What is this?

[Angela]

2. That's the shutdown relay box for any of the "clean agent" new systems (e.g. FE241, FM200, etc). It is REQUIRED if you have a clean agent engine room system - CO2 systems neither need nor should have it installed. It must shut down the engines and generator.

6. The two caps are hose caps. Useful if you have hose attachments (forward?) for washing off your anchor, etc.

No. 2 - The box in the photo has never been used. I have FE241 on the red bottles mounted to the ceiling over each engine. I haven't had the boat long enough to have the fire bottle folks come out and the certificate is still valid. If this box is an "extra", where would the working box be located? I haven't seen one yet. You would think this stuff was installed correctly and completely since she was an inspected and certified vessel. Could she pass inspection without it? It's difficult to follow wires in this boat, especially in the engine room because the walls were lined with rockwool with alumium over that - another one of those "certified" requirements that is a PITA. I'm tempted to tear out some of it, but I'm not sure I want to give up certification while I'm still in Miami where I can do day charters for more than 6 people.

No. 6 - I don't think they are water hose caps. I do have hose attachments forward, but the caps to those, as well as the dockside water spigots are are male and this cap is female. At first, that's what I thought they were, but they don't go on there.

[ThirdHatt]

Angela, Tell me more about the GPS software you are looking for. Do you mean the cards that go into the GPS (C-map, Navionics, G-chart, etc) or are you referring to the chartplotting software that would be installed on your laptop to recognize the info coming through the line from the GPS? Maybe I can help in some way.

[Angela]

Angela, Tell me more about the GPS software you are looking for. Do you mean the cards that go into the GPS (C-map, Navionics, G-chart, etc) or are you referring to the chartplotting software that would be installed on your laptop to recognize the info coming through the line from the GPS? Maybe I can help in some way.

I'm looking for the chartplotting software that would be installed on the laptop. We were able to get a feed from the GPS upstairs to the laptop in the pilothouse, but it needs the softeware to talk to it intelligently. It's a Garmin 2010C (color). Real nice (to me anyway). It's got "history" on it that tells me where the boat has been and has memorized waypoints (to Bimini!). One feature it has is "record scores". I think this GPS was used on some other boat at some point, because I doubt this slow poke ever went 61 knots! LOL That's the record speed recorded - either that or there is a serious malfunction within!

[ThirdHatt]

The laptop that you are using must be one you brought on the boat because if it came with the boat, it would have the software installed already (unless someone deleted it for some reason). All you need is a chartplotting program because you already have a laptop, a GPS and the cord to connect them.

I use a system similar to what you have. I use a Garmin GPS hooked to my laptop and I run "The Captain" software. It works quite well and having a nice color 15" computer screen at the helm is great. MUCH cheaper than to buy a chartplotter with a screen that big! I use that system at the lower helm and a completely seperate 10" color chartplotter on the flybridge so that if one system goes down, I still have the other. I would suggest you do the same and simply have a little handheld Garmin GPS on board that you could easily and quickly hook up to your laptop if the big Garmin on the flybridge took a dive on you.

[Pascal]

i think carl nailed them...

with garmins, you can either buy the chips or the CD and recording your own chips (with a burner or by connecting the computer to the GPS which i think is much slower)

the CD comes with Garmin software which allows you to connect the GPS to your computer and use it as nav station in the pilothouse. it gives you most of the essential data but is missing some things like distance/time to next WP.... but it's free.

that engine shutdown module maybe a spare or something... start at the fire bottles and trace the wiring, you should eventually find the module.... hpefully.

[jim rosenthal]

The caps look like water hose caps for garden hose thread. I have a few of these...on some boats, the inlet for dockside water is threaded male, and oftentimes the check valve inside the boat doesn't seal perfectly, so when the boat's water-pressure pump is in use (whether or not it's running, as long as there's pressure in the system) water will leak out of the dockside connection. I have to use a cap on it so water won't trickle down the deck. That's what you have there.. I use a regular potable water hose on the infrequent occasions that I hook up to dockside water, but it requires a double-female adapter. And the cap is female as well.

Where's the fire-suppression system box? Not in the engine room, I would imagine. Does the boat's wiring diagram show which breaker it gets its power from? That may help you find it. The box looks like the interface between the engines and the fire bottles- controls when the extinguisher goes off.

The "IDEAL" casting looks like a chain stopper to me. At least it has a brand name on it- Ideal Inc can tell you what it is.

The 12v cord- they don't come that way. Someone made it to power something, like Karl says, it doesn't do much without what it was made for.

The mic is the remote, first generation, for Standard Horizon radios that had the remote mic feature, I think. They are up to second generation now, but you likely have a radio that it would work with....

[jim rosenthal]

I forgot to mention that the remote mic for the Horizon radios also gives you the ability to use it as an intercom, which is useful.

[Freebird]

The laptop that you are using must be one you brought on the boat because if it came with the boat, it would have the software installed already (unless someone deleted it for some reason). All you need is a chartplotting program because you already have a laptop, a GPS and the cord to connect them.

I use a system similar to what you have. I use a Garmin GPS hooked to my laptop and I run "The Captain" software. It works quite well and having a nice color 15" computer screen at the helm is great. MUCH cheaper than to buy a chartplotter with a screen that big! I use that system at the lower helm and a completely seperate 10" color chartplotter on the flybridge so that if one system goes down, I still have the other. I would suggest you do the same and simply have a little handheld Garmin GPS on board that you could easily and quickly hook up to your laptop if the big Garmin on the flybridge took a dive on you.

I just purchased a Garmin 2010 (think that number is correct) and have been thinking of what I would need to be able to use it on the bridge as well as in the pilothouse.

Can a laptop be hooked up to this unit somehow as to display on the lower station? I'm kind of a computer nerd when it comes to stuff like that. I assume it would only serve as a repeater with no control on funtions, but that would be okay for a quick duck out of the rain.

[MikeP]

Re the extinguisher system and "passing inspection" - the system is not required to work for the boat to "pass" inspection. All that is required is that there be a sufficient number of fire extinguishers on board for the size of the boat. If the automatic system isn't working, you simply need more extinguishers. Here's the rule:

Boats 26 feet to less than 40 feet long must have at least two B-I extinguishers or one B-II. With an approved fixed system (nonportable, automatic extinguishers), only one additional B-I type need be carried. Boats 40 feet to 65 feet long must carry at least three B-I extinguishers or one B-II and one B-I. If an approved fixed system is installed, two B-I types, or one B-II, will meet the portable extinguisher requirement.

If your boat is inspected and the fixed system isn't charged/hasn't been weighed (or whatever) within the appropriate time, the inspector will not consider it present on the boat and you must then have the appropriate number of portables. That's usually not much of a problem - When we bought our boat, the previous owner had 9 B1s mounted and I still occasionally find one somewhere. Just a few weeks ago I found one mounted inside the flybridge console! I think we're up to 14 now...

On a pleasure boat, YOU can weigh the extinguishers; there is no requirement that they be weighed by some "specialist." Weigh them and note it on the tag every 6 months.

[Paul45c]

I'm looking for the chartplotting software that would be installed on the laptop. We were able to get a feed from the GPS upstairs to the laptop in the pilothouse, but it needs the softeware to talk to it intelligently. It's a Garmin 2010C (color). Real nice (to me anyway). It's got "history" on it that tells me where the boat has been and has memorized waypoints (to Bimini!). One feature it has is "record scores". I think this GPS was used on some other boat at some point, because I doubt this slow poke ever went 61 knots! LOL That's the record speed recorded - either that or there is a serious malfunction within!

I've had a few years' worth of experience with the 2010c, Angela, and I'd STRONGLY recommend that you buy the BlueChart chip for this area. It'll set you back about $140, but the detail is tremendous and well worth the $$. Then you just use your laptop to interface with the cardreader that you can plug blank chips into and use that to update your 2010c on the latest software fixes. Garmin is very strong with updates, that way.