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Alado Rolling Furler

The rolling furler (Alado Model A0) was installed at the end of May while parked in our Cedar Creek slip.  Installing the furler was not too difficult, but the directions were not the clearest and it was not until I used the furler the first time that I understood the part about installing a line to keep the furling line from wrapping around the drum.  In the middle picture above you can see a line running from the underside of the drum to a pad-eye attached to the deck.  This line prevents the drum from spinning when pulling on the jib sheets to unfurl the Genoa.  If this line is not attached, all heck breaks loose when the Genoa comes out.  Fortunately, I had a few hands on deck who helped find the problem and untangle the mess.  I installed the pad-eye as soon as I got back into the slip.

Garmin 440s

I installed the 440s on the 6th of July.  The most difficult part about installing the unit was the same as installing any other electric component on a sailboat; running the power and other lines in such a way that they can't been seen.  There are not many places to hide wires on a sailboat.  But somehow I was able to find a suitable place for the thru-hull transducer (no hole to drill), a clear path thru the port berth stowage compartment, thru the engine compartment and into the electrical portal, up and between the cabin top and inner liner to the main control unit.  I still have some work to do in trimming the interior side of the holes in the cabin liner.  The aluminum bars are mainly for keeping pressure on the outer seal while the silicone caulk cures.  I will remove them and the bolts running through them and then install a cedar cigar box over the unit to hide the ugliness.

Information on the 440s:

Offshore fishermen and boaters will gravitate toward this sleek, space-saving chartplotter. The GPSMAP 440 features preloaded detailed maps for the U.S. coast as well as an ultra-bright 4” QVGA display; built-in, satellite-enhanced worldwide basemap and simplified user operation.

Chart the High Seas

The 440 has preloaded detailed maps that cover all U.S. coastal areas, including Alaska and Hawaii. For areas outside the U.S., the 440 has a worldwide basemap with satellite images in place of more traditional maps, and its SD™ card slot makes it easy to add additional maps without connecting to a computer. With fewer keys and a simple, intuitive interface, the 440 makes navigating your way through the water easy.

Add Sonar and Weather

Where applicable, the sounder version, GPSMAP 440s, comes with a powerful dual frequency transducer that clearly paints depth contours, fish targets and structure. It’s also CANet™ compatible, so you can share sounder data with another chartplotter on your boat. The weather-enabled versions, GPSMAP 440x and 440sx, display XM satellite weather data, including NEXRAD radar, with the GXM 31 antenna.

Add Extras with BlueChart® g2 Vision

With the optional BlueChart® g2 Vision® SD card, you can add a whole new dimension of exceptional features to your chartplotter.

  • 3D mariner’s eye view or fish eye view provides you with a 3-dimensional perspective of map information, both above the waterline and below it.
  • High-resolution satellite images and aerial photographs help you orient yourself in unfamiliar areas.
  • Auto guidance technology searches through all relevant charts to create a route you can actually follow — one that avoids obstacles, shallow water, buoys and other obstructions.

For a low cost option try BlueChart g2 cards.

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I bought the NY-NJ BlueChart g2 card to take advantage of a Garmin rebate.  The cost of the card after rebate came out to about $70.

Pyle PLMRKIT52 Stereo

 

I like music and have thousands of songs on my iPod.  I wanted to make sure that whatever unit I purchased had native support for an iPod feed.  This unit was purchased during a Boater's World special customer sale; they were going out of business and they wanted their current customers with a frequent shopper card to have first crack at their liquidation sale.  The unit has AM/FM/Marine band/mo3 input jack, USB connection, etc... I still have to finish wiring the power and speaker leads, but the lines are at least run and the bracket mounted.  The hard part is behind me.  After I solder the wires to the speakers, I'll coat the connections with silicone caulk and slip the extra wire back into the lining.  The model I have and the one shown in the right most jpg above are the same.  The main difference is the 33 has 150 watt speakers where the 52 kit came with 250 watt speakers.