N2K View
For a completely different way of monitoring your vessel, consider Maretron’s N2K View system, which employs modular black-box technology using the open-source NMEA 2000 protocol to display gauges on a PC. The blackbox modules take sensor data from the ship’s engines, DC or AC electrical systems, GPS and weather systems, and fuel and water tanks, and quantify the data for “gauges” displayed on the computer screen. Using any Internet connection, these interactive displays can be accessed using an off-vessel PC or iPhone. Using an iPhone, for example, an owner could adjust the vessel’s climate-control system to cool the boat down before heading to the marina in his car. Installation on a smaller vessel might involve monitoring 20 to 30 devices and starts at around $10,000, while the cost for a fairly complex motoryacht with 50 to 80 devices would come in at around $35,000. Maretron, (866) 550-9100; www.maretron.com
