Simrad / B&G Zeus 2 Touch

While the galley was being done I installed the B&G Zeus 2 Touch 7" MFD.  Full disclosure, I get a good deal on these from Navico, but they are very impressive to date.  The "Sailsteer" is especially interesting though I have yet to use it in anger.  The autopilot control and the C-Zone integration have also peaked my interest.

The one shortcoming with the system for those who cruise the Bahamas was that charting was limited to a choice of Insight or Navionics.  This has been overcome as C-Map now has charts base on the very popular Explorer paper charts of the Bahamas and these work on the Simrad / B&G systems.  I will be reviewing these Charts in the near future.

Garmin iPad Bluechart app......

with ACTIVE CAPTAIN and GRIB forecasts and Premium weather ($4, needs cell phone access - i.e. within 10+ miles from the coast).

Uses all of the above on my recent short hop on friends Whitby 42 from Marathon to Fort Pierce.  220 miles in 28hrs, motor sailing, but still nice.

Shots are taken in my apartment but you get the general idea.

I'm an iPad fan.....

I'm a big fan of iPads on sailboats.  They have a multitude of uses.  I will always have a dedicated GPS Plotter at the wheel because they are more robust / waterproof  but for planning etc. the new iPad stuff is hard to beat.

My original Mk1 iPad has now been replaced with a Mk4 for my daily use and the Mk1 has been donated to the boat.  It has been mounted on the Nav Station panel using the WALLEE iPad mount

The cable connection will be tidied up any year now.

Eventually I will have a WiFi system onboard transmitting navigation instrument data.  The technology is improving every year.  This is DMK app displaying wind speed, boat speed, wind angle and depth.   Nice...... 

Navionics charts of Biscayne Bay on the Navionics App.

Vessel lights on the COLREGS app.

And the list goes on....................................................

120V system...finally

How did I get from this for $80 at the Dania Flea Market;



To this, from Blue Seas at several multiples of boat buck$;



And yet I am well pleased.







And I'm finally rid of the hanging cable farm over my head.

More electrical.....

Navigation desk nearing completion. The top left hand panel is the complete DC control panel. The Easy View touch screen that shows battery / fuze / charging status and permits touch button control of any of the 30 circuits. The 8 Carling breakers can be assigned to any of the most commonly switched circuits (e.g. Fresh water pump, anchor light etc). The other grey faceplate is the control/indicator for the inverter charger.

The top right panel will house a GPS, bottom left a VHF, bottom right the SSB.



My buddy Nat, a serious electrical guru, has started the shore power 120V install.

Nav Desk dry fit......

I had two pieces of 1/4" aluminum water-cut to make a frame for the 120v panel and for the front face of the navigation console. The console has four openings that will hold inserts with cutouts for the various instruments, VHF, GPS etc. This will allow for later customization without having to redo the full panel.








This is the original diagram for the 120V Blue Seas 360 panel. Scott McEniry and his team did a great job. The slight change he recommended was to substitute standard analogue gauges so that he could install a selector switch to take readings of either shore power 1 or 2.



Everything gets dismantled soon and the panels go off to be powder coated matte black.