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
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.
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.
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 
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.
