For many sailors, cell phones have become their primary means of both ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communication. Even the Coast Guard will often ask for a cell number after it receives a distress call. None of this, however, makes a VHF radio any less important—and this goes ...read more
AIS FOR NOMADsWant AIS, but not the hassle and expense of installing a transponder and its associated paraphernalia? The fully portable Nomad from Digital Yacht could be the answer. It combines Class B AIS and GPS functionality with the ability to connect via WiFi or AIS to up to ...read more
So you’ve finally decided to splash out on new sailing instruments, and all that remains is the how and where of installing them. That is not necessarily as simple as it seems. There is a number of things to be taken into account.ON THE BULKHEADThe best place for speed, depth and ...read more
Pointing the WayVelocitek’s compact new Prism electronic racing compass features excellent accuracy, large, easily read digits and ultra-light weight—under 5 oz. It’s water-resistant to IPX8, class-legal wherever electronic compasses are allowed and comes with a mast bracket and ...read more
It RokksWith the increasing use of smartphones and tablets for in-cockpit navigation comes the issue of keeping these devices charged, since running nav software will drain those batteries in no time. Scanstrut has come to the rescue with the ROKK Charge+, the first-ever ...read more
A Light TouchI’ve been in search of the perfect nav station light for many years, and finally found it in the form of the F4 TouchLED task light from Imtra. It’s switched on and off by touching the sole red LED in the middle of the cluster of 15 white LEDS. This also switches it ...read more
Color RadioIcom’s M605 VHF fixed-mount transceiver boasts a color LCD screen with an impressive 180 degree viewing angle, backed up by a row of softkeys that lets you access the most important functions with a single button-push. Radios aren’t just radios anymore—the M605 can be ...read more
The British-made Tacktick line of wireless instruments arrived on the sailing scene in the early oughties with the Micro Compass, a standalone, solar-powered GPS and heading sensor, and soon expanded to encompass wind, speed and depth instruments. The main selling point of this ...read more
Play it SmartAn inordinate number of boat fires are caused by poorly maintained shore power connectors and inlets. The pins on commonplace push-and-twist connectors are prone to corrosion, which decreases the metal-to-metal contact, which leads to higher resistance, which in turn ...read more
An even Smarter PlugWhen you’re sailing, you want to connect to the world immediately around you; when you’re back in the slip, it’s time to connect to the wider world. Problem is, there’s been no neat and tidy way to hook up phone, internet or TV cables. This is where ...read more
A HYBRID TOUCHSi-TEX’s new NavStar series multifunction displays (MFDs) offer “hybrid touch” control—that is, the functions can be accessed via touchscreen or traditional controls. The 10in and 12in high-resolution displays are visible even in full daylight, and the powerful ...read more
Be it for safety, navigation or competition, all sailors have a need for information about their boat’s performance and its environment. Many recent advances have been made by marine electronics manufacturers, which have increased the accuracy, quantity and accessibility of data ...read more
Can You Hear Me Now?“Okay, let go. Depth is fifteen feet.” “I can’t hear you.” “I SAID LET GO!” “What? Speak up!” If that sounds familiar, you’re the typical husband-and-wife crew trying to anchor on a windy afternoon. Trying to make yourself heard from 35 or 40ft away can be ...read more
LET THERE BE LIGHT Summer evenings in crowded anchorages or mooring fields are part and parcel of the coastal cruising life, and there is always some activity after dark as stragglers arrive or cruisers run to shore and back in their dinghies. It’s only common sense (and also the ...read more
IT’S AN AXIOM Raymarine’s newest line of multifunction displays come equipped with the company’s proprietary Lighthouse 3 operating system, quad core processors and RealVision 3D sonar capability. The 7in, 9in and 12in Axiom MFDs are super-fast all-glass units that will slot ...read more
The Sounds of iHomeIf you don’t want to go to the trouble of installing a sound system on your boat, or you just want to be able to take your tunes ashore with you, the iHome BT9 could be just the thing. It streams wireless digital audio via Bluetooth, but it’s more than a ...read more
Garmin VHF 110 and 200Garmin’s latest VHF radios are similar in size but differ in capability. The VHF 110 is your basic entry-level DSC-capable fixed-mount VHF, featuring 25 watts of transmitting power, NOAA WX alerts and Garmin’s Position Tracking, which allows a user to track ...read more
Ronstan Vaavud Wind Meter Sometimes the best addition to your boat’s electronics is the simplest one, and the Vaavud wind meter from Ronstan is certainly that. No wires to connect, no mounts to install—simply plug the anemometer into the headphone jack for your smartphone or ...read more
B&G Vulcan 5 Sailing Chartplotter The new Vulcan 5 from B&G is a 5in multi-touch chartplotter with pinch-to-zoom capabilities. The Vulcan 5 can be integrated with existing NMEA 2000 networks and a wind instrument to allow sailors to tap into B&G’s SailSteer functionality. The ...read more
inReach Explorer Extreme Communication Kit For those who like to travel off the beaten path, it’s important to keep in communication with the outside world, log your trip, set your waypoints, plan your trip and share it with your cruising mates—and the Delorme inReach explorer ...read more
YachtSpot 4G+Wi-Fi G3 RouterThis new Wi-Fi router from YachtSpot boasts a 4G module that works anywhere in the world, as opposed to devices that revert to 2G or 3G when outside their home regions. It supports most LTE 4G frequency bands as well as Wi-Fi. Its internet connection ...read more
Fusion Sound-PanelWhen you’re upgrading the sound system on your boat, it’s easy to find somewhere to mount the receiver, but not so easy to work out proper locations for the speakers. That’s why you see so many installations with the speakers pointing downward or opposing each ...read more
Shakespeare WebwatchEvery month brings a new way to stay connected onboard, and Shakespeare’s WebWatch WCT-1 antenna is a case in point. The antenna is both a Wi-Fi hotspot and high-definition television antenna. It will pick up Wi-Fi signals and transmit them up to 32 users, and ...read more
SI-TEX Explorer NavProGot a spare VGA display or PC monitor laying around and want to convert it to a high-end navigation system? SI-TEX’s Explorer NavPro will let you do just that. Running C-MAP charts from a mini-SD card, the powerful black box has a fast processor, full NMEA ...read more