Top tips for the newest yacht gear.
Every year the halls of the RAI centre in Amsterdam fill for the annual METStrade show, the largest marine trade exhibition of equipment, materials and systems in the world. Princess Motor Yacht Sales were there keeping abreast of the very latest in technology. Here are our top tips for the newest yacht gear.
- LUMISHORE EOS – SMX152 UNDERWATER LIGHTS AND WIFI CONTROLLER
Underwater lights are nothing new of course, and colour changing lights have been on the market for a little while. But this latest version from Lumishore brings something extra to the party. A 1.5 inch controller links to the lights via wi-fi, avoiding the need to integrate network control into your boat’s wiring. Allowing full spectrum colour change for limitless colour options, and the ability to pre-program cycles, speeds, sweeps, modes and brightness, the SMX152 offers unprecedented control. You can even link to them from your iPhone via the Lumi-App. - ULTRA MARINE – ULTRA ANCHOR AND FLIP SWIVEL
An anchor is an anchor surely? Well, not when it’s the new Ultra anchor. For a start, it’s crafted from 316 stainless steel and hand polished, so it looks fantastic. But it’s what it does that is most impressive. Available in sizes from 5kg to 360kg, the key to the Ultra Anchor is weight distribution. So the tip is lead filled but the shank is hollow, meaning it always hits the seabed in the optimum position for quick setting. Side wing plates stabilise the anchor and help it dig deep in the event of lateral drag while the ‘foul bar’ (that slim bar on the front) avoids the chain wrapping itself around the anchor. Finally, a flip swivel ensures that the anchor ‘self-rights’ on recovery to always slot into your stem head roller the right way up. - MASTERVOLT CHARGEMASTER PLUS
Battery charging might not be the sexiest of accessories, but it’s arguably one of the most useful, given the amount of equipment now reliant on a reliable power supply. The new ChargeMaster PLUS is all about simplification and system adaptability. So it can integrate battery switches, charge twelve volt batteries in a twenty four volt system without requiring extra components, priority charge the most depleted batteries, handle worldwide AC voltages and frequencies whilst resisting large voltage fluctuations and high temperatures and link to your engine alternators when underway. - MAKEFAST MAKESWITCH APP
Ever sat at a waterside bar looking at your boat and wondering whether you should raise your hydraulic bimini or close your sunroof? Well, if you’re within thirty metres and have the Makeswitch control module installed then you can do all of this from within an app on your smartphone without leaving your seat. More Sangria please, barkeep! - VOLVO PENTA GLASS COCKPIT
Glass cockpit is a system of complete integration for all of your electronics into touch screens, from engine telemetry to navigation information such as your chart plotter and radar, right through to even hi fi control. Key to the Glass Cockpit system is customisability. For a start, there are a wide variety of screen sizes from seven to twenty four inch, so you can max out your helm station real estate. But what’s really cunning is the ability to easily adjust the layout to suit your priorities and requirements. You can even save your layouts in menu form, so you might have a cruising layout for out at sea that majors on chart plotter and engine instrumentation. But upon entering port another pre-select might switch priority to your echo sounder, zoom your chart in and engage exterior cameras. It’s totally programmable.
To find out more about any of the above yacht gear contact our Retrofit team at [email protected] or telephone +44(0)1752 393311
