6'. Innovative Lighting's LED Combination Deck Mount, Sidelight Deck Mount and Vertical Mount Sidelights operate using a 9-16 volt DC system and provide 50,000 hours of service life. The combination unit uses just 1 watt of energy, while the single sidelights use only 1/2-watt."
How often did you have a bad night of sleep because you were worried about your whether or not your anchor would stay in position? After finding that ideal spot, a boater just wants to drop the anchor and forget about it. Deep Blue Marine's Anchor Alert, engineered by Ascend Marine, offers boaters peace of mind through a new wireless anchor monitoring system.
"Unlike GPS units that can sound annoying false alarms from boat swing, Anchor Alert only signals a warning if the anchor moves. A GPS system sounds an anchor alarm if a boat travels farther than a specified distance. To avoid recurring false alarms, boaters often have to adjust this setting every few hours due to wind or tide changes. The only way to accurately gauge anchor movement is by attaching a movement detection device, such as Anchor Alert's transponder, to the anchor point."
A BoatOhio reader (Don Hagan) recently discovered that the answer to boating problems is not always found in electronics...
"OK, I admit it.... I am a gadget junkie. I purchase Palm Pilots, a new cell phone each year, laptops, stereos, digital cameras, watches... anything new and improved. When I bought my Siren 17 sailboat, I had a new and wonderful reason to purchase gadgets. Stereo system, trolling motor, electrical panel; the one item I really wanted was a knotmeter, so that I can tell how good (or lousy) a sailor I am becoming. A search of the available products left me confused and concerned. Most of the electronic knotmeters required "through-the hull" transducers. To me, this meant a hole in the hull, and a possible leak! What's a gadget guy to do?"
Thinking about installing an AC on your yacht? If you have several cabins and a living area on board, but you do not manage the climate properly, it might be a very heavy burden on your power resources. What might help prevent this, is something called 'zoning'. Although this can be a very expensive solution, there is a nice open source project that will allow you to install such a system for about 10% of the cost of a 'professional' system. If you have the skills of course...
"The existing zoning systems were built by companies that have been on the market for a long time, have established operating procedures, trained personnel, quite possibly they have grown beyond the ability to change. They do stuff a certain way "just because we always did it this way". They completely ignore the progress in the embedded systems and still rely on low integration specialized chips to manufacture their controllers, and miss the opportunity to utilize the power that embedded microprosessor based systems offer."
Over at Nautical Web, a do-it-yourself-guide for the installation of an air-conditioning system. Even if you do not plan to do it yourself, this article can be very interesting since it offers good background information if you're relatively new to this field.
"The most interesting thing, which is the good news of recent years, is that the 'small' systems are quite easy to install and reasonably inexpensive. Considering the advantages of the air-conditioning on a boat, the installation of an air-conditioning system is quite simple and anybody with a bit of "do it yourself" experience and a with few, non specific tools, will be capable of a successful installation of a compact system."
Some tips (pdf) that might save you a lot of money and hassle if your boat is fully equiped with electrical instruments, displays, compasses, etc...
"If the weather this time of the year is cold enough for you to give up sailing for a few months and curl up in a warm place, there’s a good chance that the electronic equipment on your boat would appreciate a little of the same treatment. A little extra care when the weather is cold can add considerably to the useful life of most electronics."
Further to the discussion on how to create enough power resources for all electric appliances on board, Ocean Navigator has another article, elaborating (subscription required) in more depth on how to acquire the necessary energy.
"An onboard supply of 120-volt alternating current used to be a luxury available only on large boats. Today, technology allows us to enjoy the benefit of AC power on a boat as small as a canoe, provided we understand and respect some simple facts about available sources of energy and the conversion of energy from one form to another."
Genset selection and installation, a firsthand account
Feb 21, 2004
Charging these batteries will possibly require a genset. Choosing and installing one for a relatively small ship should be a careful process.
"The time had come to replace the Mase 8.0 genset that had served well for more than 12 years. As in the past when the Mase 8.0 was selected, the priorities were to find a unit that would fit in the available space, ensure that it would be at least as quiet as the Mase had been, and select a unit that would produce an adequate amount of electrical energy. The priority order reflects prior experience. Regardless of what else a genset may be able to do, if it is not quiet, it does not belong on the boat."
In order for all gadgets and electrical necessities on board to have access to sufficient power resources, batteries are crucial. Ocean Navigator's January/February 2004 issues has a lengthy article on this topic.
"For the purposes of the average voyager, the quest for reliable, powerful and affordable deep-cycle house and start batteries takes precedence over all other battery interests. Even this considerably narrower category presents a dizzying prospect for the would-be battery purchaser. Available configurations run the gamut from flooded to gel and absorbed glass mat (AGM), from 6-volt traction to dedicated 12-volt marine. How is a cruiser to know what is appropriate for his or her needs?"
Having a lot of (expensive) electronics on board can be be very risky in case lightning strikes. This article tries to depict the different aspects of this, but also has to conclude that the science of lightning protection is still evolving.
"You may, at this point, be interested in a Lightning Protection System (LPS). But it’s a misnomer, as there is no proven way to actually protect a boat from lightning, only a technique for limiting damage when it strikes. Actually, there is a widely held myth, particularly among sailors, that an LPS—which is primarily a straight, highly conductive path from mast to water—causes more harm by attracting lightning than it does good."
LED is 'revolutionizing' lighting, and some clever applications can be expected for boating purposes as well.
"While the lens is susceptible to scratching and the light does leak a bit out the edges, the Red LED LightWedge is nonetheless an effective and elegant chart light (and at anchor you can use it to read without annoying a snoozing bunk mate)."
Review of a new autopilot from Nautamatic. It has some innovative features, probably appealing to many boat-owners.
"A rudder sensor is an electro-mechanical device stuck in a remote, unfriendly area of a boat. It's a pain to install and subject to comparatively high failure rates, so not having one is definitely a good thing. But how does the TR-1 work without it? That's the subject of speculation and skepticism among other autopilot manufacturers."
Sailing World is running an article on how wires are being obsoleted by some interesting wireless technology developments. This could save cost and improve sailing performance at the same time.
"Is it far-fetched fantasy? Nope, we're talking here and now. With advances in wireless technology driven by worldwide market demand, racers can either equip their boat with a complete wireless system or upgrade existing instrument systems for wireless data retrieval and display. Wireless technology will allow racers to shave weight all over the boat. There may even be cost savings in boat construction, as boatbuilders will no longer have to spend precious time leading wires."
* Why would Olympus use what seems to be a proprietary mini USB plug? That’s it at right (photographed with the 720 SW) next to a normal mini USB plug which works for my Canon XT camera and all sorts of other devices. And why couldn’t its relatively small battery be charged via the USB cable (like my new Motorola phone)? At any rate, owners of the 720 SW do have to drag along a special interface cable and a charger that’s bigger than the camera.
I won’t go into Zeus’s claims of efficiency, low noise, etc., though you might want to check out the 
Well, I could not help but notice that everybody seems to have a secret desire to produce LED lighting products. There must have been at least a dozen or more companies with LED products. I think these products are great and are certainly the future of marine lighting (and perhaps someday your home as well). Look for a lot of new products this boat show season. Noteworthy units were displayed by 
At METS, the U.K. company TackTick—a prior 
Instead of tabs and hydraulic rams, QL uses vertical blades housed in these rectangular blocks (two sizes, right), which mount on the transom. I’m not sure if the actuators are hydraulic or electric but do know they are contained right in the housing, making for a tidy install. Volvo claims they are quite fast acting, but I do wonder if they offer the same lift and stability as flaps? On the other hand, I’ve 
Plus I should note that Camden Harbor is a bit murky due to the river that dumps into it (and maybe some other dumping, like aboard visiting yachts). I could actually see that lobster trap somewhat better than the photo shows, and when I aimed straight down (with the camera surfaced, via a simple adjustment strap) starfish, shells and annoyed crabs were very sharp and colorful...and fun to see for the first time since I gave up diving. It was also simple as pie to hook Deep Blue to the Raymarine E120, which can handle 4 cameras. As you can see, you can even name the video inputs (as I’ve done with an interesting aft facing camera I’ll write about soon). Plus there are a lot of picture adjustments behind that “presentation” soft key. But dangling electronics in salt water is hard service. Deep Blue seems very well thought out and built, but the double O rings on one of its lights apparently failed in 50’, and the innards don’t look very happy today. In fact, it’s hard to blame on Splashcam as the design uses Pelican 
Had it been pitch black—or had I been looking for something with a distinct temperature signature, like a man overboard—I could have switched over to the thermal camera. In daylight I might be spying around using the color cam with 220x(!) total zoom ability. Since all three cameras pan and tilt together, it’s very easy to try the different imaging technologies on a given target. This is expensive, but effective, technology.
Tip of the hat to Scuttlebutt for today’s kind 
Unfortunately, and I can speak from personal experience, theft of marine electronics is a big problem. So hereby I welcome any good solution, especially when it's a relatively 
and 
So when McMurdo beacons are under fire 
Yachting and Boating World (
"For example no less than three stands were devoted to devices to keep birds off boats — everything from whirly solar-powered helicopter-like blades to moving owls to clip on trip lines for boat rails. Hmmm. Items more effective at catching my eye included a neat car-toppable pontoon you can rig out on a lake or riverside using screw-in oil-rig style legs, a new waterproof switch panel from BlueSea with great design detail and fuse-blown indicators, and very nicely engineered polypropylene-moulded dinghies with modular RIB collar and sailing rig options from Walker Bay."
Two interesting marine electronics 
The system transmits using multi-frequency (a "swept chirp" of 20 -80 KHz), which ensures greater performance in rough waters, according to NMMA."
A couple of months ago I 
I was 
I have a boat that I use to spend time on the beautiful Amsterdam canals, but the only problem is that thieves are trying everything to get something useful from my boat. And, unfortunately, they succeed every now and then. May be 
I've highlighted some more entertaining diving gear in the past, but Gizmodo now 
Of course you can read this weblog to learn all about marine equipment that might save your life someday, but 
There are many technologies and gadgets that will assist you when trying to catch some fish. Barnegat's 
A 
Somehow batteries are often located in difficult spots. But keeping them in good shape is very essential, even if you have only a small percentage of the gadgets that are mentioned on this website.... Trailer Boats Magazine 
Looking for some fresh air while boating...? 
Looking for some technology and gadgets that will help you catch some fish? Boating World has a 
I've written before about 
The 
Looking for a better way to detect stray electrical currents, and therefore prevent injuring swimmers or damaging underwater metals? Have a look at ESC's 
LEDs have been discussed many times before on this weblog, and here is an another example of the advances in this area. Orca Green Marine's TriAnchor is the first to 
Spending lots of time on board, don't know what to do with your waste? If you've got the space, Uson Marine might have the 
Good Morning, 
Boat security seems to be a hot topic today... Further to my earlier 
Muir has 
Not a first of its kind, but German firm NAVCOS has 
I'm sure this is an issue that many of you are fully aware of. "Your helm area looks a little hodge-podge. A bracket-mounted fish finder here; a flush-mounted radio that has been shoe-horned in over there. What seemed like a good spot for the GPS a few years ago now looks odd." Go Boating Magazine has a 
Practical Boat Owner has 
So when you're list of on board electronics and gadgets looks like a summary of this website, how do you make sure interference won't be spoiling the party? Well, start by reading John Payne's electronics 
There's no question that the trend towards light-emittingdiode technology is very strong. I have 
In Boating World Magazine's May Gear Locker they showcase a nice 
And for the second time this week, we have some 
A different kind of marine electronic equipment than I normally write about, but nevertheless it will be relevant to some. I know what hassle it can be to be able to have a BBQ on board, but may be 
I've covered the gadgets and electronics on board of the WallyPower 
"...It splits the difference between a lightning-quick motorboat with no room for a pizza oven (which the WallyPower has) and an individually tailored Titanic that can do a party of 500 people but just 20 miles per hour...."
Fuel cells are a hot topic in many areas, ranging from cellphones to the automotive sector. However, boating could be an industry segment where this new technology can be 
Can't find any reviews of this system, but it 
For you liveaboards, 
Carl claims it's brilliant if your shorthanded on board, so check out this 
I know a lot of the high-end electronics that are being presented here require power. Lot's of it. So every time I come across an article or how-to-guide helping you to make sure this power is available, I will post it here. BoatFix.com 
A company called Marine Robotic Vessels (MRV) International has 
"Almost any hull can be configured by MRVI as a Ghost Guard™ to function as an affordable method of mounting water-borne surveillance in all weathers and by day and night. The heart of the Ghost Guard system is MRVI's new generation software, which comprises remote command and control, navigation, route planning/re-planning, event and crisis management, full onboard diagnostics and dial-up diagnostics. COTS-sourced integrated systems, including camera and vision systems, will provide surveillance that could not be mounted in any other way. Using a launch and recovery system, Ghost Guard can be deployed, operated and recovered from vessels underway." Click 
Now here's a great way of generating electricity. Forget about solar, wind or generators. The waste you flush down the toilet could one day power your equipment on board. And...."even better, the device breaks down the harmful organic matter as it generates the electricity, so it does the job of a sewage-treatment plant at the same time. Penn State's microbial fuel cell (MFC) harnesses chemical techniques similar to those the body uses to break down food - but diverts the electrons liberated in the reactions to produce electrical energy."
One other nice feature that is discussed by the BBC article is voice-control over all these entertainment devices. Again, the development in the automotive sector will create a precedent for yachting. Voice-control can not only be applied to entertainment, but to navigation as well, even more since PC technology is making a strong entry into the maritime environment.
This product has been around for a while, but you might have missed it. And that's a shame because keeping the boat free of barnacles and growth is typically a 
The Marine Maintenance Magazine 
We talk a lot about wireless communications on board, but let's also look at some of the other cords that can be removed. 
LED lights are making an 
"OK, I admit it.... I am a gadget junkie. I purchase Palm Pilots, a new cell phone each year, laptops, stereos, digital cameras, watches... anything new and improved. When I bought my Siren 17 sailboat, I had a new and wonderful reason to purchase gadgets. Stereo system, trolling motor, electrical panel; the one item I really wanted was a knotmeter, so that I can tell how good (or lousy) a sailor I am becoming. A search of the available products left me confused and concerned. Most of the electronic knotmeters required "through-the hull" transducers. To me, this meant a hole in the hull, and a possible leak! What's a gadget guy to do?"
Thinking about 
Over at Nautical Web, a do-it-yourself-guide for the installation of an air-conditioning system. Even if you do not plan to do it yourself, this 
LED is 
"Is it far-fetched fantasy? Nope, we're talking here and now. With advances in wireless technology driven by worldwide market demand, racers can either equip their boat with a complete wireless system or upgrade existing instrument systems for wireless data retrieval and display. Wireless technology will allow racers to shave weight all over the boat. There may even be cost savings in boat construction, as boatbuilders will no longer have to spend precious time leading wires."