Marine technology companies and brands continue to advance in the area of systems integration, combining features and functionalities in ways that are intended to make boating easier and safer. In just the past few weeks, Raymarine and Garmin—two of the biggest players in the marine electronics space—announced new developments around this type of integration.

Raymarine teamed up with ePropulsion to let boaters display their electric-motor engine data directly on Raymarine Axiom displays, without the need for additional gateways or add-on interface boxes. This blending of systems was accomplished by combining NMEA 2000 standards for electric engines with Raymarine’s LightHouse 4.6 operating system that supports electric motor PGN messages.

The Axiom engine dashboard now allows boaters to see the ePropulsion motor’s battery level, speed, gear and estimated range. A dynamic range ring overlays on the chartplotter display, helping boaters to visualize current cruising range and optimize energy consumption. 

“It has been incredible working alongside one of the most innovative electric engine manufacturers to bring industry-first functionality to a previously under-represented class of boater,” Grégoire Outters, general manager at Raymarine, stated in a press release. “We’re confident that those who’ve adopted electric propulsion will appreciate the forward thinking of ePropulsion and Raymarine.”

Meanwhile, Garmin used its April 2024 software release to add support for the FLIR Maritime Thermal Monitoring System.

Supported features now include live display of the video feed from the FLIR camera system; audible alarms and visual alerts on the Garmin chartplotter; thermal, visible and MSX thermal/visible blending; thermal color palette selection; and custom camera naming.

The FLIR Maritime Thermal Monitoring System can monitor machinery and equipment, identifying temperature anomalies in equipment such as gas and diesel engines, generators, bearings and electrical panels. The system can give boaters an early warning about problems that can lead to equipment failure.

FLIR’s system can be programmed to provide alerts based on high-, low- or delta-temperature factors.

“Garmin’s integration with this system allows users to deploy this solution seamlessly, without needing a separate display taking up valuable helm station real estate,” said Outters, who also serves as general manager at Teledyne FLIR Maritime. “The ease of installation and use, combined with the customizability of the system allows users to tailor it to their specific needs or mission.”

Where to learn more about Raymarine and ePropulsion: go to raymarine.com or epropulsion.com

Where to learn more about Garmin and FLIR: visit garmin.com and flir.com

The post Systems Integrations Abound appeared first on Yachting.

Recent years have seen an uptick in the number of yachts and adventurous cruisers plying high-latitude waters from Alaska to Antarctica. While stunningly beautiful and largely void of other yachts and people, these regions require different kinds of electronics than a cruise to the Caribbean or a transatlantic passage.

Here’s a look at some systems yachtsmen might want to consider when planning a high-latitude cruise.

FarSounder Argos 350

Icebergs and their broken-off bergy bits are some of the greatest dangers that high-latitude cruisers face. FarSounder’s Argos 350 forward-looking sonar (call for pricing) is designed to spot these dangers for yachts that are 60 to 130-plus feet length overall, providing 1,150 feet of range at 18 knots in open waters.

The system employs a multibeam transducer, a power module, cabling, a processor and proprietary software, and it can be installed during construction or refitting. Once networked, the system delivers imagery to the yacht’s Ethernet network, allowing the imagery to be viewed on compatible screens.

Argos 350 systems provide detailed bottom mapping at a range of up to eight times the water depth, and they can detect objects in the water column out to their maximum 1,150-foot range. The system collects and processes its sonar returns in three dimensions, allowing it to compensate for pitch and roll. Additionally, the system employs color coding to alert users of dense objects, and to indicate depth or signal strength (users can switch between views).

Should the system detect a threat, it delivers audible and/or visual warnings based on a user’s parameters.

To minimize threats even further, anyone operating near ice should dramatically cut the yacht’s speed. While the system delivers 1,150 feet of range at 18 knots, the reality is that at 18 knots, a yacht covers 1,150 feet in 38 seconds. At 5 knots, users have two minutes and 16 seconds of reaction time. Provided that prudent seamanship is exercised, an Argos 350 should allow a yacht to ply truly spectacular waters.

FLIR M364C

Adventure cruising requires sharp eyes, but human eyes simply can’t detect minute thermal differences between an object and its background. This is what FLIR’s thermal-imaging cameras are designed to do. FLIR’s recreational marine cameras range from $3,500 to $180,000, and the M364C ($20,500) is ideally suited to high-latitude cruising.

The gyrostabilized, dual-payload M364C can pan through 360 degrees and tilt through plus or minus 90 degrees. It has a high-definition, Sony-built daylight camera with a 30x optical zoom and 12x digital zoom. All up, this equates to a 360x zoom.

But it’s the unit’s thermal-imaging camera that’s best suited for detecting ice, other vessels and marine life. This camera has a FLIR-built Boson 640 thermal-imaging core that delivers 640-by-512-pixel image resolution, a 24-by-18-degree field of view and an 8x digital zoom.

Additionally, this camera sports FLIR’s Color Thermal Vision and Multispectral Dynamic Imaging (MSX) technologies. CTV blends imagery from the daylight and thermal-imaging cameras and overlays it with color to enhance object identification. MSX adds details that make faint edges look crisp. So the skipper can see, say, a distant bergy bit or a menacing polar bear.

BSB Marine Oscar

BSB Marine developed its Oscar collision-avoidance system for offshore sailors, and then it created Oscar Custom Power for motoryachts.

The optical-based system ($70,000) consists of a vision unit that is mounted aloft and a belowdecks central processing unit. The VU consists of three FLIR-built, 640-by-512 thermal-imaging cameras that deliver 123-degree horizontal and 32-degree vertical fields of view, as well as 3,040 feet of range. The CPU is a black-box computer that analyzes the cameras’ video streams to detect objects in near real time. The system also includes an app that delivers a visual reference and AIS-type information (such as speed and bearing) on the target, and that can reside on a personal computer, wireless device or multifunction display.

The CPU uses artificial intelligence to compare all detected objects with its stored database of 55 million-plus images (including icebergs viewed from myriad angles and in varied sea states). Oscar then automatically adjusts the yacht’s autopilot if it “sees” a navigational danger, and it can simultaneously evade several targets.

As with the other technologies discussed here, slower speeds buy operators more reaction time, which is key for negotiating ice-choked waters.

Furuno Ice Radar

If high-latitude aspirations involve wending through pack ice, then Furuno’s ice-detection radar is worth exploring. The system uses a Furuno X-band navigation radar ($11,000 to $40,000) and a FICE-100 module ($40,000). The FICE-100′s processor leverages the X-band radar’s raw data to create highly detailed composite radar imagery of the surrounding ice pack at a range of 3 to 6 nautical miles.

The FICE-100 concentrates its processing power on returns from the lower portion of the radar’s transmitted vertical beam, then lowers the signal’s noise floor. The resulting imagery captures fine details that would otherwise be lost. Moreover, the system creates its composite imagery using as many as 100 radar sweeps (older sweeps are usurped by newer ones), a process that can take four minutes and 16 seconds to build out initially. Furuno’s X-band radars operate at 24 rpm.

While the system was designed for commercial ships, it can be fitted aboard expedition-grade yachts that have the belowdecks space to accommodate the X-band radar’s dedicated display and the FICE-100. The system’s digital-video-cable outputs allow users to look at navigational radar imagery on a networked Furuno multifunction display and at ice-detecting imagery on the dedicated display.

Lars Thrane LT-3100S

VSAT antennas provide fast satellite communications, but they’re beholden to coverage maps that sometimes exclude the high latitudes. Global Maritime Distress and Safety System terminals provide a safety net via satellite by transmitting emergency signals—including the vessel’s name and location—to, and enabling two-way voice calls with, a terrestrially based Rescue Coordination Center.

Lars Thrane’s LT-3100S terminal (call for pricing) operates on Iridium’s network of 66 cross-linked low-Earth-orbit satellites. The system leverages Iridium’s Short Burst Data messaging service to transmit small, low-bandwidth data packets while providing a dedicated voice channel. For mariners, this means global access to text messages, email, GRIB weather files, official maritime safety information, and emergency and nonemergency voice calls.

While the LT-3100S delivers significantly slower data-transfer rates than VSAT (read: no Zoom meetings), it’s fast enough to let users make affordable nonemergency voice calls and send and receive critical information. Better still, users can access itinerary-specific information from Iridium’s global partner network (things such as ice-pack reports from Iridium’s Russian partners) or—should troubles arise—transmit a distress signal and call an RCC.

Garmin InReach

For yachtsmen who want to send two-way emergency communications and nonemergency text communications, share a location, and get marine-weather updates—but who don’t want the complication of a GMDSS terminal—Garmin’s InReach satellite communicators ($350 to $650) could be the ticket. While InReach doesn’t offer the same capabilities as a GMDSS terminal, these pocket-size devices work globally via Iridium’s satellite network with an airtime subscription, and they allow users to post messages to social media platforms. The InReach devices also can be paired with smartphones, and friends and family can ping an InReach device for its location information.

Furuno SCX-20/SCX-21

Magnetic compasses have guided mariners for centuries, but as the devices approach the Earth’s magnetic poles, their magnetic declination increases, making them unusable. Alternatively, satellite compasses harness satellite signals to determine heading information.

Furuno’s NMEA 2000-certified SCX-20 and NMEA 0183-compatible SCX-21 (each $1,200) have four global-navigation-satellite-system antennas that allow the compasses to generate highly accurate heading, pitch, roll and heave data, even in heavy seas or when the compasses can only receive GNSS information from a single satellite (say, because of signal blockage from a mountain or an iceberg). These compasses can share the information with networked instruments and systems such as autopilots, chart plotters and radars using their NMEA 0183/2000 connectivity.

EPIRBs and PLBs with Return Link Service

Vessel-registered EPIRBs and individually registered personal locator beacons have saved countless lives, but historically, distressed mariners couldn’t be sure their emergency signals reached the rescuing authorities.

Next-generation devices allow COSPAS-SARSAT to send a Return Link Service confirmation to the beacon. While the Return Link Service is operational, EPIRBs and PLBs enabled with the technology aren’t yet widely available; yachtsmen can find them in the United Kingdom, France, Greenland, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Norway.

The post High-Latitude Cruising Technology appeared first on Yachting.

“Man overboard!”

The words still ring in my ears, irrespective of the fact that the MOB wasn’t among our crew that day on Washington state’s Puget Sound. Unfortunately, we were too far away to decipher the situation with our eyes, and by the time we had a pair of binoculars on deck, another crew had rescued the MOB.

While the situation ended happily, it’s easy to wonder what could have happened if this incident hadn’t unfurled near a crowded mark rounding or, worse, if no one had spotted the MOB at all.

Fortunately, today’s technology can help. FLIR Systems’ latest-generation M300 Series fixed-mount cameras employ better optics, advanced image processing, improved target tracking and more-sensitive thermal cores than previous models, giving users better situational awareness, increased confidence and a menu of video-output options.

Sharp-eyed readers will notice that the M300 Series cameras use similar-looking but larger gimbals than FLIR’s previous-generation cameras. The extra space affords bigger optical zooms. Jim McGowan, Raymarine’s ­Americas ­marketing ­manager, notes that M300 ­cameras ­represent a ground-up ­effort between FLIR and Raymarine (FLIR ­acquired ­Raymarine in 2010). M300 ­cameras use FLIR’s ­Boson ­thermal-imaging cores, which are a significant improvement from FLIR’s previous-generation Tau 2 cores.

M300 Series cameras are available in five configurations, all of which sport two-axis gyrostabilization, IPX6 protection ­ratings, and the ability to withstand 100-knot winds. The product lineup starts with the M300C ($6,500): a high-definition, long-range, daylight-only camera with 360-degree continuous pan and plus or minus 90-degree tilt movements. The M300C has a 30x optical zoom backed up by a 12x digital zoom (for a maximum combined optical/electronic zoom of 360x), variable fields of view, and a Sony-built visible-light camera core that delivers high-end resolution and low-light ­capabilities.

FLIR’s M332 ($8,500) swaps out the daylight-only camera for a Boson 320 core with 320-by-256 thermal-image resolution and a 24-by-18-degree FOV. The M332 has a fixed optical focus of 12 feet to infinity, a 4x digital zoom, and the ­ability to pan through 360 degrees and tilt through plus or minus 90 degrees.

The M364 ($14,200) has the same technical specifications as the M332, but its upgraded Boson 640 thermal-imaging core ­delivers 640-by-512 image ­resolution and an 8x digital zoom.

Yachtsmen ­seeking dual daylight- and thermal-imaging payloads should consider the M364C ($20,500), which pairs the M300C’s high-definition, visible-light camera with the M364’s Boson 640 thermal-imaging core. Additionally, the M364C has FLIR’s Color Thermal Vision and Multispectral Dynamic Imaging technologies. CTV blends imagery from the daylight camera with imagery from the thermal-imaging camera and overlays the hybrid imagery with colors for better identification.

“The M364C pulls imagery off of its ­visible-light camera, reduces this down to hues and applies it on top of thermal imagery in real time,” McGowan says. “You can see the color return of the [buoy] flash.”

Additionally, FLIR’s MSX technology embeds image details such as edges and outlines from the camera’s visible-light sensor onto its thermal imagery.

“It fools the eyes and brain and helps solidify the image,” McGowan says, adding that the MSX layer makes faint edges become crisp. “If you see a sailboat through a thermal camera, it will be a triangle, but if you see it with MSX, you’ll see the edges of sails, the mast and rigging—details that otherwise would have been lost.”

The M364C LR ($29,500) is the final camera in the M300 lineup and is identical to the M364C, except that it features an 18-by-13.5-degree FOV (hence it’s “long-range” moniker).

“That’s the only difference,” McGowan says, explaining that the M364C LR is better suited for ships, as its narrower FOV exaggerates vessel motion.

All M300 Series cameras are fitted with an attitude and heading reference system sensor, which works with the camera’s horizontal and vertical stabilizer motors to remove vessel motion from the camera’s displayed video feed.

“For situational awareness, wider FOVs are better,” he says, adding that the M364C is typically the better choice for vessels shy of superyacht status.

In addition to AHRS sensors, all M300 Series cameras allow users to track AIS or radar targets using FLIR’s slew-to-cue tracking. Users select any AIS or radar target, and the camera automatically aims its unblinking eye on the scene.

“In a MOB emergency, the camera can automatically track the situation if someone pushes the MFD’s MOB button,” McGowan says, adding that the camera pulls the vessel’s position information at the time of the MOB incident from the multifunction display. “The camera remains [fixed on the target] while the boat moves under it.”

Thermal-image-enabled M300 ­cameras also have infrared-image-detection ­capabilities in their Boson cores, ­allowing the ­cameras to differentiate between water and nonwater objects in daylight or thermal scenes. And for anyone who cruises with Raymarine Axiom MFDs, the functionality also lets the cameras work with Raymarine’s ClearCruise augmented reality system.

M300 cameras also play nicely with Furuno, Garmin and Simrad displays. “Each manufacturer has access to [FLIR’s] software-developer kits and can build their own interfaces,” McGowan says, adding that users can control their cameras via their display’s touchscreen interface or add an ­optional FLIR-built joystick to their helm.

M300 cameras also provide user-friendly ­video-output options. “Our older cameras only had an analog-out signal, so they were ­restricted to ­standard-definition , and it was hard to see the camera’s feed in ­multiple places,” McGowan says. “In the new ­cameras, the analog-out signal is still there, but we’ve added a video-over-IP—or Ethernet streaming and ­high-definition .”

Users can simultaneously share the camera’s output with multiple screens by plugging it into the yacht’s Ethernet network or connecting directly to the camera’s server. Cooler still, if the boat has connectivity, users can stream M300 imagery ashore via browser-enabled devices.

M300 Series cameras deliver a menu’s worth of features, capabilities and signal-output options, while offering the kind of MOB-detection capabilities that can mean the difference between an unexpected swim and a tragedy.

New Electronics

Fusion Entertainment’s MS-RS210 ­receiver ($350) is intended for use on flybridges, ­tenders or smaller boats, and comes with the company’s Digital Signal Processing technology. The MS-RS210 has an optically bonded 2.7-inch full-color LCD that shows album artwork and other metadata, and boaters can set up their DSP profiles to best match their yacht’s spaces and acoustic preferences. Check it out, at fusionentertainment.com.

KVH’s TracVision UHD7 receive-only ­antennas deliver ultra-high-definition 4K programming from DirecTV and high ­definition from other satellite-TV ­providers, including Dish Network and Bell. The ­antennas ($13,995) use KVH’s TriAD ­technology, which lets them receive DirecTV programming, local channels and DVR ­support by simultaneously tracking three satellites. Check it out, at kvh.com.

Transducers provide an onscreen visual of everything below the keel, provided that the tech isn’t covered with growth. Propspeed’s Foulfree Transducer Coating ($40) is made to reduce growth on transducer surfaces without harming the marine ­environment. Rather than using biocides, Foulfree becomes slippery in water, so any marine growth washes away with just a few knots of boat speed. Check it out, at oceanmax.com.

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The M300C combines a high-definition visible-light camera with a long-range (30x) optical zoom lens and gyrostabilization to give anglers a steady, crisp view, even in low-light and heavy-sea conditions. Standard pan, tilt and zoom functions deliver horizon-to-horizon viewing. When networked with a Raymarine Axiom display, the M300C enhances Raymarine’s ClearCruise augmented reality, which overlays navigation information onto the video feed. The camera’s video-over-IP, analog, and HD-SDI lossless digital-video outputs are compatible with many displays and security systems on the market.

Price: $6,495

Contact: flir.com

See the complete 2020 Marine Electronics Guide

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Sure, we’re all constantly amazed at just how much tech you can hold in the palm of your hand, but prepare for that amazement to become absolute shock—the FLIR Scion handheld thermal camera (available in standard and hi-res versions) has capabilities that include: Wi-Fi-networked video streaming; video and photo recording; Bluetooth connectivity; onboard GPS, digital compass and accelerometer; and a high-definition 1280 x 960 viewfinder. The digital zoom is 8x; the rubber-­armored housing is IP67-rated, and the views through the ­darkness are delivered with FLIR’s Boson core.

Price: Starts at $2,495

Contact: flir.com

See the complete 2020 Marine Electronics Guide

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The ability to see in color enhances your situational awareness, and the FLIR M364C makes it possible to ID those buoys as green or red even in complete darkness. And you can do it from quite a distance too thanks to an eye-popping 30x optical zoom. That image will stay in focus due to the camera’s gyrostabilization, and regardless of lighting conditions, it will provide better views than the marine binoculars sitting at your helm right now. The M364C integrates seamlessly with most MFDs from Raymarine, Furuno, Garmin and Simrad.

Price: $20,495

Contact: flir.com

See the complete 2020 Marine Electronics Guide

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Thermal imaging is awesome, but a thermal camera with pan, tilt and zoom is even better—­especially when it’s available at a reasonable cost and in a compact package that will fit on virtually any boat. The M232 delivers all of the above, plus easy video-over-IP connectivity. Close-ups come via a 4x continuous digital zoom, and the housing allows for 360-degree rotation as well as a 90-degree tilt.

Price: $3,499.99

Contact: flir.com

See the complete 2020 Marine Electronics Guide

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Engineered with offshore cruisers and serious sport-fish anglers in mind, the FLIR M400 thermal night-vision camera offers long-range day-and-night target detection with both the thermal and visible light camera payloads. There’s no need to be afraid of the dark with 4x optical zoom plus 4x digital zoom, plus 30x optical zoom on its low-light camera. Additional highlights include the LED spot beam that illuminates only what it’s pointed at — without blinding your crew or nearby boats — and outputs for analog, video over IP and HD-SDI.

Price: $70,000

Contact: flir.com

See the complete 2019 Marine Electronics Guide

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Enjoy the benefit of ­gyrostabilization in your camera while controlling your FLIR via joystick or your touchscreen MFD. The M-625CS includes both FLIR and a daylight/low-light color camera with 12x optical zoom, and the ability to connect two screens simultaneously thanks to dual video outputs. Day or night, you can now see ­farther and hold the picture steady. Very steady.

Price: $20,995

Contact: flir.com

See the complete 2019 Marine Electronics Guide

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In what is being heralded as a marine industry first, FLIR systems has introduced Raymarine ClearCruise AR, an augmented reality technology that works with Axiom multifunction displays.

The technology overlays physical navigation objects on Axiom’s high-definition video display. Raymarine CAM210 HD marine cameras support the system, providing the augmented reality views from any camera position on board.

ClearCruise AR can display navigation markers, AIS traffic and other objects in sync with real-world imagery, so skippers can recognize them in real time.

ClearCruise AR recently won an Innovation Award at IBEX.

“Our new ClearCruise AR technology delivers an intuitive method of combining navigation data with the real world,” Travis Merrill, president of the commercial business unit at FLIR, stated in a press release. “Using Axiom’s powerful video capabilities and our exclusive AR200 video image stabilization technology, ClearCruise AR gives captains greater confidence and peace of mind when navigating busy or unfamiliar waterways.”

Will it work with LightHouse? Yes. ClearCruise AR is compatible with the forthcoming LightHouse 3.7 OS update, which users can download here.

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