Panbo

23/07/2024

In general, Wera Tools are among the highest quality I've found. I think their Tool Checks can't be beat when jumping on a boat to see what's happening. An SAE and a Metric Tool Check and a pair of wire st*****rs is often all I need. This is a pretty good price too. As you can see, I've bought at least three of them, one for my shop, one for my van and one for the boat,
https://amzn.to/4fgCIRh

-Ben S.

23/07/2024

National Marine Electronics Association (NMEA)'s OneNet has been many years in the making. This morning, Airmar Technology Corporation announced their SmartBoat monitoring and control system is first NMEA OneNet certified product.

AIRMAR Technology Corporation, a world leader in ultrasonic transducers and Chirp technology is excited to announce their SmartBoat® Solution has achieved OneNet certification, the third generation NMEA Standard for marine data interfacing and networking. SmartBoat is the only marine electronics so...

23/06/2024

Starlink is rolling out their new Mini hardware. It's significantly smaller than the existing hardware and a little slower. Currently, it's only available by invite with very limited service offerings.

We've been hearing about Starlink's Mini terminal for a long time now. Recently, hints from regulatory filings, new documents on their website, preparation for the new terminal in the app, and even a Tweet from Elon Musk made it seem the introduction was imminent. This week, Starlink made links on t...

29/05/2024

BoatFools Sailing -- created in my neighborhood -- is a fairly new and interesting video channel focused on pre-owned sailboat opportunities, and this particular custom Bristol 40 could be a worthy project for the right DIY adventurer... ~ BenE

Is this The ULTIMATE Sailboat Barn Find? Join us on an exhilarating journey as we uncover...

03/05/2024

Max Marine Electronics sells carefully tested and warranted used marine electronics equipment. That's reason enough to check them out.

But for me, the founder being named Max Stein, a name he shares with my brother, creates a certain fondness. It helps that he also seems to run a great company rooted in excellent customer service and a dedication to helping boaters.

-Ben S.

Max Marine Electronics buys and sells used marine electronic equipment. But, unlike many resellers, they inspect, repair, and warrant their products

19/04/2024

Garmin Marine's GPSMap 9000 series offers high resolution and tons of power. How does it all work together? I've had a GPSMap 9219 on my boat for several months. Here are my thoughts.

-Ben S.

Ben Stein of Panbo's review of the Garmin GPSMap 9000 and 9200 series of 4k resolution chartplotters with gigabit Ethernet and more

13/04/2024

While Icom and Garmin improve their premium marine communications systems, the Em-Trak Nexus is poised to take the challenge ~ Ben E

This entry is mainly about the new Em-Trak Nexus VHF/AIS/MOB system intriguingly diagramed above. Nexus was previewed at METS and will hopefully come to market later this year, but I’d like to preface the...

06/04/2024

Rest in Peace Bruce Kessler, a power passage-making pioneer:

The former director and race car driver circumnavigated the globe, and inspired others to do the same.

27/03/2024

In the last year, Panbo(at) has had both Seakeeper Ride and now a Seakeeper 1 gyro installed. I know it may seem like it, but Panbo(at) didn't have a stability problem before both products were installed. In fact, the boat's ride impressed me even without any aids. But, now that it has these two sys...

29/02/2024

There's been quite a bit of discussion about high voltage alarms and other concerns with the new Epoch 12v, 460ah Victron communicating batteries. I think there are two issues causing this. The first, and covered in the attached video, is the BMS turning off ChargeMOS when the battery nears full charge. The second issue may be caused by cell balance issues, but I'm still researching that one. Here's a video explaining what I've found so far:

Andre Cormier of the Yacht Rigger and Ben Stein of Panbo have been working to understand the behavior of Epoch's new 460 amp hour, 12 volt, Victron Communica...

19/02/2024

I'm just back from Miami and the 2024 Miami International Boat Show. I've got quite a few things to write up but the first one I've tackled is Furuno Marine Electronics' new TZtouchXL series. Read all about it, TZ Maps, AI Routing, and Risk Visualizer.

Furuno announced TZtouchXL at MIBS. This new line of MFDs includes auto routing, target avoidance, and new charts. Read Panbo's coverage.

13/02/2024

There's no press release, but Icom America's new M510 EVO fixes the awkward NMEA 2000 and hailer connections on the otherwise highly innovative original:
https://www.icomamerica.com/lineup/products/IC-M510_evo/

13/02/2024

Ben Stein tested, and liked, Sensar's basic but well designed offbeat monitoring system:

Sensar Marine's Boat + Bilge Monitor focuses on critical systems to ensure your boat is healthy and ready to go. Read Panbo's review

29/01/2024

I doubt that it will make much difference in the marine world -- at least, not for a while -- but Airmar Technology was just acquired by the very large Amphenol Corporation. ~ Ben E

AIRMAR Technology Corporation, a world leader in ultrasonic transducers and Chirp technology, is pleased to announce its purchase by Amphenol Corporation (NYSE: APH). Amphenol, one of the world’s largest providers of high-technology interconnect, sensor and antenna solutions, is headquartered in W...

25/01/2024

Traditional paper charts and their RNC digital equivalents really are going away, while official ENC vector charts are in transition. So there's lots to learn:

I'm hard put to name anyone more knowledgeable and passionate about marine navigation than David Burch, long-time director of the Starpath School of Navigation in Seattle. These days, David is especially concerned about the Electronic Navigation Charts rapidly replacing the official paper and RNC ch...

19/01/2024

Hoping it's going to be great for electric boat propulsion that Yamaha Motors -- parent of Yamaha Marine -- is acquiring Torqeedo, easily the largest manufacturer of electric outboards (and inboards):

The deal, which is premised on securing clearances and permits to satisfy regulatory agencies, involved the purchase of all of Torqeedo shares.

18/01/2024

I've been torturing an Epoch Batteries 12v/460ah battery for weeks now. It's stood up to my torture really well. During my testing I also learned there's a 50,000 amp interrupt capability fuse built into the battery and found a few nuances with the Victron communications. Let me know if there's anything I've missed or you want to know more about.

-Ben S.

Panbo's review of the Epoch 460 amp hour LiFePO4 battery. This powerhouse of a battery delivers impressive performance

14/12/2023

I'm continuing my testing of Epoch Batteries 460 amp hour gen 3 battery. I've begun tearing apart the battery and I'm surprised and pleased to find a Class T fuse built right into the battery

-Ben S.

Panbo's Ben Stein tears down Epoch Batteries' 460 amp hour, gen 3, communicating battery. The teardown reveals a bit of a surprise, a Class T fuse built int...

13/12/2023

I've been enjoying a smoother ride on the water thanks to Seakeeper Ride for the past six months. Here are my thoughts about the system and what I've experienced. This was a fun writeup and even gave me an excuse to buy a drone to try to visually capture the effect of Ride.

-Ben S.

Panbo's review of Seakeeper's Ride vessel control system. After six months on the water, hear what Ben Stein thinks of Seakeeper's new system

12/12/2023

Epoch Batteries' higher density, communicating batteries grabbed a lot of people's attention at launch, including mine. I'm pleased to have my hands on one. I've begun testing and plan to have detailed testing results soon. In the meantime, here's a first look.

-Ben S.

Panbo begins testing Epoch's 460 amp-hour LiFePO4 battery. This is the followup to their highly reviewed 100 amp-hour battery

10/12/2023

Continuing my drone tour of Ian's damage. Legacy Harbour, our former home, sits nearly as Ian left it. The sunken boats, ours included, have been cleared and most of the loose sections of dock are also gone. But otherwise, very little has happened. The real estate company that bought the marina 10 months before the storm was in bankruptcy when the storm hit. The property is for sale for more than it was purchased in 12/21 when it was a functioning marina, hotel, and retail space. All of that is gone, but the price has gone up.

Sadly, it will be quite a few years before a marina is back here, and that clock won't start until a developer decides to begin construction. The economics of developing and running a marina are challenging and changing. So, it's tough to predict what will happen and when.

Legacy Harbour Hotel and Marina after Hurricane Ian. Sadly, the marina remains exactly as it was after the storm hit. The marina is currently for sale, but n...

07/12/2023

I finally bought my first drone. I was out today trying to capture some running footage of a product I'm testing, but that required rough water and as you can see in this footage, the water was anything but rough. So, instead I flew over some of Ian's damage. Here's the City of Fort Myers Yacht Basin

14 months after Hurricane Ian, the Fort Myers Yacht Basin looks nearly as it did immediately after the storm. Many boats have been cleaned out, but quite a f...

28/11/2023

What happens when you jam a screwdriver through a battery? The answer is it depends on the battery type and chemistry. EPT Technologies demonstrated the safety of solid-state batteries by poking holes in a cell not once, but twice. Best of all, Panbo's Ben Ellison was front and center to assist.

-Ben S.

EPT Technologies demonstrates the safety of solid-state batteries by piercing a solid-state cell with a screwdriver

21/11/2023

I think many of us have been hoping Victron Energy B.V. would release improved DC-to-DC converters. Good news, they have! The new Orion Smart 12/12-50 amp DC-to-DC converter answers every quibble I had with the previous models.

-Ben S.

Victron's Orion Smart is their first new DC-to-DC converter in a long time. It addresses many of the shortcomings of their previous options

25/10/2023

Epoch Batteries is coming out with a dual-purpose starting and deep cycle LiFePO4 battery. The 120ah battery will support up to 800 amps of starting current for 10 seconds and can be paralled in a string of up to 4 batteries. At a planned price of $800 it's going to be tough competition. Especially with the features of other Epoch batteries including a 10 segment state of charge gauge, CANBus connectivity, and more.

-Ben S.

25/10/2023

VoltSafe's new shore power system grabbed my attention at IBEX this year. Here's a deeper look at what it promises and why I'm intrigued.

-Ben S.

VoltSafe's new shore power system enhances the safety of shore power connections. Plus, it gives marinas and boaters insight into details

10/10/2023

IBEX 2023 wrapped up the end of last week. It was a busy show with lots of interesting new products. Here's my rundown of nine interesting new products I saw from ARCO Marine, Banshee Marine Audio, Epoch Batteries, The Lithium Battery Company, Mastervolt, The Q Experience, Scanstrut, VoltSafe, and WIF-Pro

-Ben S.

IBEX 2023 recap with nine interesting products from Arco, Banshee, Epoch Batteries, Lithium Battery Company, Mastervolt, Q Marine Experience, Scanstrut, VoltSafe, and WIF-Pro

25/09/2023

Furuno's new FCV-600 and FCV-800 are standalone fish finders with a few new tricks. Here's what I learned about them last week at the NMEA annual convention

-Ben S.

Furuno's FCV-600 and FCV-800 stand-alone fish finders bring new meaning to the word stand alone while offering impressive backwards compatibility

08/09/2023

I'm honored to be on the jury for the DAME Awards again this year and encourage all Metstrade exhibitors with new products to consider entering. But the deadline for submissions is Sept 15, so the clock is ticking!
https://www.damedesignawards.com/

29/08/2023

As Hurricane Idalia passes by Fort Myers, I put the finishing touches on a review of LXNAV Marine's SmartShunt battery monitor. This NMEA 2000 and WiFi-equipped shunt provides good connectivity options and is easy to use.

LXNav's SmartShunt is a NMEA 2000 and WiFi connected battery monitoring shunt. Read on for Panbo's review of this new product.