NEW for 2022
Just in time for those contemplating winter projects, here’s a look at some of the ELECTRONICS that have been introduced for sailors.
It’s fair to say that the marine industry is having a moment, likely spurred by at least three significant factors: the still-churning pandemic, a buoyant stock market, and historically low interest rates. While this is great news for many marine-facing businesses, the on-thedock reality is that the brokerage markets have been scoured, and the wait times for new boats are being quoted in years rather than months. While this is quite a lengthy wait time, sailors looking for kit will find that the equipment tents at upcoming winter shows are filled with new innovations and electronics that can help breathe fresh life into the boat you have now. Here’s a roundup, then, of new electronics gear you might want to check out for any projects and upgrades that you’re pondering for 2022.
Airmar: If you’re interested in attaining next-level control, connectivity, and communication across your vessel’s various systems and networks, Airmar’s Smartboat System is worth your attention. Thirdparty sensors such as thermometers or
Dc-voltage monitors connect directly to a nearby Smartboat module, which converts their protocol to NMEA 2000 and then wirelessly communicates this information with other networked Smartboat modules over enterprise-grade Wi-fi.
This hybrid hard-wired/wireless architecture saves boat owners the cost and complexity of installing sensor hubs and cabling between modules, while also allowing owners (or installers) to check the status of their system and its sensors via Airmar’s CAST app or its Smartflex View browser-based tool, the latter of which also includes user-configurable Smartflex Alerts. Owners can connect a variety of NMEA 2000 and analog sensors to each Smartboat module to know at a glance what’s going on from stem to stern.
Fusion Entertainment: Stereo-maker Fusion is (almost) never one to come to the fall-boat-show parties empty-handed, and the 2021/2022 season was no exception. Fusion’s latest audiophile offerings include the MS-RA60 marine stereo, which delivers premium-level features and can be paired with the XS Series 6.5-inch speakers and 10-inch subwoofer, which combined, deliver ear-pleasing acoustics without breaking the bank. The MS-RA60 features clean-looking aesthetics and a user interface that includes a rotary knob, six hard buttons, and an anti-fogging, edge-bonded display. The stereo is built to IPX6 and IPX7 standards, and its Bluetooth connectivity allows it to be paired with a smartphone that’s running the Fusion-link app. Once paired, users can control their MS-RA60 from their mobile devices (and/or compatible Garmin-built remote controls and smartwatches), and they can also use their smartphones’ cellular and Wi-fi connectivity to deliver over-the-air software updates to their stereos via Bluetooth.
On the acoustic side, the 200-watt XS Series 6.5-inch speakers (they’re also
available as 240-watt 7.7-inch speakers) and the 600-watt subwoofer are built to IP65 standards and are available with interchangeable grilles to match one’s aesthetic preferences. And depending on your taste in style, the speakers can be purchased with optional red-green-blue LED accent lighting.
Garmin: The new-product announcements from Garmin fall into two categories: evolutionary and revolutionary. Garmin has been making (and refining) handheld marine GPS units since 1990, but what started as a metricsonly navigation device has evolved into the GPSMAP 79 Series handheld, which delivers a graphically rich, full-color nav station that easily fits in one’s pocket. The handheld comes loaded with upgradable global base maps, or users can upgrade to the GPSMAP 79sc, which comes standard with Garmin’s premium Bluechart g3 cartography. Both handhelds feature optically bonded, sunlight readable and scratch-resistant screens; a built-in three-axis compass; and the ability to get position information from the GNSS satellite constellation. Conveniently, the new handhelds also include 8 gigabytes of onboard memory that can store, say, 10,000 waypoints and 250 routes. The units’ batteries are good for up to 19 hours of navigation between refills.
Garmin’s biggest new-equipment announcement isn’t available for the aftermarket (yet), but it’s highly innovative and designed to work on new boats up to 80 feet LOA. Surroundview is made up of an array of six Garmin-built 1080p color daylight video cameras, a dedicated black-box processing unit, a compatible Garmin chart plotter, and Garmin’s image-stitching wizardry, which the company honed through its work with its VIRB 360 cameras. The camera array consists of one forward-looking camera, two cameras each on port and starboard, and a single 180-degree-view stern-facing camera that’s mounted up high to provide stern clearance.
Once a Surroundview system has been factory installed and calibrated, it delivers a 360-degree bird’s-eye video view around the boat, as well as Distance Markers and Visual Bumpers. Distance Markers are similar to automotive-style backup graphics that give anyone on the helm a precise graphical reference for how far their sailboat is from a dock or other object, while Visual Bumpers are graphical (and user-defined) margins showing the water separating hulls from docks. Both Distance Markers and Visual Bumpers are overlaid atop Surroundview’s real-time video feed.
Surroundview employs color differentiation, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality to differentiate between water and objects. While this helps defang docking, the system can also differentiate between water and, for example, kayaks or dinghies.