It's not a first, but the news that another multihull company will make a electric drives standard in the production of new boats is a definite trend. Such a system has many advantages, and if you think it won't deliver enough power, well, think again. One of the features I like best is the fact that such a system even generates power when you're sailing.
"In heavier winds Waypoint often regenerated more power than she needed. When that happened, the crew drained off the excess electricity by turning on the air conditioning and water heater and running the motors faster, which increased their speed even more."
Boating World has an overview of electronics that are revolutionizing recreational boating. 'Revolutionizing' is may be a bit overstated... The list appears to be a rather random selection of relatively new electronics.
"In the beginning there was a compass, a fishing pole and the wind. Look how far that got early mankind in boating. They thought the world was flat for centuries, could't catch a fish if their life depended on it and used bogus sea stories to predict when Mother Nature reared her ugly head. So much for the good old days. Embrace the new, and stay ahead of the curve with this new electronics gear."
Long article in Great Lakes Boating on the spread of Wi-Fi in marinas and on boats. The author makes a nice comment with regard to sailors and computers : "...and for the most part, people who are good with boats aren't necessarily good with computer science." He feels this is one of the reasons Wi-Fi isn't as widely spread as it could or should be.
"If your marina offers a Wi-Fi service, and you are not a computer nerd, I would recommend that you get a wireless network card, plug it into your computer, and see if you can see the Wi-Fi service. If you can, good. If you can't, remove the card and take it back to Best Buy and forget about the whole issue. Life is too short to hassle any further with it."
Finding a PC that can be used in the harsh marine environment is already difficult enough. But to find a marinised PC that rivals the performance of most regular High-End PCs was supposed to be impossible. However, a specialist company called Capax has one on offer. The "IPC-2402-MARINE-P4 - 4U IEC 945 Marine approved computer". Sounds impressive, and it is. Up to 3.2 GHz Intel Pentium 4 with 800 MHz bus, a 10000 rpm SATA HDD and up to 15 RS-232/422/485 com ports. More importantly it is tested, and approved, according to the IEC 945 standard (and the Lloyds ENV2 specification), which was developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), as a means of testing whether computers are able to function in the maritime environment. Apart from the obvious rocking of the ship, the computers must be able to withstand the vibration, power drops and power surges. It must be able to high humidity and condensation, and be resistant to radio disturbance from other electrical equipment nearby.
So far I haven't been able to figure out what the price of this machine is, so if anybody knows, drop me line.
Over at Google Groups a discussion is going on that focuses on LCD displays that are able display NMEA data.
dbp:"With the cost of instrument maxis (mast displays) so high, has anyone out there come up with a simple solution? It seems like it would be fairly easy to have a program to read and direct the NMEA sentence to a commonly available LCD display. Use a plam pilot or similar to run a selection of what to display and to direct the info to a display. Any ideas?"
Glen \"Wiley\" Wilson:"...Don't forget to get something seriously water resistant as well. At least one of my customers uses a standard external lcd dsplay with his laptop and my program. He uses a bracket to swivel the display into the companionway for viewing, and out of the way when not needed. It's protected from the weather and direct sun by the companionway hatch cover when in use. It should be visible from the helm on most boats. Whether the trimmers can see it or not depends on the boat."
Interesting story in The Digital Ships' January newsletter (pdf) about the deployment of a 'Voyage Management System' that has a wireless (Wi-Fi) extension. This deployment is done on a large vessel, but some elements will definitely be useful on smaller (private) yachts as well. One of the more innovative features is that, via the handheld, the crew can check where passenger are in emergency situations using RFID tags. That, in combination with another feature mentioned below, makes it a great Big Brother tool...:
"The pocket computer can also show CCTV pictures from cameras around the ship, and history of where the ship has been and the alarms which have sounded. It can also serve as a trigger for the ship security alert system, so that seafarers anywhere on the ship can sound the alarm if the vessel is in an emergency. (Furthermore,) the wireless communications technology can carry voice communications, so the handheld device can effectively act as a radio."
Came across SeaWave's Integrator 3.0 solution in combination with Inmarsat's Fleet 55. What I really like about this solution is that it provides 'least-cost routing' for all your voice and data traffic, depending on your location and availability of different (satellite) communication networks. Such a system can be created by anyone with enough expertise, but this one works out of the box. It does have some proprietary elements in it however, which makes the system somewhat inflexible.
"The Satcom Fleet 55 communications system automatically provides optimum performance at a minimum cost, without the need for a professional communications specialist. Those who enjoy the complicated process of managing communications may at first miss the romance of being the 'Sparks' on their yachts, but I suspect that romance will fade. After all, it's tough to beat the convenience of contacting anyone, virtually anywhere, at any time."
Fairly basic feature story over at the Boating Channel about the advent of electronic navigational charts (ENCs) and how they improve safety. Over a million the ENCs have ben downloaded so far. For a further explanation on how to use these charts, check out this Google Groups discussion. Amongs others, it points you to an ENC viewer from Fugawi and SeeMyDEnc from SevenCs.
"Often called 'smart charts', ENCs provide the nautical data that mariners need, plus vector map features and hydrographic data. They also include electronic compatibility features that paper charts lack. For instance, a mariner can integrate global positioning system (GPS) data, which tells a mariner his or her precise latitude and longitude, with ENC data. The mariner can also integrate data from geographic information systems (GIS), real-time tide and current data, and wind data to enhance the capabilities of the ENC. This information is especially important to large commercial vessels that must navigate through narrow areas."
The BBC reports on the increasing demand for satellite radio in the US. At least Sirius is also planning to offer four video channels that can be received in the same way as the radio signal. More and more boaters are also using either Sirius or XM, although coverage is limited if you're really going offshore (+200 miles).
"We believe we'll be able to put four channels of video into the back seat, so you don't have to schlep your videos or DVDs and set up some gizmo for your kids to enjoy that long ride."
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?"
It's not a first, but the news that another multihull company will make a electric drives standard in the production of new boats is a definite trend. Such a system has many advantages, and if you think it won't deliver enough power, well, think again. One of the features I like best is the fact that such a system even generates power when you're sailing.
Boating World has an overview of electronics that are revolutionizing recreational boating. 'Revolutionizing' is may be a bit overstated... The list 
Long 
More importantly it is tested, and approved, according to the IEC 945 standard (and the Lloyds ENV2 specification), which was developed by the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), as a means of 
Interesting story in The Digital Ships' January 
Came across SeaWave's Integrator 3.0 solution in combination with Inmarsat's Fleet 55. What I really like about this 
"Often called 'smart charts', ENCs provide the nautical data that mariners need, plus vector map features and hydrographic data. They also include electronic compatibility features that paper charts lack. For instance, a mariner can integrate global positioning system (GPS) data, which tells a mariner his or her precise latitude and longitude, with ENC data. The mariner can also integrate data from geographic information systems (GIS), real-time tide and current data, and wind data to enhance the capabilities of the ENC. This information is especially important to large commercial vessels that must navigate through narrow areas."
The BBC reports on the 
"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?"