Any boat enthusiast will tell you with boat ownership comes electronics and boating gear—and lots of it! Researching which boating gear is necessary for your boat can feel like a full-time job. At Southern Boating, our writers and boating experts have decades of experience reviewing electronics and gear to determine the best. We’ve done the legwork for you! We provide insider tips, insights, trends, and resources for hundreds of products. Browse through articles that include product photos, pricing, detailed specifications, links to manufacturer websites, tips on best use and much more!
We’re always looking for the latest and greatest electronics and gear. Have a product that you’d like Southern Boating to review? Contact sbletters@southernboating.com for a review and possible inclusion on our website!
Images of vessels lost during the recent Hurricanes Harvey and Irma are still fresh in the minds of many. These catastrophic storms galvanize the need to have an anchoring plan in place, even for those whose boats are on inland lakes. Fortress Marine Anchors offers free resources to assist owners in developing the skills needed to keep a boat safely anchored during a storm. Focused more on education than product, they provide a wealth of information.
Surviving a Storm at Anchor by noted author Tom Neale is a comprehensive look at the techniques and equipment needed to safely ride-out a storm. It covers topics every boater should be familiar with, such as anchor selection and how many to set, the importance of the rode, foredeck gear, chafe protection, reducing windage and storm hole selection. The document can be downloaded at fortressanchors.com/SSA.pdf.
A Safe Anchoring Guide is an easily understood primer that guides the reader through the fundamentals of anchoring and creating a storm anchoring plan. It’s available online in an animated format or for download at fortressanchors.com/resources/safe-anchoring-guide.
Manufactured in the USA of marine-grade aluminum-magnesium alloy, Fortress Marine Anchors are adjustable for specific seabed conditions. Incredibly efficient, the 69 lb. FX-125 model was chosen as the primary anchor for the US Coast Guard’s 154′ Sentinel-class of cutters. It offers eight models for recreational and commercial vessels.
Contact:
Fortress Marine Anchors: 1386 W McNab Rd., Ft Lauderdale, FL 33309
Toll-free US only 800-825-6289, 954-978-9988. fortressanchors.com
Want more? Southern Boating has tons of additional anchoring tips.
With 50 watts of power over four channels, Prospec Electronics Infinity INFPRV315 all-weather stereo receiver delivers clear, quality sound. Features include AM/FM, weather band, U.S. and European tuning, Bluetooth audio streaming with ID tagging, and USB and
auxiliary inputs.
Twin Disc’s Express Joystick System® eliminates steering wheel and control lever use in docking. It cranks up a boat’s throttle through the EC300 Power Commander system, delivering effortless control and powerful maneuverability. Point the bow in any direction without moving from a fixed position with Twin Disc’s Joystick.
Hubbell Marine’s HBL5200 Outlet circuit tester improves marine safety by identifying wiring problems on your boat in order to prevent hazardous electrical conditions. The compact circuit tester plugs into a standard 125V outlet but works with a variety of adapters to test other outlet configurations.
Digital switching is one of the hottest trends in the boating world, and while typically associated with larger yachts, the technology is rapidly finding its way onto smaller crafts.
But what exactly is digital switching, and is it really the wave of the future? From planning a single project to rewiring an entire boat, digital switching will make the job easier. Here’s a primer to help you ride that technological wave, rather than be swamped by it.
While you may not be familiar with the marine use of digital switching, your car or truck has used some form of it for decades. Digital switching is a networked control and monitoring system that replaces conventional DC mechanical circuit breakers and switches with a digital power distribution/switching system operating on a NMEA 2000 network.
Unlike mechanical circuit breakers and switches, however, digital systems are programmable. This means users can control onboard electrical and electronic systems (lighting, security systems, bilge pumps, etc.) from any point in the NMEA network around the boat utilizing a network-connected multifunction display, smartphone or tablet.
DIGITAL SWITCHING BENEFITS AT A GLANCE
“Plug and play” components mean the system can more easily be repaired, updated or upgraded and integrated with the large touchscreen displays at the helm of many of today’s yachts. Some systems automatically program a replacement module when plugged in, meaning end users can make repairs, eliminating the need for a service call.
Replaces bulky, expensive switch panels and wire runs with smaller, more robust cabling and digital control modules, reducing installation cost and complexity.
Systems are user customizable. Need your bilge pump to stay on a pre-determined time after pressing the on button or to shut off when the switch is released? No problem—USB ports allow the owner to load upgrades and configurations with a USB stick and the touch of a button—a virtual button, that is.
Digital switching offers a number of advantages to the builder/installer: more effective modular system installation, flexibility in layout, easy system expandability, as well as cost and weight savings for reduced cabling runs and sizes. A reduction in conventional hard-wired switches means fewer holes to be drilled to install them, leading to cleaner/simpler helm consoles. Also, boat models which may have taken weeks to wire in the past can now be completed in days.
Easier troubleshooting with system failure notification. Those fancy touchscreen buttons are not just high-tech, virtual reality versions of electromechanical on/off switches. When you turn that anchor light on, the system knows the current draw and voltage level that should be passing through it and will alert you if something is amiss via icons on the display.
Significantly increases system reliability by eliminating corrosion-prone mechanical switches and wire connections. A properly designed and installed digital switching system will provide much greater dependability (and flexibility) than a mechanical switching system ever could.
Allows you to call up virtual buttons on one or multiple compatible touchscreen multifunction displays.
Integrations
Digital switching is also readily integrated with chartplotters and multifunction displays (MFDs) that are so popular on today’s boats. This enables you to monitor vessel systems (such as tank levels or battery capacity) via easy-to-read graphics, which can be displayed alongside traditional MFD systems, such as radar, depth, video, and chartplotter information. This integration also provides the advantage of calling up virtual buttons on multiple touchscreen MFDs, giving you the option of eliminating one or more switch panels altogether.
Another great feature is the ability to energize groups or series of switching operations with the press of a single touchscreen button. Through the wonders of programmable digital switching, you can now step on board and turn on all of the electrical systems and electronics you’ll need for a day of fishing or a week of cruising with one virtual button. Once back at the dock, that button can again be used to shut down multiple systems (no more running around to different circuit breaker panels) while leaving required systems in use.
Timer or Delayed Off functions can also be easily set. Want the lights to remain on for 20 minutes after leaving the boat? Or how about running the engine room fan for 30 minutes after shutting the motors down? Digital switching makes both easy and user-programmable. “Fade & Dimming” modes also allow you to control light intensity and fade in or out smoothly without the need for complex dimming circuits.
Just realized you forgot to turn the stereo system off or the bilge alarm system on after that two-hour drive from the marina? Couple digital switching with Wi-Fi, cellular or satellite communications (depending on the system), and do both from the comfort of home while resting in your favorite Barcalounger.
By Frank Lanier Southern Boating Magazine, July 2017
Modern and stylish, INFINITY KAPPA MARINE SOUNDBAR by HARMAN® delivers crystal-clear audio on your boat whether you’re out with friends for the day or relaxing with loved ones for longer. It is weatherproof, splashproof and features a glowing red LED display that flashes in tempo with the music. Three Bluetooth
devices can connect to the soundbar simultaneously when it’s set to Party Mode.
Rugged and waterproof, TECNIQ’S LED M10 WAKE TOWER ALL ROUND NAVIGATION LIGHT is designed for boats up to 39 feet and ideal for anchoring at night. A long service life of 50,000 hours provides years of dependable use. The twist-lock base of the surface-mounted light makes installation easy. High-performance LEDs provide 360-degree visibility and meet U.S. Coast Guard requirements.
Having solar power on your boat means more time for enjoyment on the water, less time thinking about returning to the dock to plug in. SUNFLARE’s thin-film solar panels are flexible, environmentally friendly and affordable. Easy to install, they can be cut to fit any shape on all rooflines to maximize energy gathering.
NOAA’s GOES-16 is changing the face of traditional forecasting.
The first of the next generation of Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) was successfully launched from Cape Canaveral on November 19, 2016. Although the satellite was referred to as GOES-R during the development stage, it was rechristened GOES-16 upon achieving earth orbit. It had been nearly seven years since the last of the older satellites, GOES-15, was launched.
The new satellites represent a major advancement in weather monitoring. Compared with the older satellites still in use, GOES-16 has three times the number of observing “channels”, four times greater image resolution and is five times faster. The satellite can generate 34 different products, and another 31 products are planned for the future.
To give you a full overview of its capabilities, this satellite can do a full disc scan of the Western Hemisphere every 15 minutes, scan the continental U.S. every 5 minutes and focus in on areas of severe or interesting weather every 30 to 60 seconds; all of this happens simultaneously. GOES-16 is also equipped with the first satellite-borne lightning detection system known as the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), which means that lightning can now be tracked continuously from space.
Currently, GOES-16 is undergoing testing and is planned to become fully operational in November 2017. The next satellite in the new series, GOES-S, is scheduled to launch in the summer of 2018. The projected operational lifetime of the new satellites is through 2036.
With increased sensor ability, we can analyze the atmosphere from top to bottom and trace atmospheric moisture, which is responsible for clouds and all precipitation and see how it moves. For marine interests, satellites provide weather information over vast ocean areas where there wasn’t any previously. Satellite data improves the accuracy of weather forecasts for everyone.
One of the biggest advances in meteorology due to weather satellites is the ability to detect and track tropical cyclones. Before 1960, scientists had to rely on boat or aircraft encounters with these storms to locate and determine the strength of the system. Even major hurricanes would sometimes avoid detection if they were in a seldom-visited section of the ocean; fast-moving storms could strike with little advance warning. This all changed with the advent of weather satellites constantly monitoring the tropical oceans. For example, GOES-16 can scan a tropical cyclone and use cloud top temperature changes and cloud structure to estimate the strength of the storm. It can monitor changes over time to determine if the storm is getting stronger.
With its high-resolution imagery, GOES-16 can provide great detail about individual thunderstorms for meteorologists to study further. Because images are available every 30 to 60 seconds, the development of the storm can be closely monitored and timely warnings can be issued if necessary. A lightning detector can show if the storm is becoming more or less active. This should mean better forecasts of the severe weather conditions that often accompany these storms.
The capabilities of GOES-16 are amazing. It can estimate rainfall rates at the surface, and future products will forecast the probability of rain occurring and how much can be expected. It can determine land and sea surface temperatures. Snow depth will be estimated from space. River flooding can be monitored closely in real time. Particularly for marine interests, GOES-16 will be able to closely monitor the direction and speed of ocean currents. Besides the weather on earth, GOES-16 will also monitor solar activity and “weather in space” that can greatly affect us. Improved instrumentation will closely track geomagnetic storms and flares on the sun that can disrupt communications and energy transmission on earth. It can also better determine radiation hazards above the atmosphere where our astronauts work.
The Internet of Things (IoT): By now, you’ve probably heard of it and know it’s a thing. This concept of hyper-interconnectivity and information sharing between everyday items such as washing machines, refrigerators, lamps, wearable items, engines, roads, bridges, and more is looming on the horizon. What it means is still a mystery, but one thing’s for sure: It will impact our lives in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, and that includes boating connectivity.
Always stretching the boundaries, marine electronics’ firms are developing a specific subset of the concept that could be called the Internet of Boats, and it’s all coming together in your multifunction display (MFD).
The cost of connectivity is decreasing as broadband Internet becomes widely available. Today, most devices are integrated with multiple data-gathering sensors and WiFi capabilities so they can capture and share information. It’s more than just about connecting people to people; it’s connecting things to things. Anything with an on/off switch and an Internet connection can become a part of the IoT, so think what that means on your boat. Lights, pumps, engines, security and navigation equipment can communicate with each other and also with entities off the boat. Sounds like the Internet of Boats.
Data sharing means engine and boat builders, accessory suppliers, dealers, service providers, and cruisers can have access to more information. Therefore boats, engines, and equipment can be built with less complexity so more cost effectively, and everything has the possibility of becoming more efficient, secure, social, and definitely user-friendly. For the cruiser, this may translate to increased confidence that your engines are healthy, that you have the latest navigation software and that the response time to fix problems will be shorter. That means you have a more supported adventure every time you untie the dock lines.
Yamaha partnered with Garmin to power its CL7TM multi-touch display.
Your boat can talk to you as well as to a dealer or a search-and-rescue provider. You can set geofencing boundaries so you know where your vessel is at all times. Your engines can remind you of scheduled maintenance or warn of impending problems. Digital switching systems like CZone can send reports on bilge pump cycles and battery levels. You can unlock enhanced features like Doppler radar on existing MFDs with remote software access keys without your boat needing to go in the shop or you having to purchase additional expensive hardware.
None of this is really new, but what is different is the recognition of the power of the sum and the importance it’s bringing to the MFD. The MFD is evolving as the single point of convergence and problem solving aboard. Engines, radar, charting, and digital switching for onboard accessories are now brought into the MFD for both control and diagnostics. You can turn on your lights and stereo, check the weather, view remote cameras, review alarms, get engine diagnostics, and navigate—all from the MFD. This wealth of information hasn’t gone unnoticed by electronics manufacturers like Navico (makers of Simrad, B&G, Lowrance), Garmin, Furuno, and Raymarine, who understand that he who owns the “glass” owns the data and thereby basically controls not only the boat but also the value chain and the ultimate cruiser experience.
Challenges remain. First, boating is a relatively small industry with few consumer dollars at stake, so it won’t lead the IoT revolution. But to not take notice of it would be a mistake, even in our application. Second, data is great but unless someone can monetize it, nobody will have the incentive to pursue its development. Simrad is working to share information with engine manufacturers who in turn, can build engines better and faster so they’re willing to pay Simrad for it. Charter companies are in on both sides since they can gather more data to share because of the volume of users. They can also benefit from the distilled data coming back to better predict maintenance requirements so that their boats are always ready to go out and produce revenue.
Third, onboard sensors can generate vast amounts of data, but that won’t make boating better unless someone figures out how to turn it into real information to build stronger, cheaper, cleaner, friendlier, and more efficient products. Marine electronics firms get this. Finally, although much of this happens behind the scenes, an intuitive user interface is critical so that cruisers want to get involved and enable the process. You already see MFDs mimicking the functionality of personal electronics like smartphones and tablets with pinch-to-zoom touchscreens and swipe commands. Expect to see more app-driven functionality to pop up on your chart plotter soon.
If you think all this will make boating efficient, fun and more like the rest of our lives, you’re probably right. If you think future boating will become more complex, interdependent and possibly invasive, you’re probably right. Either way, it’s all most likely to happen right on your MFD, so upgrading electronics in the future will get you more than just new charts. The waters are still murky, but whatever it means, it’s coming. Boating will not be the same, and neither will your MFD.
— By Zuzana Prochazka, Southern Boating Magazine April 2017
Rartian Engineering’s Macerator Pump with Waste Valve makes marine sanitation service quick and easy. This technical innovation, recently awarded a U.S. patent, has a Viton motor shaft seal to reduce leakage and will discharge from the top, left or right. The macerator pump is available in 12 or 24V DC. MSRP starting at $290; raritaneng.com
Custer Products Lite It Series Marine LED Lights provides excellent illumination while using very little battery power. Available in floodlight/worklight beam patterns, ranging from 60 to 90 degrees for close-proximity lighting. Mounting hardware is included. MSRP $35-$175; custerproducts.com
The IceMule Cooler Tote is the last tote you will ever need. A heavy-duty canvas exterior and the included IceMule Cooler keeps food and drinks ice cold all day long. Seven pockets allow for extra room to store essentials.
Nightwatch Marine offers the underwater light your boat deserves. Choose from the Scout, Sentinel and Guardian models at 900, 3,000 and 9,000 lumens respectively. Each underwater light has single-hole mounting for safety, and they are suitable for installation on all underwater surfaces.
MSRP varies; nightwatchmarine.com
Electric boat technology strives to keep up with the auto industry.
Chevy’s Bolt EV just won Car of the Year at the Detroit Auto Show, and luxury auto maker Tesla reports sales figures for the Q4 of 2016 up an impressive 27 percent. What’s taking so long for the technology to trickle down to the electric boat category? “We are not converting the message as a group,” Phil Purcell, CEO and Executive Director of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida stated rather bluntly as the opening keynote speaker at this year’s Electric and Hybrid Marine World Expo in Tampa. “I drive a Tesla, own a Duffy Electric Boat, have a Torqeedo motor for my dinghy… Electric is not a fad, but the battery makers are all in competition for a small slice of pie, and they need to be working together.”
Torqeedo, in collaboration with BMW, is making the very latest automotive battery engineering available for boats. Adapted to work with Torqeedo’s 40- or 80-hp Deep Blue systems, the BMWi3 technology is based on prismatic cell design allowing for efficient cooling and even temperature distribution within the battery, all in a compact form and tucked neatly into an extremely rugged structure with external power and data connectors.
Cruise-FP-System
Prismatic cells require precision assembly in a robust frame to achieve a long service life. Early adopters of electric technology have discovered that charging and discharging over time leads to cell expansion and collapsing, hastening the aging process. Boat applications place high demands on shock resistance and the BMW/Torqeedo design addresses those concerns.
The battery is waterproof to IP67 standards and has laser-welded cell connections over a larger surface, suggesting a stronger and more powerful design than conventional spot-welded cell connections. Should a particular cell fail, interchangeable access points and modules allow for upgrades.
BMW’s battery management system detects a replacement module and adjusts for that cell accordingly, while still providing appropriate recharging levels for older modules.
Torqeedo debuted a 25kW Range Extender for the Deep Blue system that is the first inverter generator capable of supplying electricity for yachts and supporting serial hybrid systems. With a promise of reduced pollutants, less vibration and a longer life for the combustion engine, the system does not require a separate starter. Instead, it uses the electric motor included in the genset.
Sailboaters also seem enamored with Torqeedo’s Cruise Fixed Pod motor as an alternative to an inboard diesel engine. Winner of the 2016 DAME Design Award, this year’s upgrades include new electronic throttles, a dedicated high-resolution marine display and an easy-to-understand user interface. The pod can be charged from shore power, solar, a generator, and even hydro-generation while underway. torqeedo.com
On the commercial side, BAE Systems introduced HybriDrive marine solutions that work in concert with leading marine diesel engines to provide efficient propulsion and auxiliary power systems. HybriGen Power & Propulsion eliminates conventional main engines and is targeted for passenger ferries, research vessels and expedition yachts. Hybrid Assist uses various components to drive a vessel electrically at low speeds and assist the main engine when high-end boost is required. Aimed at the tug market, BAE says there is a fuel cost savings and main engine hours savings of up to 50 percent. Their third product, HybriGen Zero, eliminates the need for conventional diesel generators with a focus on towboats and fishing fleets. baesystems.com
Several battery makers addressed thermal runaway—think Galaxy Note 7, hoverboards and Boeing Dreamliner battery fires—with proprietary heat dissipation design. AllCell Technologies, a Chicago lithium-ion assembler, offered a breakthrough honeycomb design that prevents the spread of thermal runaway. Scott Novack explained how their patented phase change composite, a mix of wax and graphite, keeps the battery in a constant cooling state and avoids “the domino effect prevalent in thermal runaway.” allcelltech.com
While big names like Valence, Spear Power Systems and Rolls Royce were on hand touting their progress, there was also room for the garage entrepreneur. Seattle-based PureWatercraft debuted an all-electric engine resembling the outdrive of a stern-powered outdrive. “The difference is we built all the parts, including a more efficient propeller,” notes founder Andy Rebele. The Pure Outboard replaces a 9.9- to 40-hp engine, connects to standard steering cables and weighs under 100 lbs. With two modestly sized battery packs that charge from a standard 120V system, it delivers 35 minutes at wide open throttle or an entire day of typical tournament fishing on a lake. Rebele and his team of inventors are in the manufacturing stage with delivery expected this spring. “Quiet is what people pay for,” quips the former rowing coach. purewatercraft.com
— By Alan Wendt, Southern Boating Magazine March 2017
