As Graham Toms at Payne's Marine Group points out, more and more boats are being used as cottages and the owners expect all the comforts of home including, of course, television shows.

Sea-faring TVs have become very popular in recent years because the new flat screen technologies enable people to install a television where previously the depth and sometimes the weight, simply could not be accommodated.

With this issue of Canadian Yachting, we are starting to "frame up" the glass helm from the perspective of an older boat that deserves better navigation and ancillary equipment.

A prime example would have been the older classic, twin-engine cruiser that our group restored recently. Well over 100 lbs. of fatigued old wire with corroded connections and chaffed insulation was carefully disconnected, removed and replaced.

Technology today is like hanging out in the Lost “n” Found – we get lost in the dizzying pace of development of electronic devices and software, but then we get found again by advances in user simplicity that these technological developments make possible. The new Fugawi X-Traverse software from Canadian-based Northport Systems Inc. is just such a development.

My gawd! Don’t we all just love our music and video these days! A cruiser, power or sail boat from twenty years ago was not likely to have a TV onboard. Even a built-in sound system was not always a standard feature. But today, the new boats all come with a system; small boats get audio and bigger boats get audio and video systems. From the mid-30 foot range up, two flat screens are common and three or even four are not unheard of!

At least one marine electronics dealer we interviewed said your VHF antenna was an item that should be replaced annually. Ken Harrison at Summerhill.ca on the other hand, said that a good antenna should last 5 to 8 years (depending on whether or not it was used as a grab handle)!

Even if you never venture away from your favourite sheltered lake or river, a VHF radio is well worth the $200 investment for a basic radio and the ROC (M) Course and License to operate it. Here's why.