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Last time we looked at making proper electrical connections – the tools, supplies and methods needed to make connections between components and wiring.
Read more: Ask Andrew: Electrical Installations – Part 2:...
With the Vancouver International Boat Show just around the corner I contacted Campbell and Alex at Trotac Marine to find out which new products will be highlighted at their booth this year.
Winter is a great time to look at some of the hidden spaces on your boat – to take stock of what is aboard, areas of improvement and ways to upgrade.
Read more: Ask Andrew: Electrical Installations – Part 1:...
whether you choose power or sail (or both) batteries are an important part of your boat’s electrical system.
If you walk the aisles at a boat show, visit a marine store, or stop in at a repair shop, you’ll likely be inundated with digital displays, vivid touch-screens, NMEA compatible devices, and Bluetooth connectivity.
Read more: Ask Andrew: SmartPlug looks like a smart solution
Informed estimates are that barely 10% of Canadian pleasure craft have underwater lighting but in Florida it’s a far higher percentage. And, among new luxury cruisers...
This continues our look at improvements to marine electrical systems. Following on our feature on new battery technology, here we review re-charging those batteries, starting with shore cords and isolation transformers. We’ll follow with a subsequent review of generators as well as alternators, dynamos, solar panels and fuel cells. As we noted in the April 2012 Canadian Yachting on page 50, new battery technology is increasingly common in marine applications, but new technology batteries need to be well matched to charging systems and first, you need a power source.
Heating and cooling systems add immensely to cruising comfort, whether you boat in cool shoulder seasons or contend with hot, muggy summers. Most boaters learn quickly that extending their season is ideal – Canadian summers are so short, whether you’re on the west coast or the Great Lakes. In central areas, summer is short but it can be hot and humid, and winter is too cold for much cruising in all parts of Canada. Extending into spring and fall makes boating so much more enjoyable, to say nothing of helping justify the costs.
With a source of external power, shore-cord or generator, current still needs to be fed back into your battery banks to reset their chemistry and return them to full electrical output. This requires a battery charger. Here most boaters can rightly claim to confusion. There are dozens of brands available and most products are a “black-box” with little to distinguish one from the others. There is nothing to show a quality comparison or actual performance, save massive ‘spec’ sheets that tell us too much, usually in techo-talk; incomprehensible without an advanced degree.
Batteries lie at the heart of most boats. We need them to start our engines, power our electronics, chill our food and sometimes cook our meals. We rely on them but often don’t give them much thought until they fail. Or outlive their normal lifespan of about five years and need to be replaced. With major advances in new technologies reaching the marine marketplace, let’s take a look at alternatives to the traditional lead-acid battery.
Read more: New Technologies Improve on the Flooded Marine...
Destinations
Thornbury on Georgian Bay
Jennifer Harker
To borrow a line from Monty Python, “and now, for something completely different”.
Normally, our boating adventures are spent weaving our way amongst the picturesque backdrop of the 30,000 Islands of eastern Georgian Bay aboard our Sea Ray Sundancer 268. This time we’ve traded power for sail as friends welcome us aboard their 38-foot Irwin for the Canada Day long weekend.
We’ve set our sights on a decidedly different destination for this journey, charting a course for Thornbury. This small town, located in the southern reaches of Nottawasaga Bay, is an oft-overlooked area of Georgian Bay - but it shouldn’t be. Although we’ve explored this shoreline on countless road trips, this will be our first visit from the waterside.
Read more about the Thornbury on Georgian Bay...
Lifestyle
The Ins and Outs of Working on a Superyacht
By Marianne Scott
An estimated 10,000 yachts measuring 100 feet or more are afloat on the world’s oceans. They congregate in places like Monaco, St. Tropez, Fort Lauderdale, Antibes, and Antigua. Some yachts are used for private luxury cruising - Oman Sultan Qaboos, for example, shares Al Said, his 508-foot yacht, only with his 65 guests (and 140-member crew). Other big yachts offer opulent charters serving paying guests. Many yachts move between the Mediterranean and the Caribbean following the seasons.
Read more about the Superyachts...
Boat Reviews
Cruisers Yachts Cantius 46
The Cantius 46 is the latest evolution of Cruisers Yachts’ Cantius line – now there are five models from 42 to 60 feet. The new Cantius 46 is a great example of “easy boating” the way Volvo Penta imagined it and how Cruisers Yachts has executed it. The idea is that you just come on board, unlock the glass doors, fire it up, cast off, and enjoy - alone, with a spouse, or with a huge group.
Since the first Cantius model was introduced, Cruisers Yachts has continued to refine the concept for ever-greater convenience, more clever and innovative features, and also greater performance.
Read more about the Cantius 46...
Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 410
By, Zuzana Prochazka
The revolution continues – with a twist
The Jeanneau 410 is the eighth generation of the Sun Odyssey line, but even with that long history and umpteen years of tweaks and iterations, what the French builder has done in the latest revamp will make you say, “Wait, what?”
Last year, Jeanneau turned the sailboat deck layout on its ear with the introduction of their Sun Odyssey 490 and 440, and the concept of the ‘walk-around deck’.
Read More about the Odyssey 410...
Marine Products
Canadian Yachting 2019 Gear Guide
Watch for a tsunami of innovative new boating products in the chandlery this year, as accessory manufacturers battle for your attention and dollars.
This past decade has been a real up-and-down ride for the companies who make boating equipment. When the recession hit in 2008/2009, new product development for most manufacturers ground to a sharp halt as they focused on more pressing issues, like simply keeping the lights on. It took a few years for the economy to stabilize and for the first handful of new items to begin slowly trickling out to market. For guys like me who make a living writing about new boating gear, those were pretty lean years, let me tell you.
Read more about this years' Gear Guide....
New Merc 5hp propane four stroke is clean burning and ideal for inflatables
Making it’s global debut at the Toronto International Boat Show the new Mercury 5hp Propane FourStroke delivers no-hassle portability, reliability and convenience running on alternative clean-burning fuel – whether it’s powering aluminum boats, inflatables or sailboats.
With a large 7.5 cubic inch (123cc) displacement, the new 5hp FourStroke Propane outboard offers best-in-class power by delivering a true 5hp.
Starting at just 59.5 pounds (27.2 kilograms) the 5hp Propane FourStroke is light and easy to carry or transport. And you can run it on the same conventional propane you’re probably using in your backyard bbq, so there’s no gasoline to haul with the engine.
Read more about Mercury's new engine...
