By Paul Knieste
Boat electronics can be divided into two basic categories. Non-essential items are fun and/or unnecessary, while essential items are must-haves. What’s vital? A VHF radio, GPS, and depth finder or fish finder. VHF is short for a radio utilizing very high frequency waves and GPS stands for Global Positioning System.
The VHF radio is used for ship-to-ship communication as well as a means to contact first responders, including the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). When transmitting via VHF your transmission can be heard by other vessels and the USCG, giving the radio a distinct advantage over cell phones in emergency situations.
VHF radios have weather channels (WX) allowing for continuous monitoring of real time and current weather conditions in your boating area. Reports include basic weather conditions, including temperature and precipitation, along with necessary information concerning current wind direction, wind speed, wave heights, and local high tide times. If you’re monitoring another VHF channel, the alert function on most VHF radios will signal you to tune into the weather channel to learn about dangerous conditions. Alerts and warnings issued by the USCG can also be heard on the VHF with settings that allow boaters to listen to a ship to ship frequency while monitoring the emergency frequency (channel 16).
GPS units perform point-to-point navigation from providing a desired course heading to a course heading plotted over a nautical graphic chart. All GPS units calculate distance to go to a coordinate, time to go to that coordinate, and speed made good (actual speed over the bottom). GPS provides helpful information in trip planning and in calculating fuel consumption, but it’s also become a valuable tool for navigation. However, it’s just as vital to always carry a current nautical chart for your area and know how to read it. Electronics can fail but a paper chart is always reliable.
A depth finder (DF) gives a real-time digital reading of the depth under your boat. While useful, the DF can’t display the picture of the bottom the way that a fish finder (FF) does. The FF’s sonar picture distinguishes a soft from hard bottom, the presence of rocks, reefs, and other obstacles and hazards. It also indicates the upward or downward sloping of the bottom and can detect a channel, all desirable for navigation and in picking better spots to anchor. Setting the FF or DF depth alarm to a distance from the bottom that you determine will alert you when entering shallower water, thus avoiding grounding.
Always have the complete owner’s manual for all your devices aboard. Store in a safe, dry area. Good tip: make up quick reference cards for each device and keep near the helm. You don’t want to go read the manual when an electronic device demands your attention!
The enemy of all electronics is water, especially salt water. To prevent corrosion and rust, mount electronics securely in spots protected from spray and rain. Many boaters use an electronics box — a waterproof, closable container designed to offer protection from the elements.
Virtually all electronics have quick connect/disconnect features to allow for portability. Connections should be kept clean and dry and given a periodic spray of WD40. Power connections should be periodically rubbed with emery paper to remove tarnish and corrosion; replace all connectors every two years or earlier if needed. Reapply anti-fouling paint annually to your FF or DF transducer as per manufacturer’s directions.
Spare fuses of the correct voltage should be kept aboard for every device. Should a fuse blow, likely from a short circuit or voltage overload, correct the problem and replace the fuse immediately. Fuses are there to protect electronics and electronics are there to protect boaters.
Electronic devices sometimes go for a swim. If you are lucky enough to retrieve an escapee, immediately place it in a sealable plastic bag, press out as much air as you can, and seal the bag. Corrosion and rust require oxygen, so you hope to mitigate the damage that occurs before you can get the equipment to a repair shop.
When it comes to non-vital electronics aboard, most recreational vessels aren’t equipped with marine-compatible devices. If you bring aboard your household stereo, television, and entertainment systems, keep them securely fastened, dry, and away from water and heat. Tote them home again or invest in nautical-tested electronics that can withstand some shaking and some splashing.
More information on VHF channels and communication: https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=mtVhf and https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/?pageName=mtBoater
