My newest feature is up at MadMariner. Take a look!

[Here's our MadMariner feature from a couple weeks back. —Tim]

Contradictory News Swirls Around the Old Technology. What’s the Story?

Are you confused? I’m confused. First I hear they’re going to shut down the old Loran system. Then I hear they’ve going to update it into a robust alternative and backup to GPS. But then I read they’re going to shut it down after all.

This most recent announcement was made last month, when President Obama’s proposed budget was released. Here’s an excerpt from the White House’s New Era of Responsibility document:

“The Budget also supports the termination of outdated systems such as the terrestrial-based, long-range radionavigation (LOrAN-C) operated by the U.S. Coast Guard resulting in an offset of $36 million in 2010 and $190 million over five years.”

There’s an old joke that happens to include my surname in the punchline: “Off again. On again. Gone again. Flanagan.” It’s a joke about trains, not Loran. Still… What the heck’s going on with Loran?

In fact it’s not just bureaucratic inconsistency. Oh, there’s some degree of that, to be sure, with various stakeholders contributing to a sort of long-term, glacially-paced global conversation about Loran technology in the United States and elsewhere.

But it isn’t that alone. The other source of confusion for those of us who merely sit on the sidelines of the discussion is that they may be talking about two different systems.

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A few weeks ago, I wrote a brief summary of several of the vessel tracking packages on the market, and the do-it-yourself alternatives. One of the features I found attractive was the wireless key-fob included with the Blackline GPS Harpoon. Here’s what I wrote:

“When you get to the boat, the Harpoon disarms itself. When you leave the boat, the system arms itself again, with no action on your part. Easy!”

Not to be outdone, the go-anywhere, monitor-anything Nav-Tracker from Paradox Marine has just added a similar feature. The press release tells the tale:

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (USA) – Boat security systems supplier Paradox Marine has enhanced its Nav-Tracker 2.0 wireless boat location and GPS tracking system with SmartKEY, which automatically disarms the system when the vessel operator boards the vessel and re-arms it when the operator disembarks.

SmartKEY uses RFID technology that allows for ‘no touch’ arming and disarming of the Nav-Tracker 2.0 system. There are no buttons to push or keys to turn. With a SmartKEY in range, Nav-Tracker 2.0 is disarmed. When a SmartKEY is out of range for more than 60 seconds or is turned off, the system will re-arm itself.

How SmartKEY Works

The Nav-Tracker 2.0 SmartKEY is comprised of a state-of-the-art wireless 2.4GHz Active RFID technology with a transmitter paired with a receiver packaged inside of the Nav-Tracker 2.0 control unit operating on a proprietary frequency. The SmartKEY transmits 10 data packs per second when turned on. When it is in range of the Nav-Tracker 2.0, the SmartKEY disarms the system, and it will remain disarmed until it stops receiving the data packets for more than 60 seconds. This provides an extremely high level of security by automatically arming and disarming the system when the operator arrives or leaves the vessel – there’s no more need to remember to arm or disarm the Nav-Tracker 2.0.

[Marty McOmber/Three Sheets Northwest photo]

Deborah Bach has the story at Three Sheets Northwest. Apparently, no Starfleet uniforms were observed.

Standing in line outside the Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle Saturday morning, Robin Thornburg had a particular goal in mind.

She held a large plastic bag containing a quilt her mother made for her last Christmas, adorned with fabric-screened images of the man whose autograph she wanted on it—Phil Harris, her favorite captain from the “Deadliest Catch” television series.

“Phil’s the most ornery son of a bitch and so am I,” said a smiling Thornburg, 40. “He’s a cutie.”

Thornburn flew from San Leandro, California to attend CatchCon, the one-day “Deadliest Catch” fanfest that drew attendees from as far away as Florida, New York and even England. Now in its fifth season, the hit documentary series chronicles the high-risk, high-stakes lives of crab fishermen on the perilous Bering Sea.

Wow. Click over to read on. The story includes a great slideshow from the event.

OK, you know those cool time-lapse videos like “Panama Canal at 600 knots” and the like? Well, I thought maybe I could do some time-lapse video of my local waters, and it might be kind of fun.

So here’s what I came up with. Don’t laugh.

Anyway, I mounted my little camera onto this preposterous tripod contraption and set it to take pictures at one-minute intervals. That’s the quickest it will take pictures.

And then I went for a little circuit of Lake Union. I took some nice pictures, but one minute is not NEARLY often enough for this sort of thing. I need a camera that takes pictures about once every five or six seconds.

Once I’ve got my pictures, I’ll need to figure out how to build them into a movie. Anybody with some experience here, please feel free to make recommendations in the comments! Thanks.

Oh, you want to see some of my “movie”? Well, it’s more of a slideshow, and without the sensation of motion, it’s a fairly boring one!

…etc. I think you get the point.

One thing that becomes clear is that the camera isn’t QUITE level! In my boat, I need to adjust the camera so it will be level while I’m at the helm (starboard side), NOT so it’s level while I’m standing on the bow adjusting things. Hmmm.

I can imagine this being just the right solution for some boats. But is it really a good idea to add something like this to a boat that wasn’t designed for it?

My concern is that if you cut a big chunk out of the hull, and then you install a component designed to apply large forces to the boat right at the point you’ve just weakened…well, you better be 100% certain there won’t be a failure right at that point. What amount of extra bracing is required, I wonder?

Obviously, you would want to select an installer with some experience. Anyway, on with the press release!

Imtra, the leading manufacturer and importer of quality marine products, announced today a new line of retractable thrusters, the Side-Power SR Series SR80/185T and SR100/185T. Meeting the growing demand for greater maneuverability, the fully retractable SR Series thrusters deliver high-performance control to both sail and power vessels for which traditional tunnel thruster installation is impossible or impractical. The first retractable thruster solution from Side-Power, the SR Series is designed to eliminate common problems and risks associated with current retractable thrusters on the market. The Side-Power SR Series from Imtra increases boaters’ confidence by providing a more stress-free on-the-water experience through easier docking and departing from a slip, as well as enhanced boat maneuverability.

Side-Power SR Series thrusters are installed inside the vessel. When not in use, they are completely encapsulated and locked flush with the vessel bottom ensuring maximum boat performance. The SR Series boasts an ultra-fast sturdy retractable mechanism for deployment and stowage. SR thrusters incorporate industry leading safety and functionality standards that are found in all Side-Power products, including quiet, high-performance Q-prop skew blade propellers, a lifetime lubricated sealed drive mechanism, full galvanic isolation eliminating electrolysis and Side-Power’s patented Intelligent Power Control (IPC) technology. Providing the ultimate in protection, the retractable thrusters feature a load sensor on the hatch that automatically retracts if the boat moves faster than a defined speed or if the thrusters have not been in use for several minutes.

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Cobham Life Support, ACR Products, the world’s leader in safety and survival technologies, is urging all EPIRB and PLB owners to double check their 15-character identification code registration.

According to a recent Marine Board of Investigation inquiry, which is looking into the sinking of the scallop boat Lady Mary on March 24th, there was a discrepancy in the EPIRB’s identification number, marked on a decal that the boat’s owner had received from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration after he registered the EPIRB.

In the case of the Lady Mary, the emergency signal initially received by authorities was regarded as unregistered which may have led to delays in response time while emergency center controllers waited for additional satellite passes to fix a location. Had the controllers been able to pull the Lady Mary’s registration data, they could have contacted emergency contacts to confirm the status of the boat and its general location prior to a satellite fix.

“Because this situation came to light, we are urging all beacon owners to compare their 15-character identification code printed on the beacon with the registration sticker they receive from NOAA just to ensure they both match,” said Chris Wahler, Marketing Manager for Cobham Life Support, ACR Products. “If there is a discrepancy, we urge the owner to contact NOAA immediately to correct the information.”

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Remember Chief Engineer Scotty on Star Trek? “I canna change the laws of physics, cap’n!”

The folks at Seakeeper keep trying, though!

Not really. It would be more accurate to say they’re pitting one sort of physics against another. The goal is to minimize boat roll.

Actually, the unit looks like it could be a Romulan cloaking device, but I digress.

It’s actually the Seakeeper gyroscopic boat stabilization system, and I’ve got to say that the video on the website is really stunning. If you’ve got a tender tummy, or crew with tender tummies, you might want to take note of this product!

Oh, and just to keep the sci-fi references coming, please note that in a YouTube video about the product, narrator Steve Larivee describes how the unit “spools up”, just like the FTL drive on Battlestar Galactica! It would be worth buying this device just so you could tell your guests “I’m spooling up the gyro stabilizer…set Condition One throughout the ship.”

OK, I’m a hopeless geek. The rest of this post is pure press release. Enjoy:

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MadMariner has just released the results of its survey of boaters, which “set out to explore how we truly use our boats, including what we do, where we go, the gear we use and what is most likely to cause problems.”

The results seem to confirm something I’ve been noticing: Even if I make boating a top priority, and attempt to make frequent and extended use of my boat, it turns out I don’t actually take it out it that much.

Exactly 755 people participated in the 10-day web-based survey this month – and the answers they gave may surprise you.

Despite the huge bankroll most of us spend on our beloved boats, the reality is that we generally don’t go very far and we usually don’t stay out too long.

Click over to read the report. It includes a link to the results themselves, tabulated and collated.

[This was the Navagear spotlight over at MadMariner a couple weeks back. Enjoy! —Tim]

What the heck is “real-time asset management”? Isn’t that something my stock broker does? Oh wait, I fired my stock broker. No, this is something different.

Think of it as LoJack for your boat. Imagine a device that combines GPS technology with some form of low-power RF communication to let you know where your boat is, all the time – even if your kids, friends or some uninvited guests decide to take it for a spin.

Sure, it’s “Big Brother” – but you get to be the big brother.

Vessel trackers have become small enough, and inexpensive enough in some cases, that a system can be had for virtually any boat, even a PWC or dinghy.

This overview is not exhaustive – there are many solutions on the market – but it should help you better understand the extremely broad range of features, coverage and range options and prices you’ll encounter as you shop.

PARADOX MARINE’S NAV-TRACKER

One of the most-expensive systems is also one of the best. Wireless boat-security system supplier Paradox Marine produces the Nav-Tracker, which uses Inmarsat’s satellite network to provide tracking and monitoring anywhere in the world. The system monitors a boat’s location and, if it escapes its predefined “geo-fence,” notifies up to 10 people by e-mail or text message every 15 minutes with the vessel’s latitude and longitude, speed and heading.

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