FAQ's

In the hope of addreessing some of the more commonly asked questions or statements often associated with marine electronics, I have put together a small list of frequently asked questions. These questions have been asked by all manner of boat and ship owners, one of whom trusted is €1.5 million Euro vessel to a rusting hulk of a personal computer held in place on the bridge by string for plotting in all weather and sea states…..in the arctic circle no less. The mind boggles!

"If you have a full time career in marine electronics working for a company on commercial vessels,why do want to work privately on small yachts?

I genuinely enjoy my work and there is no other company that I would wish to work for. Sandvik Marine Electronics is, in my opinion, the best of the bunch in terms of technical ability, the mix of people and company culture which is customer focused first and foremost. Because I love what I do I'd rather spend my spare time doing the same thing with different challenges presented by small yachts which are completely different to commercial ships. Variety is the spice of life as they say.

“Can you save money by mixing different manufacturers into your navigation suite?”

Yes you can but unlike computers, navigation systems that share the same communication protocols such as NMEA don’t always mix well together and this needs to be considered carefuly before buying hardware.

“I don’t need a plotter if I have a laptop and free charts downloaded by a friend?”

Er…well…yes, this is true. A laptop or ships computer can do the job for you provided you are getting a decent GPS signal which smoothly interfaces with your computer, the charts are up to date, you trust your version of windows to never crash, don’t mind your computer being exposed to a corrosive environment, always have the latest virus database, and your PC has plenty of memory. Having said that I wouldn’t use my kitchen knives to cut canvass or wood nor my Stanley knife to cut into fresh fish. For occasional leisure trips it’s OK but longer term it’s probably not a great idea. The choice is yours.

“We'll just stick the antennae anywhere up there where there's space”

No, you can not place an antennae or dome just anywhere. Ever noticed how well spaced antennae and satellite communication domes are on military vessels? Proper placement of antennae and domes is a big factor in ensuring everything works reliably. Some fly-bridge yachts have the radar mounted at about the same height as the helm position on the upper deck which is absolutely fine if you don’t mind being exposed to several kW of low dose radiation…..or have no plans to produce offspring in the longer term.

“Can you gather all the power and signal wires together and cable tie them, it looks more professional doesn't it?”

Yes, it looks very nice but like antennae placement, cable placement is equally important. NMEA signal wires tend to collect interference from electrical wires if they are in close proximity. The funniest thing I have ever encountered was a large yacht with the autopilot engaged would violently turn 90 degrees to port each time the electric day head was flushed. Seems the vessel manufacturer decided it was OK to run the GPS signal cable through bulkheads alongside and cable tied with the 12v power cables which caused considerable interference when the electrical wires were under load.

“Technicians cost a fortune”

I often here this statement but to put it into context, the average cost of a mechanic in the local Ford garage in Spain is a €50 per hour whilst a stainless steel welder known locally is quoting €70+ per hour. My hourly rate is less than the Ford Garage and in some cases I will quote for the entire job rather than hourly which helps you enormously when budgeting.

"I don't need the latest electronic gizmo in the cockpit, my trusty old VHF is enough"

In some cases yes it probably is but times are changing, even for the liesure sailor. One very small example, there is legislation being introduced in some countries that require any yacht 15 meters or larger to be fitted with a class B AIS. I can tell you from experience that large ships reply heavily on AIS and ECDIS with large blind spots in their radar coverage so anyone sailing in the straits, or anywhere for that matter would do well to invest in an AIS system. At least your not relying on their radar or the Officer on Watch to spot a small white boat in time to avoid collision. 60,000 tons versus 5 tons is no contest, believe me.