The Marine Electronics Hub
A solar-powered bilge pump is often a beloved accessory for a small boat that stays in the water a lot and doesn’t have its own electrical system. But when they fail, the disappointment and repair hassle can add up to more pain than the manual pumping you hoped to avoid. Which is why the exceptionally rugged-looking pump above got my attention…
Raymarine had a busy Monday announcing new and updated hardware, software, and cartography. They unveiled an updated Axiom MFD called the Axiom+, all new LightHouse charts, LightHouse Premium subscription plan, and a new companion app called RayConnect to their Axiom line of MFDs. Raymarine recently presented the new functionality to members of the media allowing me share some more details about the announcements.
LIR Systems announced today Raymarine Axiom+, a powerful new series of multifunction displays (MFDs) for anglers, cruisers and sailors, plus updated Raymarine LightHouse Charts cartography, bringing new levels of clarity and control to marine navigation.
It’s hard to imagine getting excited over a mundane appliance such as an alternator regulator, but there is a lot to like about Wakespeed’s WS500 device. For me, the primary reason is that this regulator has addressed a gnarly charging problem on Bliss, our 40’ pilothouse trawler. It may help with yours. Let me explain…
Water in the bilge, even small quantities, is a recipe for bad smells and generally unpleasant results. Every boat I’ve owned accumulated water somewhere that a traditional bilge pump couldn’t entirely remove. I’ve long been aware of commercial kits designed to completely dry bilges, but the problem never got high enough on my list to spend the money. Recently I came across an article on how to build your own dry bilge system and decided to give it a try. The results are impressive and the cost low.
Recreational boaters are using marine VHF radio less and less, which seems worrisome because VHF channel 16 is often the quickest and best way to ask for help. And, wow, can I offer a vivid example! Imagine the sheer terror of suddenly finding yourself without propulsion while right in front of the unrelenting wall of steel that is the bow of a commercial barge being pushed at about six knots, no brakes. I not only heard the unforgettable VHF call — and the following calls from the successful rescue boat, thank goodness — but also recorded most of them thanks to a great Icom radio feature…
The new SI-TEX SP-120C Color Autopilot features a compact, rugged housing and bright full-color LCD display that can be easily viewed from a variety of different angles on open or enclosed helm stations. This makes the SP-120C and ideal autopilot option for a wide variety of vessels up to 38 feet in length, including center console fishing boats, sailboats and cruisers.
Simrad Yachting – a leader in the design and manufacture of world-class marine navigation, autopilot, radar, communications and fishfinding systems – announced today a software update for its NSO, NSS and GO series systems. The 20.0 update includes a wealth of powerful new features, including C-MAP Embark passage planner sync, NMEA 2000 update capability for Mercury VesselView Link, Naviop performance improvements, accessory control of Lowrance Ghost freshwater trolling motor and Rhodan trolling motors and more…
Replaces GX2200 Matrix radios which are no longer available. Notable New Features: NMEA2000 and NMEA0183 compatible, Second Station wired RAM4 or wireless RAM4X capability, Integrated 32 Code and 4 Code Voice Scrambler,
New E2O operating system, Upgraded display with brighter backlight, Noise Canceling function for both receive and transmit audio…
Have Another Day seems to consume nearly unlimited electricity. So much in fact that I began to doubt the accuracy of the simple kilowatt hour meters on the shore power pedestal at my marina. Month after month of $300 plus electrical bills will do that to you. Spot checking the power consumption with a clamp meter seemed to agree with the meter on the pedestal, but I wanted to know more which sent me searching for a tool to help me understand my boat’s electrical usage. It took me some time, but I eventually found a cost effective and easy solution.
