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."
If you happen to be a big marina operator, may be you will be able to develop a business case for this solution at $60K per installation. I'm sure you will please a lot of boaters...
"The robust, weather proof metal and glass terminals have touch sensitive screens that allow passers by to surf their favourite websites even when out and about in town. Each teminal will also have a Wi-Fi transmitter attached, which will allow anyone with a suitably equipped portable computer to surf the web within a radius of 300 metres around each terminal."
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."
Raymarine finally launched RayTech 5.0 last week. I've written about it before.
"It is easier to enter waypoints and build routes with this latest release. RayTechRNS' new 3D Rolling Road display allows for more intuitive navigation. Among the benefits of this high performance, lightning fast redraw chartplotting package is the capability of merging chart layers with live radar data, and overlaying weather and satellite image data."
Boating World's Chris Caswell has written a short how-to on installing a GPS Chartplotter. He uses Magellan�s FX324 Map GPS Color Plotter as an example.
"Today, however, navigational accuracy with a GPS/chartplotter combo is available at everyman prices. Even better, these are very easy to install and set up. With the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), GPS accuracy has been greatly enhanced, and the chartplotter shows you the position of your boat on an electronic chart, complete with depths, buoys and all the details of a paper chart. A GPS/chartplotter combination makes for worry-free navigation in all types of weather."
A private sailing yacht with a seven-seat helicopter and an aviation communications systems. How about that...?
"After completing sea-trials in Auckland in April and May, the 54m (178ft) Dubois-designed sloop Tiara landed an EC 130 helicopter on the aft-deck. It is believed Tiara is the first privately-owned sailing yacht with a helipad. Tiara, built by Alloy Yachts Auckland New Zealand, was specifically designed to accommodate the owner's seven-seat helicopter. The aft deck has landing lights sunk into the teak and the yacht has aviation communications systems."
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."
Although Americans have enjoyed the advantages of a differential GPS (DGPS) system to improve accuracy of GOS fixes, Europeans and Japanese will soon have their own methods. And the good news is that there is interoperability when it comes to navigation equipment. Read this article (subscription required) for a more detailed explanation of the various systems and there reasons for being in existence.
"The answer is good news for voyagers in European waters. The Europeans are implementing their own version of WAAS. Called the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service. This service will provide the same high-accuracy GPS corrections that WAAS does in North American waters. And the domain of improved GPS expands beyond that; a similar Japanese service, called MSAS will also provide satellite GPS corrections in the waters around Japan."
Lots of 'boat entertainment' related news this week. In this month's Boating World Gearlocker you can find the new SeaWorthy SEA2211B/W mid-tweeter highlighted. And what about this waterproof wireless TV from Casio found over at eHomeUpgrade...?
"You might find it enjoyable to lose yourself in the music, but never should it be the music that gets lost. The SeaWorthy SEA2211B/W mid-tweeter is mountable in two 18-inch gauge cutouts, which makes certain that sound is emitted at prime listening levels. Measuring 2-3/4 inches, this 30-watt speaker is ideal for V-berths, cuddy cabins and bows, and conveniently complements any system."
"The Casio XFER XF-1000 can operate for 3hours on a battery charge. This new Casio TV features a 10" screen with 640x480dots. The tuner unit can receive terrestrial TV and also has connectors for receivers or dvd players. The video signal is transmitted over the 2.4Ghz band with DS-SS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum/ direct spread). The reach is about 30m. Because the Casio XFER XF-1000 and the Remote are water-proof, users can take it with them to the bath tube or on a float in the pool."
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...? 
If you happen to be a big marina operator, may be you will be able to develop a business case for this 
Looking for some technology and gadgets that will help you catch some fish? Boating World has a 
Raymarine finally 
Boating World's Chris Caswell has written a short how-to on 
"After completing sea-trials in Auckland in April and May, the 54m (178ft) Dubois-designed sloop Tiara landed an EC 130 helicopter on the aft-deck. It is believed Tiara is the first privately-owned sailing yacht with a helipad. Tiara, built by Alloy Yachts Auckland New Zealand, was specifically designed to accommodate the owner's seven-seat helicopter. The aft deck has landing lights sunk into the teak and the yacht has aviation communications systems."
I've written before about 
Although Americans have enjoyed the advantages of a differential GPS (DGPS) system to improve accuracy of GOS fixes, Europeans and Japanese will soon have their own methods. And the good news is that there is interoperability when it comes to navigation equipment. Read this 
"You might find it enjoyable to lose yourself in the music, but never should it be the music that gets lost. The SeaWorthy SEA2211B/W mid-tweeter is mountable in two 18-inch gauge cutouts, which makes certain that sound is emitted at prime listening levels. Measuring 2-3/4 inches, this 30-watt speaker is ideal for V-berths, cuddy cabins and bows, and conveniently complements any system."
"The Casio XFER XF-1000 can operate for 3hours on a battery charge. This new Casio TV features a 10" screen with 640x480dots. The tuner unit can receive terrestrial TV and also has connectors for receivers or dvd players. The video signal is transmitted over the 2.4Ghz band with DS-SS (Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum/ direct spread). The reach is about 30m. Because the Casio XFER XF-1000 and the Remote are water-proof, users can take it with them to the bath tube or on a float in the pool."