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A practical, low cost solution to monitoring charging and batteries
How to keep an eye on the state of your battery at all times, at rest, in use, and when charging.

Electrical power generation on a sailing yacht
Electricity is one of the most important blessings that science has given to mankind. It has become so much a part of modern life that we couldn't think of living without it. All devices which facilitate our activities and impact on a big portion of our life require electricity. But once we cast off from the dock we also unplug from the almost limitless power source that we have become accustomed to. Aboard a seagoing vessel, we have to generate all the power that the vessel and its crew require.

Make the vessel's radar signature more prominent
Small boats cannot rely upon a larger ship's watch systems seeing them, especially at night. Larger ships tend to rely on radar for watchkeeping support. The problem with this is that radar signals reflect best off flat metallic surfaces and not the fibreglass that leisure yachts are mostly made of. Worse, radar systems typically require a minimum of three consecutive radar ‘blips’ or ‘hits’ before they acquire a target which further reduces the chances of a pitching or heeling yacht being picked up. All of these result in sailing boats easily getting lost in the sea clutter and not being spotted.

Eliminating chain twist and correctly orientating the anchor for the roller
The longer you sit on anchor the more the boat wanders about twisting up the chain. This can make the chain difficult to fit over the windlass gypsy when weighing anchor and in extreme cases prevent the anchor setting correctly. Another problem also emerges when hauling in the ground tackle in that it is a matter of good luck that it comes up with the anchor head orientated in the correct way to sit on the bow roller.

General all rounder box for the vessel
There are a several reasons why you would need a box on a vessel. Yet a box consumes a lot of storage space making it illogical.

The best all round bucket for a boat
A bucket is an invaluable resource on any vessel. However they are unwieldy to store and metal buckets are prone to damage both themselves, or anything they come in contact with. They also rust quickly. A plastic bucket is an alternative but they are rarely strong enough for a long life aboard a yacht.

Using smartphones, tablets and other electrical devices in an external boating context
Smartphones and tablets are increasingly being introduced in sailing circles to provide convenient chart plotters, pilotage and information services in the cockpit. Likewise, Bluetooth speakers are often deployed in the cockpit to liven up a passage. But water and electrics do not tend to mix very well and it is difficult to tell how much exposure to water a device can take, the vague marketing term waterproof is difficult to pin down.

Battery options for boating
Once a vessel is cast off from the dock all its electrical requirements have to be self-generated and stored in batteries. But there are many different types of batteries with slightly varying properties and widely varying costs that can make this area somewhat confusing.

Selecting the correct rode and ground tackle for your vessel
Investing in the correct rode and ground tackle is not straightforward. There are a large range of different anchors, rode and chain sizings.

Saving relay display costs when installing yacht electronic systems
Electronic systems for yachts are highly expensive. Worse you have to pay twice for the display units as they are required both in the cockpit and below decks at the navigation station etc. This repeating of display units adds dramatically to the system and installation costs.


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