I test and review equipment and devices in real-world scenarios and only publish a review after having decent time to evaluate things. I do not work for a vendor, nor am I paid for any of my reviews. I pride myself on having accurate, in-depth, and straightforward reviews for others to benefit from. You can read my Review Policy for details on how I conduct things.
SailBits and Panbo team up for Marine Electronics Forums
For the last year or so, I have wanted to build a community focused on marine electronics, networking and technology on boats. In recent discussions with my industry peers at Panbo, and we thought it would be great to collaborate on a dedicated community forum for this purpose.
Raymarine Lighthouse v3.4 – apps, bluetooth, find nearest, and more
Raymarine continues their updates for Lighthouse with version 3.4 which includes a number of new features, bug fixes, and features that we had in version II. The most exciting addition is apps for Netflix, Spotify and Theyr, and the promise of even more in the future.
Best LTE antenna and booster for the boat
For almost two years I have been testing, re-testing, and re-wiring my setup on Grace in an effort to find the best LTE antenna configuration.
Nemo gateway – easy NMEA networking for your boat
Connecting marine electronics together is an important goal for modern boaters. The Nemo gateway from Rose Point is an easy way to connect everything together, while also easily providing high quality, frequent data to a number of sources.
Lighthouse 3.3 – radar and AIS plus more
Raymarine continue to come out with updates to Lighthouse v3 that include new features and bring forward items from v2. Version 3.3 was released a few weeks ago, and includes support for older eS and gS series MFDs, Navionics Plotter Sync, and new features around radar and sonar.
Portable lithium jump starter for the sailboat
I made a decision to have a single battery bank for both my house and starting needs on Grace. I use a NOCO Genius Boost jump starter to ensure I won't end up dead in the water. It gives me around 20 chances to start even if my entire battery bank is dead.
Fridge Optimizer now supports SignalK
The Stainless Lobster Fridge Optimizer still remains one of my favorite additions, mainly because of the massive power savings and visibility. Recently, the folks at Stainless Lobster released new firmware that supports output of stats via the USB port and is compatible with SignalK.
Easy security cameras for the sailboat via Arlo
Keeping your boat secure is always a challenge. Video security is hard to do because of bandwidth and cost. Arlo cameras have solved this for my sailboat, providing high quality video day or night, low bandwidth use, and easy to install and stow while underway.
AMEC WideLink SOTDMA AIS Transponder
Seattle and Elliott Bay is a busy marine location, and I am always looking for a better AIS system so that others can see me clearly. AMEC has released the B600 AIS Class B transponder with more than double the transmit power, and fast 5 second updates.
Lighthouse 3.2 – Navionics auto routing and Fusion audio support
Raymarine continues to release updates to Lighthouse 3 on a fairly aggressive schedule. The latest is version 3.2 which includes support for three things I was very interested in – Navionics dock-to-dock autorouting, Fusion audio support, and upgrading other Raymarine devices.
T-Mobile international change will affect boaters
T-Mobile changed the unlimited benefit while roaming – the monthly data allowance has shrunk, and the speeds have dropped from LTE to 3G once you hit that limit. Boaters will be affected who use T-Mobile, as I do, out on the water.
Raymarine Lighthouse 3.1 – autopilot goodness
Raymarine released LightHouse 3.1 with a number of new improvements and fixes. I installed it a few days after it was released, and tested it out. I found a number of really nice things that were added, specifically around the auto pilot integration, and some work left to do.
FixClip – the last clips you will ever need
Attaching things to random places on the boat seems like a common occurrence, and sometimes hard to do. I stumbled across Fix Clips and I don’t need anything else.
Raymarine Axiom and Lighthouse 3 first impressions
Raymarine Axiom and Lighthouse 3 review and first impressions. A fantastic upgrade to Raymarine's software, with excellent hardware supporting it. Still some work to do with the software.
Raymarine LightHouse II v19.03
Updates to Lighthouse 2 show that Raymarine is still innovating even while working on Lighthouse 3