The depth sounders we used are also Furuno products. The FCV582L is a color LCD fish finder with 600 watts of power and dual frequency. (50/200 kHZ) It’s compact, but still has great power and clarity, and fit nicely in our limited space. For the past couple of years, Northstar’s 951XD has been considered the top of the line in GPS Plotters. By popular demand Northstar added a bright color display and dubbed the new product the 952XD. We’ve installed one of these in each station, and interfaced them through the autopilot. These plotters will allow true "point and shoot" navigation, and waypoint information will be transferred to the Robertson AP20 autopilot, radar and sounders.

Long-range yachts may have to travel hundreds, or even thousands of miles in difficult sea conditions. An autopilot may be subject to a long, rigorous workout and quality should take precedence when choosing a pilot. Robertson has long been known for high quality and durability. Also the AP20, which was used on "Chum’s", is very programmable and responds to sensitive calibration. It can be very difficult to tune a pilot for following seas, and then have it steer well in any other conditions. A very "programmable" pilot is necessary, and the AP20 fit the bill. It also has a large data window, which displays a rudder angle indicator, GPS information and compass direction. A control head is located at each station.

There are several factors to consider when deciding on the proper communication package. Some items are mandatory, a VHF radio for instance. Every boat should have one, period. "Chum’s" has two, a commercial grade Icom M127 with a 9 dB, 23-foot Shakespeare antenna, and a more compact Icom M59 on the bridge. We balanced out a cell phone antenna on the arch with a 6dB 8-foot Shakespeare antenna for the smaller radio.

Both a satellite telephone system and a Single Side Band (SSB) radio will cover long range communications. There is some debate as to how necessary an SSB is. Cellular telephones, and now satellite phones, have surpassed single side band technology, and most people already own them. SSB still fills a need, though, in several circumstances. In an offshore emergency you will contact the Coast Guard. They will most likely divert some sort of commercial vessel in the area to your position. In most cases, if that vessel is a hundred miles away you will have no contact with it until it gets within VHF range. Most commercial boats carry an SSB, as well as the Coast Guard, and single side band will be the fastest and safest way to contact them. Click here to continue

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