Show samples

 

As usual, a variety of interesting products and services on display at this year’s Annapolis Boat Show. A small sample:

Card reader PC charts: Fugawi electronic charts (www.fugawi.com) was showing off its new ability to read Navionics Gold+ electronic chart cards with its PC-based electronic navigation program. The line between raster and vector electronic charts continues to blur.

Clever weather: Moving Weather (www.movingweather.com), a new weather service from Britain uses a graphically clean, simple approach to weather software.

Solid state bulb: The folks at Sailor’s Solutions (www.sailorssolutions.com) have developed a plug-replacement LED light (it’s not a bulb at all, but more of a flat plate) that produces a warm yellowish light, just like an incandescent source (which usually ARE bulbs). Called the Sensibulb, it can also be dimmed on fixtures with a dimmer switch.

Italian antenna: Imtra Corp. (www.imtra.com) is now offering a new range of VHF and broadcast TV antennas from an Italian manufacturer named Glomex. According to the folks at Imtra, Glomex is the biggest antenna maker in Europe.

Savage blades: Volvo Penta (www.volvo.com/volvopenta/) has a propeller with long, curved blades that would be happy on an Aegis destroyer or nuclear submarine. VP claims that curve allows water flow to stay attached to the blade longer and that can prevent turbulence and cavitation.

Boat in a box: Saw the new Far Harbor 39 (www.containeryachts.com), see Tech notes in November/December issue). The boat, named Inbox, was surprisingly roomy inside. Because a container is square in section, there is more headroom than you might expect.

By Ocean Navigator