Dockmares have a way of burrowing into the psyche. As a kid, Michelle Hildyard was cruising England’s southern coast with her family aboard Storm King, their Kings Cruiser 29. As they tucked into Langstone Harbour, waves were heaving Storm King—and the dock—while Hildyard’s dad made his approach. Then Hildyard’s sister, impatient to debark, leapt from the moving boat and blew her landing. Hildyard’s mom grabbed the helm, and her dad scooped her sister back aboard. “She could have gotten squished,” Hildyard recalls.

Jump to 2024, and Hildyard, who was recently promoted to vice president of operations at Raymarine and FLIR Maritime, has the opportunity to help make boating a better, safer experience for everyone.

Hildyard joined Raymarine 20 years ago. Since then, the powerboats that she and her husband have owned have grown in size and complexity, as have her job responsibilities. Now 47, she grew up in Southampton on England’s southern coast, a short distance from Southampton Water, a tidal estuary that spills into the Solent. This is one of the world’s great boating areas. The Isle of Wight is nearby, as is the storied English Channel.

“I started sailing dinghies when I was 8,” Hildyard says. “I enjoyed racing, and I did that competitively for a number of years.”

For college, Hildyard moved north to the landlocked University of Reading, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in pathobiology. Next came a move to London, where she worked in the cable TV business, first as a strategy and network development manager for Cable & Wireless Communications, and then as a procurement manager for Sky TV.

Yet, the sea’s gravity was never far from her mind. “I always had friends back home on the south coast, and I always used to come and do a lot of boating,” Hildyard says.

Her entry to the marine industry involved some serendipity. Hildyard met her future husband racing dinghies as teenagers. By the mid-2000s, they were a pair. “He didn’t want to move to London, so we decided that I’d finish my stint in London,” she says. “A job came up at Raymarine, along with a couple other supply-chain jobs. What swayed me to Raymarine was because it was in the marine industry.”

Hildyard began in 2005, at the height of the industry’s pre-Great Recession boom. She was a supply-chain manager, a position that she held for 18 months before getting promoted to commercial director. She and her husband took up power cruising in 2007 when they purchased a Fairline Phantom 40.

The Great Recession began later that year, and “things weren’t brilliant,” Hildyard recalls. Raymarine was still an independent company at the time. “I learned a lot because I was working with the bankers, with the financial advisers, about how to support Raymarine in restructuring to be sold.”

By May 2010, FLIR Systems, the US-based thermal-imaging giant, had purchased Raymarine. “One of the things we took on at Raymarine was FLIR’s marine thermal-imaging cameras, growing that business and incorporating it into Raymarine’s portfolio,” Hildyard says. This coincided with her promotion to director of global customer service, a position that she held for more than eight years.

Around that time, anticipating the arrival of their first daughter, the Hildyards upgraded to a Fairline Phantom Targa 44. “Our eldest daughter was 10 months old when she did her first Channel crossing,” Hildyard says, “but she was on the boat at five days old.”

In 2011, Hildyard enrolled at University of Southampton Business School, where she earned her MBA. This program took three years. With graduation approaching, the family upgraded again in 2013, this time to a Fairline Targa 47 GT. “It’s a really good cruising boat,” Hildyard says, describing the layout and well-used RIB.

Today, the Hildyards are a family of four who live in Southampton, about a five-minute walk from their marina. From there, Hildyard says, it’s a 25-minute ride at 6 knots to the Solent, a route the family knows well. “On the weekends, we can go to Lymington, Beaulieu, and Cowes and Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight,” she says. “A little bit farther afield and we can go to Poole or Weymouth, or across to the Channel Islands and France.”

In fall 2018, Hildyard was named vice president of customer service before becoming vice president of product management and development. One of her responsibilities in the latter role involved developing a clearer understanding of market needs and driving new product to fill niches. Layered on top of this came two major macro-level changes: the pandemic, and Teledyne’s acquisition of FLIR and Raymarine in May 2021.

“We hunkered down,” Hildyard says. “Then 2021 hit, and aside from the supply-chain shortages, it was great because the marine industry came back to life. People couldn’t travel, but they certainly wanted leisure time.” This translated to boat sales and the acquisition.

While Hildyard describes Teledyne (an American technology firm) as a great parent company that has natural synergies with FLIR and Raymarine, the marine electronics market is competitive. “To continue growing the business, we need to continue a good cadence of product introductions,” Hildyard says. “You’ve got to understand what your customers’ problems are, and you’ve got to solve those problems.”

Obvious problems, she says, involve lowering boating’s barriers to entry while engaging more experienced boaters.

“For most people, docking is horrendous. It’s the worst part of the experience,” she says, pointing to DockSense, which is Raymarine’s camera- and GPS-based assisted-docking system. “You can create [air] bumpers around your boat, and no matter how much you bring your [helm] over, it’s not going to get within a half a meter of that pontoon or hit another boat.”

While Hildyard sees DockSense and other AI-based technologies as crucial, she’s aware of the coin’s other side. “A lot of people buy a boat for the pleasure of sailing or driving it,” she says. “Automation and AI must enhance that experience, rather than take over.”

One example of this, Hildyard says, is advanced technologies that help anglers find fish faster while reducing their time and fuel burn.

Looking ahead, Hildyard expects several important waypoints that need to be met as the boating world catches up to the digital age. The first involves connectivity and digital switching.

“When you go out cruising or fishing, you want to know that your boat is ready; you want to be able to check things in advance,” she says. While these home-type technologies are finding their way aboard, Hildyard says the sea change will take another few years.

On the three- to five-year horizon, Hildyard expects automation and AI to play increasingly bigger roles. But as a lifelong boater, she understands there’s a fine line involved. “I think it’s how you apply it in the industry that’s going to be very interesting, and how people want to use it,” she says.

Looking five to 10 years down the course, Hildyard expects to see fully autonomous yachts. “Making the right decisions on what sensors to develop and what technologies to prioritize is going to be critical,” she says, noting that this task, along with fostering in-house innovations and outside partnerships, is a big part of her role.

There’s no question that technologies like DockSense would have added serious safety margins the day that Hildyard’s sister fell overboard. A lifelong boater with decades of industry experience may have precisely the right combination of expertise to guide Raymarine and FLIR through the evolutions that will decide boating’s future.

Side Rides

In addition to their Fairline Targa 47 GT, the Hildyards recently acquired an e-foil board, giving the family the chance to experience the boating world’s coolest craze. Also, the Targa 47 GT carries a Williams Jet Tender, which they use to get ashore and to support their watersports habit.

The post An Interview with Raymarine’s Michelle Hildyard appeared first on Yachting.

Raymarine has collaborated with Zin Boats to create what they are describing as “the world’s most advanced electric superyacht tender.”

The Z11, as the tender is called, is associated with Feadship’s Project 821, a 389-foot superyacht designed to run on compressed liquid hydrogen. The tender combines marine navigation and vessel automation, performance and design in a way that Raymarine says “will set a new standard in the marine industry.”

The custom navigation and vessel automation system is powered by Raymarine Axiom 2 XL 19-inch and Axiom+ 9-inch chartplotter displays with YachtSense digital switching and vessel monitoring. The displays have intuitive touchscreen control and Raymarine’s remote keypads, the RMK-6 and RMK-10, for tactile command of the Z11’s navigation and digital switching functions. A Ray90 modular VHF radio system and CP100 Chirp DownVision sonar add communications and echo-sounding functionality.

“Collaborating with Zin Boats allowed us to push the boundaries of marine interface design, creating a custom software experience that perfectly complements the Z11’s innovative approach to electric boating,” Jamie Dery, vice president of Raymarine Americas, stated in a press release. “This collaboration exemplifies Raymarine’s unique ability to work hand-in-hand with visionary builders, delivering tailored solutions that set the standard in marine-electronics innovation.”

David Donovick, president and COO of Zin Boats, added: “We have been heads down working on the world’s most advanced electric tender and electric propulsion technology, which will scale across multiple boat platforms.”

More about Zin Boats: The company, which is based in Seattle, specializes in high-performance electric marine propulsion systems, luxury electric boats and custom yacht tenders. Zin Boats advertises electric tenders that can top 50 knots with a range of more than 100 nautical miles under normal operating conditions.

Where to learn more: go to raymarine.com or zinboats.com

The post Raymarine Announces Advanced Tender appeared first on Yachting.

Raymarine has announced a collaboration with Watchit that will see anti-collision technology combined with top-of-the-line chartplotters to help boaters improve situational awareness through display systems at the helm.

In a separate agreement, the companies announced that Raymarine LightHouse Charts are now designated as the official map supplier for Watchit, a change that is expected to enhance the Watchit system’s accuracy and reliability.

Watchit uses algorithms and sensors in a way that’s inspired by automotive safety technology. It analyzes a boat’s data to provide warnings before a collision occurs, helping to avoid collisions as well as groundings.  

“At Raymarine, we’re committed to making boaters’ time on the water safer and more enjoyable,” Michelle Hildyard, vice president of operations at Raymarine, stated in a press release. “Our collaboration with Watchit aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver seamless and open integration with new products and technology, ultimately simplifying the boating experience for our Axiom users.”

The announcement comes at a time when systems integration continues to be a major trend in the recreational marine industry, and as technology continues to be used in new ways to help make boating easier and safer for the skipper and guests. 

When will systems be available with the Watchit-Raymarine integration? They’re available now for compatible Raymarine Axiom chartplotters.

The post Raymarine’s Upgraded Collision Control appeared first on Yachting.

ACR ResQLink AIS PLB-450

The more ears that hear a call for help, the better chance there is to get it sooner. Add in greater position accuracy and you get the ACR ResQLink AIS PLB-450. This personal locator beacon uses AIS and 406 mHz frequencies to broadcast a user’s location. To help pinpoint that location, the PLB-450 harnesses the global navigation satellite system. When we tested the ACR ResQLink PLB-450 on land, the system quickly identified three satellites within view and acquired its first fix within 35 seconds, with a position accuracy of about 215 feet. The ability to add a wearable beacon that broadcasts to local vessels and rescuing authorities provides highly accurate location data The fact that the device broadcasts for 24-plus hours makes the ACR ResQLink PLB-450 an option for boaters of all types. 

ePropulsion X40 Outboard

The X40 is ePropulsion’s largest electric outboard in a three-model series, which also includes an X12 and X20. The engine’s number designation indicates power in kilowatts. When the company tested its X40 on a 20-foot V-hull aluminum boat, the engine produced a top speed of around 19.4 knots (22.3 mph), which it can maintain for one hour. Dial it back to 8.3 knots to double the run time. At 6.7 knots, it’s four hours. The X40 has 88.2 percent total powertrain efficiency. ePropulsion designed the engine’s electric steering, power trim and tilt, electric control unit and motor controller as a single unit.

Compass 11.1 Limo Tender

Yacht owners seeking an all-weather ride that accommodates 12 passengers from the big boat in a climate-controlled environment may want to consider the Compass 11.1 Limo tender. The cabin is outfitted with custom leather seating, a teak sole with an eye-catching geometric pattern, warm interior lighting that follows the curve of the superstructure, and a glass roof that opens and articulates in several directions. Windows are a clear-coat carbon fiber and provide ocean views at all points. There are steps forward and aft, as well as a swim platform to ensure seamless boarding in any scenario. The Compass 11.1 Limo tender is powered with a pair of twin 320 hp Yanmar diesels paired to sterndrives. Top speed is 34 knots, but with a great ride, what’s the rush?

Dockmate Dynamic Positioning

Dockmate’s Dynamic Positioning System is an upgrade to the company’s remote-control technology, adding next-level confidence for boat owners who are ready to take a break from being stuck at the helm when waiting for a bridge opening. The Dockmate hand-held remote control gives the skipper access to two modes. The first one is designed for operating on open water, where the positioning system uses only the engines to hold station. It will keep the vessel into the wind or current to stay in place. In close-quarters scenarios, Dockmate’s system will engage the engines and thrusters to stay on the waypoint. A 4-inch screen at the helm displays the vessel’s position at all times, and the skipper has the ability to activate the dynamic positioning system with the push of a button.

Furuno TZTouchXL

The latest from Furuno is an upgraded version of the TZtouch line of multifunction displays. Dubbed the TZtouchXL, these wide-bodied displays are not only equipped with faster processors, but they also deliver better imagery. In fact, they are the only displays that can render TimeZero’s TZ Maps. TZtouchXL displays come in 10-, 13-, 16-, 22– and 24-inch screen sizes, and have 1920-by-1080 high-definition displays, which highlight TZ Maps’ rich colors and bathymetric details. Skippers can also use Furuno’s AI Routing, where they select start and end points, and the software uses the chart’s bathymetric data to generate safe routes. Anglers can use this tech to access Furuno’s Dynamic Fishing Maps with five different resolution levels, including hybrid satellite and contour charts, and 3-inch contour lines to help pinpoint a hot bite.

SipaBoards

Imagine enjoying a relaxing morning paddle amid light winds but then finding yourself a bit farther from shore than you initially thought. What if there was the option of a power assist that could kick in and return you safely to your boat or terra firma? That was the thinking behind the SipaBoards line of power-assisted SUPs. Each of the three models—the Neo ($3,255), Tourer ($3,900) and AllRounder ($3,900)—has a water jet paired with a power-pack battery and a Bluetooth-enabled remote control. There’s also a self-inflate system to help ease the task of getting the boards prepped and ready for the water. Launched with a Kickstarter campaign in 2015, SipaBoards has now sold more than 5,000 SUPs in 26 countries.

Lomac GranTurismo 14

Dubbed a “maxi RIB” by the builder, the Lomac GranTurismo 14 is the culmination of three years of research and development in a 100 percent made-in-Milan design by Federico Fiorientino. It has hulls optimized by computational fluid dynamics as well as vacuum-infusion lamination incorporating vinylester resins and neopentyl gelcoat. Aramid fibers also reinforce the T-top, deck and hull without adding substantially more weight. The 16-person capacity means owners will have plenty of room for family and friends. Standard power is triple 300 hp outboards, although speed demons can upgrade to triple 450 hp engines for even greater performance. 

Garmin GPSMap 9000 Series

The latest from Garmin, the GPSMap 9000 series of chart plotters offers up to seven times the processing speed of previous generations of Garmin multifunction displays. Available in 19-, 22-, 24– or 27-inch versions, each display has 4K resolution and edge-to-edge clarity. They can also be flat- or flush-mounted for an all-glass helm. In-plane switching ensures sunlight readability from virtually any viewing angle, even while wearing polarized sunglasses. In addition to enhancing navigation, the large-format 4K displays can also be used to display streaming entertainment or for watching stored content. GPSMap 9000 displays also utilize high-bandwidth digital content protection distribution, allowing users to play the same content simultaneously across all networked GPSMap 9000 screens. 

JL Audio MediaMaster 55

Guided by a philosophy that great audio has real value, Garmin and its brands—JL Audio and Fusion—develop and deliver world-class audio entertainment. The JL Audio MediaMaster 55 is a next-generation source unit designed specifically for the often harsh maritime environment. Built for nonstop playback of the skipper’s favorite tunes, it has multiple connectivity options, including a digital AM/FM tuner, DAB+ radio, Bluetooth connectivity, analog auxiliary input, and a USB connection with charging. It is also equipped with a built-in amplifier, providing the ability to drive multiple speakers per channel. Rugged and weatherproof, the MM55 has a silicone button pad and new rotary knob. The 2.8-inch full-color LCD screen has larger icons than on previous models, simplified menus and a refreshed color palette. It still has separate day and night lighting themes for easier viewing if cocktail hour runs past sunset.

Valo Hyperfoil

In a clever combination, this company introduced foiling technology and electric propulsion to personal watercraft. Founded in 2019, Boundary Layer Technologies initially worked on several commercial marine concepts. In late 2022, the company shifted its focus to the recreational market, building a prototype of an electric foiling PWC. That led to the updated design, which was unveiled at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in October 2023. The Valo Hyperfoil has a control system called Skyride, which uses advanced algorithms to adjust the foils hundreds of times every second. This technology comes at an early-adopter premium. With a suggested retail price of $59,000, the Valo Hyperfoil is more than double the price of most traditional PWC. Projected range is more than 60 nautical miles at an average speed of 27 knots.

Winch Design’s Arc in Colour

Winch Design worked with Summit Furniture on this updated line called Arc in Colour. It’s built from sustainable, plantation-grown teak, along with fabrics made from recycled fishing nets and textile waste. The idea is not so much to make furniture that looks like it came from recycled and sustainable materials, but instead to make furniture that looks luxurious while being crafted in a way that’s better for the planet. Plans call for expanding the Arc in Colour line into bar chairs, dining chairs and modular  sofas. It’s not going to be a custom line; instead, the goal is to make the furniture accessible for many clients, since more and more yacht owners are making verified sustainable materials part of their project briefs.

Mercury Avator 7.5e

Mercury Marine can forever say that it was the first major manufacturer of marine internal-combustion engines to offer an electric outboard option. The company’s Avator 7.5e delivers comparable performance to Mercury’s 3.5 hp four-stroke gasoline outboard engine, minus the carbon dioxide. The Avator 7.5e was also introduced as the only outboard on the market with a transverse flux motor, a design that Andrew Przybyl, Mercury’s technical manager and engineer for the Avator line, says has high torque-density characteristics. The Avator 7.5e comes with a 1 kWh lithium-ion battery, and a color display with GPS that gives operators a bevy of real-time range information.

Raymarine Axiom 2

Raymarine’s Axiom 2 is an updated version of displays the company first unveiled in 2017. Axiom 2 displays come in three models with screen sizes ranging from 9 to 24 inches. All of them have six-core processors, global navigation satellite system receivers, 64 gigabytes of solid-state storage, the latest version of Raymarine’s Lighthouse 4 operating system and next-generation screen coatings. Axiom displays can include angling-and cruising-specific versions, and they use different transducers than previous-generation Axiom offerings. These transducers have piezoceramic elements inside that are larger, equating to greater acoustic sensitivity and better beam-shaping capability. With the new transducers, boaters can realize the system’s full acoustic capabilities.

Williams Sportjet 520

The spy film Argylle hit the big screen worldwide with a star-studded cast that included Bryce Dallas Howard, John Cena, Bryan Cranston, Ariana DeBose, Catherine O’Hara and Samuel L. Jackson—along with the debut of the Williams SportJet 520, which the filmmakers used for a chase scene along the River Thames in England. The SportJet 520, at 17 feet long, is the flagship vessel in the Williams SportJet line. It has seating for seven people and is intended for use as an all-purpose tender with yachts about 98 feet and larger. 

The post <i>Yachting</i>’s 2024 Editor’s Choice Awards — Tenders and Gear appeared first on Yachting.

For years, I eagerly anticipated Apple’s fall event and news of the latest iPhone release. Back then, my purchasing latency was limited to locating the website’s “buy” button, as my incumbent phone was often struggling to keep pace with new apps and software updates. Then, starting around 2015 (the iPhone 6S), I was able to start squeezing extra years out of my phones. This trend accelerated, and as of today, I still rely on my iPhone 11 Pro from 2019. To be fair, I always buy the top-end model with maximum storage, but four and a half years on, I haven’t crashed (at least not hard) into this phone’s silicone ceiling.

Multifunction displays perform different tasks than smartphones, but most marine-electronics manufacturers build MFDs with off-the-shelf componentry and, sometimes, software from the mobile-device market. This sourcing gives manufacturers options for high-resolution touchscreen displays, processors, connectivity and operating-system architecture, and it means that today’s MFDs can have longer working lives.

How we got here, however, requires a small rewind. After all, MFDs circa 2010 were different animals than today’s big, powerful displays.

“Back then, most displays were 4 to 7 inches,” says Dave Dunn, Garmin’s senior director of marine and RV sales. “A big display was 9 to 10 inches, and a 12-inch display was enormous.”

These MFDs were controlled via tactile buttons and knobs, or early touchscreen or hybrid-touch interfaces. They only tackled marine-facing applications such as chart-plotting.

Today’s MFDs excel at traditional marine tasks, but they also boast bigger glass, full video integration, touchscreen interfaces, high-speed data networks, and four- or six-core processors, opening the door to expanded job descriptions.

“Processing power has indeed increased over time, bringing with it the ability to drive higher-resolution screens,” says Steve Thomas, Simrad’s product director for digital systems. “[This] also lends itself to better integration by providing the responsiveness consumers expect.”

It also enables MFDs to perform nontraditional tasks, including streaming video from daylight and thermal-imaging cameras, tackling onboard security, controlling digital switching and, sometimes, providing entertainment. Today’s flagship MFDs also sport larger high-resolution displays, multisignal connectivity (with ANT, Bluetooth, Ethernet and Wi-Fi), embedded sonar modules, GPS or GNSS receivers, data backbones, and NMEA 2000 and HTML5 compatibility.

“NMEA 2000 protocol provides the basis of communication and is the linchpin connecting everything together for the MFD to display and control,” says Eric Kunz, Furuno’s senior product manager. Kunz adds that HTML5 compatibility allows MFDs to display and control third-party equipment via web-browser windows, sans any heavy lifting from the MFD.

Technology moves in step changes, and MFDs, brand depending, have experienced two major evolutions since 2010.

“The first was the transition from a completely closed-software architecture to something open source,” says Jim McGowan, Raymarine’s Americas marketing manager, referring to the company’s shift from a walled-garden operating system to Linux and then Android.

Others, including Simrad and Furuno, took similar steps. Garmin remains a holdout.

“We use Android, but not for marine,” Dunn says. “Will we eventually go to Android? Maybe.”

The second evolution involved hardware, with all MFD manufacturers now using mobile-device componentry.

“Suddenly, the requirements for shock resistance, heat resistance, water resistance, bright visibility and fast processing became available on a wide scale,” McGowan says. “Instead of us having to source expensive industrial or semicustom hardware that was proven but old, suddenly our system architects had multiple options to choose from that were all state of the art.”

Sourcing components became easier, yielding better MFDs, but it placed a higher premium on software. Case in point: Raymarine has released more than 30 updates, including new features, for its 2017-era Axiom MFDs.

Likewise, there’s the importance of supporting hardware as it ages. “We don’t like to leave customers behind,” Dunn says, noting that Garmin supports products for five years after they’re discontinued.

This opens the door to the fine art of good enough. Given that modern MFDs are robust, the same display—like my iPhone—can last for years, provided that its sensor network remains static. While this works for buy-and-hold customers, new sensors can dangle carrots.

For example, Furuno and Garmin unveiled Doppler-enabled radars in 2016. While older MFDs could often display radar imagery from these sensors, some customers had to refit their displays to access the best features. One can imagine automation and AI presenting similar incentives.

“AI will combine multiple facets of different sensors to create a more sophisticated and enhanced navigation experience,” Kunz says. “Look for MFDs to take a larger and larger part in overall vessel control and automation.”

Avikus, for instance, is developing its NeuBoat autonomous navigation system with Raymarine. As for Garmin, Dunn says: “There’s nothing coming in the near future, but there’s some cool stuff coming with lidar and cameras.” He’s referring to the light-detection and ranging sensors that help enable automotive driver-assist features and autonomous driving.

Future hardware and capabilities aside, all experts agree on the importance of regularly updating a vessel’s MFD to keep the operating system current and to access the latest software features. While updates are free, all four companies have adopted subscription models for cartography.

“In some ways, the marine-electronics business model is changing in the same way it is happening in the consumer-electronics industry,” Kunz says. “This will most likely lead to more of a subscription-based model for certain aspects of the market.”

While subscription models make sense for a dynamic media like cartography, it’s harder to envision this business practice extending throughout the sensor ecosystem.

“We don’t want to get to the point where people have to pay for software updates,” Dunn says, pointing to BMW’s belly-flopped attempt to charge customers fees to use their existing heated steering wheels.

New hardware, however, is a different story. “More than anything, we’re a sensor company,” McGowan says of Raymarine. “We keep offering new and improved sensors.”

Given the adoption rates of Doppler-enabled radar, there’s little question that the recreational marine market stands ready to embrace step-change sensors, so long as they come bundled with newfound capabilities—say, auto-docking or autonomous navigation.

As for my ancient iPhone, I’m again counting the days until Apple’s fall event. I just hope my next iPhone will last as long as today’s flagship MFDs.  

UI Options

Recent years have seen most manufacturers adopt touchscreen-only user interfaces for their flagship multifunction displays. This technology creates user-friendly interfaces in most conditions, but some users prefer tactile buttons when the weather sours. All manufacturers build optional external keypads or hard-button remote controls.

The post Future-Proofing Multifunction Displays appeared first on Yachting.

If you love nautical yarns, David Grann’s The Wager is a must-read. The nonfiction work details the account of The Wager, a sixth-rate Royal Navy square-rigger that carried 28 guns and 120 sailors. The 123-footer was part of an eight-vessel armada that, in 1741, sailed west around Cape Horn in winter, pursuing plunder. The Wager got separated. In a navigational blunder, the vessel turned north before it banked enough west. It didn’t go well.

Anyone interested in learning about how the great east-west navigation problem was finally solved should read Dava Sobel’s Longitude. Anyone interested in ensuring their own navigational accuracy, however, should cruise with a dedicated Global Navigation Satellite System sensor.

Satellite-based navigation began evolving in the 1960s. The US-built Global Positioning System—the first of its kind—went live in 1993. Today, the international Global Navigation Satellite System consists of four global satellite constellations (including GPS), plus two regional ones. While GPS continues to provide world-class service, GNSS receivers can capture this information along with data from other satellites. The best part? You probably already own several.

Navigational satellites work by broadcasting information about their identification, position, orbit and health status, along with a hyper-accurate time stamp. Receivers derive their position by triangulating with at least three satellites, with stronger (or more numerous) signals often equating to higher accuracy. Precision matters. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, if a clock aboard a GPS satellite is off by one-thousandth of a second, then the corresponding measurement error would be 1,616 nautical miles.

While there are differences between the various constellations, each system employs three distinct segments: control, user and space.

The control segment consists of one or more master land-based control stations and a global network of supporting stations. These stations monitor each satellite’s reported positions and compare reports with predictive models. If needed, operators can alter a satellite’s orbit to ensure baseline accuracy or avoid debris.

The user segment refers to any receivers listening for signals, while the space segment refers to orbiting assets.

Each of the GNSS’ four main navigation constellations contain different numbers of satellites that operate at different elevations and across different orbital planes. The US-built GPS constellation involves 31 satellites that operate at an elevation of 10,900 nautical miles above sea level. GPS satellites orbit on six different planes, and they maintain a 55-degree orbital inclination (relative to the equator).

Russia’s GLONASS constellation, which has been active since 1995, involves 24 satellites that operate at 10,315 nautical miles and orbit on three planes at 64.8 degrees of orbital inclination. China’s BeiDou constellation, which went live in 2011, consists of 35 satellites. Of these, eight are either geosynchronous or inclined geosynchronous satellites that operate at 19,325 nautical miles, while the other 27 operate at 11,625 nautical miles. BeiDou satellites orbit the planet on six planes, and they maintain an orbital inclination of 55.5 degrees.

Finally, the European Union’s Galileo constellation, which became operational in 2018, will (when complete) consist of 30 satellites that operate at 12,540 nautical miles. Galileo satellites orbit across three planes, and they maintain a 56-degree orbital inclination.

GNSS receivers are generally accurate from 6.5 feet to 13 feet globally; however, some countries use a satellite-based augmentation system (SBAS) that improves accuracy by broadcasting correction information. In the United States, this is called the wide-area augmentation system (WAAS). In early 2023, the European Union’s Galileo constellation began delivering free high-accuracy service information that’s precise to roughly 8 inches.

Celestial navigation, this is not.

Satellite-navigation receivers have existed in different forms for years. Depending on the manufacturer and design, these receivers (and their antennas) can be embedded into multifunction displays, or incorporated into abovedecks sensors that share satellite-navigation data with other networked equipment (or both).

Alternatively, yacht owners can sometimes buy an abovedecks listen-only antenna, which shares its improved signal strength and reception with a belowdecks GNSS-enabled multifunction display.

Some satellite-navigation receivers favor GPS signals, while others can also listen to data from some of the other GNSS constellations. Full GNSS receivers can access the four main constellations, plus the regional Japanese and Indian constellations. These receivers sometimes include nine-axis compasses or attitude-heading reference systems. These sensors, which don’t add much cost, provide accurate heading information in addition to GPS and GNSS data.

Finally, satellite compasses are the best option for serious navigation. Depending on their design, these instruments employ multiple GNSS receivers, which provide heading information that isn’t contingent on Earth’s magnetic field (read: high-latitude cruising). Eric Kunz, Furuno’s senior product manager, says the company’s SCX20/21 satellite compasses use four GNSS receivers, allowing them to achieve 1-degree heading accuracy.

While some people say GPS alone is plenty robust for their needs, many marine-electronics manufacturers have been quick to embrace GNSS. “With more satellites available to track and pull into calculations, the GNSS-enabled receivers offer enhanced accuracy,” says Jim McGowan, Raymarine’s Americas marketing manager.

He’s not alone in this assessment. “A GNSS antenna provides more redundancy and higher accuracy than GPS-only receivers,” says Dave Dunn, Garmin’s senior director of marine and RV sales. “Some parts of the world may have better coverage at certain times of day with some constellations than others.”

McGowan says GNSS is especially useful for high-latitude navigators because these receivers can track GLONASS satellites: “Those satellites are in a higher orbit inclination than GPS satellites, which allows the GNSS receiver to get a better tracking angle and duration on those satellites.”

Leigh Armstrong, Simrad’s product manager of digital systems, agrees: “This allows for better maintenance of accuracy in areas with less satellite coverage.”

The inverse, of course, is that BeiDou, Galileo and GPS satellites likely provide better fixes closer to the equator.

While GNSS data is critical for navigation, it can also help bolster the accuracy of other networked devices. Here, Dunn points to automatic identification system (AIS) position and speed data, autopilot performance, and radar target-tracking features.

Looking ahead, autonomous docking systems and vessels need precise position, speed and other navigational information to negotiate harbors, follow autopilot-driven courses, and safely dock. It’s expected that GNSS (with SBAS) will fill this niche.

The Wager’s crew experienced unspeakable horrors, but GNSS receivers and satellite compasses likely mean none of today’s boaters will have to dodge scurvy.

Belts and Suspenders

While the ancient mariner would have paid handsomely for a chronometer, contemporary smartwatches carry GNSS sensors. Most smartphones have GNSS receivers, as do some handheld VHF radios. These are all important backups should a vessel experience low voltage or power loss. 

The post Global Navigation Satellite System Offers Waypoint Accuracy appeared first on Yachting.

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.

In 2018, I watched my buddy Allan engage the Mad Max autopilot mode on his Tesla Model S, cuing the car to switch lanes aggressively on Interstate 95. While the experience as a human was unnerving, the car leveraged cameras, sensors and artificial intelligence to maneuver safely.

Months later, I rode on a Boston Whaler 330 Outrage fitted with Mercury Marine’s Advanced Pilot Assist and Raymarine’s DockSense systems. As we approached the boat’s slip, the preproduction system used cameras, AI and the outboard engines to maintain a 3-foot safety buffer.

At the 2022 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, I saw these ideas meld in Avikus’ prototype NeuBoat autonomous operations system. The boat, with a human-in-the-loop operator, navigated itself out of its slip, up a river and around a lake before reversing course and docking itself.

Ready or not, autonomous technology is coming. This is likely good news for novice boaters—and for boaters who hate docking—because some of the marine industry’s smartest minds have been combining sensors and AI to smooth out boating’s rough corners. One example is NeuBoat (neuron plus boat), which Avikus is developing in partnership with Raymarine.

While experts say the sensors and software already exist to enable fully autonomous docking and navigation, Avikus and Raymarine foresee a road map to autonomy that earns trust with boaters while buying time for engine manufacturers to integrate the technology, and for agencies and organizations to create regulations.

“We’re intentionally paralleling the automotive market,” says Jamie Cox, Raymarine’s senior global product manager. “But I think we will beat automotive.”

Others agree. Sangwon Shin, Avikus’ director of strategic planning and business development, says: “In our view, the boating environment is less complicated than the car environment. So, we expect a little bit faster adoption rate.”

For boaters who are ready to start now, Avikus and Raymarine are releasing NeuBoat Dock this year. The assisted-docking system includes at least six self-calibrating, 360-degree cameras; a Raymarine multifunction display; an Avikus object-recognition unit; camera control boxes; and Avikus’ AI to provide bird’s-eye views and distance guides. (Garmin’s Surround View camera system provides similar capabilities.)

NeuBoat Dock is a level-one autonomous navigation system, which means it serves as a virtual assistant to human operators who remain in control. Level-two systems provide partial driving automation but still require a human operator. Level-three systems have conditional driving automation, requiring some human oversight, while level four has zero expectations of driver involvement. Level five is full driving automation.

Avikus, which is a spin-off of HD Hyundai, began developing NeuBoat in 2019. The resulting level-three-plus black-box prototype, which I got aboard in 2022, used the global navigation satellite system and vector cartography to establish position. The local device didn’t require internet connectivity. Instead, it employed daylight cameras and lidar (light detection and ranging) sensors to detect objects, measure distances, and scan and map berths. It also used Avikus’ AI to detect and classify nearby objects and vessels, assist with route planning, and suggest navigable courses.

This latter information was presented as screen views showing vector cartography with recommended courses, head-up displays and live camera views with augmented-reality data tags.

While impressive, the prototype didn’t use radar or the automatic identification system, so its range of object detection was limited to lidar’s 400-foot-range capacity. This range worked at our 6-knot speed, giving us 39 seconds of reaction time, but it wouldn’t work at 25 knots, only allowing for nine seconds.

Enter Raymarine, which integrated its own radar technology with Avikus’ AI. This combination extended NeuBoat’s detection range from 400 feet to 1.5 nautical miles. Shin says Avikus plans to integrate radar, sonar and infrared cameras within five years.

While extra range is important for recreational users, it’s critical for letting Avikus develop autonomous systems on large ships. “We use the same technology and the same algorithms for commercial and recreational, but the hardware specs are different,” Shin says.

In addition to radar expertise, Raymarine has amassed experience using computer vision from its DockSense and ClearCruise AR products. The latter places augmented-reality tags atop a video feed. Computer vision is a branch of AI that lets computers recognize, categorize and identify objects and people in digital images or video feeds; as such, it is critical to autonomous operations.

Looking ahead, Shin says, commercial ships and recreational vessels will first use autonomous navigation with human-in-the-loop operators, followed by autonomous operations. This isn’t a hypothetical; in 2022, Avikus’ commercial version of NeuBoat autonomously guided an LNG tanker across an ocean with human-in-the-loop oversight.

“The technology is there today,” Cox says. “We need to make sure that people are ready to use the technology responsibly and that regulations are there.”

When asked what milestones need to be met for autonomous operations aboard recreational yachts, Cox and Shin made clear they aren’t talking about distant horizons. “None are 10 years out,” Cox says, adding that by mid-2024, Avikus and Raymarine expect to have achieved sensor fusion, where the system can combine data from the vessel’s AIS, cameras, GNSS, lidar and radar. “In two years, on the control side, boats will be docking and driving themselves.”

Shin agrees: “In five years, we’re expecting lots of the boating community to accept the possibility of autonomous navigation or partial assistance on their boat.”

Before this can happen, however, Cox and Shin point to two technical complexities: networking with autopilots and engines. As with radars, Raymarine has decades of experience manufacturing autopilots, so engine interfaces could prove to be the sticky wicket. “Engine manufacturers need to become more progressive,” Shin says. “They are the powerful guys.” Cox says the goal is to integrate NeuBoat with every major engine manufacturer.

Cox and Shin also point to a need for regulations to govern autonomous vessels. This is already happening; in 2022, the American Bureau of Shipping published a white paper that detailed 10 points—from maintaining propulsion to maintaining communications—intended to create a structure for autonomous-vessel design and operations. The US Coast Guard also published guidelines on testing remote- and autonomously controlled vessels.

Convincing experienced boaters that autonomous technology is the path forward could be a hard sell for some, but this is where Avikus and Raymarine plan to parallel the automotive world. Most contemporary cars have adaptive cruise control, making these types of assistance features feel familiar. Many boaters also own cars with an autopilot feature.

But driving to work is different than taking the boat out for a spin. Here, Cox says NeuBoat isn’t going to take away boating’s joys. Instead, the idea is to reduce stress. For example, Cox describes allowing the boat to navigate autonomously to the fishing grounds or home from a cruise.

Cox also says autopilots have served boaters for decades, and that autonomous navigation is an extension of this capability, combined with the ability to avoid collisions autonomously.

For newer boaters, autonomous technology is an easier proposition. “I’m a new boater, and I get nervous a lot,” Shin says. “We target new boaters. We want more people to enjoy boating.”

Then there is boating’s greatest equalizer. “People don’t like docking,” Cox says. “We’re never going to stop you from driving your boat, but it might be nice, if you’re coming into a dock and are getting stressed out, to switch it on.”

The wait won’t be long, either. While Avikus is paralleling the automotive sector, Cox and Shin expect NeuBoat technology to navigate and dock recreational vessels sooner than cars. “People will be surprised with how quickly we will get to market,” Cox says.

Having experienced Tesla’s Mad Max mode and Avikus’ level-three-plus sea trials,

I can say that far less adrenaline is involved watching a demonstration boat dock itself than when I pawed for a nonexistent passenger-side brake pedal in my buddy Allan’s Tesla.

Better Optics

While NeuBoat Dock uses six 360-degree cameras, they only work for daytime operations. The obvious move is to add thermal-imaging cameras, and Raymarine’s parent company, Teledyne, owns FLIR. Thermal-imaging cameras would add cost, but Cox says these sophisticated optical sensors could be included aboard higher-end NeuBoat installations.

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The fall and winter boat shows mean that an armada of technology is being launched to make everyone’s time on the water safer and more fun. Without further ado, here is some of the top tech to put on your radar for the new year’s boating season.

Garmin 

Innovations in marine electronics hail from two places: hardware and software. In recent years, hardware advances have slowed compared with a decade ago. Case in point: While Garmin has long pushed the software envelope, the company’s flagship multifunction display—the GPSMap 8400/8600—premiered in 2016. Garmin’s newest flagship display, the GPSMap 9000 series ($9,900 to $17,000), brings significant hardware advances.

These advances include edge-to-edge 4K displays, processors that purportedly deliver seven times the speed of Garmin’s previous offerings, and a faster local network (Garmin BlueNet gigabit network, which can hustle data at up to 1 gigabit per second to and from peripherals, including radar and sonar modules).

GPSMap 9000-series displays are available in 19-, 22-, 24-, and 27-inch screens that ship with Navionics+ cartography and AutoGuidance+ routing. The displays also support engine-room monitoring, Garmin’s OneHelm integrated digital switching, and Garmin’s Surround View Camera System, which eases the challenges of docking. Users can control these IPX7-rated displays via a touchscreen interface, with voice commands using a headset (sold separately) or with a paired Garmin smartwatch (also sold separately).

Speaking of peripherals, Garmin also unveiled its GSD 28 sonar module, which is a dual-channel Xchirp-enabled black-box sonar that can probe depths to 10,000 feet. The GSD 28 ($3,000) can be networked to Airmar- or Garmin-built transducers, and can transmit at 300 watts to 3 kilowatts. The sonar has Garmin’s Rapidreturn, which delivers two to six times faster ping rates than previous-generation black-box sonar. Boaters who cruise with Garmin’s MSC 10 satellite compasses can also leverage the GSD 28’s Heave Compensation feature, which removes vessel motion from its returns.

Furuno 

Integration has long been a marine-electronics buzzword, but Furuno took a different tack with its FCV-600 and FCV-800 stand-alone fish finders. The sounders (call for pricing) have chirp and dual-frequency (50/200 kilohertz) capabilities, and they can explore depths to 3,937 feet.

The FCV-600 has 5.7 inches of screen real estate and transmits at 600 watts, while the FCV-800 has 8.4 inches of glass and transmits at 1 kilowatt. Additionally, the FCV-800 cooperates with NMEA 2000 and NMEA 0183 networks, while the FCV-600 uses only N2K networks.

Both fish finders are compatible with a range of transducers, and both support Furuno’s proprietary fish-finding technologies, including RezBoost signal processing, Bottom Discrimination and TruEcho Chirp, which yields better image resolution and onscreen target separation than traditional 50/200 kHz sounders. Also, both fish finders are Wi-Fi-enabled, which lets one fish finder communicate wirelessly with another identical sounder. In other words, two FCV-600s can talk, or one can communicate with select third-party apps and smartphones.

Raymarine

Sailors love wind information. Raymarine’s Alpha Series Displays and RSW Series Wind Sensors capture and present data that is user-customizable.

Alpha displays ($1,200 to $2,000) come in 7- and 9-inch screens that can be mounted vertically or horizontally at the mast or the helm. Users can customize screen views, and they can control the displays via the individual touchscreens or through networked Raymarine-built Axiom multifunction displays.

RSW Series Wind Sensors ($850) are self-calibrating, with embedded attitude-heading-reference-system sensors that measure pitch, roll and yaw. This combination allows the system to calculate true-wind metrics and present them on an Alpha Series Display.

VoltSafe

From a distance, the smartest thing about VoltSafe is the magnetic connection between an ordinary 30-amp shore-power cable and VoltSafe’s proprietary charging station. Should someone forget to disconnect before engaging the boat’s throttles, 40 pounds of load breaks the magnetic connection.

Better still, VoltSafe’s shoreside chargers use an electronic vetting process (think electric-car chargers) with the reciprocal magnetic connector. If the connection doesn’t pass muster, electricity stops (or never starts) flowing. This feature adds a significant safety margin, especially given the presence of water.

While VoltSafe systems are currently a marina-facing product, in time, users will be able to communicate with the system via VoltSafe’s app. This feature should be useful for tracking bills, tracing low-voltage issues, and receiving power-outage alerts.

OceanLED

Lighting can help set a mood, but controlling belowdecks, topside and undercarriage illuminators can be challenging. OceanLED’s OceanBridge (call for pricing) is a multizone control system that can be driven from a networked multifunction display via an NMEA 2000 or Ethernet connection, or from a smart device using OceanBridge’s built-in Wi-Fi connectivity.

OceanBridge systems can control all OceanLED lights, plus most third-party DC-powered lights. In total, the system can control 64 lights (this can be expanded to 150-plus with splitters), including color and brightness, color fades and transitions. There’s also music sync and OceanLED’s proprietary movement-to-color feature across 10 zones.

Digital Yacht

Devices enabled for the internet are handy, but they can open the door to hackers. Digital Yacht’s N2K Protect ($350) stops onboard cyberthreats by validating all equipment on an NMEA 2000 network.

After that, N2K Protect creates a baseline network map, which it stores locally. N2K Protect locks down and monitors the network 24/7/365. Users can configure the system to generate an alarm (N2K network alerts or SMS messages via a Digital Yacht 4G/5G cellular modem) if unscrupulous activity or poor N2K performance is detected. And N2K Protect is updatable via an embedded web interface.

Digital Yacht also recently unveiled its CO Alert carbon-monoxide detection and alarm system. CO Alert ($330) is a two-piece system consisting of a white-box detection sensor and a black box that tackles power supply and network connectivity. The low-draw system constantly monitors its self-test feature to ensure safety and performance. If tripped, the system generates audio and visual alarms on NMEA 2000-networked multifunction displays.

Actisense

NMEA 2000 networks move a lot of information. Actisense’s NGX-1 gateway helps boaters access this data.

Actisense makes two versions of the device: the NGX-1-USB ($280) and the NGX-1-ISO ($260). Both allow all major PC-based chart plotters to communicate with networked instrumentation, and both provide a firewall between the computer and the N2K network. The NGX-1-USB plugs into PCs, while the NGX-1-ISO is wired to an NMEA 0183 device or a serial port.

The post Top Helm Technology For 2024 appeared first on Yachting.

The skies darkened fast. Capt. Art Sapp was runnng home to Lighthouse Point, Florida, from the Bahamas aboard Native Son, his SeaVeei 39, when he saw the storm wall. “I ran 30 miles to get around the thunder and lightning,” he said, adding that he used dual 16-inch Raymarine Axiom 2 XL multifunction displays, and networked radar and satellite weather, to pick a less-awful route. “It’s got a fluidlike feeling on the screens. It’s wild,” Sapp said of the Axiom 2 XL. “It makes it so accurate, there’s no missed touch.”

While screen-tap accuracy matters, there’s more going on with Raymarine’s latest displays than screen coatings. And it’s been developing for years.

In 2017, Raymarine unveiled its Axiom displays with quad-core processors, RealVision 3D sonar and the Android-based Lighthouse 3 operating system. Lighthouse 3 was Raymarine’s all-new operating-system architecture, and it made the company an early Android adopter within the marine space. Raymarine’s Axiom 2 displays come in three models with screen sizes ranging from 9 to 24 inc hes. All of them have six-core processors, global navigation satellite system receivers, 64 gigabytes of solid-state storage, the latest version of Raymarine’s Lighthouse 4 operating system and next-generation screen coatings. The resulting displays, which include angling- and cruising-specific versions, can give boaters better speed, power and improved user interfaces.

The Axiom 2 family starts with Axiom 2 Pro S (from $3,050), which is available in 9-, 12- and 16-inch screens. It comes with a single-channel, chirp-enabled sonar.

“The Axiom 2 Pro S is targeted at cruising boats,” says Jim McGowan, Raymarine’s Americas marketing manager. “It’s got our HydroTough coating on the glass. It’s a nano coating that bonds with the glass on a molecular level. Your fingers just glide smoothly over it, which enhances the functionality.”

In addition, the Axiom 2 Pro S, along with the fishing-specific Axiom 2 Pro RVM, uses Raymarine’s HybridTouch user interface, which employs a touchscreen as well as hard-button-and-knob keypads. Those can be helpful when the seaway starts sloshing the coffee.

RVM stands for RealVision Max sonar. Axiom 2 Pro RVM displays are identical to the Axiom 2 Pro S, save for their sonars. While the Axiom 2 Pro S has a conical chirp-enabled sonar, RVM models (from $2,750) are built with a 10 kW, dual-channel chirp sounder and a 600-watt RealVision Max high multibeam chirp sonar.

“It’s definitely targeted at the hard-core fishermen,” McGowan says, adding that RVM displays deliver chirp DownVision, SideVision, RealVision 3D and high-chirp-sonar perspectives, plus the traditional dual-channel 1 kW chirp sonar.

Given that there are three bands of chirp—low, medium and high—anglers can cover all three bands with an Axiom 2 Pro RVM that’s networked to a Raymarine RVM transducer and to an Airmar low- and medium-frequency chirp transducer.

Axiom 2 displays employ different transducers (sold separately) than previous-generation Axiom offerings. These transducers have piezoceramic elements inside that are larger, McGowan says. Larger ceramic elements equate to greater acoustic sensitivity and better beam-shaping capability. While those features are beneficial, the reality is that boaters need to add the new transducers in order to realize the system’s full acoustic capabilities.

Axiom 2 XL is the most recent addition to Raymarine’s display family. As the name portends, the premium-level XL models (from $7,800) are designed for use in an all-glass bridge aboard large yachts or high-end center-consoles. The touchscreen displays are available in 16-, 19-, 22- and 24-inch glass. While they don’t include an embedded sonar or hard-button controls (owners can add a Raymarine RMK-10 keyboard), they do have HDMI input and output capabilities.

“They have a pretty robust video input and output,” McGowan says. “It’s unique to that level of Axiom. The standard Axioms don’t have it.”

This functionality allows Axiom 2 XL owners to add a Raymarine RVM1600 black-box sonar ($2,000), creating a setup that gives Axiom 2 XLs the same fish-stalking capabilities as Axiom 2 Pro RVMs, just with more-spacious glass.

These HDMI capabilities also allow Axiom 2 XL owners to network a touchscreen-compatible personal computer to their display via a USB connection, and to drive their computer using Axiom 2 XL’s touchscreen pass-through interface. Additionally, the HDMI input and XL-size glass can be used to stream satellite TV or other content.

While each Axiom 2 model has its sweet spot of capabilities, all three models share important DNA. “Because of the six-core processors, the ability to pan across a chart or to zoom in or zoom out, it is very, very snappy,” McGowan says. “The pinch-to-zoom feature is immediate. You’re never waiting for anything to load.”

And the latest version of Raymarine’s Android-based Lighthouse 4 operating system lets third-party software developers create vetted apps that run on Axiom 2 displays.

“We curate the apps that we allow. They have to be largely navigation-focused,” McGowan says, adding that some apps are validated by Raymarine, while others are developed with a partner agreement. “The Android platform gives us the flexibility to do that because there are so many marine devices that are built on or around Android.”

Another benefit of Lighthouse 4’s Android-based architecture, McGowan says, is that navigation software isn’t a heavy lift for the processors: “You’re not really pushing the limits of the hardware out of the box, so that gives us the ability to keep developing new features and new innovations and adding more stuff into the code. We still haven’t even begun to stress the limits of the processor and memory.”

As far as Axiom 2’s pros and cons, the positives are plural, while the drawbacks are largely limited to costs (including installing the larger transducers) and the fact that Raymarine no longer allows owners to pilot DJI Mavic drones from Axiom displays.

But if you’re more concerned with cruising, fishing or creating a premium-level all-glass bridge, then Axiom 2 could be the logical next addition to your yacht’s helm.

Pro Moves

Raymarine’s RVM1600 sonar module can be networked with an Axiom 2 XL to yield the same sonic capabilities as an Axiom 2 Pro RVM.

Sky-Talker

Axiom 2s are agnostic about satellite-communications connections. They play nicely with mazu’s M2500 ($1,100), which uses Iridium’s global, short-burst data service to provide weather, email, SMS messaging and an optional sport-fishing app. It appears as an app, so users can see it on Axiom’s sunlight-readable screen.

The post Raymarine’s Axiom 2 Multifunction Displays Explained appeared first on Yachting.