Hi Remek: I think Furuno just makes the single model – for both SAE and Metric countries. As you indicated, the standard 6" schedule 80 pipe and the standard SAE pipe flange matched the bolt pattern of the Furuno CH270 flange. All of which makes the pipe install very simple.

One thing we would do differently, however. You can use quite a long pipe if required to keep the flange above waterline. In our case we came up about 8" (200mm) above max load WL. But in hindsight, it would have been better to come up a couple of feet (60cm). This would allow the sound dome to be raised above the water level when the boat was in storage.

Regards – Steve

Hi David and Jackie: First, we’d suggest you look at Rose Point’s Coastal Explorer. It comes with the complete NOAA data base and is a simple-to-use, yet powerful enough program. There is a new version coming out in a week or so.

As far as integrating the pilot, with most modern gear this is not difficult. However, we do not do this ourselves as it tends to make the driver less attuned to what is going on around the boat on the assumption that the pilot and chart plotter are working together.

All of the above assumes you are using a PC-based system.

There are also lots of all-in-one chart plotters which will be less costly (unless you have the PC onboard already for other uses) and can be used outside. The downside is less versatility and a much smaller screen. But for local work a dedicated unit can make sense.

Hope this helps – Steve

Hi Larry: Phoenix – we’re almost neighbors. We’re headed to Puget Sound and AK in a few weeks so maybe we’ll see you up there.

As to nav courses in AZ, I would check the Power Squadron http://www.usps.org/e_stuff/Basic.html and perhaps American Sailing Association http://www.asa.com/

Further away, Orange Coast College in Southern California has a variety of courses on offer. I’m sure there will be a bunch in the Seattle area as well. Good Luck – Steve

Hi Jim: You will find the new Furuno radar vastly superior to the Raytheon 40X. This is especially true in the area of target definition in sea-clutter. I once had a 40X and was not very happy with my choice!

The Gulfstar Sailmaster is a very roomy boat, as you know. The penalty you pay for that room is performance, especially upwind. So I would be particularly careful not to get yourself into heavy weather situations where you have something shallow or hard under your lee. And of course be sure you have a good system for storm shutters on the house windows.

Beyond this, the usual survey of systems, structure, and rig should be done carefully. Keep in mind that this boat was never intended to do what you are planning. That doesn’t mean it cannot be done. Just that you need to take care and keep an eye on things. Regards–Steve

I am not familiar with your B&G gear so I cannot tell you if you can feed it a GPS signal and then take the NEMA output from the B&G to your computer. However, there are several approaches for combining an standard GPS signal at the computer with your B&G wind/depth data. One approach is to purchase a NMEA combiner which will take two or more signals, combine these, and then output the data in serial, USB, or NMEA format. One such unit is made by Noland Engineering (http://www.nolandengineering.com/). The other approach is to have two inputs into your computer. You can do this with a PCMIA card which accepts two or more serial inputs, or with a USB-to-serial converter. You probably have something like this now with your Globalstar phone. Good luck. -Steve

Hi Remek: We looked hard at sonar in general and the Interphase unit. They all seem to have some validity in smooth water. However, it remains doubtful how well they do with objects on the surface when there are waves around. We decided against sonar because we were feeling overloaded with electronics, and you have to draw the line somewhere! However, if you fit one we’d love to hear from you about how it works out. -Steve

Hi Eddie: Raster scan charts are simply straight scans of the chart in question–the same approach as when you scan something with your home scanner. As such, the data is all on one layer, and takes a lot of computer space.

The alternate approach is vector based charts, where the data is digitally encoded as opposed to the simple scan. The advantage here is that it is easy to change data with updates, the charts take less space, and you can turn off unwanted data.

The popular Maptech charts are the Raster type. I understand Nobeltec is now marketing the UK Admiralty chart catalog which are the vector type but we have no direct experience with these.

Hi Geoffrey: We’ll be going through the same conundrum on our own new boat. I am leery of putting all my navigation eggs in one basket. We’ll talk a lot more in a few months on our decision making process for this category of gear but right now here is the direction we are heading.

For autopilots we’ll use WH–still the most reliable from what we can see. Easy to tie to any standard GPS if we want to steer to a way point, or to drive from MaxSea.

We’ll have two GPS units installed. Only one will be tied to the other instruments. The second will remain on its own. However, the wiring will be done in such a way so that it is easy to switch the NEMA cables from one GPS to the other, should we want to change which one feeds the NEMA signal to the other gear.

On radar we only care about one feature–target definition in sea-clutter. Furuno has always had the edge here. But we will test both Furuno and Raytheon and maybe some others to see which we like the best.

As far as integrating everything into a single package, we have not formed a definitive idea on this yet. In the past we’ve stayed away from it. But we will revisit the technical issues and risks after the first of the year and make a decision then. Good luck–Steve

Hi George: To me the #1 concern with radar is target definition and Furuno is still tops in this category from what I am told by my installer friends who sell both brands. The mini-arpa to PC transfer is easy and I think potentially valuable in tight quarters. But the main value is right on the radar screen itself. As far as chart and radar overlay together, I have used this on my dad’s boat and am not impressed. My feeling is that I like each separate, where I can have a full screen for radar and a separate, full screen for charts. Less chance this way of making an error in interpretation.

As to radar at the helm, this depends on where and how you cruise. My preference is to keep all electronics and electrics out of the cockpit. Otherwise, they eventually get wet and cause problems–it is only a matter of time. But if you can arrange a second monitor so it is totally sealed off from breaking waves and spray, maybe this would be a good thing. Regards–Steve

Hi David: You pose a very tough question. A lot depends on your style of navigation, budget, etc. From our perspective, we’re hooked on electronic charting. Resisted it for a long time, but for us it reduces the nav work load allowing more time for weather analysis.

As far as radar goes, the most important thing is target definition in difficult sea-states. Nothing else really matters. Toward this end buy the best quality set you can afford and the biggest antennae. Antenna size is much more important than output power. Our own preference is Furnuno, who still seem to have a better target definition than anyone else.

SSB is a tough call. It is not nearly as useful as a satphone, unless you are a ham. But nice for talking to other boats. New models now have the automated distress capability and all ships now monitor these frequencies. Connected to the GPS it will give out a distress call and your lat. and lon. Redundant with the EPIRB for sure, but overall I think we’ll probably go with one on our new boat.

Having said all of the above, if you have to wait around and earn more money to buy all this fancy stuff I’d say go now. Buy a couple of portable GPS units, a used ham rig, and forget the rest. When we started cruising in the 70s we did not even have a VHF let alone a long range radio, and GPS or Sat Nav had yet to be invented. Only one boat we knew even had a weather fax. And everybody did just fine. Good Luck–Steve