5 Boating Products You’ll Want To Ask From Santa
Published: Tuesday, December 4, 2018
By: Jordan Balbresky
New products make their debut every year, and each year some are off-the-charts great. This year, I was blown away by the versatility, functionality, and innovation of a number of new products that range from jump starters to marine security systems. Each one is designed to help boaters maximize their time on the water.
Weego 44
I am a big fan of Weego portable power solutions and the new Weego 44 is an innovative 4-in-1 tool that packs a powerful punch. This jump starting power pack is the perfect companion for anyone who owns a vehicle or vessel. All-new AutoBoost technology jumps dead batteries as low as ½ volt with its 440 cranking amps, and the ergonomic Smarty Clamps ensure a secure connection in any situation. Plus, Weego 44 has practical everyday use — its ultra-bright 500-lumen LED lights provide ample lighting in recreational and emergency situations, and it can power mobile devices quickly so connectivity is never an issue. It’s lightweight, ruggedly constructed, and easy to use.
Weego 44 comes in a fully loaded package. Users get the Pre-Charged Power Pack, Smarty Clamps, wall and car chargers, a hook and lanyard, a weather-resistant zippered pouch, and the quick start guide.
ANGLR Bullseye
ANGLR is a new tech company dedicated to transforming the fishing game. Their Bullseye Bluetooth-enabled button is designed to clip, stick, or attach to a boat or person and builds fishing intelligence without interrupting the fishing experience. Once connected to the free ANGLR app, users can quickly and easily capture key fishing data; one click records catch locations along with weather, water, and other key details, and two clicks marks a waypoint at the user’s current location. Cellular data is not required for use. Recorded trips, statistics, and coordinates are conveniently accessed through user profiles on the free mobile or web applications.
Each click of the Bullseye button allows the ANGLR app to provide trends and patterns related to the best days and times to fish, wind and water conditions, temperatures, GPS locations, moon phases, barometric pressure, and more. Because ANGLR recognizes the importance of a secret fishing spot, all collected data is stored securely and remains completely private by default. Anglers can simply preserve a record of their own story for personal enjoyment or tap into the ANGLR online community to share details on their own terms.
Vesper Marine Vision 2
The Vision2 has a stunning new look, with a seamless black-bezel front panel and glossy black sides, designed to complement any helm or nav station. Behind this attractive exterior, Vision2 features a highly responsive, easy to use capacitive touchscreen, allowing users to scroll through menus, zoom in and out, select vessels for additional details and navigation data, change alarm settings, and more with the gentlest of touches. Its bright 5.7-inch color display has excellent optical clarity over a wide viewing angle, even with polarized glasses.
Driven by award-winning smartAIS technology, Vision2 combines navigation sensor data, GPS and AIS information, with intelligent alert logic and triggers alarms in the event of hazardous situations. While traditional AIS transponders only send and receive AIS signals, Vesper Marine’s smartAIS units continuously calculate crossing situations and generate collision alarms for critical navigation action; alert the crew of an anchor dragging as well as changes in wind speed, wind direction and water depth while at anchor; and activate alarms in case of a man overboard (MOB) with continuously updated positions for quick retrieval. These capabilities are built right into the transponder itself and, with an audible alarm, these critical safety features don’t rely on any other equipment. In addition to the audible alarm, the Vision2’s built-in NMEA gateway and Wi-Fi capability can communicate alerts as well as all transponder information to a user’s Android or iOS smartphone or tablet using the WatchMate App or their smartwatch using the award-winning deckWatch App. Vision2 enables up to eight devices to be connected simultaneously for greater flexibility and has the latest high-speed Wi-Fi technology for faster access.
GOST Apparition
A cutting-edge touchscreen marine security monitoring and tracking system, the new Apparition is designed with larger vessels in mind. It is the most customizable and powerful GOST system ever released, controlled via revolutionary, interactive touchscreen keypads installed throughout a vessel.
The new system has the ability to support up to 192 sensors, access control for up to 32 external or internal doors and hatches, and lets users check the status of each one by simply touching any of the screens installed throughout a vessel. Users can program different rules for different doors, limiting or granting access as they see fit. Additionally, users can program up to 8 partitions - security systems within the security system. Crew’s quarters, bedrooms, and even a liquor cabinet can be assigned as an individual partition, offering owners unprecedented system control and situational awareness.
Apparition can use both wireless and hardwired sensors, made possible by the innovative design of the system’s digital architecture. With the addition of a Wireless Expansion Module (WEX), wireless signal strength limitations on larger vessels can be virtually eliminated. A WEX installed in the engine room of a large vessel allows for deployment of up to 32 additional wireless sensors, where previously the signal strength would be too low to do so on larger metal vessels. With GOST’s wide array of sensors such as high-water, low-voltage, smoke and heat detectors, as well as a full suite of intrusion detection sensors, the system is truly customizable to meet every vessel’s layout and every customer’s priority. Additionally, the complimentary app receives push notifications from the system and displays alerts on owners, crew members, and yacht managers’ smartphones.
mazu Sentry
mazu Sentry redefines remote boat monitoring by putting control into the hands of vessel owners no matter where they are. Through a constant connection and easy-to-use app, risks can be accounted for, managed, and monitored. An elevated level of boat monitoring features include shore power monitoring, high water sensors, contact sensors, geo-fencing, an anchor alarm, and customizable rules and conditions so users can determine how boat status information is relayed to them. Remote activation of appliances, AC, alarms, lights, and emergency pumps create the environment the boater wants before even getting on the boat.
Powered by the iridium satellite network, mazu Sentry is an add-on device for the mazu mSeries system that provides connectivity in a small hardware package that includes the IGT 2100 with 30 foot cable, ISI-2000 cable, keypad, and free mazu app. A low monthly service fee for the Sentry is worth the peace of mind and flexibility that it provides.
About Jordan Balbresky
A former public relations practitioner serving the high-tech and consumer electronics industries, Jordan Balbresky returned to the agency world following a decade of hands-on marine experience. Living in the Caribbean and working in all aspects of the marine industry — from boat building, restoration and maintenance, to charter captain and delivery crew of sailing and motor yachts — Balbresky has a first-hand understanding of the outdoor and maritime markets. Fully immersing himself in the industry, he is a licensed scuba instructor, as well as master mariner and has lived on-board a custom-built schooner while skippering charters on boats of all sizes in the US Virgin Islands.
This article first appeared in the Year End Issue (Nov/Dec) 2018 of Great Lakes Scuttlebutt magazine.
tags: Electronics, Gift Ideas
