My first boat - buying tomorrow fingers crossed (advice pls)

[Bigplumbs]

Oh ok... Any good brands / models recommended?

There are many brands of Plotter/ Echo Device. I like the Garmin ones and if you get a Fish finder it is a depth finder as well.

Something like this would be fine for your use. This is at the Bottom of the scale and suitable for a Small Boat. You will need a transducer as well for this for the Depth.

I mentioned have you got one because that could have been what that red lead was for

Garmin echoMAP Plus 45cv

 

[Bigplumbs]

I have this one which I swap between my Boats by buying mounts. It is now discontinued but you might find one on ebay. They are bigger than the 45dv and easier to read on a boat going fast

echoMAP™ CHIRP 55cv | Discontinued | Products | Garmin | Malaysia | Home

 

[Nito]

Have a check at both the battery and under the rubber caps on the isolator for a broken ring terminal that may have belonged to that wire.

I personally wouldn't go reconnecting it anywhere until you've had a good look at what it could be and checking what does and doesn't work on all the boats systems. If the boat has a bilge pump there will be a level switch to activate it, test that to see if it works, ie lift the switch and the pump should kick in. The picture below shows a typical setup, bilge pump is on the right and on the left is the level switch that activates it (basically the arm floats when the bilge fills with water, a bit like a toilet cistern, and activates the pump. Simply lift that lever and it should set the pump off. As has been said this is probably the only permanently wired connection. There may also be a manual bilge pump switch on the dash.



It may also be for something that has been removed so see if you have any stray wires anywhere in the dash/engine bay. You can always check for continuity using a multimeter which would be a useful tool to buy when you own a boat.

There appears to be no inline fuse which should always be quite near the battery/isolator. It was a good call above that it is probably for something that draws quite a few amps, maybe the wire went to an inline fuse originally, strange there is no fuse there, trace it back, it may go to a mini busbar/distribution box. Need a further away pic really to see if it's anything to do with all those relays.

 

[colhel]

I'm pretty sure if you download navionics you'll get a basic chart plotter for free. The annual premium gives chart updates and other extra features. A very useful app for passage planning at home, and for learning how to read a chart.

 

[Bigplumbs]

I'm pretty sure if you download navionics you'll get a basic chart plotter for free. The annual premium gives chart updates and other extra features. A very useful app for passage planning at home, and for learning how to read a chart.

That is a indeed a very good App. The important thing though is also a depth finder me thinks..... Lots to Learn, lots to do and much dosh to spend

 

[Capt Popeye]

Ahoy there ; a bit of late Fred Drift ere ; re the security of a boat trailer (plus boat) I found that various Insurance Companies specified that the Trailer be securly locked to a Fixed Object in the ground ; like those Motor Bike security posts / brackets ; these fixing posts /brackets are dug into the ground , cemented in , so provide some security agaist theft , as the trailer /boat cannot be just taken away easily , without a good bit of demolition works (which make noise and taks some time)

 

[Alicatt]

I'm pretty sure if you download navionics you'll get a basic chart plotter for free. The annual premium gives chart updates and other extra features. A very useful app for passage planning at home, and for learning how to read a chart.

Navionics even works away from the boat, well it’s working on the Newcastle ferry just now

It works unlike the iPhone that can’t put a pic in the right way up…

 

[colhel]

View attachment 129358
Navionics even works away from the boat, well it’s working on the Newcastle ferry just now

It works unlike the iPhone that can’t put a pic in the right way up…

I didn't know you could get it on a laptop, mind you I've never tried. So if you had an external GPS antenna, will it work like a plotter?

 

[Alicatt]

Yes. It is on a Aldi Android tablet there, I also can run it on my desktop pc using an android emulator. It also runs on my iPhone XR with no problems, you log into the Navionics website and then you can run the app on different devices all with the one login. Download the area you want and then off you go, just don’t log out and it works fine

quick screen grab of it on this iPhone
The lighter sections are areas already downloaded, the UK year subscription is about £34

 

[Alicatt]

The other useful thing about it is your routes, waypoints, etc are stored in the cloud and accessible on all your devices while you have internet connection

that was a route I was practicing with on the tablet only but I can access it here on my iPhone

There are various different overlays from just the bare chart to shaded relief maps of the seabed
Like this
Princess Seaways getting ready to get underway

 

[colhel]

I've often heard it said that using a smart phone for navigation should be frowned upon. I've got a fixed plotter now but for a few years it was my primary source of navigation and even now I find it more user friendly than the plotter. (Works great on my hudl !)
You can save your tracks too.

 

[Alicatt]

The app…
The reality

 

[Bigplumbs]

Navionics works well on a normal PC as well

 

[Bigplumbs]

Tony

Just thought of another bit of advice that is important. When you use the boat and push the throttle lever forward and engage the forward gear, Don't do this tentatively. Do it firmly. you should hear a clunk noise which is correct not a ddddrrrrr noise which is bad. Same for reverse.

Hope this helps

 

[Chris_d]

Tony

Just thought of another bit of advice that is important. When you use the boat and push the throttle lever forward and engage the forward gear, Don't do this tentatively. Do it firmly. you should hear a clunk noise which is correct not a ddddrrrrr noise which is bad. Same for reverse.

Hope this helps

Is that good advice? classic beginner mistake is pushing the throttle too hard and lurching backwards and forwards out of control. I know what your trying to say but he should only push firmly until it clicks into gear and no further.

 

[Alicatt]

arrived safe and sound, apart from one bit this morning while chatting with the truckers over breakfast where we didn’t have gps reception the phone did a good job of keeping track of the boat’s voyage

 

[limecc]

Is that good advice? classic beginner mistake is pushing the throttle too hard and lurching backwards and forwards out of control. I know what your trying to say but he should only push firmly until it clicks into gear and no further.

I am sure in time Tony will find out who gave good advice and who did not.

 

[Farmer Piles]

Is that good advice? classic beginner mistake is pushing the throttle too hard and lurching backwards and forwards out of control. I know what your trying to say but he should only push firmly until it clicks into gear and no further.

Fair point but often people are too tentative and you can hear the gears grinding as they haven't engaged. A positive shove of the lever but a very short shove as to only engage the gears. Also highlights the need for wearing a killcord at all times.
Also, I have a Raymarine Dragonfly on my boat - similar size to Tony's, and it is a great bit of kit. I just went for the five inch screen which is ample for me. Easy to install too. The depth sounder is invaluable in protecting your prop and the chart plotter handy on a river but brilliant on the sea. The transponder just screws onto the transom.

 

[limecc]

The transponder just screws onto the transom.

First choice for me imho is to epoxy it to work through the hull if the installation allows it. A layer of paint on the underside of the transducer ensures it can always be separated if the need arises. I made a little dam (plasticine best?) to keep the epoxy in place until it went off.

 

[Bigplumbs]

Is that good advice? classic beginner mistake is pushing the throttle too hard and lurching backwards and forwards out of control. I know what your trying to say but he should only push firmly until it clicks into gear and no further.

It is good advice if you don't wat to wear out the gear engagement mechanism. The Travel distance on a throttle lever is quite significant before you hit much power. But yes you are correct as was I, it is getting it firmly in gear that is important rather than the ddddrrr noise that is not good