Bruadair's Projects & Equipment Reviews

Simrad's 3.0 Software update for NSE

2011-08-21T09:19:00.000-05:00

A couple days ago I installed the 3.0 software update on our NSE-8 multifunction. I'm ecstatic to report that included in the new software is a course over ground (COG) vessel extension line making navigating much easier especially when in areas of strong currents where heading and course may be vastly different. The vessel extension line can be set to heading (HDG) or COG or both. Pretty nice to have. I was surprised as this was not mentioned in the software's release sheet.

Another feature that was added with the 3.0 software update as shown in the photos above is the Time Plot page, and there is actually two pages. Each time plot graph can be customized from a long list of available data but the maximum recording time is only 60 minutes. After 60 minutes the data is discarded. This is unfortunate in regards to wind speed as neither the NSE nor the IS20 instruments record maximum wind speed, something us sailors always like to see. Even when sitting at anchor or the time that we got hit by a waterspout four years ago there may be a need to see what the maximum wind speed was. We can't just keep an eye on the wind indicator as waterspout is going right over us.

3.0 adds dual radar support to the NSE units allowing the unit to operate and control two radar antenna's at the same time, and both can be viewed on the NSE display side by side (as I have only one radar antenna both radar pages side by side are identical). A great feature for boats that need both close up and distant range simultaneously. Also added as shown in the photo above is two very large windows on the radar scope which can be highlighted and selected using the rotary control knob or the multi-directional pad. When the radar is in transmit one can put the radar into standby either by pressing the power/light button quickly or by pressing the Menu button and then following the prompts.

The OP40 wired remote is now supported with 3.0, convenient if the NSE is mounted out of arm's reach. The OP40 is easily connected via a Simnet cable to any junction in the Simnet system and one remote can control up to four NSE units.

The US version of the NSE will continue to come with InsightHD Cartography for the entire United States but new with 3.0 is that the Europe and Rest of the World units will include Navionics Coastal Cartography, basically coastal charts for the rest of the world.

New for the echosounder in 3.0 is the ability to select the digit size of the depth from small, medium and large (small and large shown above). What I didn't like about this feature was finding where to make the adjustment. Intuition would have one go to the Echosounder's menu of which there are two. But instead one has to navigate to the system menu, select System, Advanced, Echosounder and then select digit size. It's just not where I would have thought to look for it and nor did I find any documentation stating where it was. But then again this probably is a setting that will be set once rather than numerous times.

Another new feature added to the Echosounder the ability to customize upper and lower range limits. The first photo above shows a normal 0 to 40' range as I am currently in 37 feet of water. But if I want to take a closer look at what is happening in a specific range I can set that and in the second photo I have my range set to look more closely at the bottom (28 to 40'), though it could be set to anywhere.

And if one does not have a BSM-1 or BSM-2 echo sounder installed then the NSE will take depth information a NMEA2000 or NMEA0813 depth transducer and display that information as a depth contour, basically recording and displaying depth history similar to an echosounder.

There is still one thing missing that I am waiting to see in a software update and that is the ability to view weather GRIB files from a memory stick or card. Navico has added this feature to the B&G Zeus which is the sailor's version of the NSE so it would be nice to see this added to the NSE as well. I'm sure sailors aren't the only one interested in weather information.

Overall the NSE continues to perform well and it meets all our needs (except for the GRIB file support). As we wind down our summer we plan on getting our one year review completed not only on the NSE but the rest of the Simrad system as well.

Simrad's NSE multifunction display software update

2011-08-19T10:56:00.001-05:00

Simrad recently announced the release of software version 3.0. We've downloaded the new update and will be installing it on our NSE-8 unit in the next few days. In previous posts we blogged about the installation and features of the NSE on Bruadair and our excitement to have it on board. Some time this summer we will be doing our one year review but in a nutshell for now we're happy to report that the NSE is meeting most of our expectations, the IS20 series instruments are working without any issues and Simrad has issued us a return authorization number for our AP28 autopilot system as we're having an intermittent issue. We should have a repaired or new unit very soon.

Now back to the new 3.0 software release for the NSE series displays. According to Simrad's web site the new software will bring add the following;

Dual Radar Support - The NSE will be able to support two radar units on the same network. Maybe one radar for close in work and a second for further distance work.

Support for the new BSM-2 broadband echosounder

Support for the Volvo IPS autopilot compatibility and for the OP40 wired remote control

Custom echosounder range settings

New histogram data panel for tracking important navigation information.

Various user interface improvements.

We have a long list of things we're doing on the boat right but we hope to get this software update installed within a few days. Will it include the ability to have a course over ground vessel extension line for easier navigation and the ability to view weather GRIB files? I hope so. More after we run through the new software.

Simrad One Year Review ...... coming soon

2011-06-24T23:09:00.000-05:00

One year ago David and I completed a full electronics refit with all brand new Simrad electronics. Now that we've had everything one year and put a lot of hours on it I thought we should do a one year update. And we will. We'll talk about the autopilot that no longer works (but how great it was when it did work), we'll discuss our experience with Simrad's customer service to get the autopilot repaired (waiting two weeks now for an RMA). We'll talk about how well the IS20 series instruments are performing and how pleased we are with the NSE-8 even though the rotary control knob no longer works. There's a lot to discuss but right now we have more urgent needs such as replacing our failing batteries and charging system. Once that is complete David and I will start on the one year review for our Simrad gear.

Time for new batteries

2011-06-24T22:27:00.003-05:00

Four and a half years ago when we were in Roatan, Honduras David and bought new Trojan T105 batteries. These batteries are the source of our electricity on Bruadair. It provides the electricity to run the water pump, the refrigerator, lights, fans, electronics and so much more. With out the batteries we would, well, be reading by candles and eating out of cans.

Our battery bank consists of six of these Trojan T105 batteries, each are six volts but wired so that we have a 12 volt system. And the batteries are flooded (wet) lead acid batteries. That means we have to take the caps off monthly to check the water level and top off as needed. There are other batteries that are sealed, AGM (absorbed glass mat) and Gel batteries. Even though they are sealed they are still lead acid batteries. The Trojan batteries are the most common six volt batteries and are rated to have 300 to 500 life cycles. A cycle is the discharge (to 50%) and recharge of the battery. 100 life cycles per year is a good average so we feel good about having gotten four and a half years out of the batteries.

Now that we need replacements one would think that its an easy decision, but it really isn't. First we need to decide what type of battery we want. The sealed and maintenance free batteries sound convenient but AGM batteries of the same size are rated at 300 life cycles and the Gel batteries at 500. But Gel batteries are extremely sensitive to under or over charging so they can be easy to ruin. The best bang for the buck still seems to be flooded or wet batteries.

Then we needed to decide on which brand. Cheap batteries may only last a year or two so we knew we needed to stay with a name brand. Trojan T105s are available here in Panama but are very costly, twice the price than in the US. But they are here and readily available. But after some research we decided to go with Rolls EHW220 six volt batteries. Rolls is well known as producing the best flooded batteries on the market, they can also be very expensive. Which is usually enough to go back to the Trojans. But going through Marine Warehouse in Panama City we were able to buy the Rolls, imported with shipping and duties, for the same price as the Trojans would have cost us here. The Rolls six volt batteries are also rated for 1350 life cycles, so about three times more than the Trojans for the same price. And of course Rolls 7 year warranty is nice to have too.

Right now David and I are running on four batteries, 2/3 of our original capacity, because two of the six batteries had shorted and needed to be taken out of the system. And with the remaining batteries a bit weak we hope that the new ones arrive sooner than the estimated three weeks.
Rolls batteries are very stout and should provide us with seven to 10 years of trouble free service. However Rolls do have specific charging needs so considering the cost of the new batteries we felt that upgrading our charging system would be a smart thing to do to ensure we get take the best care of the new batteries to ensure the longest life possible.

We sold our old Xantrex charging system and purchased a Magnum Energy system that will allow us have better control in charging the batteries. We'll have more flexibility in controlling charge voltages and the Magnum remote panel will offer more informatoin on the status of our batteries and charger than the Xantrex remote currently does. We purchased our Magnum Energy items from PASS S.A. in Panama City and while we had paid for same day delivery it finally showed up three days later.

So coming up in the near (we hope) future will be posts on the installation of the Magnum Energy charging and monitoring system and then the new batteries. We'll also report on the programming and usage the the Magnum equipment. So stay tuned.

Here's the schematic of how our new electrical system will look (click for a larger view). For the most part it looks like what we have now, just a few little changes but nothing too noticeable.

Nav Planning - Navionics NavPlanner vs. Fugawi Marine ENC

2010-12-22T10:25:00.000-06:00

Our new Simrad NSE-8 multifunction display is an excellent chart plotter and with its rotary control knob and alphanumeric keypad it is also one of the easiest I've used in regards to setting up waypoints and routes. The alphanumeric keypad makes labeling points or routes a breeze, especially if one is already used to using a similar keypad on their cell phone for texting. But nothing really beats the ease of using a keyboard and mouse for navigation planning so using a netbook in our case is our primary means of planning. With an almost full size keyboard, a mouse and a slightly larger screen creating waypoints and routes can be done in a matter of minutes.

After receiving the Simrad NSE-8 I purchased NavPlanner from Navionics, the same company that makes the electronic charts chip that is used in the NSE. I figured that this company who has been making cartography cards for years should put out a good planning software to go with it. Was I wrong! NavPlanner is a very simple and very hard to use planning software with numerous limitations. Waypoints can be created and the entire library shown on the chart at the same time. Libraries can also be broken down into smaller libraries, say for different regions. However only one library can be displayed at a time. So if you have a library for Texas and another for Louisiana you will be able to display only one or the other but not both. So what happens if you want to plan a route from one 'library' to another? Its not easy. Routes are much more complicated to create in NavPlanner than another program I have ever used, editing a route even more challenging. The biggest limitation to route planning is that only one route can be displayed at a time. There are many occasions that I may create more than one route from point A to point B and want to compare the different routes. Impossible with NavPlanner. NavPlanner does not allow for displaying tracks (or cookies). We may have done some exploring and later want to display the track so that we can create a new route by overlaying points on the track. Can't be done with NavPlanner. NavPlanner also does not allow for live navigation, it is truly a planning software only. Only Navionics charts can be displayed when used with a Navionics card reader. For a program that has such limitations with poor user interfacing I can honestly say that NavPlanner was a complete waste of $99.

Marine ENC by Fugawi however is a completely different story. Marine ENC is very easy to use and comes with an excellent help file. This navigation planning software makes creating waypoints and routes and will export them into a variety of formats to suit your brand of chart plotter. Multiple routes can be displayed at any given time, you just select which ones from the routes menu. Tracks can also be displayed making it convenient to create a new route by overlaying points onto the track. One can even create a new track or modify a track with Marine ENC, and multiple tracks can be displayed at any given time. Marine ENC can display the Navionics charts with an included card reader but it will also display charts in other formats such as BSB and Maptech. With an internet connection Google Earth charts can be displayed and saved as well. And one can scan in their own paper charts. Live navigation is also possible if a GPS input is connected to your computer and AIS targets can be displayed if connected to an AIS receiver. With all these options and Marine ENC's ease of use there is no question that Fugawi is worth the $279. There is one short coming though. When connected to navigation instruments boat speed depth will be displayed (depth is displayed under 'altimeter'). If you want wind speed and direction or a separate panel for all the instrument data will have to pay an additional amount for this feature. Most other programs that I know of include these features.

As a navigation planning software there is no comparison between Navionic's NavPlanner and Fugawi's Marine ENC, Marine ENC clearly being the better of the two.

Impressions: Garmin VHF 200

2010-11-06T08:33:00.000-05:00

Its been about a week now since we installed our new Garmin VHF 200 radio and we've come to love it and to hate it. The radio was very easy to install as we only needed to attach the antenna and power cables as well as the NMEA2000 data cable. A Garmin GHS10 remote microphone was installed in the cockpit and the cable routed to the back of the VHF 200.

Here is what we like about the Garmin VHF 200;
The VHF 200 is very well built and is made of heavy plastics. The fist mic is one of the heaviest I've ever held and makes it feel very robust. The fist mic's PTT button is very well located for easy use. The fist mic also has two buttons for changing channels and one for channels 16/9. The control knobs are very well placed and the use of soft keys just below the screen makes navigating menus and options quite easy. Channel changing is quick and easy with a large rotary control knob, my preference over up and down channel buttons. Data input and output can be done via NMEA0813 or via the simple plug and play NMEA2000. The built in speaker is very clear and loud unlike our previous VHF radio which required an external speaker for good sound quality. Reception is excellent, we have no issues listening to boats in Cartagena 20 miles away and transmission is equally as good. DSC calling works flawlessly both when calling another vessel and when receiving calls from other vessels. The GHS10 remote microphone is large and also heavy. It doesn't feel like its made of cheap plastic that might break easily. The remote mic also has one rotary control knob making channel changing quicker than if it had up and down channel buttons. Soft keys are also available on the remote mic and all features and menus that are available on the base station are also available on the remote mic. The installation and operator's manual is very well laid out with easy to understand instructions and accompanying photos.

Here is what we don't like about the Garmin VHF 200;
The LCD screen is large however because it displays a lot of information the data can be hard to read at times. The field of view is very narrow so one needs to be standing almost right in front of the radio to see the screen information. The overall dimensions of the radio's front is quite large, much larger than most vhf radios making a replacement challenging in tight locations.

The Deal Breaker;
Overall the Garmin VHF 200 is an excellent radio that is easy to install and use. However it has one feature that would prevent me from purchasing this radio again and had I know about this issue I would not have purchased it to begin with. The VHF 200 has a built in alarm in which the radio beeps loudly 10 times if GPS data is not connected or if GPS data is lost. Not a big deal to begin with as most radios have this alarm feature, but the Garmin's alarm sounds off every 4 hours. If we were to leave the GPS on all the time then the alarm would never sound however living at anchor we do not leave the GPS on 24 hours a day. There is no need and it would use too much battery power. We do however leave our VHF radio on 24 hours a day and herein lies the problem. With the radio on and the GPS off the Garmin's alarm sounds every four hours including during the middle of our sleep time. It is absolutely annoying to listen to the alarm wake us up once or twice a night. And there is no way to disable this alarm. One would think that after the alarm goes off the first time the owner/operator would probably remember that GPS data is not available. Does Garmin think that the owner/operator is going to forget every four hours that GPS data is unavailable? Does Garmin not think that there are times that boaters may need the use of the radio but not their GPS equipment?

If you're looking for a robust and easy to use VHF radio and have no intention of leaving the GPS off when you use your radio then the Garmin VHF 200 would be an ideal choice. But if you're like us and use your radio for long periods of time without your GPS equipment powered up all the time, and if you're like us where you would like to get a full nights sleep without being woken up by its annoying alarm, then you should probably pass on the Garmin VHF 200.

Noland Engineering - Outstanding Customer Service

2010-10-28T12:02:00.001-05:00

As part of our electronics refit that has been ongoing this year we purchased an RS11 Engine Module from Noland Engineering. This module would allow us to receive the engine RPM, oil pressure and engine temperature data on the Simrad NSE-8 multifunction display. Our first unit purchased was a Version 1 unit and it had a bit of difficulty keeping a steady rpm on the Simrad display. Noland Engineering was quick to respond and sent us a newer Version 2 unit and even paid postage for the first one to be sent back to them. Upon installing the second unit it had worked for about a week and then had a hardware failure. Again Noland Engineering was quick to respond offering another replacement however due to our remote location it would be hard and expensive to receive another replacement. So Noland Engineering offered to give us a refund and will wait until January for me to send the second unit back to them. While my experience with the RS11 wasn't necessarily a good one in terms of performance it isn't the norm. Most reports from boaters using the RS11 are positive and it appears to do what it should, taking analog engine data and converting it to NMEA2000 for use on multifunction displays. My experience with the folks at Noland Engineering though is outstanding with their quick email replies and offers for resolution that makes sense for the customer.

Northstar VHF radio decides to retire

2010-10-28T11:45:00.000-05:00

Our four year old Northstar VHF721 radio has decided to take an early retirement. For the past month its been temperamental. Push the channel up button and the channel goes down and vice versa. Sometimes it actually goes in the direction it should. The HI/LO button no longer works on the base station and just a few other quirks. The outer covering on the microphone cable has also deteriorated and is crumbling apart exposing the bare shield. And while we expect a VHF radio to last much longer than 4 years that we would let it retire and have now ordered a Garmin VHF 200 with a remote mic for the cockpit. David should be returning with it tomorrow so we'll have it installed this weekend. More on our thoughts about this Garmin VHF after its installed.

GAM Electronics - Outstanding Customer Service

2010-07-23T10:53:00.001-05:00

Two years ago David and I replaced our 10 year old vhf antenna at the top of the mast with a GAM S2 vhf antenna. We chose this antenna over the others on the market because it is advertised at 6db gain rather than the competitor's 3db. Once installed we noticed a big improvement in performance both in our transmitting distance and receiving distance. It was definitely a good purchase and because of our enthusiasm with this antenna some of our friends purchased the same antenna, we purchased ours at www.defenderus.com.

But one year later we noticed some performance issues and after a trip up the mast it appeared that rubber cap on the coil had popped off and water got into the coil shorting the antenna out. While we were very pleased with the antenna's performance we were disappointed in its lack of longevity. Its not an expensive antenna and is competitively prices with its competitors and my thought for a replacement was to go with another brand that would, hopefully, last longer than a year.

Its important to note that while we had an unusual issue with our GAM S2 antenna all our friends that purchased one are into their second year without any issues, as a matter of fact I don't know anyone else that has had the same issue as us.

After some thought I sent GAM Electronics an email outlining my disappointment and on the same day I received an unexpected reply from Ed. Ed was concerned about our issue and asked for some feedback on what happened, he also stated that GAM Electronics stood behind their product, apologized for the failure of our antenna and offered to send us a complimentary replacement. This wasn't what I was expecting but it was quite refreshing to know that there are still companies out there, such as GAM, that not only are concerned about the quality of their product but want to make sure that their customers are satisfied. So rather than go with another manufacturer we are happy to take GAM Electronics up on their offer and will give them another try. Thank you GAM!

New Harken roller furler installation

2010-07-02T20:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday morning our packages from the states finally arrived, I got seven and Kate and DJ received about 8. Most of the stuff is boat related, some new items, some maintenance and a few goodies that weren't really necessary. After unboxing everything and consolidating in to smaller boxes we loaded everything on Hello World and sailed back to Bahia de Cholon. David picked me up in the dingy once Hello World was anchored and it was a joy to be back on Bruadair.

When I woke up this morning it was raining so I thought that I would just have a lazy day and not do anything. With all the stuff now sitting on the boat I have lots of projects and almost all of them are outside related.

But then late morning it cleared up so David and I got to working on installing our new roller furler. I had figured it would be a pain in the neck, complicated and take at least two days. For not having done this type of project before I was surprised that it only took four hours and only two trips up the mast. It was pretty easy. First I had to go up the mast so we could measure the inner forestay then disconnect it and lower it down to David on deck. We assembled all the foils, fastened every screw, bolt and nut and raised it back up. Boat projects aren't supposed to go this smoothly, there is always something that unexpectedly comes up when doing a boat project so this was a pleasure to do today.

Tomorrow we have to take measurements for a new staysail and while we're at it we'll take our old jib down and measure that too to see what kind of quote comes back. The jib is 25 years old and pretty worn, and we really need a new one but the last time we got a quote it was out of our budget. The staysail we have to have, the jib we might see if we can get another year out of this one if the quote is too high.

Anyway, nice to get this project done. Maybe it'll rain tomorrow and I can have my lazy day.

Simrad NSE and MARPA (with screenshots)

2010-06-20T12:57:00.008-05:00

We recently received an AT10HD Simnet module which takes the 10hz heading data from the RC42 rate compass on the Simnet system and delivers it to the radar processor box for our 2kw radome. This allows us to utilize the MARPA feature on the NSE. Installation was quite easy and took no more than five minutes. All I had to do was disconnect one Simnet cable that was connected to the 7-way joiner in the lazarette and connect it to the AT10HD. Then a 1' Simnet cable was connected from the AT10HD to the 7-way joiner and finally the cable and plug that was installed on the AT10HD was connected to the radar processor box. That was it.

Next I turned on the NSE and radar antenna as well as the Simnet system/instruments. I went into the Radar Installation page of the NSE and confirmed that HDG data was available to the radar for MARPA purposes and then I went to the radar page. After waiting the standard 90 seconds for the radome to warm up I put the radar into transmit. I didn't have to wait very long for a moving target to enter Cholon, it was the sailboat Salacia that was being towed in.

I placed the cursor over Salacia's target, pressed the menu button and selected 'Acquire Target'. It took about 10 scans before Salacia was acquired and once it was the information on the right hand side of the page displayed its heading, speed, closest point of approach and a few other pieces of data. The target on the radar scope had an extension line showing it's course over ground and as the target moved little dots were left behind showing its trail. In the calm bay it worked quite well and I believe the NSE can acquire up to 10 targets at the same time with the three having the closest point of approach being listed on the right hand side of the page. We'll have to get out of the protected waters of Cholon and see how it performs while we're underway. Below are the screen shots of the Simrad NSE's MARPA feature at work (click on image for larger view).

Target being acquired

Target just acquired and info in data bar to the right

Target headed towards us (we are the little dot in the center of the scope, just at the bottom of the line pointing upwards)

Here the target is now past us and classified as Safe

Here is a screenshot with the radar overlayed on the chart and showing our MARPA target (second target is at the top of the screen).

Simrad AP28 Autopilot put to the test

2010-06-19T11:39:00.001-05:00

There's always a bit of apprehension when installing new electronics, is it going to work when really put to the test. Our autopilot is one piece of equipment that we rely upon heavily as it give us the freedom to handle sails, navigate and move about the boat freely without someone having to manually steer all the time. Even a short 30 hour passage can be exhausting if one has to hand steer the entire time.

So when we left the San Blas Islands last month for the Colombian coast I was eager to see how our new Simrad AP28 autopilot would perform. The first 18 hours of our trip was pretty benign with winds not more than 10 knots and seas as flat as a freshly paved road. With conditions like this there was little effort needed for the AP28 to steer us towards our course on a straight and steady line. With our mainsail and staysail up and both rigged as self tacking sails tacking the boat required a push of button and the boat would turn on its new course quickly and smoothly settle in on its new heading. The AP28 didn't hunt around at all, and all this with the default settings in place.

With the calm conditions and plenty of time on our hands I had the opportunity to check out the different modes of the AP28. In its simplest mode, the Heading or Auto mode, the boat steered a steady course based on the heading we had set. Current and winds in this mode will cause some drift but the heading will remain consistent. With the sails well balanced there was little effort needed to keep the boat on course.

The No-Drift mode is similar to the Auto mode in which the autopilot steers to a set heading, however when a GPS is connected to the autopilot compensations are made for drift caused by currents and winds so that you sail to your destination without drifting off course. It actually worked really well.

In the past we didn't use the navigation mode of our previously installed Northstar autopilot because it didn't work very smoothly. With the Simrad AP28 it was amazing how well the autopilot steered us to our waypoint while keeping us on track, always compensating for any drift. When navigating a route the autopilot would ask us to confirm the course change to the next waypoint and when confirmed the boat would turn and head to the next waypoint. This Nav mode is now my favorite mode.

One mode we did not have an opportunity to check out was the Wind-Nav mode. This mode allows the boat to steer a set angle off the wind while making progress towards a waypoint and will tack accordingly (with user confirmation) at the right moment to ensure the shortest trip to the waypoint. If this works as well as all the other modes did it could be a valuable way of getting to a destination that is upwind.

The real test came at 3:30 in the morning, about 20 hours into our trip. We hit a very long squall line that quickly built up around us with winds to 30 knots and 4 to 6 foot confused seas coming at us from all directions. Despite the forces of mother nature both in the water and above the Simrad AP28 kept us on course with what appeared to be very little effort. Appropriate changes were made to the helm and it seemed like the autopilot knew what the boat was going to do and compensated for it so quickly that staying on course wasn't a problem. During the squall we made numerous tacks as we tried to find a course that would be comfortable and towards our destination. With the push of a button the boat would tack and steer us on the new heading giving me the freedom to confidently handle the sails and pay attention to what was happening around us. At one point I tried to hand steer but it was impossible to steer a course as straight as the AP28. This autopilot is my new best friend.

Once we were out of the squall four hours later we set the autopilot back into Nav mode and it steered us along our route to our destination. For the shallow and narrow entrance into Bahia de Cholon I hand steered as using an autopilot for this particular approach would not have been a safe thing to do.

The AP28 has numerous display pages most of which can be customized. This trip gave us the opportunity to change the data and layout of some of the pages to suit our needs, my favorite being the Highway page.

If our Simrad AP28 continues to perform as it did on this short trip we will be exceptionally happy with our decision to install this unit. Performance and Reliability are two very important factors for us. In regards to Performance the AP28 has proven itself. In regards to Reliability only time will tell.

Simrad AP28 Autopilot - First Sea Trial

2010-04-22T09:06:00.000-05:00

Having finally installed our new Simrad autopilot system (AP28, AC42, RC42 & RF300) we finally raised anchor yesterday and made our way to Porvineer where we needed to renew our permit for the San Blas Islands. There was absolutely no wind and the seas were no more than a foot so it was a great time to sea trial the autopilot. There are some fine tuning adjustments that can be done as part of the sea trials however we wanted to follow the recommendation in the autopilot manual to try the factory settings first before making any adjustments to the settings.

With the anchor up and Bruadair safely out of the anchorage and away from the shoals I held my breath as I pressed the Auto button. I was pleased to see the autopilot take command of the steering system and even more pleased to see it keep us on a steady course with very slight movements of the wheel. For the first five miles while behind the island chain I used the rotary knob to make small course changes and the autopilot responded accordingly and kept us on a consistently steady course. The heading reading from the RC42 was very stable and didn't seem to bounce around. Once past the island chain and in more open water I used the rotary control knob to make large course changes between 20 and 50 degrees. The turns where smooth, not too fast nor too slow and at the end of the turn the boat settled smoothly on it's new course. Using the Turn button we went through tacking turns with no issue and again in smooth turns. Because there was no wind today we could not test out the option of steering to a specific wind angle and because we're currently having some technical difficulties with our NSE (due to be remedied next week) we could not test the option of steering to a waypoint.

Our former Northstar autopilot system has worked fine on Bruadair for the past five and a half years but it was difficult to fine tune and difficult to program to keep us on a consistently steady course. It always seemed to hunt a bit around the set course but not so much that it was annoying. But it never gave us a problem and always got us to where we told it to steer.

But the new Simrad autopilot is such an improvement in performance that I can honestly say I wished I had upgraded years ago. At least when used in flat waters. The Northstar unit always made large wheel turns whether in flat or heavy seas no matter what I set the programming to. The Simrad system makes very minute movements to the wheel to keep us on course and larger turns to the wheel when turning. It seems to know exactly how much turn on the wheel is needed and applies the correct amount of force. We set our HI/LO transition to 3 knots which means that the autopilot will steer using different parameters depending if we are moving less than or more than 3 knots. So far it seems to be a good setting. I can't wait to get this out in some heavier seas, though I'm not necessarily looking forward to being in heavier seas.

Course adjustments can be made by either pressing the left or right arrow buttons or by turning the rotary control knob. I'm a big fan of the rotary control knob as it makes course adjustments easy. The default setting for the left/right arrow buttons is 1 degree but can be changed to 10 degrees (which I will do) which would make it easier to make larger course changes. Another nice feature is that I can press the Auto button in the middle of a turn and the autopilot will steer the heading that was registered at the moment the Auto button was pressed. A nice feature if I entered a course change larger than what I really needed.

There are a variety of Pages available however being the first time out on the water with this new autopilot we spent more time making sure the autopilot was working properly than playing with the different pages. We'll do that the next time out, maybe tomorrow.

There really is no comparison between the Northstar and Simrad autopilot systems in regards to performance, they are truly two different beasts. We'll continue to move around over the next week to give the autopilot a good work out to make sure it's doing the job it should, to make sure there are no bugs to be addressed and to feel confident that it's working properly before we make our upcoming crossing to Colombia. In the next week or so we should have an opportunity to test the steering to wind function and hopefully the week after next the steering to waypoint/route function.

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Simrad AP28 Autopilot Calibrations

2010-04-20T13:00:00.000-05:00

After installing the Simrad AP28 autopilot system and before we can start using it we had to set up the autopilot and do some calibrations, all of which were pretty simple and well described in the installation manual.

When we turned on the autopilot system for the first time the control head screen displayed the system information, then the language selection screen was displayed and finally the AP28 control head went into the automatic data source selection process identifying all the data sources on the SimNet system including the autopilot components and the units that the autopilot was interfaced with. The selection process was quick and it did identify all the data sources without any input from me. Plug and play worked excellent.

After the data source selection I entered the Installation Menu where the calibration process and setting options can be accessed. The Installation Menu lists everything that needs to be completed and in the order it should be done. Navigating the menus on the AP28 is very easy.

First on the list in the Installation Menu is the Commissioning Page. The Commissioning Page is where the dockside and sea trial calibrations are accessed. After selecting the Commissioning Page I selected the Dockside Setup option. Here I had to setup the boat type (Sailboat), complete the rudder feedback unit calibration (followed on screen prompts in easy to understand instructions), select the drive voltage (12vdc), perform the rudder test and finally set the minimum wind angle for when sailing by wind angle (set to 50 degrees). The whole process took about 30 minutes to complete.

Next was the sea trial setup. For this we had to wait for a day that had light to no wind and as little current as possible. We also had to make sure that we had enough deep water around us to safely maneuver. The first step in the sea trial was to set the rudder center which required motoring at cruising speed in a straight line, then pressing a key to accept the rudder 0 position.

After the rudder was centered we calibrated the RC42 rate compass by turning the boat in a slow, wide circle. This took a minute and a half to complete. Our local field of magnetic interference was recorded at 11 degrees, higher than I expected but well within the tolerances of less than 30 degrees. While turning the boat in a circle the display shows a completion progress bar as well as an indication if one is turning too slow or too fast. The calibration is stored in the RC42's memory and won't need to be done. We do though calibrate our autopilot compass once a year just out of habit.
There are options to calibrate the wind direction from the mast head transducer and the boat speed from a paddle wheel transducer, neither needed to be completed in our installation during the sea trial.

Next we needed to set the Transition HI-LO value, the default setting was six and we set it to 3 which is recommended for sailboats. The Transition HI-LO is the speed at which the AP28 will automatically change the steering parameter from HI to LO or LO to HI depending on the boat's speed.

Automatic tuning sets the Rudder and Counter Rudder parameters by taking the boat through a number of s-turns but it is not a calibration procedure that is required for most boats. We went ahead and completed it anyway. It requires a fair amount of space to safely navigate while the autopilot turns the boat automatically to determine the best settings. During this process we needed to maintain a speed of about half our cruising speed. I think that for most boats the default setting should work fine and next time I would try it before completing this step, which can be done at any time.

This completed our dockside and sea trial calibrations. The instructions in the manual were very easy to follow and had excellent photos of what each menu looked like. The sea trial look less time than it did to raise and re-anchor. There is a status screen under the Commissioning page which will show which procedures have been completed and which have not. There are numerous settings that can be adjusted manually to fine tune the performance of the autopilot. Now that our new Simrad AP28 is calibrated we look forward to seeing how it performs and if necessary we'll make any appropriate adjustments. The AP28 is feature packed and after some use we'll post more about its performance, if it meets our expectations as well as its features. Stay tuned.

Pros and Cons of the Simrad Installation

2010-04-15T09:42:00.000-05:00

With only the BSM-1 broadband sonar module still on back order four months after placing our order it is the only remaining unit left to install. With all of the other Simrad systems installed I thought I would type up a quick pro and con list that I came up with regarding my specific installation.

Pros:

Easy to follow installation instructions with diagrams
Accurate cutting templates for flush mounting
Plug and Play SimNet system for interfacing
Reduced number of wires that were required to be run
Small connectors on the SimNet cables making routing easy
Easy instrument set up and calibration processes
Stainless steel mounting hardware included

Cons:

Bare copper wires on the RF300 Rudder Feedback Unit
Plastic threaded connection on the GS15 GPS antenna (makes threading the metal connector difficult and easy to cross thread)
Not enough plugs included to block unused ports in the SimNet joiners
BSM-1 Broadband Sonar & accessories still on back order

Final Installation Thoughts:

This Simrad system is one of the easiest systems I have ever installed and is due mostly to the SimNet data system. On previous systems a single sailing instrument head would have required a power cable (two wire connections), a transducer (one connection) and NMEA0813 in and out (four wire connections). With seven wire connections just for one unit it took much more time to route the cables and make the connections. All this has been replaced so now on the back of a Simrad IS20 instrument head there is only one cable and once connection to make. How much easier could this be? This example shows how much easier it was to install our new system, I think more time was spent removing unnecessary wires from the previously installed system. As with any boat we had a few unique challenges, our major one being delayed orders. The lesson learned from that is to inquire about items being in stock prior to making the purchase.

Had all the electronics showed up together I would estimate that it would have taken four solid days of working to remove the old system and about the same to install the new. It took us longer because some time needs to be spent emptying compartments and getting to access areas and doing that only once obviously would be less time consuming than doing it a few times. For all the components that were installed which include 7 displays, 2 black box units, 4 transducers and the SimNet backbone (4 joiners & lots of SimNet cable) I'm very satisfied with the time it took to install.

When getting ready to choose start your installation be sure you have read through the manual thoroughly and that you have a complete understanding of the installation process. Wondering why something isn't working or why you broke something isn't the time to open the installation manual for the first time. Make sure you have all the parts and tools on board and someone to give you a hand if you need it. Don't skimp on tools, good tools to do the job right will cost more than simple tools. Get a ratcheting crimper, a good wire stripper and a good multimeter. One of the most invaluable tools was an electrical snake which can be found at most hardware stores. It's a long semi flexible wire that can help snake cables through tight or long places. And finally, take your time. Don't rush a job that you expect to last you for many years to come.

Installing the Simrad NSE-8 Multifunction Display

2010-04-13T09:37:00.001-05:00

Simrad recently launched its newest Multifunction Display, the NSE-8 and NSE-12 (8" and 12" screens respectively). The NSE is a feature packed unit capable of operating as a chart plotter, radar, fish finder (sonar), video monitor and now with its newest software update as an autopilot controller. This posting will cover the installation process while future posts will cover the NSE's features and operation as well as our feedback from everyday use of the NSE-8.

Included with the purchase of an NSE multifunction display are the following; the display unit, bezel, dust cover, gasket used for flush mounting, surface mounting bracket, bracket knobs with washers, cut-out template, power cable, video-in and NMEA cable, USB connector cap, installation manual, operations manual, quick start guide, cleaning cloth and screws for surface and flush mounting. A SimNet starter kit is also included which includes 16.5' of SimNet cable, 7-way joiner, termination plug and a 6' SimNet power cable with terminator. You'll need to review the SimNet manual to determine if there are any other SimNet accessories that you'll need for your particular installation.

The two major components that were installed are the NSE-8 multifunction display and the GS15 GPS antenna. The BSM-1 broadband sonar module is still on back order so it will be installed once we receive it. Our 2kw radar antenna and radar processor box from our previously installed Northstar system are compatible with the new Simrad NSE-8 so these units were left in place but utilized for the new system.

I started with the GS15 GPS antenna. The old Northstar antenna was removed from the stainless steel loop over the radar antenna so installation was quite simple. After screwing the GPS antenna onto the mounting bracket above the radar antenna the attached SimNet cable was routed through the tubing of the arch and connected to the SimNet backbone via a 7-way joiner. It took a while to get the GPS cable through the tube of the arch but it was done successfully without having to cut and splice. The GS15 has one of the fastest update rates of any GPS antenna we've used. It updates once every 5 seconds whereas most antennas update once every 10 seconds.

We only needed to do two things to connect the radar processing box to the new system. An Ethernet cable was run through the pedestal guard, one end connected to the radar processor and the other was made available to connect to the NSE-8 in the Navpod instrument housing. The AT10HD module was not installed at this time as it's also on back order, it will be installed once received to provide high speed heading data to the radar's processing box so that we can utilize the MARPA features.
Finally the NSE-8 needed to be wired in and mounted. The power cable was plugged into the back of the NSE and connected to the previously used power supply cable for the Northstar unit. Of the three Ethernet ports on the back of the NSE the radar is connected to one and the BSM sonar module will be connected to the second. The third port can be used for connecting other accessories such as a satellite weather receiver or for networking a second display. A six foot SimNet cable was attached to the back of the NSE and routed into the lazarette where it was connected to the SimNet system via a 7-way joiner. And finally the video cable was attached to the back of the NSE and routed into the lazarette where it was connected to one video cable that continues to the navigation station where we can plug in a digital camera or portable DVD player and view it on the NSE. The video cable is bundled with two composite video input RCA connectors and wires for NMEA0183 in and out. Because everything on the new system is running on the SimNet system we did not have a need to connect the NMEA0183 wires.

There is a DVI video output connector on the back of the NSE which can be used to connect to an external video monitor via an optional DVI cable. Additionally there is a USB port on the back of the NSE however there is also one on the front. With easier access to the front we connected nothing to the rear USB port though I supposed a small USB memory card could be left in permanently and used for regular backups of waypoints, routes and tracks.

In all we only needed to utilize five of the eight connection points on the rear of the NSE. Bundled in with the power cable are two wires one can be used for an external alarm but because the internal alarm on the NSE and the IS20 instruments are loud enough we didn't feel a need to use an external alarm. The other can be used for power control for units such as the BSM-1 sonar.

After the NSE was placed into the Navpod instrument housing it was secured with the included screws and the bezel was snapped into place and covered with the dust cover. Finally all the wires were secured and connections double checked. Before calling it a day the NSE was powered up to check for proper operation. It powered up, acquired a position fix and identified all the data available on the SimNet system. Just a few more tweaks such as properly tuning the radar will be done before our sea trial in a few days.

Installing the Simrad AP28 Autopilot

2010-04-11T20:38:00.000-05:00

The Simrad AP28 autopilot system we purchased includes the following units that need to be installed;
AP28 autopilot control head - used to control the autopilot and includes a screen, a knob and buttons.
AC42 control box - this is the brains of the autopilot which also electronics that power the drive unit as well as the means to interface the other components of the autopilot system.
RC42 rate compass - the electronic compass that provides heading data to the AC42
RC300 rudder feedback unit - provides rudder angle data to the AC42
No hydraulic linear drive was purchased as the one from our Northstar autopilot is compatible with the new Simrad system. Most autopilot drives, whether mechanical, hydraulic linear or hydraulic will work with just about any autopilot system, just be sure to ask if your current drive unit is compatible with the new one you're considering.
Before beginning the installation of the autopilot and the NSE multifunction display I had to remove the previously installed Northstar autopilot system and M84 display as described in the previous post.
The installation of the new Simrad AP28 was amazingly simple. First the AC42 control box was mounted in a dry and out of the way area in the lazarette with the four stainless steel screws that were provided. The power supply cable that was already there from the old autopilot system was connected to the AC42 and consisted of 8awg wire. 50 amp fuses were used on both the positive and negative wires. The AC42 has an onboard 30 amp fuse and it has polarity protection, so if you accidently get the power wires installed incorrectly a red light will light on the AC42's circuit board. A green light indicates you installed the power wires with correct polarity.

After connecting the power supply wires I connected the 2 wires from the hydraulic pump to the AC42 and the 2 wires from the pump's solenoid to the AC42. Both sets of wires were already available as they were the same used from the old autopilot. The RF300 rudder feedback unit comes with 33' of cable attached to it and I only needed a run of 10' so the excess was cut off before connecting it to the AC42. I was surprised that the twisted copper wires for the RF300 were not tinned (tinned wires are usually a marine standard). An option to the RF300 is the RF25 which is the same rudder feedback unit but with a SimNet cable attached. The RF300 mounted easily where the old one was mounted as they had the same size base and screw patterns, I was even able to use the same connecting rod from the rudder feedback unit to the steering quadrant.
Next a SimNet cable was connected to the AC42 and then plugged into the SimNet 7-way joiner which provided integration of the autopilot system to the SimNet backbone. The AC42 side of the SimNet cable did not have a plug on it but four wires which were connected to a terminal block on the AC42's circuit board. This completed all the connections required for the AC42 autopilot control box. There are connection points on the AC42 for an optional handheld remote and remote alarm siren, neither of which we chose to install.

The RC42 rate compass was installed near the base of the mast's compression post and its SimNet cable connected to the SimNet backbone via a 7-way joiner. The only remaining unit left now was the AP28 autopilot control head.
Having already cut the hole in the Navpod instrument housing for the AP28 autopilot control head it only took a few minutes to flush mount the AP28 to the Navpod with four screws and attach the corner covers (an optional bracket is available for surface mounting). A six foot SimNet cable was run through the pedestal guard tube, one end connected to the AP28 control head while the other was connected to the SimNet backbone via a 7-way joiner.

And that was it for the installation. I know I've said it many times but Simrad is surprising me with the ease of installing its units that utilize the SimNet system. It takes some time to plan and install the SimNet backbone but once that's done everything else is really easy. Of all the autopilot systems I've installed the Simrad was one of the easiest, especially with integrating to other systems. For those that are looking only for an autopilot system and still wish to integrate with their NMEA0183 systems the Simrad would be a good choice. The Simrad autopilot will integrate easily with any other unit using NMEA0183 data with the use of an optional AT10 SimNet/NMEA0183 converter. And because Simrad's SimNet system is based on the NMEA2000 protocol building onto the SimNet system with future upgrades should be fairly simple.

Okay, so now the Simrad AP28 autopilot system is installed. Before we can start using the autopilot we need to do some dockside and sea trial calibrations. We'll take care of that after we install the NSE-8 multifunction display.

Remvoing the Northstar Autopilot and MFD

2010-04-10T19:15:00.001-05:00

We finally got all but one piece of our remaining order for the Simrad system so we are now in the process of finishing our electronics refit. Before we can install the AP28 autopilot system and NSE multifunction display (MFD) we first have to remove the old Northstar autopilot and M84 navigation system.

The removal of the Northstar M84 navigation system was pretty straight forward. The M84 display was removed from the Navpod instrument pod located at the steering pedestal and the associated cables were pulled through the pedestal guard tubes. The power supply, sonar transducer and video input cables were pulled through the pedestal tubing back into the lazarette. The GPS antenna was removed from the stainless tube above the radar antenna and the antenna cable pulled through the tube of the arch. Complete removal of the M84 took about two hours.

The Northstar autopilot system took about two hours as well. The autopilot control head was also removed from the Navpod instrument housing and its cable pulled through the pedestal guard tube. The control box located in a dry and safe area of the lazarette was removed. The wires to the drive unit and the power wires in kept in place as they will be used for the new autopilot system but the Northstar's Navbus and NMEA0183 wires were removed. The rudder feedback unit was also removed as was a relay switch, gyro compass and fluxgate compass. The two compasses had long cables snaking through the boat to the base of the mast so it took some effort to separate it from wire bundles and pull it through.

In the lazarette we have a bulkhead that is in a dry place and out of the way from stowed gear. This bulkhead, where the old stuff was once mounted, was cleaned up to make room for the new units. I really wanted to give this bulkhead a fresh coat of paint and get the old screw holes filled in but unfortunately we don't have any filler or paint and being in the San Blas there is none to buy.

A single day to remove everything was what we expected. In preparation for installing the new Simrad systems we have a new Navpod instrument housing (the front piece) which we laid the templates for the AP28 autopilot control head, the NSE multifunction display and an IS20 Graphic instrument head. Once we were satisfied with the placement of the instruments we cut the required holes for each instrument head. Once cut we did a dry run and placed each instrument head into the new face of the Navpod to make sure it fit and with everything lined up correctly we drilled the holes for the mounting screws.
Now we're ready to start installing the new Simrad AP28 autopilot system and the NSE-8 multifunction display with its associated hardware.

Dr. LED Kevin LED Spreader/Deck Light - Two Thumbs Up

2010-04-09T09:58:00.000-05:00

For the past six years we had two 55 watt halogen flood lights mounted on the stern of the boat, one facing forward to light up the deck and one facing aft to light up the space behind us or the dingy if it was in the water. Each light used 4 amps per hour so for the rare occasion that we used them we made sure they weren't on very long.

This past week we replaced the two halogen flood lights with two LED flood lights from Dr. LED, the Kevin series. Physically they are about half the size and much lighter. There are four high-flux LEDs in each of the sealed aluminum housing. Having only two wires it was pretty easy to remove the old and install the new.

The light output was much better than I expected. We turned on the forward light to light up the deck and immediately received a VHF call from Kate on Hello World who was in the same anchorage. She wanted to know if we were starting a Broadway show with the boat lit up so bright. While these lights are designed to have a beam that can reach 20' it had no problem lighting up the bowsprit with enough light to read by, 33' away. Unlike the halogens these lights are more white in color but not hard on the eyes. Again, they exceeded my expectations and I'm glad to have them aboard. Each of the Dr. LED flood lights are rated at 1.0 amps however we measured a draw of only .7 amps. Now if we plan on being off the boat and there is a possibility of not returning until after dark we feel comfortable leaving one or two of these flood lights on to light up the boat until we return. The San Blas is safe and we don't think about boardings here, Cholon in Colombia is relatively safe but we do worry about thievery there though it hasn't been an issue in the past. And now we can afford the amps to leave a light or two on just to make us feel better when we're off the boat after dark.

The lights are great, time will tell how long they last.

Simrad NSE - Preliminary Set Up

2010-04-05T22:31:00.002-05:00

It’s been two months since we’ve placed our order direct with Simrad for our new electronics and we’re still waiting on a few parts that prevent us from completing our electronics refit. One critical piece we’re waiting on is the BSM-1 Sonar which will provide depth data to our Simrad NSE multifunction display. The reason we can’t install the NSE at this time is that the BSM-1 will be the only source of depth and we won’t navigate anywhere without knowing the depth. Previously we had two depth sources, the Navman 3100 Depth instrument but that’s been replaced with the Simrad IS20 Combi instrument and it’s transducer can’t be installed until we haul out so now we’re down to one depth source, the sonar transducer for the M84. We have also been waiting since January on the Simrad AC42 which is the control box for the autopilot. The good news is that the AC42 has been shipped and should be here on the boat within a week. We were hoping to get the BSM-1 quickly too so as to complete our electronics refit before we start heading to Colombia. When we check out of Panama at the end of April we plan on sailing the remote coast towards Isla Pinos in the San Blas Islands where we’ll depart for the Colombian Islands, we expect our trip to take up to two months before reach Cartagena. It would really be nice to use the new electronics for this trip.
And with the final piece for the autopilot almost here we now find ourselves in a predicament. Should we install the autopilot now or wait until the BSM-1 arrives and install the autopilot and NSE at the same time. Normally I would just go ahead and do the autopilot but circumstances almost dictate that we wait until the last unit gets here. There are a couple reasons; in order to install the autopilot display we need to use the new Navpod instrument housing as it won’t fit in the old one. To use the new Navpod I have to remove the current Northstar chart plotter/radar display and mount it in the new Navpod which will require a different size hole than the Simrad NSE. Basically I can keep the old system in or install the new displays, I can’t mix the old with the new in the Navpod. So why not install the new Simrad NSE display? Because then we won’t have our only source of depth that is displayed on the Northstar unit. Plus, to install the BSM-1 and AC-42 on the bulkhead in the lazarette I would have to remove the wires from the Northstar M84. So at this point we’re not sure what we’re going to do. We plan on being underway in three or four weeks so the next opportunity to complete our refit won’t be until June, at the earliest. I’ll admit that it’s been very frustrating placing such a large order and having to wait two or three months to get the final pieces. It should have been installed two months ago. But I’ll take a little ownership in all this, I never asked at the time that I placed the order if everything was in stock. Lesson learned.
Now, on to the topic of this post…
While we can’t begin to install the Simrad NSE-8 multifunction display I did begin setting it up. I used the supplied power cable and attached a 12 vdc plug which I plugged into a 12 vdc outlet. With power supplied to the NSE-8 I turned on the unit and was amazed at how bright the screen was, I think it’s the brightest screen on a multifunction display that I’ve seen. The low power draw of this LED backlit screen adjusts nicely from very bright to very dim (great for night passages) and also has a night mode. There is also a power save feature which turns the screen off but the unit is still working. With the screen off some amp use is saved and by pressing a key on the NSE the unit wakes up immediately.
On initial start up and following the easy to understand instructions in the installation manual I entered the main menu and confirmed that the language selection was set to English. Next was setting the local time offset against GMT, we are 5 hours behind GMT and the time data is received via the GPS antenna. At this menu screen we also set the date format to Month/Date/Year. Next was setting the Units values where for depth we selected feet, speed was set to knots and so on.
Our ship’s MMSI number was entered so it won’t display our own ship when our Simrad NAIS-300 AIS Transponder is transmitting. A few adjustments in the Chart setup menu to customize how our Navionics charts are displayed. The Alarms menu has numerous options for available alarms so I went through it and set only the ones that concerned me such as shallow water, lost data, no gps fix, waypoint arrival and relevant AIS target alarms.
I won’t be able to set up the Sonar or Radar options yet until the NSE is actually installed and connected to these two systems.
I then took my USB memory stick with all the waypoints, routes and tracks I had from my Northstar M84 and JRC 1800CP (used before the M84) and loaded it into the NSE. Using GPSbabel, a free program that converts many different GPS formats, I was able to convert my entire library of waypoints and routes and most of my tracks into a format accepted by the Simrad NSE. Loading was quick and viewing the waypoint, routes and tracks pages I was able to confirm that everything transferred successfully. As of this writing we have 997 waypoints, 77 routes and 15 tracks stored on the NSE.
With the memory stick still plugged into the USB port on the front of the NSE I did a full back up of all the settings, waypoints, routes and tracks. I like the option of doing backups so in the event we ever have problems and have to do a factory reset or replace the unit all I would have to do is load the backup so that the NSE is in the same state as when the backup was saved. When we complete the actual installation of the NSE and it’s Sonar and Radar calibrations then we’ll obviously do another back up.
The Simrad NSE can be customized in many ways including setting up custom screen options with split screens (up to 4) that are adjustable in size. The NSE comes with some preconfigured screen options such as chart/radar and chart/sonar. I set up a couple screens that were not preconfigured to include chart/radar/sonar and chart/chart. Having two different chart screens allows me to have one that is zoomed in close to see more detail and the other zoomed out to see a broader area. Unlike previous Simrad units the NSE does not allow for dual radar screens, that’s a shame. Screen choices are made by using the direct access keys at the bottom of the display rather than navigating through a menu. This is a huge improvement over previous units that I’ve used.
The two other really nice features of the NSE are the rotary control knob and the alpha numeric keypad. The rotary control knob has a wide range of functions depending on which screen one is displaying. In chart mode the rotary control knob controls the zoom as does the dedicated zoom in/out buttons. In radar mode the rotary control knob can be used to adjust gain, rain and sea sensitivities and pushing in the knob rotates control between the three adjustments. In Sonar mode pushing the rotary control knob selects either gain or XXXXXXX and turning the knob makes the adjustment. In any of the menu modes the knob allows you to navigate the menu when turning and pushing the knob makes a selection. So much can be done just with the rotary control knob alone without having to use other buttons. This is another huge plus for the NSE units.
The alpha numeric key pad is another big plus for the NSE allowing for easier and quicker input of data such as position information (waypoints) and labeling data such as waypoints and routes. It’s much more user friendly than the old four-way touch pad. The buttons all have very good feel and you know when one is pressed.
By the way, and I’ll cover this more in further reviews of the NSE, the chart zooming is unbelievably fast. It has almost instantaneous redraw. I’ve used numerous multifunction displays and this has to be one of the fastest.
With the set up done I took some time to play with the unit and I’m impressed with the quality of the preloaded U.S. charts. The alarm is very loud and can be heard not only in the cockpit but down in the cabin as well. The screen brightness is impressive and it has a night mode which basically inverts a lot of the colors, white to black and red backlighting. Boot up is a bit slow but when in Power Save mode the unit turns on immediately.
One down side that I noticed has to do with the Panels page which offers a few different layouts with gauges. While the gauges can be customized I didn’t see a way to customize the lay out. For example on one page there may be 12 gauges that can be customized to show a variety of data, but what if I only want six gauges? It would be nice to have the option to select few gauges for us sailors as these pages look like they are more geared towards power boaters. But in all reality I shouldn’t complain as I probably won’t be using this page anyway.
I also noticed that the text labels for my waypoints and routes is the same color as the text on the Navionics charts which makes it a little hard to identify my waypoint names. I wonder if a future software update can solve this.
I really like the way Simrad did the tracks set up. With multiple tracks loaded I can choose which ones to display and which ones I don’t want to display. Unlike the Northstar M84 the NSE will let me display multiple tracks at the same time. Track colors can also be shown in user selected colors which can help to identify tracks that are close to each other. There are so many things that I like about the NSE and I haven’t even had a chance to use the radar or sonar features yet. I have started a list of a few things that I would like to see in future updates as mentioned above but so far sitting on my dinette I like it a lot.
Once we finally get our NSE installed and running we’ll post regular updates on all its features and what we think of the unit. Hopefully that won’t be too far down the road.

Simrad NSE Software Update

2010-04-05T22:14:00.003-05:00

Simrad has just released a new software update for the NSE multifuntion display. One of the biggest additions with this update is including full autopilot control. From the NSE one can now have full control including calibrations of a Simrad autopilot system which uses either the AC12 or AC42 autopilot control box. Because a dedicated autopilot control head isn't needed this is an ideal option for those that have limited space to install instrument heads. And for some of us it gives us a back up to our autopilot control head such as my AP28.

Another addition in the software is support for Lowrance's structure scan. This is a new sonar technology that is just amazing but most practical for power boaters.

Support for BEP's Czone has also been included in this update. Czone is a digital switching system that utilizes the NMEA2000 data bus (and SimNet system). From the screen of the NSE one would be able to turn on/off or dim lights, bilge pumps and more. This is new stuff for me so you'll probably have to do an internet search to learn more.

Now, if Simrad will just program an option to have a wind rose over the vessel icon that can be turned on and off, and allow one to change the color of the waypoint and route text so that its not the same color as the Navionics chart text.....

Electrical Consumption, Simrad vs. the Competitors

2010-04-04T00:15:00.001-05:00

With all the marine electronics available on the market I wanted to see how our new Simrad system compares to similar systems from leading manufacturers such as Garmin and Raymarine. I was really surprised how much of difference there is in electrical consumption between the systems. Garmin and Raymarine offer instrument heads with color displays and these color displays use about twice as many amps per hour than Simrad’s monochrome displays. Even with twice the power consumption the numbers are still small so if only using one or two instrument heads the difference is minimal but when using five like in our set up the difference is large enough to be considered. With our set up just for the five sailing instruments the Simrad’s monochrome IS20 instruments uses about 24 amps per day less than its competitors color instruments. As a whole system this difference was considerable, our Simrad system consumes about 40% less than a comparable Garmin system and almost 45% less than a comparable Raymarine system. Below is a list of the equipment that was compared and it is important to note that the power consumption figures were taken from the owner’s manual for each unit listed. Actual real time values may vary depending on factors such as back light levels. And of course for a power boater power consumption probably isn’t an issue but for sailors it’s definitely something to consider when planning an electronics refit. Before we get on to the list let me first apologize for the formatting below, it might be a little hard to read. I wrote this first in Microsoft Word but it didn't like the tabs I did between the item, watts and amps. If I have a chance I'll see if I can figure out how to properly format this for the blog but in the mean time I hope you can read it. Here's the list;

SIMRAD SYTEM

NSE-8 Multifunction Display 21.6w 1.70 amps
GS-15 GPS Antenna 0.5w 0.04 amps
BSM-1 Broadband Sonar 5.0w 0.40 amps
2kw HD Radar Antenna 24.0w 1.92 amps
NAIS-300 AIS Transponder 6.0w 0.48 amps
AP-28 Autopilot Display 1.7w 0.13 amps
AP-42 Autopilot Controller 5.5w 0.44 amps
RC-42 Fluxgate Compass 1.4w 0.11 amps
IS20 Wind Instrument 1.5w 0.12 amps
IS20 Combi Instrument 1.3w 0.10 amps
IS20 Graphic Instrument (3) 3.9w 0.31 amps
DST-800 Transducer 0.5w 0.04 amps
TOTAL 72.9w 5.79 amps per hour
139 amps per day

GARMIN SYSTEM

GPSMAP4000 Multifunction 35.0w 2.80 amps
GSD22 Sonar Module 25.0w 2.00 amps
GMR18 Radar antenna 33.0w 2.60 amps
Simrad NAIS300 AIS Transp. 6.0w 0.48 amps
GHC10 Autopilot Display 2.5w 0.20 amps
ECU Autopilot Controller 12.0w 0.96 amps
CCU Fluxgate Compass 1.2w 0.10 amps
GMI10 Instrument Heads (5) 12.5w 1.00 amps
DST-800 Transducer 0.5w 0.04 amps
TOTAL 128.2w 10.2 amps per hour
244 amps per day

RAYMARINE SYSTEM

E80 Multifunction Display 24.0w 1.92 amps
Raystar 120 GPS Antenna 1.2w 0.09 amps
DSM300 Sonar Module 30.0w 2.40 amps
2D 18” Radar Antenna 28.0w 2.40 amps
AIS500 AIS Transponder 25.0w 2.00 amps
ST70 Autopilot Display 2.7w 0.22 amps
SPX30 Autopilot Controller 3.8w 0.30 amps
ST70 Instrument Heads (5) 13.5w 1.10 amps
DST-800 Transducer 0.5w 0.04 amps
TOTAL 128w 10.4 amps per hour
249 amps per day

As you can see not all items are created equally and it’s definitely worth taking the time to research what electronics you are considering and what they are rated for in regards to power consumption. Color displays definitely use more amps than monochrome and there seems to be a significant difference in consumption among the different sonar modules. One thing to keep in mind is that for us sailors we normally don’t keep the radar on all the time that we are underway so actual consumption in all the above systems will be less. And when sailing offshore there really isn’t a need to run the sonar module (fish finder) so if it can be turned off independently from the rest of the system when sailing offshore then consumption and again be reduced even further. The Simrad’s BSM-1 broadband sonar module can be wired so that it can be turned off without turning off the entire system so it can be used only when it is needed. The Garmin sonar module cannot be powered individually so it will run anytime the multifunction display is running so power consumption cannot be reduced. It appears that the Raymarine sonar module can be powered individually like the Simrad with the same benefits.

For anyone considering networking multiple multifunction displays, for example having one display in the cockpit and one at the nav station or second helm location then it is also important to note that with the Simrad NSE units both displays do not need to be turned on where one acts as a master and one as a slave (when using a Network Expansion Port). This is a huge benefit of the Simrad networked system in minimizing power consumption as you can have any display on and still receive all the necessary data available. Garmin’s multifunction displays require both displays to be on at the same time, without the master powered up and running the slave display(s) will not receive the necessary data to function properly. The Raymarine networked system also requires the master display to be powered in order for the slave to properly function. Again, this is where they Simrad NSE units shine by not requiring a master to always be powered up.

Want to save even more amps? The Simrad NSE multifunction display not only works as a chartplotter, radar and fish finder but with the newest software update the NSE will also control all the functions of a Simrad autopilot so a dedicated autopilot control head is not necessary. We chose to go ahead and install the AP28 autopilot control head for a couple of reasons. I ‘m used to using a separate controller for the autopilot and I wanted to leave the NSE available for navigation uses and not try to do too much at the same time on one unit when maneuvering in tight quarters. But this does leave us a back up autopilot controller should the AP-28 ever fail. And when sailing offshore we can turn off the AP28 autopilot display and just use the NSE since it’s always on when we’re underway. This would save a minimal amount of amps. In all fairness I should point out that the Raymarine E series multifunction display also has autopilot features however it only controls some of the autopilot functions and autopilot calibrations cannot be completed on the E series displays, so a dedicated autopilot instrument head is required. With the Simrad NSE all functions of the autopilot can be controlled including any necessary calibrations so a dedicated autopilot control head is not required which could potentially save money (not having to buy one) and save amps.

And a reminder; the values and information above are to the best of my knowledge utilizing the appropriate manuals for each system.

Simrad IS20 Graphic Instrument - Reviewed

2010-03-12T15:09:00.001-06:00

This review covers the Simrad IS20 Graphic instrument head. Because there are many similarities with the IS20 Combi this review will read similar to the Combi review previously posted, when the similarities are discussed. Photos of the IS20 Graphic will be posted in a few weeks and further information about any of the IS20 instruments can be found at www.simrad-yachting.com.

We have three IS20 Graphic instrument heads installed on Bruadair. One is mounted in the instrument turtle above the companionway and will be used primarily to display speed information. A second is mounted in the Navpod instrument housing at the pedestal where a variety of information will be available within easy reach. A third is mounted in the cabin at the navigation station as a repeater.

The IS20 Graphic instrument heads are connected to the SimNet backbone where it receives power and data. The Graphic can display a vast range of information from depth, speed, wind information, position, navigation, engine and battery status, trip log, rudder angle and more. A full listing of data that can be displayed by the Graphic can be found in the owner's manual, available for download on Simrad's web site. It will display just about any data that is present on the SimNet system. The installation of the IS20 series instruments was one of the easiest I've ever done with the SimNet cables.

The IS20 Graphic receives power from the SimNet system and does not have a dedicated power on/off button. As long as there is power on the SimNet system the IS20 Graphic will be on. The instrument head does however have a power save feature. Enabling the Power Save function turns off the display but the data is still being processed by the instrument head. If an alarm is triggered or a button on the instrument head is pressed the instrument's screen immediately comes back on. The Graphic instrument head draws only 0.1 amps per hour with full back lighting. The unit is waterproof and measures 4.5" by 4.5", pretty standard with all the other sailing instruments on the market.

The LED back lighting on the IS20 Graphic can be set in white or red and is adjustable in 10 increments, and not only is the screen back lit so are the buttons, which makes using the instruments at night easy. We have the daylight setting set with white back lighting at 4 and the night setting set in red at 3. The IS20 instruments can also be set into groups. I have the three instrument heads on the turtle set into back light group number 1, the instruments at on the pedestal will be in group 2 and the repeater at the navigation station will be in group 3. Up to six groups can be defined on a SimNet system. Aside from back lighting the power save function can also be assigned to groups.

The Graphic instrument head has a 130 x 140 pixel monochrome LCD screen with adjustable contrast and LED back lighting. Six buttons are provided and are used to adjust back lighting, scroll through data pages and navigate the menu. There are four data pages available on the Combi, pages are changed by pressing the up or down keys. On the back of the instrument head are two SimNet connectors and a NMEA0183 input (optional cable required).

The IS20 Graphic has 8 available data pages, data pages can be disabled so if you only need three pages of information then five pages can be disabled so you don't have to scroll through unnecessary displays. Each of the data pages can be user configured, or customized. A data page can be set to display from 1 to 4 data fields. When selecting 1 data field the value displayed on the screen is large, 2 data fields splits the screen horizontally and if selecting three data fields the top half of the screen will show one data field while the bottom half will show two. When selecting four data fields to be displayed then a choice is given to show the four fields as four lines of information or by dividing the screen into four squares.

Additional data page layouts include a single window with trend graph, the trend graph is particularly useful when displaying depth information but also works with wind and speed data. And the single window with highway layout displays navigation information including bearing and distance to a waypoint with a graphical highway to show cross track error.

Not only can each data page be customized to a specific layout but the type of data shown can be customized as well. You can select which data is to be displayed, how it should be displayed and where on the screen it will be. Having a display with this much customization is excellent and now I have all three IS20 Graphic instruments set up to display specific information in the way I like to view it, and each of the three units on my boat are set up differently depending on where it's located.

For example the Graphic located in the turtle has its primary page set up to display speed through water, speed over ground, average speed and maximum speed. Another page displays trip log, total log and trip time. At the navigation station pages have been setup to display just about every piece of information available on the SimNet system to make logbook keeping easy. But there is once piece of information that I would love to see on the SimNet system that is not available and that is maximum wind speed. Would a software update be able to add this, I hope so.

The IS20 graphic has alarms available for shallow and deep water and an anchor alarm which will sound if the depth changes by more than the preset level. A low boat speed, low wind speed, high wind speed and wind angle shift alarm are also available. It seems that most alarms aren't very loud but with the IS20 instruments we have no problem hearing the alarm down below in the cabin. That's definitely a plus. Additionally when an alarm is activated the back lighting starts to blink as a visual indication. The only problem I see with this is it may be annoying when sailing at night to have the displays blinking. There is no option on the Simrad IS20 series instruments to change the volume of or to disable the beeping for both the alarm and when a key is pressed. The alarmed is silenced quite easily but when making a passage and having crew members off watch down below or in the cockpit it would have been nice to be able to disable the key beeps so the off watch crew would not be disturbed.

One of the nicest features in the menu options is the Service screen. This is where you can view the status of the SimNet system, view what devices are connected to the SimNet system and also see the value of all the data present on the SimNet system. It's nice to pull up the screen and see that everything is connected and working, this screen should provide for a very useful troubleshooting tool should it ever be needed.

The IS20 Graphic is a nice instrument and displays all the data we expect it to. Its customizing options are outstanding. Because this is a more versatile instrument head I think it is worth spending a little more for the Graphic over the Combi if only buying it as a standalone instrument head. And if you're using equipment from a different manufacturer the IS20 Graphic can still be used as repeater anywhere on the boat with the use of optional cables which can be used to interface the Graphic via NMEA0183 or NMEA2000. Using high quality sunglasses doesn't seem to degrade the visibility of the screen or reduce the viewing angle. While the IS20 Graphic is advertised as having an "Easy to see screen" there is some glare. Being installed in the instrument turtle above the companionway keeps it out of the sun most of the time and while we can see it from the helmsman seat the glare off the screen is noticeable. A more anti-reflective screen would have been preferred but again for our purpose it works fine.

When comparing the IS20 Graphic to it's competitors the IS20 uses half of the power consumption of Garmin's GMI10 and Raymarine's ST70 instrument heads. This may not be an issue with power boaters but for sailors this can be a big deal, especially when multiple instrument heads are installed. The Simrad IS20 Graphic displays a wide variety of data comparable with Raymarine's ST70 however the Garmin GMI10 is much more limited in which information it will display (according to product specification listings). Before purchasing an instrument with a color screen be sure that you check for degraded visibility or angle of viewing when wearing polarized sunglasses, monochrome screens from my experience tend to have less degradation than color screens.

Simrad in the past has had an excellent reputation not only for manufacturing a quality product but also for providing outstanding customer support. Now that it is part of the Navico group only time will tell if the level of customer service that Simrad owners are accustomed to will continue. The IS20 Instruments do appear to have the high quality build that Simrad owners are accustomed to seeing. This unit comes with a standard 2 year limited warranty but I would like to see 3 year warranties in electronics, especially when spending so much money to do a full refit. A 3 year warranty would put Simrad out ahead of their competitors, offering that much more value for the dollar.

Pros
Easy Installation
Good documentation
Easy use display
Excellent customizing options
Minimal setup and calibration required
Loud alarm
Easy interfacing
Excellent back lighting
Good build quality

Cons
Key beep volume cannot be adjusted or disabled
Slight glare from the screen

Rating on a 0-10 scale

Packaging 10
Documentation 10
Installation 9
Operation & Features 10
Build Quality 9
Customer Service To be Determined
Warranty Period 8 (2 years)
Recommended to Others 10

Overall 9.4

Simrad IS20 Combi Instrument - Reviewed

2010-03-09T13:25:00.002-06:00

Simrad makes two digital IS20 instrument heads, the Combi and the Graphic. We have both of these units as discussed in previous posts detailing their easy installation. The Combi and Graphic share many similarities but because they also have many differences I have decided to review the two units separately. Where there are similarities the two reviews will read the same. This review will cover the IS20 Combi and the IS20 Graphic will follow. Photos of the IS20 Combi will be posted in a few weeks and more information on any of the IS20 instruments can be found at www.simrad-yachting.com.

The IS20 Combi instrument head is connected to the SimNet backbone where it receives power and data. The Combi can display depth, speed and temperature from a variety of data providers on the SimNet system or via the NMEA0813 input via an optional cable. The IS20 Combi can be purchased as a standalone display or with an Airmar DST-800 active depth/speed/temperature transducer. If a DST-800 transducer is connected to the SimNet backbone it will provide all the information for the Combi instrument head, but data can also be obtained from any other unit connected to the SimNet backbone that provides depth, speed thru water or temperature information. On our boat the DST-800 transducer won't be installed until we haul out in August so for the time being the depth information will be provided by the BSM-1 sonar module through the NSE-8 multifunction display then to the SimNet backbone. The speed will be provided by the GS15 GPS antenna and no water temperature information will be provided until our haul out. The Combi unit also has a trip log, total log and race timer features.

The IS20 Combi receives power from the SimNet system and does not have a dedicated power on/off button. As long as there is power on the SimNet system the IS20 Combi will be on. The instrument head does however have a power save feature. Enabling the Power Save function turns off the display screen but the data is still being processed by the instrument head. If an alarm is triggered or a button on the instrument head is pressed the instrument's screen immediately comes back on. The Combi instrument head draws only 0.1 amps per hour with full back lighting and the DST-800 transducer draws only 0.04 amps per hour. The unit is waterproof and measures 4.5" by 4.5", pretty standard with all the other sailing instruments on the market.

The LED back lighting on the IS20 Combi can be set in white or red and is adjustable in 10 increments, and not only is the display back lit so are the buttons which makes using the instruments at night easy. Back lighting is uniform throughout the entire display. We have the daylight setting set with white back lighting at 4 and the night setting set in red at 3. The IS20 instruments can also be set into groups. I have the three instrument heads on the turtle set into back light group number 1. This means if I change the back lighting on one of these displays the other two changes equally. A great feature to keep the back lighting the same with only having to make the change on one display rather than all three. Up to six groups can be defined on a SimNet system.

The Combi instrument head has a 130 x 140 pixel LCD screen with adjustable contrast. Six buttons are provided and are used to adjust back lighting, scroll through data pages and navigate the menu. There are four data pages available on the Combi, pages are changed by pressing the up or down keys. Data pages cannot be disabled or the data fields customized.

The first data page displays Boat Speed, Depth and Water Temperature. Boat speed is in the top half of the screen while depth and temperature are in the bottom half. The second page displays four lines of information including boat speed through the water, speed over ground (if a GPS is connected to the SimNet system), trip log and depth.

The third page displays only the boat speed in a nice large number and the fourth page displays only depth information. On any of the pages where depth is displayed a trend arrow will also be shown indicating whether the depth is increasing or decreasing. If the depth is not changing no arrow will be displayed. Because the Combi display shows only speed through the water a transducer will need to be installed, such as the DST-800.

The IS20 Combi has alarms available for shallow and deep water and an anchor alarm which will sound if the depth changes by more than the preset level. A low boat speed alarm is also available. It seems that most alarms aren't very loud but with the IS20 instruments we have no problem hearing the alarm down below in the cabin. That's definitely a plus. Additionally when an alarm is activated the back lighting starts to blink as a visual indication. The only problem I see with this is it may be annoying when sailing at night to have the displays blinking. There is no option on the Simrad IS20 series instruments to change the volume of or to disable the beeping for both the alarm and when a key is pressed. The alarmed is silenced quite easily but when making a passage and having crew members off watch down below or in the cockpit it would have been nice to be able to disable the key beeps so the off watch crew would not be disturbed.

One of the nicest features in the menu options is the Service screen. This is where you can view the status of the SimNet system, view what devices are connected to the SimNet system and also see the value of all the data present on the SimNet system. It's nice to pull up the screen and see that everything is connected and working and this screen should provide for a very useful troubleshooting tool should it ever be needed.

The IS20 Combi is a nice instrument and displays all the data we expect it to, though it will primarily be set on the Depth page. I like the trend arrow so at a glance I can see if the water is shallowing or getting deeper when I'm navigating near shoals or reefs. Using high quality sunglasses doesn't seem to degrade the visibility of the screen. While the IS20 Combi is advertised as having an "Easy to see screen" there is some glare. Being installed in the instrument turtle above the companionway keeps it out of the sun and while we can see it from the helmsman seat the glare off the screen is noticeable. A more anti-reflective screen would have been preferred but again for our purpose it works fine.

Pros
Easy Installation
Good documentation
Easy use display
Minimal setup and calibration required
Loud alarm
Easy interfacing
Excellent back lighting
Good build quality

Cons
Key beep volume cannot be adjusted or disabled
Slight glare from the screen

Rating on a 0-10 scale

Packaging 10
Documentation 10
Installation 9
Operation & Features 9
Build Quality 9
Customer Service To be Determined
Warranty Period 8 (2 years)
Recommended to Others 10

Overall 9.3

Simrad IS20 Wind Instrument - Reviewed

2010-03-08T10:26:00.002-06:00

In the past few posts I wrote about the packaging and easy installation of our new Simrad IS20 instruments. After having used the instruments for about two weeks I'm ready to start posting reviews on these three instruments. This first review will be on the IS20 Wind instrument while the IS20 Combi and IS20 Graphic reviews will follow. Photos of each of the instruments will follow in a few weeks.

The IS20 Wind instrument is connected to the SimNet backbone which provides power and data to the instrument head. Wind information such as apparent direction and speed is provided to the SimNet system via the Simrad masthead transducer while boat speed is provided by the GS15 GPS antenna or alternately the Simrad NAIS-300 AIS transponder, the boat speed means that true wind direction and speed can be calculated.

The IS20 Wind receives power from the SimNet system and does not have a dedicated power on/off button. As long as there is power on the SimNet system the IS20 Wind will be on. The instrument head does however have a power save feature. Enabling the Power Save function turns off the wind direction and speed display but the wind data is still being processed by the instrument head. If an alarm is triggered or a button on the instrument head is pressed the instrument's screen immediately comes back on. The wind instrument head draws only 0.12 amps per hour with full back lighting. The unit is waterproof and measures 4.5" by 4.5", pretty standard with all the other sailing instruments on the market.

Back lighting on all the IS20 Wind can be set in white or red and is adjustable in 10 increments, and not only is the display back lit so are the buttons making using the instruments at night easy. We have the daylight setting set with white back lighting at 4 and the night setting set in red at 3. The red back lighting is a nice feature to keep our night vision when moving around after sunset. The IS20 instruments can also be set into groups. I have the three instrument heads on the turtle set into back light group number 1. This means if I change the back lighting on one of these displays the other two changes equally. A great feature to keep the back lighting the same with only having to make the change on one display rather than all three. Up to six groups can be defined on a SimNet system.

The IS20 Wind instrument is an analog instrument head with a 360 degree card and a needle which together shows the direction of the wind. The needle moves very smoothly with no overshooting. A small LCD screen shows the speed of the wind to 1/10th of a knot. Direction and speed can be set to show either apparent or true (if boat speed is available). Also available on the LCD screen is VMG and the direction of the wind in degrees, magnetic or true. There are four buttons. The light button allows one to change the intensity of the back lighting, the menu button for options and an up and down button for navigating the menu, changing the back lighting, switching from True to Apparent and selecting the different information available in the LCD screen. Wind speed can be set in knots, miles per hour or meters per second.

Setting the dampening controls how fast the display will respond to changes, and both the wind speed and direction can be set so that the reading on the display is very stable or set to show every little bit of change happening at the transducer. The settings for the dampening are global meaning the wind dampening can be set from any of the IS20 instrument heads. For our boat we have the dampening for both speed and direction set to 2, below the default setting of 4. At this setting we still get very stable readings but we also see changes happening more frequently. As we use the IS20 Wind more we may fine tune the dampening.

Calibration of the wind instrument was actually quite easy. The wind speed cups on the masthead transducer are factory calibrated and requires no user calibration. The wind direction can be calibrated from the IS20 Wind instrument head or any other instrument head on the SimNet system. We calibrated ours while sitting at anchor with a steady 10 knots of wind on the nose and it only took a few minutes to complete.

There are a variety of alarms available on the IS20 Wind including high wind speed, low wind speed and wind shift. The high and low wind speed alarms seem to be standard on most wind instruments but I like the idea of a wind shift alarm to notify us of the wind shifting outside the parameters that we set. The alarm, by the way, is a nice loud beeping. It seems that most alarms aren't very loud but with the IS20 instruments we have no problem hearing the alarm down below in the cabin. That's definitely a plus. Additionally when an alarm is activated the back lighting starts to blink as a visual indication. The only problem I see with this is it may be annoying when sailing at night to have the displays blinking. There is no option on the Simrad IS20 series instruments to change the volume of or to disable the beeping for both the alarm or when a key is pressed. The alarmed is silenced quite easily but when making a passage and having crew members off watch down below or in the cockpit it would have been nice to be able to disable the key beeps so the off watch crew would not be disturbed.

The bright white wind direction card set into the black instrument body makes the IS20 Wind instrument is very easy to see from the helmsman seat in the cockpit, and it's quite easy to see from anywhere else in the cockpit as well. Wearing high quality polarized sunglasses did not degrade seeing the display at all. I like the dust cover that comes with the IS20 Wind. It's off white whereas our previous instruments had bright white dust covers that showed every bit of dirt. I suspect the Simrad dust covers won't. The dust cover also has a nice positive locking feature that will ensure it stays in place.

I have to say, I really like the Simrad IS20 Wind instrument. It's exceptionally easy to install, requires very little set up, has an easy to see display and it just looks good. But there is one disappointment. There is no Maximum Speed feature of this wind instrument, something that I will greatly miss from my Navman unit. When sailing through squalls or sitting at anchor in a storm it was nice to leave the Navman wind instrument on then look at it later to see what the maximum recorded speed was. There is no such feature on the Simrad IS20 Wind. I can only hope that someone at Simrad will read this and provide for a software update that would add this feature, if not to the IS20 wind then maybe to the IS20 Graphic.

Pros
Easy Installation
Good documentation
Easy to see and use display
Minimal setup and calibration required
Easy interfacing
Excellent back lighting
Good build quality

Cons
Key beep volume cannot be adjusted or disabled
No maximum wind speed feature

Rating on a 0-10 scale

Packaging 10
Documentation 10
Installation 9
Operation & Features 9
Build Quality 10
Customer Service To be Determined
Warranty Period 8 (2 years)
Recommended to Others 10

Overall 9.4

SimNet backbone installation

2010-02-22T15:03:00.001-06:00

David and I spent the last two days installing the Simrad SimNet backbone in preparation for our electronics refit. The SimNet is Simrad's proprietary data transfer system that makes integration among various Simrad units easy, almost too easy. It's a plug and play system of which the only connection one has to make is to plug cable into a port. It's also a very fast system, 50 times faster than the outdated NMEA0183 standard and because it's based on the NMEA 2000 standard it's easy to interconnect with other NMEA 2000 units, even from other manufacturers. The SimNet cable consists of two wires. Blue and yellow are for data transfer while red and black provide power to units that have low power requirements. But you don't need to worry about doing any wiring, just plug the two ends of a SimNet cable in and you're done.

The SimNet system on our boat will consist of a backbone of which various t-joiners will be installed. All of the Simrad units on our boat will have drop cables connecting the unit to the backbone via the joiners. On Bruadair the backbone starts at the base of the mast with a 7-way joiner, a 16' SimNet cable runs from this joiner to the navigation station and is connected to an IS20 Graphic repeater. A six foot SimNet cable then runs aft to an AT10 SimNet/NMEA converter, from the converter a 16' cable runs to the lazarette and is connected to another 7-joiner. From there a six foot cable runs to another 7-way joiner in the lazarette, and a 16' cable runs from this joiner to the instrument turtle above the companionway hatch. That makes a total run of 60' of SimNet cables to create our backbone.

The masthead wind transducer, DST-800 depth/speed/temperature transducer and the RC42 rate compass for the autopilot are plugged in to the 7-way joiner at the base of the mast. This leaves 2 SimNet ports available for any future needs. The Simrad NAIS-300 AIS transponder and the GS-15 GPS antenna will plug into the 7-way joiner on the starboard side of the cockpit locker. The NSE-8 multifunction display, an IS20 Graphic repeater, AP28 autopilot control head and AC42 autopilot control box will plug into the 7-way joiner that is mounted in the center of the cockpit locker. All of these units will attach via SimNet drop cables.

So why did it take 2 days to install the backbone? Actually, it only took half a day to install the SimNet backbone, it took another day and a half to remove all of the old wiring that is no longer needed. And there was a lot of wiring to pull which meant accessing all sorts of areas on the boat. In the old system one unit would typically require a separate cable each for power, a transducer, data in and data out. For cables per unit replaced by one per unit (for the small units) means a lot of time saved in a new installation, and time costs money if you're not doing it yourself.

With the backbone installed we currently now have installed the three Simrad IS20 instrument heads in the turtle above the companionway hatch, an IS20 repeater at the nav station, the AIS transponder, the RC42 compass and the AT10 SimNet/NMEA converter are all installed and working. While it's not working completely as intended (still waiting on backordered items to finish the installation fully), it is working for what is installed. The AIS transponder is providing position data, the RC42 is providing heading information and the wind transducer is providing wind speed and direction to all the instrument heads.

In the next day or two we'll post a review of Simrad's IS20 Instruments. For more information about Simrad's SimNet system you can download the SimNet manual at www.simrad-yachting.com.

Installing the Simrad IS20 Instrument Heads

2010-02-19T15:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was yet another productive day aboard Bruadair. After our morning coffee I started with the removal of our old Navman sailing instrument displays which included a wind instrument, speed instrument and depth instrument. All three instrument heads were located in the turtle above the companionway hatch. After opening the access panel on the forward side of the turtle I unscrewed the rings that secured the displays, disconnected all the wires to the displays and then removed each display. Not particularly challenging it only took about 20 minutes. Inside the turtle remained all the cables that I then needed to remove that were associated with the Navman units and no longer required for the new Simrad units. The 7 cables that I removed were one each for power, the depth transducer, speed transducer, wind transducer, NMEA input, NMEA output and Navman's proprietary data the Navbus cable. These were pulled from the turtle through the headliner and all the way back to it's source. This actually took quite a bit of time as the wires were snaked everywhere and went to different parts of the boat.

Replacing these seven wires I ran a single SimNet cable from the cockpit locker to the turtle. The end of this cable in the cockpit locker will plug into a 7-way joiner while the end in the turtle would be connected to one of the IS20 instrument heads. This one SimNet cable is all I needed to run, all of the power and data will be shared by this thin cable and I have to say I'm impressed so far how easy it is to work with. With the SimNet cable run and all the access panels put back together it was time to start mounting the three IS20 instrument heads into the turtle. Originally the boat had Datamarine instruments (years ago!) which required a 4" circular hole. This being too big for the Simrad instrument heads we used a 5" x 5" by 1/4" thick mahogany board to cover the 4" hole. The new board had a 3.5" circular hole for the Simrad units.

Once the boards where in place I began mounting the three instrument heads using a straight edge to make sure everything was lined up properly. With the IS20 instrument heads in place I drilled four pilot holes for each unit and secured them with the included stainless steel screws. The holes for mounting are located in the corners of the instrument head so once the units were mounted corner caps were put into place over each screw giving the final product a very professional look. From the back side the SimNet cable was plugged into one display while the remaining two displays were daisy chained to the first with short 1' SimNet cables.

Most of the day was spent removing the old Navman units and associated wiring while it only took about an hour to install the Simrad instruments. Using a single cable made a world of different not only in ease of installing but in the time required as well.

The turtle now houses three good looking IS20 instrument heads. On the port side is the Combi unit which is capable of displaying any combination of depth, speed, log and temperature data, though it will primarily be used just for displaying depth. The center instrument head is the IS20 Wind and will give us both apparent and true wind direction and speed as well as velocity made good. The starboard unit is the IS20 Graphic and will repeat just about any data information but will be used primarily to display boat speed, average speed, max speed and trip log.

From their location in the turtle the instrument heads are visible from anywhere in the cockpit including the helmsman seat. Our next item on the list is to install the rest of the SimNet backbone which will entail running a single SimNet cable from the base of the mast to the nav station then back to the cockpit locker using various t-joiners along the way where other units will be able to plug in. More on this later. And once the backbone is run we'll apply power to the IS20 instrument heads and see how they work.

Simrad Masthead Transducer Installation

2010-02-18T08:46:00.001-06:00

Yesterday the wind was light and the water flat making it a good day to go to the top of the mast 45 feet above the water. It was also a good day as I was motivated enough to make the trip to install the new Simrad masthead transducer for our new wind instrument. The transducer is a wind vane that provides the wind direction and speed data for the IS20 Wind instrument. Before making the trip I carefully packed into my tool bag everything that I thought I would need to remove the old transducer and install the new as it's a long trip to make up and down the mast. We have mast steps which makes climbing the mast easier but it's still a chore to get up there. When I ascended the mast I had the main halyard clipped to me which David tailed, it was my safety line. Aside from numerous tools I took the following that were included with the masthead transducer (wind vane); mounting base, template for base, six stainless steel self tapping screws (4 are required but Simrad includes 2 spares) and a hard rubber gasket. I left the wind vane in the cockpit as I didn't want to damage it while I was working aloft.

Once I was at the mast head I wedged myself in between the rigging and tied myself off with a safety strap. With the main halyard still attached to me David secured his end at deck level on a cleat. For the next hour and a half I worked at a comfortable pace to get the job done right. The first task was to remove the old Navman wind transducer. I unscrewed the wind vane and tied it to my belt with a wire tie and then I removed the two screws that secured the base of the wind vane to the mast head. Next I cut the wire about half way from where it exited the mast to where it was attached to the base. The removal was easy and took less than 10 minutes.

I then began installing the new base for the Simrad transducer. Unfortunately the screw holes didn't match the old base but I was able to use one which was perfect for holding the base in place while I drilled the three other holes. I didn't want it accidentally falling and hitting the water and possibly sinking, this would have ruined my whole day. With the one screw holding the base in place I drilled the three additional holes slowly through the aluminum mast head and set the remaining screws to make sure everything fit snug, it did. To install the hard rubber gasket between the mast and the base I had to remove the four screws and base, insert the gasket and reinstall the base. Once done David attached the new wind vane to the spinnaker halyard and raised it up to me. The wind vane just snapped into place on top of the base. It has a nice positive locking feature and two slides have to be pushed aft to release the vane in the event we should ever need to take it off.

Next was the wiring. Normally one would run all new wiring down through the mast and into the boat to be connected to the SimNet backbone however on our boat that would require removing the mast to run the wire. That not being an option for us I took a six foot SimNet cable that I had taken to the top of the mast with me and cut one end off with a foot of wire attached to a SimNet plug. Inside are four wires with red and black providing power and blue and yellow for data. The cable from the previous wind vane exiting the top of the mast was in excellent condition and had six wires inside. So I spliced the wires together and weather proofed all the connections. After I plugged the SimNet plug end of the wire into the port on the wind vane I secured the excess cable and made a strain relief so that the plug would not accidentally come out of the wind vane.

The work done I carefully inspected our rigging as I slowly descended the mast. Our current Navman sailing instruments are installed in the turtle above the companionway hatch. I removed the old wind display and temporarily made connections for the SimNet power cable which I plugged into the back of the IS20 Wind instrument. The remaining piece of the 6' SimNet cable that I had cut for use at the top of the mast was spliced into the other end of the mast head transducer cable in the turtle and that cable was plugged into the second SimNet port on the back of the IS20 wind display. After turning on the circuit breaker and applying power I was very happy to see that the wind instrument was working, showing us both wind direction and wind speed. No more trips to the top of the mast! I removed the IS20 display and the temporary SimNet cables in the turtle.

Next on our list will be to run the SimNet backbone, remove the remaining two Navman displays from the turtle and install three IS20 displays in the turtle.

Simrad IS20 Instrument Displays - First Impressions

2010-02-17T10:42:00.001-06:00

While we're still waiting for some backordered items from Simrad before really getting into our electronics refit David and I have decided to start installing the Simrad IS20 sailing instrument displays as it's the only complete system we have on board that's ready to be installed. As our current wind and speed instruments are not working correctly and since we have depth on our Northstar multifunction display we decided to go ahead and remove these sailing instruments in preparation for installing the Simrad IS20 series displays.

The Simrad IS20 series displays are available as a digital display and an analog display. The digital displays include the Combi (speed, depth and temperature) and the Graphic (multifunction repeater including speed, depth, temperature, wind, position and navigation information). The analog displays include the Compass, Rudder, Wind and Tack (also known as the close hauled display). All of the analog displays have a small LCD display. The IS20 units can be purchased as a stand alone display, with transducers or in packages with multiple displays and transducers. We purchased the Basic Sailboat Package which included 1 Wind and 1 Combi instrument head, one 1' SimNet cable, masthead wind vane transducer with 60' of SimNet cable, a DST-800 depth/speed/temperature transducer with cabling, one Simnet t-joiner and a power cable with terminator. We also purchased three stand alone IS20 Graphic displays.

All of the displays are packed in a non-descript white card board box with a label describing the contents, model number and serial number. Inside the box for each display are the following; 1 instrument head (display), 1 display cover, 4 mounting screws, 4 snap on corners plus 2 spare corners, 1 SimNet blocking plug, one 1' SimNet cable, a flush mount template, owners manual and a warranty/service location pamphlet. An optional surface mount bracket is available.

The IS20 displays are very well constructed and made of hard plastic. The analog displays have four buttons while the digital displays have six. All the displays have LED back lighting both in white and red depending on use during the day or at night. There are four holes, one in each corner for securing the display and a corner cap is used once the display is mounted to cover the screws. I like this method of mounting as any future access to wiring or a need to remove the display can be done from the front and without having to remove any back panels. If one has a concern about the theft of their electronics the screws can be replaced with through bolts. The rear of the displays have two SimNet ports, a NMEA0183 input port (requires optional cable), an identification label and a rubber gasket to provide a weather proof seal. When surface mounted the display is only half an inch deep and with another inch needed for the SimNet cable these displays can be in very shallow spaces.

Installation is quite simple. The displays require a 3.5" circular hole and once cut one just needs to place the display in the hole and secure it with the included four stainless steel screws. The displays can be connected to the SimNet backbone system individually or daisy chained with the backbone via the SimNet cables.

When first applying power to the displays the instrument head will display information pertaining to the display including software version and display type, then it will ask you if you want to automatically select the sources (other units on the SimNet system which will provide data). After confirming the auto selection the display will recognize all the sources of information on the SimNet system including transducers. Very simple and very easy. After the initial set up these instrument heads power up in only 5 seconds.

The digital instrument heads have a variety of pages that can be displayed. Pages can be disabled or enabled and each page can be customized to display only the information you wish to see and in a format you desire. More will posted later about each of the displays individually. Instrument heads can be designated into groups so when changing back lighting, contrast, units of measurement or calibration on one display the others in the same group number will respond accordingly. A nice feature so that we don't have to change the back lighting on each individual display, just one.

As we continue with our installation and use of our IS20 instruments we'll post more here. We'll give a brief description of each unit's features and our impressions as we start to use them. Stay tuned.

Converting Waypoints, Routes and Tracks for a new system

2010-02-11T16:50:00.001-06:00

Since we purchased Bruadair eight years ago we have used two different chartplotters, a JRC and a Northstar. Both used C-Map cartography chips. Our new Simrad NSE-8 uses Navionics cartography chips and one of my concerns about going with a unit that uses something other than C-Map was would I be able to find a way to take all of my waypoints, routes and tracks for the past 8 years and convert them for use on the new NSE-8. With some internet research and trial and errors the answer was yes.

There are several free and paid programs available for download on the internet, two of them proved to be very useful in making the conversion possible. GPS Utility is available in a demo mode which limits the size of files one wants to convert but for $60 the full program will convert just about anything you have to almost anything you want. The other is GPSbabel, a free program. For the most part, because my files are large, I used GPSbabel. GPSbabel doesn't have quite the selection of formats as GPS Utility but it did have the formats that I needed to work with. Both programs are very easy to use and come with good documentation.

First I had to load all of my waypoints, routes and tracks into C-Map's PCplanner, a computer program that allows for navigation planning with C-Map chips. Once loaded I exported all of the files from PCplanner into files of .csv format. With BableGPS I imported the csv files and converted them to Lowrance's .usr file format. These files were then loaded to a USB stick and uploaded to the NSE-8. The NSE-8 will take files in several different formats including those from Lowrance, Northstar, Fugawi and GPX. It's nice to look at the file lists on the NSE-8 to see all of my waypoints, routes and tracks for the past two and a half years. BableGPS will work with several different formats so if you're upgrading or changing systems give it a try. Unfortunately neither program has support for my JRC files but during my next internet access in a couple months I might be able to find a program that works with these files, the JRC files has all of our navigation information for the first three years of our cruise and should we ever decide to head back to the Gulf of Mexico it would be nice to have them.

We're still waiting to hear back from Simrad on our back ordered items. We were really hoping to have started our installation by now as March is a busy month for us with a lot of moving around planned and time will be tight that month for an installation. However we're still excited about the refit and will be reporting on each of the equipment we install, it's operation and our opinion of the system as we use it, so stay tuned...

Simrad Packaging

2010-01-31T17:17:00.001-06:00

A few days ago I returned from Panama City with most of my Simrad order and thought I would discuss it's packaging. All of the electronic units (displays) were packaged in white non-descript boxes. The boxes are made of heavy and firm corrugated cardboard and each has a label on the outside describing the contents with serial numbers. Unlike other electronics I have purchased in the past the cardboard is very stiff and seems to provide pretty good protection. There's also very little air space in the box so each box just big enough for it's particular contents. The only exception was the DST-800 Depth/Speed/Temperature transducer from Airmar, it was in brown cardboard box but also very well packed.

Each box contained a single display with an owners manual. All of the owners manuals from Simrad are spiral bound on heavy paper with easy to read font. The manuals for monochrome displays are printed in black and while while the manuals for color displays are printed in color. Also included in each box are the corner tabs to cover the holes where the mounting screws go. While there are four corners each display comes with six covers, two spares. The display covers that are also included are positive locking so they won't accidentally slip off and are off-white in color, they won't show dirt as easily as our previous white covers. Stainless steel screws are also included with each box for mounting the display. I like that each display mounts from the front, this eliminates having to remove any back access panels to install or remove a Simrad display. Each display also includes associated wiring.

The IS20 displays and the NSE-8 display are made in Mexico while all the SimNet cables, the AP28 autopilot display and masthead wind transducer are made in Norway.

As we continue with our installation after the remaining items arrive we will discuss build quality, installation process and of course features and use in the real world.

Simrad products on the boat

2010-01-29T16:05:00.001-06:00

I returned from Panama City yesterday where I had picked up my three boxes of Simrad electronics. After getting back to the boat I unpacked everything and did a quick inventory. Most everything showed up but a couple crucial parts were on back order so we can't quite yet start the installation. Since we're not tied up at a dock this installation isn't something that we can do at a leisurely pace. We're anchored and actively cruising so we want to make sure we have all our parts on hand before we start installing so that we can have minimal down time, maybe a week or so. We hope to have the back ordered items on the boat in the next week or two. There were also three connectors that I was expecting but didn't get so Simrad is verifying if they were included in my order and not shipped or if they didn't make it on my order form. I'm confident it'll be resolved easily and they'll be headed this way with the remaining items.

I was very happy with the way the units were packed. Simrad didn't skimp on the use of bubble wrap and other packing materials and all the smaller boxes were well protected in the shipping boxes. There were no invoices for my order either inside the box or on the outside but it's quite possible that our shipping agent in Panama City may have removed them if they were on the outside of the box. I should have asked him.

I want to write about how each unit is packaged and shipped as well as my first impressions of the Simrad units but I'm going to wait until tomorrow when I'm more rested. We had a long and rough trip today and we're just beat.

Radar - ways we use it

2010-01-25T12:08:00.001-06:00

Most people think that the only reason to have radar on the boat is to see through fog or at night. A lot of boaters decide against adding radar because they don't sail in areas of fog or they don't sail at night. We've also met a lot of boaters that have radar but don't use them but we have found our radar to useful in many ways. We don't have fog here in the tropics but we do sail at night when making passages, but there are so many other ways that radar can be useful on a cruising boat.

I have poor depth perception and can't accurately judge the distance between myself and other boats or land but with the radar running I get a clear picture of the anchorage and can find a suitable and safe spot to drop the anchor. When the winds pipe up or a storm blows in, especially at night, I can use the radar to not only see if we are dragging anchor but I can see if anyone in front of me is dragging anchor. While we don't have fog here in the tropics we do have some dense rain squalls, the radar allows me to see land and traffic in the rain when visibility is reduced.

Radar is excellent for weather tracking. Whether at anchor or underway I can track squalls and thunderstorms to see which direction they are heading. If we are at anchor and a large rain storm is headed our way I can get brushes and soap out and be ready to give the boat a good washing. David can make sure our rain catching system is up and ready too. With High Definition radar the intensity of squalls or storms are displayed in different colors, less dense being light blue and very dense being red. Underway I can see where the least dense part of a squall is and pass through it accordingly if I can't go around it.

Radar is an excellent tool during the day but especially at night for spotting traffic. While most commercial ships use running gear we can see them first on radar and determine if we're on a collision course or not. Many small fishing boats do not use lights at night so the radar is important for picking them up.

Another way we use our radar is to track other vessels with the radar overlayed onto the chart. If a vessel is moving through a passage that I have not yet been through I can watch their radar return on my chart and place waypoints every time they turn, this gives me a reasonable starting place for creating a route from where they just entered or exited. Using the overlay I can also guide vessels into an anchorage by watching their target return on my chart and can give directions over the radio guiding them over my track and into an anchorage that otherwise might be tricky to get into.

These are some of the ways we use our radar and I'm sure there are other applications as well.

Why a fish finder on a cruising boat?

2010-01-25T09:07:00.001-06:00

In our previous posts discussing our upcoming Simrad electronics refit I had mentioned that we will be installing a Simrad BSM-1 broadband sonar (fish finder). One of the most common questions seems to be "why a fish finder on a cruising boat". When we originally outfitted out boat with electronics six and a half years ago I felt the same way, it didn't make sense to have one on the boat since we're not a fishing boat. But two and a half years ago we installed a new Northstar M84 multifunction display which had a built in sonar module and for $79 we purchased a transducer that gave us the fish finder feature. After using this sonar for the last few years I have to say that I like having it, thus the BSM-1 on our upcoming refit list.

A regular depth sounder usually has digital read out that displays instantaneous depth which is important information for any boat to have. But a fish finder, or sonar, not only displays instantaneous depth but also shows a history of the depth of where you just traveled. For me being able to see the history is important. It allows me to find a pocket of deeper water surrounded by shallow water. We like to drop our anchor in the pocket of deep water as it's almost impossible to drag an anchor uphill into shallow water. When traveling over shoals I can look back at the history to see how long the shoal was. A sonar will also give me a good idea of what the bottom looks like, whether it is a relatively flat bottom, lots of tall weeds or full or rocks or coral heads. When we were in Cartagena we were aware of a sunken sailboat and with the sonar we could ensure that we didn't drop our anchor on top of it. Another nice feature is we can see if there is any fish activity under the boat when we are anchored in case I feel like fishing. Underway we can see at what depth the fish swimming and if we had a downrigger we could deploy our lure at the appropriate depth.

Since we already have a transducer installed from our Northstar system, and because it's compatible with the new Simrad system we decided to utilize the sonar feature on our new NSE-8 multifunction display. It's similar to other items on the boat. If you have never used radar or sonar before then you don't miss it, but once you use it you realize how valuable and useful it is.

A word about solar panels

2010-01-23T08:52:00.001-06:00

For those of you who are considering adding solar panels to your boat you should be aware that the rated output and what you get may not be the same. All solar panels are temperature sensitive and as the temperature of the panels go up the output goes down. For example our Kyrocera 130 watt solar panels are rated for 120 watt output when the panel temperature is 27 degrees celcius. But when the temperature of the solar panel reaches 47 degrees celcius the output drops nearly 25% to 87 watts. This is all according to the specifications sticker on the solar panel. This is also our real life experience. With a total of 500 watts of solar panels (rated) our actual maximum output here in the tropics is about 385 watts. So if you're shopping around for solar panels be sure to read the specifications on the back of the panel or in the brochure. And when planning your electrical gain from solar panels don't forget to take into consideration the area you will be cruising and the temperature of the panels.

A word about Navpods

2010-01-20T12:12:00.000-06:00

Like us many boats house their instruments in Navpods. With the installation of our new autopilot and NSE-8 multifunction display we had change out the front of our Navpod, the new instruments won't fit in the holes where our current instruments are. Navpods aren't cheap but the good news is that the front pieces can be bought direct from Oceans Equipment. If you can re-use the back piece you can save close to 50%. Just thought we would share...

Almost Here

2010-01-20T10:02:00.000-06:00

I had a great few days in Panama City and returned to the boat yesterday. We were getting ready to raise anchor and head on to another anchorage but after checking emails we're going to stick around in Nargana for a few extra days. It turns out that two boxes of our Simrad order arrived last night in Panama City and our agent, Arturo, cleared them in this morning through customs. Now we have to figure out how to get the boxes to us in the San Blas. One option is to deposit money into Arturo's bank account at the bank here in Nargana then Arturo would ship the boxes to us via Air Panama. Another option is for one of us to fly to Panama City to pick them up but because there's only one flight per day to Nargana that would require an overnight stay in Panama City. We're talking with Arturo on what he thinks would be the best way to go but we're leaning towards making a flight into Panama City to have better control of the electronics.

We also found out that a third box is shipping this week and a fourth box with the backordered items might be shipping around February 1st. We won't begin the installation until we have everything on board but that's okay, that leaves more time to play! In the mean time I was able to pick up a Navionics chip which has all the electronic charts for the area we are cruising and Navplanner, a computer software program that allows us to do waypoint and route planning with our Navionics charts. I've been playing with that for a few days now. While the Navionics charts use the same data that the C-Map charts use (we've used C-map for six years now), the presentation is different. It will take a while for us to become accustomed to the Navionics charts. The other challenge is that waypoint, route and track files are in different formats which means it will take a lot of time to convert all our routes and waypoints manually. Already starting on that too.

In the mean time I guess it's back to some play time

Purchase Completed

2010-01-08T16:14:00.001-06:00

Well, we finally got our order in for all the new Simrad gear, we hope it ships soon to make our scheduling needs here in Panama. I'm going to be in Panama City on the 18th and if it ships in time I'll be able to pick it up while I'm there, otherwise I might have to buy another plane ticket and get a hotel for when it does arrive. Let's hope it's here before the 18th.

We changed our plans just slightly from originally posted. We did get everything on the list but opted to pass on the new VHF radio system as it was going to put us over our budget for this refit project. We will be able to use our current Northstar VHF radio and have it tied into the Simrad gear so it will receive position information from the GPS.

Now the waiting game....

Planned Schematic

2009-12-23T12:39:00.000-06:00

Here's a schematic on how we think we'll be installing our new Simrad equipment. It looks like a lot of wires but it really isn't. Actually, it's much less than what we have installed now on our current equipment.

Our refit selection - Simrad

2009-12-23T12:30:00.001-06:00

As mentioned in our previous post we will be doing an electronics refit on Bruadair over the next month or so and after carefully reviewing the products from all the manufacturers we have decided to go with Simrad. Simrad is owned by Navico which also owns Northstar, Lowrance and Navman among other brand names. Our previous experience with Navico's technical support and customer service team as well as dealing with warranty issues has generally been positive and Navico has usually responded to our email inquires promptly. We are confident that the service they have provided for our Navman and Northstar equipment will be repeated with our Simrad equipment.

Other reasons for choosing Simrad include compatibility with our current radar antenna and radar processing unit. Not having to purchase a new radar antenna and related equipment will help with the budget. SimNet is Simrad's proprietary data network based on the NMEA 2000 CAN bus and will allow for connectivity and easy interfacing of all our new equipment reducing the amount of wires running through the boat. We estimate that we will be able to reduce between 50 to 75% of the wires, if not more, used for our current electronics. Data transfer on the SimNet network is 50 times faster than that of our current NMEA 0813 network and is easily integrated with NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0813 devices with optional adapters. The SimNet cable has small connectors at the end requiring a hole no larger than 3/8" making running wires through small conduits or through bulkheads easy. Because this is a powered network the SimNet cable will also provide power to some of the instruments further reducing existing wiring on the boat. Having power and data wires in a small cable means running only one cable rather than numerous wires as in our old system. A schematic of how our system will be wired will follow shortly.

So here's the equipment we have settled on offered by Simrad with a brief description. Each individual item will be reviewed in following posts.

NSE-8 Multifunction display. Just now being released this is a new product from Simrad and is packed with features. We will utilize it as a chartplotter, radar and sounder. AIS targets will be displayed on the radar display as well as the chart display, it has MARPA capabilities, track colors can be customized, waypoint 'lolipops' will be displayed on the radar screen, radar overlay, direct access keys for quick display selections and an alphanumeric keypad for easier labeling of waypoints and routes. USB ports located in the front and rear will allow for easy transfer of system settings, screen shots, waypoints, routes and tracks to a memory stick. An option is given to navigating by a rhumb line or via the great circle route. With an 80gb hard drive there will be more than sufficient space to store our numerous waypoints and routes. This 8" display (SVGA), also available in 12" (XGA), can be networked with additional displays. The display has a very high brightness bonded screen with LED back lighting making for easy viewing both during the day and at night. It has very fast redraw performance, 3D charting and satellite photo overlay capabilities. Radar controls such as Gain, Sea and Rain will be displayed on the radar screen as icons and easily controlled via the rotary knob. It's also preloaded with Navionics charts for North America and utilizes Navionics SD cards for the rest of the world. The NSE-8 will fit nicely in our Navpod instrument housing and will only require 5 small cables to be run through the stainless steel tubing of the pedestal guard. It will be interfaced with a BSM-1 sounder module. With full back lighting this multifunction display will draw a maximum of 1.8 amps.

AP28 Autopilot with AC42 control box, RC42 compass and RF25 rudder feedback unit. The AP28 autopilot display includes 14 push buttons and the much appreciated rotary control knob. With it's large back lit display all the information we want to see will be easily viewable. The display also has numerous data screens available to show a variety of information provided on the SimNet system. With a width of 6.8" the display will fit nicely in our Navpod next to the NSE-8 and will require only one SimNet cable to be run through the tubing. It will allow us to steer by a compass heading, a set angle to the wind or to a waypoint via interfacing with the NSE-8. The AC42 control box is the largest offered by Simrad and is rated at 30 amp continuous power with peak power at 50 amps. This is one of the largest offered in the industry and should be powerful enough to handle Bruadair's displacement of 28,000 pounds. The AC42 is also compatible with our current hydraulic pump and ram. The RC42 rate compass is connected to the system via a single SimNet cable and heading data will be sent to both the autopilot and NSE-8.

IS20 Sailing Instruments. Our sailing instruments will consist of a wind instrument to provide wind direction and speed, two combi displays to display depth, speed, water temperature and trip logs. These will be located in the cockpit area. A graphic repeater will be installed at the nav station. Each display is 4.5" x 4.5" and draws only 0.1 amps. Each will be connected via a single SimNet cable which will provide power and data. A DST800 transducer will be installed at our next haul out which will provide depth, water speed and water temperature in a single unit and requires only one hole in the hull. It will require only one wire to be run between the transducer and the SimNet system.

RS87 Dual Station VHF Radio. This is a black box VHF radio system where the transceiver will be mounted in an out of the way place with two full featured active handsets, one installed at the nav station and the other at the helm. The RS87 has DSC calling and will receive the ship's position information via a single Simnet cable connected to the SimNet system. Other features include intercom calling, hailing and fog horn options, alphanumeric keypad and separate speakers.

NAIS-300 Class B AIS Transponder. This is already installed on our boat and will interface with our NSE-8 multifunction display via a single SimNet cable. This dual channel unit provides Class A and Class B target information as well as transmits our position, course and speed to other vessels with an AIS receiver.

As we continue with our refit we will be discussing each individual unit as it is unpacked, installed and used as well as a full list of features for each equipment. Our first order of business is to get all our new equipment ordered and delivered by January 10th. Once on the boat the process will first start with uninstalling our current equipment, removing unnecessary wiring, running the backbone of the SimNet system then installing each unit one at a time. Stay tuned!

Choosing Electronics - The Big Picture

2009-12-20T20:19:00.000-06:00

Twenty years ago the choice of electronics for boats were very limited. Most boats were equipped only with a VHF radio and a depth sounder, some had radio direction finders and Loran systems, those that could afford luxuries even had simple autopilots and a radar. The first GPS unit became available to boaters in the late 1980s and those that could afford the almost $2000 price tag were the only ones to have one.

Twenty years later and the choice of marine electronics available have become mind boggling. The cost of GPS units are so low that even most budget conscious boat owners have at least one, many boats have a back up or two. Simple GPS units that provided only position, course and speed have evolved into feature packed chart plotters and multifunction displays. VHF radios have evolved to include DSC calling features and now we have the newest electronic 'must have', the Automatic Identification System (AIS).

When we bought Bruadair almost eight years ago she was outfitted with vintage but working depth sounder and vhf radio, and that was it. We were glad that she didn't have a full suite of electronics on board as that gave us the opportunity to outfit with the gear we wanted, not what the previous owner wanted. And since we installed it ourselves we are familiar with all the wiring and installation techniques which has proven to be valuable for troubleshooting purposes. Our last refit for electronics took place just before we left Texas five years ago with the exception of a new chartplotter and vhf radio which was installed two years ago.

David and I are now looking at doing another refit of our entire electronics on Bruadair and have started the selection process, we hope to have our products on board soon and installed over the next month. Our refit will include a new Multifunction display (chart/radar/sonar), a new autopilot, new sailing instruments including wind, speed and depth and repeater as well as a new VHF radio with remote microphone in the cockpit. The only thing not being replaced with be our Simrad NAIS-300 AIS transponder that was installed 8 months ago. Following is our thought process in deciding which electronics to go with, the same principle that I have used when consulting with other boaters and cruisers. Your priorities of course may be different but this might give you an idea of other things to consider besides price.

All-in-one or separate standalone units: One might argue that having separate radar, sonar and chartplotters is the best way to go because if one system fails the others will remain functional. This is hard to disagree with. But small to medium size boats, ours included, don't have the space either at the helm or nav station below for two or three screens. For this purpose a multifunction display utilized as a chartplotter, sonar and radar makes more sense for our purpose. Here the cost benefit will be with the multifunction display (MFD), and for boats with two helms many MFDs today can be networked so that a second display acts as a repeater. This eliminates the need for two GPS antennas, two radar antennas and so on. For our refit we will be installing a multifunction display, a handheld GPS will serve as our back up navigation unit.

Features: Today's electronics are packed with features but we need to take a realistic look at the features we plan on utilizing. For example there's no need to choose a more expensive VHF radio that has hailing and fog horn functions if that is something we don't plan on using. Features that are important to us (thought not a full list) include AIS targets displayed on the chart and radar screen, high definition or broadband radar, sonar (fish finder), user selected colors for track lines, easy route planning, direct access keys, alphanumeric keypad, easy interfacing, good daylight visibility and good night lighting adjustments. I could go on and on about the features that are important to our new unit but space here is limited. More will come in following entries. One of the things I do is I download the installation and operators manuals for each product I am considering. Reviewing the manuals allows me to see if all the features that are important to me are available and how they work.

Screen size: Who says size doesn't matter? For our electronics it does. Multifunction displays typically are available in 8.4", 10.2" 12" and 15" and are usually wide screen. The larger the screen the more you can see. For example with a small screen you might have to pan across the chart more than you would with a larger screen. But the installation site will also determine how large you can go. On Bruadair at our helm we can accommodate an 8.4" or a 10.2" screen so that will narrow our selection down a little. Another consideration in screen size is electrical needs. The larger the screen usually means more amp draw. Autopilot displays also have different screen sizes as does sailing instruments. Our new instruments need to be easily viewable from the helmsman position and the autopilot display needs to be large enough to display not only heading but rudder position, waypoint bearing and a few other navigation items. Bruadair's new multifunction display will have an 8.4" screen.

Electrical draw: A power boater might not be as concerned with the amount of amps required to run the electronics but sailors usually want to know what kind of demand the unit will put on their battery bank. Not all units are created equal. You can usually find the amp draw in the specifications table at the back of the manual, another reason for downloading manuals during the research phase. Is it worth saving a couple hundred dollars if the less expensive unit draws twice as many amps? Maybe not.

Ease of Use: Every piece of electronics have push buttons for interaction with but there are other options that can make using a unit easier. One of our needs is that the new autopilot display must have a rotary knob to make course changes easier and faster. Some multifunction displays have a cursor keypad that can be pushed to control the direction of the cursor on the screen or scroll through menu items. Some MFDs use a trackball and others might have a push button joystick, though I haven't seen those around for quite some time. And that's a shame, I find that the joystick is the easiest to use to move the cursor around with. Our new MFD will most likely have a cursor keypad for cursor control and a rotary knob for navigating through menus.

Documentation: The installation and operators manuals need to be easy to read and understand. This is where downloading manuals comes in handy. If you download a manual for a unit you are considering and have difficulties understanding how the unit works, it might not be the right choice for you. The units we will be installing for our refit will come with clear and concise instructions for both installation and use.

Service and Warranty: While we hope to never need warranty repairs done it's important to know the manufacturer's history in providing technical support and warranty service. Talk to your fellow boaters and browse the internet for people's experiences. Look at the warranty period, some may have only one year while others two or three years. Some companies offer a flat rate repair fee after the warranty period, a plus in my opinion. A company that has a history of providing excellent support and service might be worth spending a few extra bucks for.

Interfacing: In the past instruments were interfaced via NMEA 0813 wiring. Almost all electronics have or had NMEA outputs to allow for interfacing but it was never easy to do as NMEA 0813 was never standardized. Some companies used one wire hookups while other used 2 wires. Most were set at 4800 baud but not all. Complex systems required the use of multiplexers to synchronize the NMEA information. Today with NMEA 2000 and an industry standard for connectivity interfacing has become much easier and data speed much faster. Some companies have their own version of NMEA 2000, Raymarine uses a Seatalk system and Simrad uses their Simnet system. Our new equipment will most likely be from one manufacturer so that we can utilize single cable interfacing between all units.

Price: As with so many aspects of marine gear available to boat owners today the decision on which electronics to outfit with can be overwhelming. I think that one of the most common approaches is to buy based on price. Buying the lowest priced electronics can makes initial sense to the budget but it might not might make long term sense to the budget. Price is of course always a consideration but where on the list of priorities should it be? What service will we receive after purchase? What is the reputation for warranty service? What is the length of warranty? Are there worldwide service centers if planning on leaving one's home country? If I buy cheap now will I be replacing every year? If I buy expensive will it last? In choosing our new electronics we'll consider price to make sure we stay in our budget but we feel that it's worth paying a little extra if necessary to go with a company that provides excellent customer service and provides us with a reliable, easy to use product that will give us years of trouble free use.

We will continue to post on our blog our electronics refit experience including our final decision on the products we choose, our thoughts on how they are packaged, the removal of our old system, the installation of the new, thoughts on documentation and interfacing. We will also be providing feedback over the next several months on the operation of the new equipment as well as any software updates, technical support experiences and so on.

So stay tuned, we'll be posting soon which products we have settled on, and why we chose them.

Simrad NAIS-300 Class B AIS Transponder

2009-10-07T10:00:00.000-05:00

Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) have been around a long time and required for use on most large commercial ships. AIS is very similar to transponders on aircraft in that they transmit the commercial vessel's navigation information such as name, call sign, position, course, speed, rate of turn, length and draft, port of origin and destination as well as navigation status (underway, anchored...). AIS units for commercial vessels are categorized as Class A systems. For the past few years AIS receivers have been available for pleasure boats allowing reception of Class A data so that we can identify and monitor large commercial vessels around us however it hasn't been until recently that Class B transponders became available allowing pleasure boats to transmit their vessel and navigation information. Class B transponders don't transmit as much information as Class A units however the important data such as vessel name, call sign, course and speed are transmitted. It is important to note that AIS receivers are a supplement to keeping a proper watch as not all vessels are equipped with AIS.

Shortly after Class B transponders became available we purchased and installed a Simrad NAIS-300 Class B AIS Transponder. This was back in April 2009. With all the choices on the market we chose the Simrad unit for a variety of reasons. Simrad is owned by Navico who also owns Northstar. Since almost all of our electronics are Northstar units, and because we're familiar with the customer service and warranty service offered by Navico we opted to continue to be a loyal customer. In addition the Simrad NAIS-300 also integrated easily with our Northstar M84 multifunction display but can also be connected to any other compatible chart plotter display or a personal computer.

At the time the order was placed we were required to provide information including the vessels name and MMSI number so that the unit could be programmed at the factory before being shipped. The FCC requires programming be done prior to shipping to a customer regardless of where you buy your Class B transponder or what brand you buy. The unit arrived on time and was well packed. Included in the box was the transponder unit itself, GPS antenna with cable, SIMNET cable, cable strain relief cover, software disc and user’s manual. Not included but necessary for completing the installation was a GPS antenna mount, an AIS antenna (VHF antenna will work), antenna wire, cables for power, NMEA and serial connections and misc electrical connectors. Optionally one can install a switch (not included) to disable the transmit function while keeping the receiver function enabled.

The manual is very well laid out with installation and operation instructions easy to read. Installing the NAIS-300 involved finding a suitable location for and mounting the transponder unit, mounting the GPS and AIS antennas and routing their cables to the transponder, routing power wires to the unit, routing the NMEA 0183 wire to our Northstar multifunction display and installing the transmit disabling switch. We also hooked up a serial cable to the transponder which allows us to run the included software on our laptop to check the status of the transponder as well as change a few parameters if necessary (antenna location, vessel size...). From unpacking to completing the installation took only half a day. Routing wires took most of the time involved.

Operation is pretty straight forward. When we first applied power to the NAIS-300 I used my laptop to monitor satellite acquisitions for the GPS antenna as well as proper receive and transmit operation. I was able to see a list of AIS targets and see the target's name, position, course and so on. Another nice feature of Simrad’s software is that you can check the efficiency of the AIS antenna to make sure it’s working within the tolerances allowed. Now that I verified operation it was time to turn on the Northstar chartplotter. Our chartplotter displayed all the targets appropriately overlayed onto the chart. I contacted a couple ships via VHF radio and confirmed that they were able to see my position and information so the transmit operation was verified.
Not having owned other Class B transponders I can’t compare the NAIS-300 to other units. However this unit appears to be very well built, was easy to install and works as advertised. And while Class B AIS transponders are not inexpensive I believe they offer a valuable addition to one’s navigation and safety inventory that they should be considered affordable.

Rating:
Performance 10
Quality 10
Ease of Use 10
Installation 9
Documentation 10
Customer Service 9
Warranty Service n/a
Overall Rating : 9.5

Fujinon 12x32 Techno-Stabi Binoculars

2009-09-21T13:13:00.002-05:00

We purchased a pair of Fujinon 12x32 Techno-Stabi binoculars just before we departed Kemah Texas five years ago and for almost the first year we were very happy with them. One of the challenges with using binoculars on a boat is keeping a steady image in site, the Fujinon sure did the job to keep a steady image. Having used normal 7x50 binoculars in the past I have to say that the stabilized image was refreshing as we could actually read the numbers on buoys and names on ships. With normal binoculars this was almost impossible from any distance but near.

The Fujinon 12x32 came boxed with a binocular strap, caps for the eye pieces, 2 AA batteries, an instruction manual and warranty card. It would have been nice for Fujinon to include caps for the other end of the lenses so be prepared to keep these clean on a regular basis. Operation was quite easy. Without turning on the image stabilizng the binoculars work well on solid ground but have some shake in the image aboard a boat. To turn on the image stabilization you press and hold the power button for a couple of seconds and when powered a small amber light appears. Then to activate the image stabilization one flips a little lever located conveniently on the left side, and when activated the amber power light turns green. To save battery power you can flip the switch to deactivate the stabilization but leave the power on, turning off only when you're done with the binoculars. When activated the stabilizing does well to minimize hand shake making reading boat names and buoy numbers from a distance possible. Focus is a center adjustment and easy to use.

The power pack is a small box on the hand strap which houses to AA batteries. This is the down side of the Fujinon and the source of our disappoinment with these binoculars. From the battery pack to the binocular is a small and fragile wire. Within a year of owning these Fujinon binoculars our battery pack failed, and since they were under warranty I though it would be no problem to send them in and get the power pack replaced. Unfortunately that didn't work out like I expected. After contacting Fujinon's service center I was informed that the power pack would be replaced at a cost of almost $200 and that the power pack was not covered under warranty. After numerous emails with Fujinon I made no headway. What I did learn after numerous internet searches and reading many message board entries is that the failure of the power pack was a very common experience among owners thus leading me to think that this just might be a design flaw. And how disappointing it is to purchase a pair of $800 binoculars only to be told that to get a part fixed during the warranty period would cost 25% of the original purchase price when Fujinon is aware of the ongoing issue of the power pack. That's just poor business practice.

In the end I went back to West Marine where we purchased the Fujinon 12x32 Techno-Stabi binoculars and explained my experience with Fujinon's lack of warranty service. West Marine offered to exchange them for another pair which we did. And again they worked well for almost another year until the power pack failed once again. When they work they work well and as advertised, but I wouldn't recommend buying a pair unless your intention is to use them for less than a year.

Rating:

Performance 10
Quality 3
Ease of Use 9
Installation 9
Documentation 9
Customer Service 1 (at least they answered my emails)
Warranty Service 0

Overall Rating : Hard to say
Would buy again : Definately Not

Outback MX60 MPPT Solar Controler

2009-08-06T14:35:00.004-05:00

Solar panels are a great addition to any cruising boat provided one has room to mount them. One of the key components to a good solar array installation is the solar regulator or controller which controls the voltage and amperage level to for appropriate output to the batteries.

When we left Texas we had one solar panel with a simple and inexpensive solar regulator. In St. Petersburg Florida we added a second solar panel and the same controller was rated to handle the output of both panels. Typical regulators take the input voltage and steps it down to just above the battery voltage. For example solar panels designed for a 12 volt system usually has an output of around 17.5 to 19 volts. The regulator steps this down to about 13.5 volts for a 12 volt system which is commonly found on most boats. With this type of installation multiple panels have to be wired in parallel and require large gauge wire to handle the amperage. Two 120 watt solar panels will output about 14 amps at 17 volts. Normal solar controlers cannot step down the voltage of higher rated panels, such as those rated for 24, 36 or 48 volts, for a 12 volt system.

Then there are the MPPT solar controllers such as the Outback MX60 that we installed a year and a half ago. On the surface the MPPT controllers are very attractive because they are advertised as increasing the available amperage by up to 30%. The key words being 'up to'. When reading the fine print in the manual for any MPPT controller one will find that the 30% increase in available amps occurs under ideal circumstances which is when the solar panels themselves are cool and the ambient air temperature and controller temperatures are cool. Further reading will reveal that the benefited increase in amps declines the futher south one travels into warmer weather. The hotter the panels and ambient ari temperature the less the benefit of the MPPT controller. In the tropics in sunny weather the benefits are minimal.

So why pay 10 times the cost for an MPPT controller? Well, there are still benefits even if one doesn't get to see the 30% increase. With an MPPT controller solar panels can be wired in series which means using smaller gauge wire. If wired in parallel these two panels would be wired for 12 volts at 120 watts outputing abotu 14 amps. Wired in series these two panels have an output of 24 volts at 120 watts thus putting out only 7 amps. With half the output I can run much smaller wire through the tubing in my arch, an easy task. At the controller the 7 amps at 24 volts is stepped down to 12 volts and the amps back up to 14 volts. So the benefit here is smaller gauge wire for the solar installation.

Another benefit is one can now buy larger panels such as 360 or 400 watt panels designed for 36 volt or 48 volts systems, an MPPT controller will step this down automatically to match the boat's system voltage. Another increase in amps, though very slight and almost not noticable here in the tropics, is that the MPPT controller will keep the output voltage to just above the battery voltage. A normal fixed controller keeps it output at 13.5 to 14 volts, it's a fixed output. If the battery voltage is 12.7 volts and the MPPT controller and lower the output voltage to 13 volts then there is a slight increase in amps.

Where the MPPT controller really does make a difference, and again it's slight, is on cloudy days. We do notice that the output of our solar panels is slightly higher on cloudy days than if we were using a standard solar controller.

Overall we've been very happy with our Outback MX60 MPPT controller. We like it's robust construction and ease of installation. The included manual is very laid out and provides easy installation instructions. The onboard digital screen makes programming easy and allows one to see the input volts, amps and watts from the solar panels as well as the output volts, amps and watts to the batteries. The display also shows the day's total output to the battery and keeps track of daily output with a 30 day history. The Outback MX60 will take an input of up to 60 amps making it an excellent controller for larger solar arrays. MPPT controllers, and the Outback is not an exception, is very expensive. For about $50 one can get a standard controller or for $500 an Outback unit. For the difference in price one could add another solar panel and have a substantial increase in amps, more than the MX60 could provide. But one would also have to have the room to add that additional panel and that can be an issue on most small boats like ours.

Rating:

Performance 10
Quality 10
Ease of Use 10
Installation 9
Documentation 9
Customer Service n/a

Overall Rating 9.75
Would buy again Probably

Spade Anchor

2009-07-02T19:55:00.001-05:00

Our anchor setup before leaving Texas five years ago consisted of a 35 lb. CQR anchor as the primary and a 33 lb. Bruce anchor as the secondary. This was a good setup for sailing on the bay and along the coast but our needs were changing. We wanted to beef up our primary anchor because we knew that when we would start cruising we would spend most of our time at anchor.

After some research we ended up buying a new 33 lb. aluminum Spade anchor before taking off for our extended cruise. The Spade anchors are available in aluminum and galvanized steel. We chose the aluminum because of it’s lighter weight.. Though the 22 lb. aluminum model was rated as sufficient for Bruadair I wanted our primary anchor to be oversized. The 33 LB model is definitely oversized as it’s rated for boats up to 65’ or 40,000 pounds, our boat is about 26,000 pounds fully loaded for cruising. The 33 lb aluminum anchor has the same holding power as the 66 pound steel version. This is because holding power is determined by the surface area of the anchor not the weight. The steel anchor, being twice the weight, is supposed to set much faster especially in grassy or hard bottoms. We’ve been very happy with how fast our aluminum anchor sets. We weigh 26k pounds loaded. The Spade anchor, unlike some other anchors, sits very well in a bow roller.

We have used our Spade anchor quite a bit since we left Texas in mud, sand , rock and grassy bottoms. I can’t say enough good things about it. It has set the first time every time, has never broken out when we change directions with the tide and we have never dragged anchor. With our all chain rode in 40 knots of wind we have always stayed put. The anchor is relatively easy to break out of the ground but on occasion it does require a bit of effort. Everyone we have met out here cruising that has a Spade anchor loves them, no one would give it up.

The only down side of the Spade anchor is it’s price, they are not inexpensive by any means. But when living on the hook most of the time peace of mind of having a good anchor is always worth something. We have yet to use our CQR or Bruce anchor so we cannot compare them to the Spade. We have met many boaters out there using the Spade and the consensus is the same, it’s an excellent anchor.

Rating:

Performance 10
Quality 10
Ease of Use 10
Installation 9
Documentation 8
Customer Service n/a

Overall Rating 9.75
Would buy again Definitely

Katadyne 40E/80E watermaker

2009-07-01T22:04:00.002-05:00

The installation of our Katadyn 40E watermaker was done five years ago, three years ago we upgraded to a Katadyn 80E watermaker which produces about 3.5 gallons per hour. We find this output to be much more condusive to our needs. In the three years that we've had this water maker we have not had any issues whatsoever. It's performed as advertised and the support from Katadyn has been excellent in regards to our questions, both before purchase and after, by phone and email.

The Katadyn units arrived very well packed and all the accessories required including much of the hose were included. The instruction manual was very well laid out in terms we could understand and photos to go along with the instructions. Installation took only one day. The simpleness of the Katadyn watermakers was one big advantage in our mind, that meant less in the system to break. As we're approaching 1000 hours on our watermaker we will be doing a complete overhaul this summer before we head back to the San Blas Islands, basically that means just tearing it apart to replace all the seals and then putting it back together. Below is the web site entry we did when we installed the smaller 40E unit, upgrading to the 80E was simple as all the plumbing was in place and for the most part it's installed in the same manner. If we ever had to replace our watermaker it would without a doubt be with another Katadyn unit.

In late September 2004 we decided to add a watermaker to our equipment list. We had gone back and forth on the idea contemplating the pros and cons such as cost, space, energy use and maintenance. Some of the pros were we would have a source for fresh water in the event none was available or if the quality was questionable, it would also allow us to stay in more remote areas without worry of running out of water. Some of the cons involved were the cost, space needed to mount it and it’s energy use. To help offset some of the cons and after talking with Dee Dee at Katadyn we decided on the Pur 40E. The 40E is the smallest unit offered at only 1.5 gallons per hour but it was within our budget constraints as well as being within our energy budget at only 4 amps. The 40E also comes with a handle and can be operated temporarily in the event power is lost. We also purchased the cruising kit which included additional filters, a seal kit and more biocide.

We were limited on space in the boat as far as where we wanted to mount it, and after a day of going through the boat we decided that the forward compartment under the pullman berth not only had enough space but would also allow for easy servicing.

Surprisingly, the installation was quite easy and only took one day, probably one of the easiest projects done on the boat in a while. First thing we did was unpack all the components (20 micron filter assembly and the watermaker) and move them around the compartment until we found the placements that best worked for us. Next was to mount the water filter on the forward bulkhead and the watermaker on the outboard bulkhead. The watermaker was through bolted through the bulkhead with four 1/4” bolts and large fender washers to help distribute the load (the unit weighs 22 pounds).

Once the two pieces were mounted all we had left was to run two wires for power and connect three hoses. The 12vdc was supplied by the distribution panel and I also installed a dedicated on/off switch inside the compartment as well. The raw water intake was teed off of the air conditioner thru hull and a series of valves installed to control the water flow either to the air conditioner or to the watermaker. This hose was connected to the intake on the water filter via another valve. A 3/16” hose was also installed at the valve for the water intake so that when the watermaker is not in use we can flush it with biocide to prevent any unwanted bacteria or algae growth. The fresh water hose coming from the watermaker is 7’ long so that we can route it to a jerry can which can easily be stowed and secured in the shower while under way, and when not in use the hose stows easily in a small canvas pocket inside the watermaker locker. And finally the brine, or waste water, discharge hose was routed and connected to the galley sink drain. It was truly amazing that we actually had a boat project that went so well and quickly. Unfortunately we have not yet tested the system because of the poor water quality here at the marina. We’ll be testing it on our way to Florida and don’t expect that we’ll have any problems (though if we do we’ll have a couple weeks in Florida to take care if it).

Rating:

Performance 10
Quality 10
Ease of Use 10
Installation 9
Documentation 9
Customer Service 10

Overall Rating 9.75
Would buy again Definitely

Fourwinds II Wind Generator

2009-07-01T21:40:00.000-05:00

There are many wind generators to choose from and each has their own pros and cons. We chose the Fourwinds II wind generator because of it’s high output, low noise and traditional looks. This unit is manufactured by Everfair in Florida.

The Fourwinds II comes nicely packaged and includes the wind generator, wire, terminal strips, terminal connectors, instruction book and warranty card. The blades also come already balanced from the factory. What is required but not included is a voltage regulator and mount. This wind generator is available as a stern pole mount, mizzen mast mount, radar arch mount and hoist mount unit so be sure to know how you’re going to install it before ordering. Another side note on ordering. If you call Everfair direct to order your wind generator be warned that they will try to talk you into buying every accessory with it saying that it’s absolutely necessary to have. It’s not. The exact voltage regulators with a different label can be had at other places for about 25% less, other monitoring panels will work besides their proprietary unit. Just be sure to shop around and buy only what you need.

Be careful to read the instructions carefully but beware that there is a lot in the manual to confuse you. The manual contains a wealth of engineering information about the wind generator and I found this to be confusing when trying to read the installation instructions. It would have been nice to have clear and concise installation instructions in one manual and the how’s and why’s of what the wind generator does in another, putting the two together just makes things confusing. I’ve installed about 8 of these units and each time find the instructions over shadowed by too much engineering information. The manual does have some good illustrations and once you’ve read through them a couple of times installation actually is pretty easy. Because the Fourwinds is one of the larger wind generators with a tip to tip span of 60" make sure you have plenty of space to install one.

Once installed the unit operates very well. The Fourwinds II is one of the quietest units on the market, in 25 knots of wind there is only a quite whisper. When we first installed the unit and used it at the marina we were quite disappointed with it’s output, but once at anchor and away from all the buildings and other obstructions we were very pleased with it’s output. At anchor in 15 knots of wind we typically get close to 9 amps or more.

Customer service from Everfair has always been good but sometimes the folks there can be somewhat abrupt as if they are busy doing something else or are low on patience. For the lay person it would also help to speak in less engineering terms. Overall we are very pleased with our Fourwinds II, but another wind generator to consider is the KISS. It is a much simplier unit to install (I’ve installed three) and doesn’t require extras like voltage regulators (it’s built into the KISS) and by the time installtion is done the KISS is less expensive. It’s output and noise level is very competitive with the Fourwinds II unit.

In the five years we've had this wind generator we have had to make two repairs. The rectifier shorted out after one year of service and was fairly easy to replace but did require some soldering skills. The new rectifier was about $40. Then at about the four year mark we had to replace the two shaft bearings at a cost of about $10 each, this was also easy to replace but required taking the wind generator off the mounting pole. All in all not bad for five years of continuous use.

Rating:

Performance 8
Quality 8
Ease of Use 9
Installation 7
Documentation 8
Customer Service 9

Overall Rating 8.5
Would buy again Yes

Lavac Popular Head

2009-07-01T21:36:00.001-05:00

We purchased and installed our Lavac head in July 2004 to replace our Raritan PHII. The Raritan that was in the boat was a good working head, but it needed constant attention to keep working properly or to keep from leaking. In the five years we've had the Lavac head it has never needed a rebuild and continues to work today just as if it were brand new. The Lavac head is highly recommended from those cruisers that have them and are considered to be the most maintenance and trouble free heads. They are very common in Europe but the only distributer here in the US is Defender Industries. These heads, by the way, are not new to the market. They’ve been around since the 1960s. There are two models, the Zenith and the Popular. The only difference between the two is that the Zenith model is slightly larger however the Popular model is the one that fit where we needed to install it.

The Lavac Popular head is a very simple to install and use. The head consists of the toilet bowl and a Henderson pump, we chose the manual pump instead of the electric pump. The toilet lid and seat have a gasket on the underside of each piece so when the seat and lid are closed and the pump pumped, the contents of the bowl are sucked out and a vacuum is created causing clean water to be drawn into the bowl. The only drawback of this head is that one has to wait for the vacuum to equalize before the lid can be opened again for use, this has not been an issue for us but something to consider. Typically it takes only a couple of minutes to be able to open the lid again. The only moving part of the entire system is the Henderson pump (basically a manual bilge pump). There are only two hose connections to the bowl, a 5/8” water intake and a 1.5” discharge connection. These are standard hose sizes found on most other heads.

The actual operation is very easy and simple and uses about the same amount of water as the Raritan did. The bowl is porcelan but the seat and lid is plastic. There are a variety of options for installation and the manual contains excellent diagrams of the options available. We’ve been using the Lavac daily and have not yet had any issues, unlike the Raritan we had before. Because the Henderson pump is basically a manual bilge pump a Y-valve can be installed before the pump with the second entry point being used either as a back up bilge pump or it can be connected to the holding tank so the same pump that empties the head can be used to empty the holding tank.

Rating:

Performance 10
Quality 10
Ease of Use 10
Installation 9
Documentation 9
Customer Service n/a

Overall Rating 9.55
Would buy again Yes

New rear engine seals

2005-01-30T22:41:00.000-06:00

	Well, as you know we were having problems with an oil leak at the bell housing and we wanted to get this repaired before heading off to Mexico and beyond. We were loosing about a quart of oil every 40 to 50 hours and were concerned that it might get worse over time. After doing some research I was pretty confident that the leak was coming from the rear main seal on the crankshaft. The only way to get to this seal is to remove the transmission/bell housing assembly and I was concerned that it would mean removing the engine to do it. I had a local mechanic come by and take a look and he said it could be done without removing the engine. I had my doubts but was happy to hear his plan. We came up with a deal that I would do most of the work myself while he would come by periodically to check the work (this kept the labor rate down). So here is what we did. 1. Drain engine oil and transmission oil 2. Disconnect the propeller shaft coupling and slide the shaft aft through the dripless seal as far as it will go 3. Removed the top nuts on the rear motor mounts. Disconnect the mixing elbow by removing the four bolts that hold it in place 4. Jack the rear of the engine up one inch and block with wood. I used a small car jack and it was placed just forward of the bell housing. 5. Remove the two motor mount brackets on the bell housing 6. Disconnect the shift lever cable 7. Remove all the bolts that hold on the bell housing. The transmission will not drop as four of the are nuts that thread onto posts that hold the transmission in place (see picture). Two of these bolts are low and can be challengine to get to. If you can't reach them a young, nimble mechanic/friend is nice to have around. I had to call the mechanic back to get the two bottom nuts off. I really didn't think he would be able to reach them so in anticipation of having to remove the engine I disconnected all the hoses and wires. He got them off no problem. 8. Slide the transmission off and lay in the bilge. No parts will fall out and it's not really that heavy. 9. Unbolt the dampner plate and set aside. 10. Unbolt the flywheel collar and set aside. 11. Unbolt the flywheel, an impact driver will help. 12. Carefully remove the flywheel using a puller. It is heavy but can gently be lowered into the bilge. 13. Clean the entire area before removing the seal. 14. Remove the seal (about $14) 15. Replace the seal. Gently tap into place so you don't tear it. 16. Re-install the flywheel and torque bolts accordingly 17. Re-install the flywheel housing and torque bolts accordingly 18. Inspect the dampner plate and re-install or replace 19. Clean the inside of the bell housing that is still attached to the transmission. Inspect the front transmission seal and replace if necessary. 20. Lift transmission into place and bolt back together. 21. Re-install rear motor mount brackets 22. Lower engine back onto rear motor mounts, remove blocks and jack 23. Tighten rear motor mount nuts, reconnect shaft and check alignment, re-align if necessary 24. Reconnect gear shift cable and replace transmission fluid and engine oil. 25. Run engine and check for leaks. It took a total of about five hours spaced over three days (waited for mechanic to come and check my progress). Though it seems intimidating it really isn't. Some of the tools really needed that helped along were the impact driver and flywheel puller. I did apply some penetrating oil on all the bolts the night before, don't know if it was necessary but I didn't want to chance breaking any bolts off.

	Here are some pictures we took during the work. removing bell housing bolts. As you can see I taped a reminder that the engine fluids were emptied Transmission/bell housing unit removed and laying in the bilge. Notice the oil all over the inside of the bell housing. I had taped reminders where all the hoses and wires were disconnected in anticipation of removing the engine (didn't happen, trust your mechanic) With the dampner place removed and the flywheel unbolted the flywheel was ready to be pulled. Notice the placement of the jack. You can also see the studs that keep the transmission/bell housing from just falling off when it's unbolted (the upper starboard stud came out with the nut but was later replaced) You can see the entire area behind the flywheel covered in engine oil, a pretty good indication that the rear main seal was leaking (no other way for oil to get inside the bell housing) Clean everything up before removing the seal so you don't contaminate the inside of the engine. This is also a good time to start cleaning up the engine compartment. The rear main seal is now ready to be removed and replaced. The stud sticking out where the flywheel bolts is the aligning pin for the flywheel.

Helmsman Seat Cushion

2004-07-19T22:37:00.000-05:00

In preparation for our departure, there are several projects that each of us want to complete. Mine was the helmsman seat cushion.

On our last trip to Harbor House in Galveston , Texas, I was at the helm. Rather than stand all the time, one does like to sit down once in awhile. I couldn’t fine the make shift cushion that we had been using for the past two years. It was nothing more than a small sunbrella cover with a draw string in the bottom edge so you could stuff it with a couple small pillows. Since I couldn’t find it, I grabbed one of our pick-up-and-go chairs that we had purchased at West Marine. Aside from the fact that the seat portion was about five inches to long, it was surprisingly comfortable! I had Damon try it out and he agreed , but thought it rather impractical because it kept sliding around, and the seat wasn’t wide enough to completely cover the actual helmsman seat itself. So I took over the helm again, and while I sat there, I thought. Thinking…creating in my mind how to make this work. It wasn’t long before I had the problem solved.

When we had returned to the marina, I brought my friend Pam over and told her of my plan. I needed some conformation on the idea. Pam has a canvas shop here in Kemah. She, like me, with a little explanation, has the ability to see a project completed in her mind. So all I needed was someone to agree with my idea that this would indeed work. Pam was gracious enough to let me have free reign of her shop, while she went with her husband Dan, went to Florida to captain a charter in the fishing tournament near Key West. With the shop now to myself, I went to work.

(The Pick Up & Go chair I bought, before work began)

I purchased another on of the chairs at work and took it to the shop. I striped the covering off and broke out the electric knife. I cut off 4 ½ inches off the seat length. This exposed the metal bar structure of the chair. I then took our roto zip with a grinding attachment and cut off the exposed curved bar back to the foam edge. Then I pealed the foam back another five inches and cut another 4 ½ inches of the bar on each side of the seat. The I reattached the curved bar that was cut off with nylon double barbed hose attachments. Now all I had to do was glue the foam back on with Super 77. Then with some scrap foam that was in the shop I glued two more pieces to each side of the seat to make it a total of six to seven inches wider.

While the glue was drying I traced the outline and proceeded to make a cover for the seat. So that the seat will tie in with all of the other projects that have been done here on Bruadair, the cover had to be a tailored look. I have never been one to take the easy way out. I always seem to have to take the more difficult route. It must be something inherited. I did get the cover made, now all that was needed was to connect it to the actual helms-men seat on the boat. Of course as with most of the projects that we have done, the original idea never seems to work out just right. I had intended to use twist locks to secure our new seat cushion to the helmsman seat top, but my measurements were a bit off. And I’m glad that they were, because the end product turned out to have a cleaner look to it. I ended up having to add two inch webbing straps with another piece of sunbrella to the bottom of the cushion. This then allowed me to put the twist locks on the underneath side of the actual helmsman seat. Now they are completely hidden.

(The finished project, our new Helmsman Cushion)

The cushion is now attached and doesn’t slide around on us. The advantage now it that we can still get under the helmsman seat without taking the cushion off. This was an added bonus.

(The straps are sewn to the cusion, then pass under the seat where they are secured with twist locks. This prevents the cushioin from slipping in any direction.)

Teak Deck Box

2004-05-05T22:27:00.001-05:00

The designed propane locker for Bruadair is located in the cockpit, and only holds two 4 lb. bottles. As liveaboards, we go through a lot of propane, and decided we wanted to increase our capacity. Since many of the Hans Christians have teak deck boxes on the foredeck, we decided that adding one not only would allow us to have a place to put larger propane tanks, but it would also keep the traditional lines of the Hans Christian that we like so much.

The locker was designed by my self, and built by our good friend Capt. Dan. It was constructed out of solid teak planks, 7/8” thick 4” wide. The floor was built of 3/4” marine grade plywood. All joints were assembled with biscuits and epoxy, all the corners were also screwed together. The interior and bottom were coated with two coats of West Systems epoxy. There are three drain/vent holes in the bottom. The box was secured to the deck with 5” lag bolts driven from below deck, and sealed with Life Caulk. New propane hose and wiring for the solenoid were run, and the entire system was check for leaks (none found). Dan’s wife Pam made a beautiful canvas cover for the box.

The box now holds two 10 lb. bottles of propane. I also added a small divider between the bottles and the extra space, where we keep our jacklines, anchor snubber line, and hose for the deck wash down system. Thought the deck box does take up a fair amount of space on the foredeck, it is space we don’t use often. We still have plenty of room to work the windlass, and move from one side to the other. The old propane locker will keep one of the 4 lb. bottles for the BBQ, and the rest of the space will go for storage (not sure what yet). Overall we are excited about our new box. Thanks Dan, couldn’t have done it without you!


	The box was designed with some extra space (port side) to accomodate jacklines, the anchor snubber line, and deck wash down hose. A partition was added after this picture to separate these items from the tanks.

New Helmsman Seat

2002-08-23T22:17:00.000-05:00




	The plywood core of the helmsman seat was rotted away. After washing the boat or after a rain, when we sat on the helmsman seat it was like sitting on a sponge. Water just oozed out of the seams. David and I carefully removed the wood plugs holding the planks of teak in, removed the screws (some had to be drilled out), and then pried the teak planking off the top of the seat. It wasn’t hard to pry the planks off as the plywood core was so soft. After removing the teak planks from the top of the seat, the rotten core was exposed. It took one day to clean out the mess, and another two days the seat dry out (when it’s a 100 degrees plus outside, it makes drying faster :). Our initial plan was to get another piece of marine grade plywood and cut it to fit as the new core. This, however, ended up being more complicated than we thought it would be. The wood would have to be cut to the right size, both top and bottom would have to be shaped to match the curves of the seat, everything filled with expoxy...... the advise we were getting was way more than we were comfortable with. What we ended up doing was getting some West Systems epoxy and mixing in some filler. The thickened epoxy was poured into the cavity of the seat where the plywood core use to be, and let to dry for a couple of days. Once the epoxy was dried, it was faired down until the teak planks were level with the rest of the seat top. The planks were then screwed back in place, seams were caulked with a one part wood deck caulking, and the seat varnished. In all a weeks worth of work and now we have a comfortable, dry place to sit.

New Battery Box

2002-04-03T22:21:00.000-06:00

The original battery box in the lazarette was only big enough for two group 27 batteries that were used for the house bank. The battery for starting the engine was located in a plastic battery box in the lazarette as well. The original two group 27 (this is the size of our 12 volt batteries) batteries only had about 150 amp hours total, of which only 1/2 is considered usable. With our 12 volt refrigeration, reading lights, anchor light (when used), water pump just to name a few, we were using about 100 to 120 amp hours a day. That meant we would have had to run the engine once or twice daily to keep up the electrical needs.

After calculating our daily amp hour requirements, along with a conservative estimate of what would be replenished by the solar panel and wind generator, we determined that a bank of about 600 amp hours would meet our needs. We ended up purchasing six Lifeline AGM 6vdc batteries, and hooked them up in series for 12 volts, then parallel for one bank. This provided us with 660 amp hours, of which 330 is considered useable (remember, you don’t want to discharge your batteries more than 50%).

Now that we had our batteries, we needed to figure out a place to put them. The lazarette was out of the question, there just wasn’t enough room. We considered putting them under the port sette, as it was close to the centerline of the boat, but our fluxgate compasses were mounted there (I didn’t want to relocate them), and the storage space was pretty convenient for other things. In the end, it was decided to locate them under the aft cabin berth. There was plenty of room, battery cable runs would be kept to a minimum, and besides, it was really the only other place left on the boat.

A half day was spent relocating the few things we had stored under the berth and for cleaning really good. Marine grade plywood was measured and cut for a base platform, stringers were fiberglassed under the base, then the base glassed into place. The sides were secured using screws to hold them until they were fiberglassed into place. Before the batteries were placed into the compartment, two coats of paint were applied and spacers screwed into the base to keep about an inch between the batteries. The box was designed so that it would accept our six 6 volt batteries, but also to accept two 8D batteries in the future if needed (I wanted some diversity in battery options).

The batteries were placed into the box, and fit nicely. Our neighbor and good friend Dan made the tops to the box. The sides of the box were made high enough so that with the lids on we could store small items on top of the box with out them sliding off. Currently this is where we store our charts and chart kits. Because of the weight of the batteries, almost 350 pounds, ballast in the form of a flexible water tank was added under the pullman berth to keep the boat balanced and from listing to starboard. The temporary water tank will be replaced with spare parts and chain when we go cruising, no chance of them leaking water.

All in all, it took about 4 days from start to finish. The battery capacity is now sufficient to meet our daily electrical needs. With the Fourwinds wind generator and the 120w solar panel we now find the need to charge our batteries by running the engine about once a week. Much better than daily with our previous set up.

Updated 06/22/04
Though the batteries were secured using standard battery straps, I wanted to ensure that there was a stronger, more reliable method of keeping the batteries from moving during heavy seas or a knock down. So I installed two stainless steel bars across the batteries. They were secured using some extra bimini fittings I had along with 1” stainless steel tubing. Removing two screws per bar is all that is required to remove the batteries. Even though I feel confident with this ‘lock down’ system, I did leave the battery straps in place for redundancy.