Torries

T

he adage goes that

what’s old eventually

becomes new again.

While this applies to some

yacht-design elements and

sailhandling equipment, it

does not describe the flat-

out straight-line evolution

in marine electronics, which

become more powerful and

feature-rich with every dizzy-

ing spin of the design cycle.

Advances in micro processors,

solid-state componentry,

and touchscreen and scan-

ning technologies — as well

as networking and software

advances — enable cutting-

edge innovations such as

Doppler radar imagery and

interdevice connectivity.

This past fall, I scoured

announcements from the

NMEA Conference & Expo,

attended the Fort Lauderdale

International Boat Show

and the METS expo in

Amsterdam, and consulted

industry insiders to learn more

about 2017’s state-of-the-art

marine electronics. If you’re

shopping for equipment,

I’ve compiled a roundup of

the latest- generation gear

— sorted by manufacturer —

that you’ll want to explore.

Peace of Mind from Aydin

Aydin Marine (formerly KEP)

understands that vessel moni-

toring and security are serious

concerns for plenty of sail-

ors, and its new Seatether

system offers peace of mind

for those who spend consid-

erable time away from their

boats. Seatether systems (from

$4,600) feature a black-box

central processing module

that “talks” with an expand-

able network of sensors that

can monitor everything from

doors and hatches to bilge-

water levels and AC and DC

power supplies, and which

communicates to the outside

world via a built-in cellular

modem (Seatether is also

compatible with third-party

satellite communication sys-

tems). Users can upgrade their

componentry package to

include video monitoring (up

to four cameras), which allows

them to stream real-time

video onto networked Android

or Apple tablets. Additionally,

users can add a night-vision

camera, as well as upgraded

communication and global

tracking packages, which can

be monitored from anywhere

in the world.

Displays from B&G

B&G electronics have long

been synonymous with top-

end sailboat racing, but recent

years have seen the brand

focus more on club-level rac-

ers and cruising sailors. The

company’s latest multifunc-

tion display, the Zeus3, looks

as though it will please sail-

ors of all stripes. The latest

display comes in four screen

sizes: 7-inch ($1,300), 9-inch

($2,300), 12-inch ($3,500) and

a new 16-inch ($5,500) model.

All of them feature B&G’s new

Solomax HD screens, which

use in-plane switching tech-

nology (i.e., technology that

rearranges the liquid-crystal

molecules in between the dis-

play’s layers of glass) to remove

the viewing-angle deficiencies

that can hamper some LCD

displays. The Zeus3 features

B&G’s latest touchscreen tech-

nology, which has reduced

concerns about water hitting

the screen and affecting finger-

tip control, notes Alan Davis,

B&G’s product line director.

Additionally, the Zeus3 incor-

porates a full-size hard-button

keypad that can control all

of the display’s functionality

without using its touchscreen

interface, which is convenient

for rough-weather passages.

B&G’s newest displays

feature processing speeds

similar to the Zeus2’s and will

use the same operating system;

however, the devices will

support B&G’s ForwardScan

forward-looking sonar (as

well as other sonars). The

Zeus3 also incorporates all

of B&G’s advanced sailing

features, including SailSteer

and Sailing Time, while also

integrating third-party wind-

forecasting information from

PredictWind.

In addition to its new flag-

ship display, B&G has also

unveiled its all-glass-screen

Vulcan 9 navigation display,

which, says Davis, offers

almost all of the same fea-

tures and functionality as the

older Zeus2 displays but at

a fraction of the price. For

example, the Vulcan 9 display

($1,050) can be used to view

radar imagery or control auto-

pilots; however, it is designed

as a single-station solution,

not a fully networkable plot-

ter (for example, the Vulcan

9 doesn’t support chart or

sonar sharing). The Vulcan 9

is NMEA 2000-compatible

and features built-in Wi-Fi

and GPS; additionally, it sup-

ports B&G’s sailing-specific

features, including SailSteer

and Sailing Time.

Both the Zeus3 and Vulcan

9 play nicely with C-Map,

Navionics, NV Digital and

Insight chart kits, giving cruis-

ers a wide range of raster and

vector cartography choices.

Garmin Radar, Sonar and

Displays

BILLY BLACK Garmin turned heads in early

BOATS & GEAR

GEARING UP for 2017

From radars to radios, here’s a preview of the hottest new electronics being rolled out for sailors.

BY DAVID SCHMIDT

january/february 2017

cruisingworld.com

105

CRW0217_RV1_electronics (Schmidt).indd 105 11/22/16 10:03 AM