Reviving Older Vessels with Modern Technology
May 23, 2024
Not everyone is in the market for a new boat. Take for example, the savvy customer searching for a quality brokerage vessel and refitting it to modern electronics standards. Almost all electronics overhauls include new multifunction displays, designed to display all networked vessel data including the ability to monitor third-party systems, control stereos, and operate digital switching. Quoting a full-scale refit can be difficult since often assumptions have to be made during the bidding process as to what types of existing sensors are on board. Factor in the time and expense of trying to figure out which individual sensor modules are needed for specific types of monitoring. In a situation like this, Airmar’s new SmartBoat® solution has the potential to be the key to accomplishing what might not have been previously possible – to convert a reliable older boat into a modern, digitally monitored vessel.
SmartBoat retrofits with minimal labor and is a cost-effective way to integrate existing vessel sensor data (regardless of their protocol) with a newly upgraded, modern helm. Each SmartBoat module features multiple inputs that can be converted to monitor fluid levels, temperature, pressure, and almost all analog sensors (thermistors, resistive senders, binary switches, relays, run detectors and more). Analog and digital sensors are easily connected without the need for expensive, proprietary sensor translation modules, which can drive the cost of traditional upgrades and refits. With SmartBoat, if an early assumption about sensor types was wrong, you simply choose the correct sensor type from the product’s built-in SmartFlexTM View software’s drop-down menu. The correction is painless. Often, other solutions require re-purchasing sensor modules or adding more capability than what is needed.
The overall combined features of one SmartBoat module makes it a powerful product. The flexibility to connect multiple sensors to one module and easily configure and set conditions and alerts using the intuitive SmartFlex View software is impressive. Each SmartBoat module has an internal web server hosting browser-based software
called SmartFlex View. This software features drop-down menus that guide installers through the set-up and allow for customization of each sensor on the network. All modules have built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, and hard wired NMEA 2000 capabilities, with advanced modules including a second CAN network (NMEA 2000, J1939 or diesel fuel flow sensors), Ethernet and USB 2.0 capability. Modules can be added to an install as capabilities are needed and the network expanded to include wired or wireless connections between modules. This makes larger vessel retrofit projects a straight-forward integration for bringing legacy sensors on the boat onto the MFDs at the helm. SmartBoat is the recipient of the 2022 NMEA Technology Award and the 2022 Boating Industry Top Product Award. For more information visit https://Airmar.com.
Airmar SmartBoat Modules range in price from $700 to $1,445 MSRP, with up to 12 inputs.
