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Pacific Coast Sportfishing Marine Electronics April
2007 issue
Protect Electronics That Protect You
By: Capt. David Bacon
PCS Senior Editor
If you have recently priced products sporting the latest in marine technology,
you already know that you will have to write a check with an impressive number
of digits to the left of the decimal point. You also know that this stuff is so
good you just gotta have it to improve your catch, ability to navigate and
communicate in all weather and sea conditions. That’s the financial reality of
being a boater and angler.
Another reality to face is the cost of replacement should your electronics units
be stolen or damaged. It sure would be unpleasant to have to write such a check
twice, so let’s take a look at ways to protect your expensive suite of
electronics.
Protection from theft: The wise old rule is, “lock it up or remove it.” Removing
your chartplotter, fishfinder, radar, black box, display head and VHF radio
between fishing trips is certainly a good theft prevention plan for most
circumstances such as storing your boat between fishing trips. Moments of
extreme vulnerability crop up during a fishing trip when your units are
installed and easy to reach.. For example, while tied up at the launch ramp dock
or marina utility dock, you realize you need to run up to the fishing landing
for bait or the local convenience store for ice. You are only gone for ten
minutes, but your spanky new fishfinder may be stolen in the first three
minutes. If you have a fishing buddy, leave him or her at the boat while you
make the quick shopping run. But if your buddy is a child, take the kid with
you. You’d rather lose a fishfinder than a child.
Locking devices are available to save the day… or save the instrument, by
thwarting the plans of opportunistic electronics thieves who look for quick
opportunities to grab and dash. Durasafe Locks (www.durasafelocks.com) offers
brand and model-specific locks that help prevent theft of bracket-mounted units
by acting as a knob, replacing one factory knob from either side of an
electronics unit. Locks are available in models to fit the different knob thread
sizes of the most popular marine electronics and VHF radios. Locks for swivel
mounts are also available and all their locks are made from marine grade
materials so they don’t tend to rust in place. With these installed you can feel
a bit better about making that quick run for bait or ice.
Protection from external electrical damage: Lightning strikes tend to do more
than damage… it is more like destruction. If you boat in an area where
electrical storms are a distinct possibility, protect your boat’s suite of
electronics (and everything/everyone else aboard, too) with a lightning rod
attached to a thick cable and secured to a substantial subsurface metal plate.
Stray current in the water is a real wrecker of subsurface metal and the
electrical systems of boats in slips and moored to buoys. Check your sacrificial
anodes (typically called “zinks”) monthly and replace them when they are 75%
eaten away. Being forgetful about this is a sure way to ruin outboards,
outdrives, trim tabs and other underwater hardware. Some marine electronics
specialists use isolation transformers to halt the effects of stray current
before serious damage is done to a boat’s electrical systems.
Protection from damage from within your boat: This is where things get a bit
technical and difficult to fit a large body of knowledge and experience into a
column-length article. So I interviewed a top quality marine electronics expert.
James Lambden is an ABYC certified marine electrical technician and a NMEA
certified marine electronics installer operating Above the Waterline's Solar
Powered Toolboat in the Santa Barbara Harbor. What follows are his comments on
how to install and protect marine electronics:
1) “Read the manual. The world of marine electronics is vast and ever changing.
Manuals include information you just would not think of yourself!”
2) “The marine environment is one of the harshest environments in which to
install electronics. Salt water and the sun's ultraviolet rays will eventually
degrade your electronics. Install electronics in the highest and driest area of
the boat. If they are installed near a hatch or opening, provide a drip edge to
keep water away from them. If mounted outside, make a canvas cover for
them. Eisenglass sewn into the canvas allows the electronics to be viewed
while shielded from the elements. A removable canvas cover for the eisenglass
further protects them from the suns UV rays when they are not in use. The
canvas also helps insulate them from daily temperature fluctuations - sometimes
as much as 40 degrees in a day.”
3) “Fuses are used to protect wire from shorts (i.e. someone puts a screw
through the wire accidentally) as well as protecting the electronics. If you
install the fuse at the source of power and size it for the electronics then the
fuse protects both the wire and the electronics. A source of power is considered
a battery or anywhere a wire is reduced in size. Remember, the smaller the wire
is, the smaller the fuse must be.”
4) “Take care of your connections. A loose connection causes resistance which
can cause heat and with enough current can cause fire. A light coating of
vaseline or dielectric tune up grease will protect your connections from
corrosion.”
5) “Use only marine approved connectors and shrink wrap the connection with
marine grade adhesive filled shrink wrap for all exterior and bilge area
connections. Make sure there is no exposed wire. Moisture will wick up and
corrode a wire sometimes as far as 2 or 3 feet if left exposed.”
6) “Use shielded wire if recommended by the manufacturer. Some electronics
won't work if they are grounded. If a power wire is shielded and needs to be
extended, then extend with shielded wire and connect the shield to ground as
recommended by the manufacturer. Shields are used to stop the transmission and
reception of EMI (Electromagnetic Interference). Correct EMI problems as soon
as they arise -- its easier to troubleshoot this way. Never ground a case that
has continuity between the case and battery negative. This will cause current to
flow through the ground wire which can cause corrosion in your underwater
metals.”
7) “Get clean power to your electronics! Oversize your wire to protect from
voltage drop. Never hook your electronics up to your starting battery. Voltage
drop from starting will sometimes cause the electronics to turn off. Be careful
to run your wires far away from sources of electromagnetic interference (EMI).
EMI can be caused from electronics, speakers, AC generators, electric motors,
and alternators.”
These simple suggestions can make a world of difference to the longevity and
reliability of your electronics. James can be contacted at
electronics@abovethewaterline.net
Protection from flying lures and far-flung fish: I was anchored up at a kelp bed
on a hot calico bite when a private boater in a 20 foot skiff anchored next to
us, too close for comfort. That was his first mistake. On his first cast with a
leadhead/swimbait combo he hung up in thick kelp. He bent his rod deeply in an
attempt to pull his line free of the kelp. That was his second mistake. It came
free alright and due to the power of the loaded rod and stretch in his
monofilament line, that leadhead/swimbait flew back it him with enough force to
do some serious damage. He managed to duck quickly enough to avoid losing an
eye, but the lure smashed the screen of his exposed chartplotter/fishfinder. A
thick fog bank was moving in on us and he had no backup navigation device (his
third mistake), he had to wait until we were finished fishing and follow in our
wake back to harbor.
Some anglers do very strange things when they get a fish close to the boat.
During a wild bonito bite this past summer I saw a guy in another boat bounce a
big bonito aboard his buddy’s boat. That is always a dangerous practice, but
this time the bonito landed on his fishfinder and broke the mounting bracket.
The take home message is to mount your electronics where they are easy to view
and work with but also where they are least likely to sustain damage from the
perilous mistakes of inexperienced anglers. Likewise, mount antennas where they
are least likely to be whacked with a jig when an angler makes a wild cast.
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