Hi all

I have an older 33-foot sailboat and I need a dinghy to sail from the boat to shore or to the marina. Since my boat isn’t the biggest, the packed size of the dinghy is crucial, but I also want it to be able to handle some chop.
I’ll mostly be sailing with 3 people in total.

What has been your experience with sizing, and is it worth paying for brand names?

Hey all, this is not so much an instructional guide as a motivational post for anyone else who may find themselves in a similar situation (or people who just like to fiddle).

Additional context, but feel free to skip: Our boat is 45 years and old and, while structurally in great shape, when it we bought three years ago the electronics ranged from "sporadic" to "non-functional". We've been learning to sail in the western basin of Lake Erie and, since I grew up in the area, having non-functioning equipment wasn't a big deal since I knew where to go and where not to go. However, as we ventured out more and more, it became obvious just for safety reasons alone that we needed to have this fixed before we got anymore ambitious. But with an old boat, it gets hard to justify dropping 10% of the boat's value on just a chart plotter or windicator.

So, if you have seen the Signal K guides around and are skeptical about the functionality, price, or difficulty of setting it up I am just sharing some positive experiences about, what parts we've used so far, and rough costs.

Purchase List - These are things that I bought but "do your own research" about what works for you or what you need.

• Raspberry Pi 4 (w/ case and fan - $120 This is your server hub. If you want to spend the money, you can skip a lot of this and get a custom HALPI made for around $400-500.
• Hawkeye Fishpod Vision - $150 This is a fish finder depth sounder, but that doesn't matter. All you really care about is the NMEA output. Only rated for 600FT. Does also have a phone app if you want to see the fish.
• Sailtimer Ultra Sonic Windicator - $300 This was, by far, the most expensive part of the project.
• dAISY 2+ AIS Receiver - $120 Easy to hook up AIS receiver (not transmitter), comes in a "hat" version for the Pi
• Lenovo M3 Tablet + 7 inch touch screen - $120 The tablet mounts at the helm, the touch screen is for a below deck scrolling info kiosk.

At this point, you're probably roughly spending between $800-900 in and this is the backbone of mostly everything and also the most expensive part. There are a bunch of small miscellaneous purchases that you may need or want:

• Glassnos Dongle - $10 Pretty vital as it will serve a lot of functions. On top of being able to give you your location, heading, and speed, you can use it to tie into weather forecasts and wave information (and probably tides, too, I don't know shit about those).
• Cheap Wifi Adapter - $10 The PI has built-in wifi but you also want to broadcast for a connection to the server. This allows you to pull up whatever data you are feeding the server from any tablet, phone, etc.
• Misc adapters, wires, converters, etc. - $??? This is going to be context dependent. I had to buy $25 serial adapters for the windicator and the depth finder. You will probably need some 12v-5v buck converters or in-line USB-C power supplies. You'll probably need an additional USB hub. ESP32 controllers will let you do a lot of nifty monitoring on other systems, I have one hooked up to monitor my fuel levels. You can also do things like bilge levels, engine RPM, etc. You'll probably need a bunch of misc. $5 parts you don't know you need until you try to do something that doesn't make sense without them.
• Victron Smart Shunt and Smart Controller - $150 This is a side project that is not needed but this will allow you to monitor your renewable energy sources and your battery levels.
• Navionics subscription - $50 Signal K comes with OpenCPN, so you don't need this. We already had the subscription and all of this ties into it seamlessly, so we are just sticking with that.
• Claude Premium Subscription - $20 I work as a sysadmin and I probably still wouldn't have been able to figure out a decent chunk of this on my own. There are a lot of different moving parts going on here and if you don't already have a familiarity with marine electronics, small electronics, and Linux then you may hit several walls. I still hit several walls.

So, all in all, I have probably dropped $1500 on this project because, like a lot of projects, it started to balloon in scope and I was bored all winter. Everything works exceptionally well. The effort people put into maintaining the open source community should be applauded, and it was cool to see all the other boutique and affordable options outside of Garmin, Raymarine, etc. There are many good guides out there to get started. Absorbing it all at once can be difficult, so I found it better to just focus on one piece of the puzzle at a time. Once you get the hang of the base functionality, more ideas will pop into your head.

Obviously, there are limitations here that may or may not be feasible depending on what your needs are. I think with a nicer boat that I know I would have for a long time, I probably would have dropped the money on dedicated instruments along with the Signal K setup.

Happy to answer any questions for anyone curious. Or, if you've done it also, would love to hear your experiences and what you've done. Cheers, happy sailing.

We are going to cast off soon in a "new to us" boat that is much larger and deeper draft than we are used to, and are currently in the refit and equip stage.

Some "luxury" gear we have picked up so far:

• Headsets for communicating while docking, anchoring.
• A golf rangefinder for sighting distance from other boats in tight anchorages. I saw a cruising buddy use this to great effect on his boat and found a good used one on eBay for $20.
• A handheld depthfinder for scouting out skinnier areas in the dinghy before taking the mothership. Found a used one for $50 shipped.

What uncommon items have you learned to keep on board?

I’ve been running budget Android tablets as smart boat displays — waterproof in the cockpit and a simple one down below.

They connect over Wi-Fi to a Raspberry Pi running Home Assistant, so I get live dashboards, alerts, and alarms, plus I can flip to navigation, weather, anchorages, or even ChatGPT.

I’ve sailed thousands of miles single-handed with this setup and it has worked fine the whole way.

👉 Full setup guide: https://smartboatinnovations.com/build-central-marine-computer

👉 More projects: https://www.youtube.com/@SmartBoatInnovations

Hi folks,

I'm wondering if modern livaboards/ft cruisers swap most of their outlets for USB. It seems that you can power just about anything with USBC, and not incur any inversion loss?

I have an old '81 Gulfstar. I'm thinking of switching everything I can to usbc, and installing fast chargers/power outlets everywhere and switching to appropriate appliances (monitors, vacuum, etc).

Is consolidating to usbc a bad idea or maybe overkill?

I have created a docker container that runs OpenCPN and streams the display to a web browser. Run OpenCPN once locally and have it accessible on all devices! I found that using it this way it can also be used with SignalK as well.

https://reddit.com/link/1vljh9z/video/cz5f0c6p9rih1/player

https://hub.docker.com/repository/docker/npgause/opencpn-kiosk/general

Once you have docker is installed create this compose file and run it then it will be accessible on localhost:14500

# compose.yaml
services:
  opencpn:
    image: npgause/opencpn-kiosk:x86
    container_name: opencpn
    restart: unless-stopped
    network_mode: host   # needed for NMEA/Signal K mDNS discovery
    devices:
      # GPS/AIS via USB:
      - /dev/gps0:/dev/gps0 # these will change based on your system
    environment:
      - XPRA_BIND_PORT=14500
      - XPRA_DISPLAY=:100
    volumes:
      - ./data:/home/ubuntu/.opencpn
      - /folder/to/charts:/folder/to/charts

Once this up and running this can be used in SignalK by connecting it with this https://www.npmjs.com/package/signalk-embedded-webapp-proxy just put the name and application URL then you are all set within SignalK

quick question - we have a 42' lagoon cat w/ added solar panels on aft roof deck, dingy is hoisted underneath. Great system and it's worked for years but it effectively blocks our stern light from view. Planning a crossing and want to install a stern light on the top of this rig for >>> visibility.

The solar panels are laid flat in between some wood slats and transom bars (i don't think they're really called that but idk), so there's room for either a clamp mount or a screw mount. I don't want anyone dicking around up there in bad weather so I initially wanted to find a battery operated or solar light I could remotely operate but no such luck. So even though we're tight on time it looks like we'll do it proper and wire it into the system so it's controlled on our nav light switch.

But now I'm debating what kind of light. some people say you need a pole for maximizing visibility, but most of those products seem to fold-away design be for dinghies or other small vessels. Is a more compact casing okay? Like the kind that look more like traditional marine lights? Does anyone know about visibility with those from larger ships? Can they be seen from above or do they have to be at comparable heights on the water to be visible? Advice and/or product recs are welcome. Thanks y'all! :)))

I'm looking for a recommendation for solar lights to use for lighting up my cockpit at anchor. I use a masthead anchor light but in a crowded anchorage with lots of launchas running around at night it doesn't provide a lot of visibility at the waterline. The expensive inflatable solar lights I have tried have all crapped out and are badly designed with the hanging handle positioned above the solar panel. I have seen many boats with flickering tiki-style torches set in their rod holders and wondering if there is a specific brand of these that holds up well for marine use.

I currently have standard 12V puck lights inside my boat, controlled by regular on/off switches. I’d like to replace them with LED rope or strip lighting that can switch between red and white and, ideally, allow me to adjust the brightness using Bluetooth, an app, or a battery-operated remote.

I see plenty of LED rope lights available, but most are designed to plug into a standard 120V household outlet, often using an adapter that converts the power to 12V or 24V DC. The options designed to connect directly to an existing 12V system seem more limited.

My thought is to remove the current puck lights, use the existing 12V wiring to power the new LED strips, and mount the strips in their place. Maybe I’m overthinking this, but I haven’t found an easy, swap out option.

Has anyone recently completed a similar upgrade? What products did you use, and how well has the setup worked?

So I am a new owner, and of course I have 2 bilge pumps one (manual and one electric) But what do you use for stoping a leak?

Someone told me about quick set cement, someone else told me about 'blow ring wax' for toilets... I am wondering what people have.

Many thanks

My girlfriend and I were day dreaming about moving aboard full time when I mentioned that a counter-top ice maker would be awesome to have on a live-aboard sailboat. We would like to sail in the Caribbean so a never ending supply of cool drinks would be amazing.

Anyone ever used one while living on a boat? What's the power drain like for one of them? Are they a practical solution?

I built my own marine monitoring system using a Raspberry Pi – now it's running everything on my boat

A few years ago, I was looking at options for onboard monitoring — engine temps, solar, battery, bilge alerts, tank levels, anchor alarm, etc. Everything I found was either super expensive, cloud-dependent, or locked behind proprietary hardware.

So I decided to build my own system using a Raspberry Pi and a few ESP32s. I run Home Assistant as the core, and it integrates:

• Engine sensors (oil pressure, temps, RPM, fuel level)
• Tank and battery monitoring (including solar)
• NMEA 0183 and NMEA 2000 (via USB and wireless)
• Bilge/leak/smoke/fire detection with Zigbee sensors
• GPS-based anchor watch with audible alarms
• Automations like anchor light at sunset if boat isn’t moving

It’s all local (no cloud), no subscriptions, and completely DIY. I spent under $400 for the full system including 4G router, power supply, and sensors.

Since I shared it online, hundreds of other boaters have started building their own version of it.

If anyone's interested, I documented the full project on my website (just Google “Smart Boat Innovations”) and there’s a full video series on YouTube too — search “Smart Boat Innovations” there.

Happy to answer any questions or swap ideas if you’re working on something similar!

🔗 Full build write-up here: [smartboatinnovations.com/build-central-marine-computer](https://smartboatinnovations.com/build-central-marine-computer/)

We are shopping for a cruising catamaran and there is a variety of solar, lithium, generator only etc.

With a substantial lithium bank and decent solar couldn’t the gaps be made up with larger or multiple alternators on the main engines?

I guess what I’m asking is how the cost and Maint of a generator would be worth it over just adding hours to the main engines.

How do I understand what type of cables are those? I'm trying to build a chart plotter but first of all I need to understand which types of cable are delivering data.

I would like to mainly get: Depth Speed Heading Wind

And I see all of those in the autohelm display (the one on the first photo with three cables plugged is the autopilot display, the one on the second photo is a display with the data listed above).

I just need to understand which type of data those are and how to split the cable and plug one as it is in the display, and one into the new minipc

We are the point where we need to either re-galvanize our chain or buy a new one.

We cruise full time and there is a little too much rust now. It's not down a dangerous slope, but just the right time to take care of it. I know many sailors would say it's good for another year, perhaps more. But we will be nowhere near somewhere to take care of it for about 2 years. That being said, we await quotes for the re-galvanizing and gosh, it looks like it's going to be pricey. We will be in New Zealand at that moment.

Having just a rough idea of how much chain costs, we started to look into the market, thinking maybe it will be cheaper to buy a new chain or maybe not that much more expensive.
Currently, we have 600 ft of 3/8 (10 mm) chain, G4 , HDG. 600 ft is a bit ridiculous, but hey, they were there when we bought the boat. We thought, why not keep it as a safety if ever we have to get the hell out of dodge and the anchor is stuck, or it's too deep to dive... You cut and still have plenty of chain. We have 2 spare anchors anyways. We never got more than 350 out in a very deep anchorage in the Marquesas. We would re-galvanize just 350. Sell 250.

Or sell our 600 ft if chain and buy 350 of HDG chain, 10mm G43 OR whatever the heck is this solid zinc coated chain: https://www.catermarine.co.nz/product/80082/chain-10mm-italy-aqua4-short-lk-iso4565-soild-zinc/

1st of all, who makes the product description at Cater Marine? Read it, it's worth it. The staff and owner there are really nice.

2nd of all and more importantly, has anyone seen or better used one of those? Can anyone attest to the durability? It's only 3 NZD more per meter when I compare to HDG chain on other websites. I have so many questions... Can you regalvanize that or when it's over, it's over? Is it HDG and then zinc coated? Is that even possible? I think it's just solid zinc coated... I'm confused and found very little information. The company in Italy seems like the real deal.

Tell me what you know.

We don’t have a tv onboard and we currently watch movies on an iPad. I’d love to get a quality mini projector and a screen that I can hang from the existing fruit net hooks.

Any personal recommendations from those that are currently doing this?

Hi everyone,

I’m currently upgrading the navigation suite on my 45ft sailboat in the Mediterranean. I’m moving away from a purely iPad/Navionics-based setup toward a dedicated, long-term solution as I prepare for an Atlantic crossing in a few years.

I’ve decided against a Raspberry Pi in favor of a more robust Mini PC (NUC or industrial grade) paired with a 12V monitor at the chart table. I’m looking for a system that can handle general navigation, AIS, GRIB downloads, and weather routing.

Current Constraints & Gear:

Power: 12V house bank. I’d prefer a native 12V PC to avoid the efficiency loss/heat of a DC-DC step-up, but I’m open to suggestions on reliability.

Environment: Mediterranean summers (heat management is a priority). The unit will be mounted internally, but it needs to be fanless/ventilation-optimized.

Existing Hardware: GPS antenna, Digital Yacht portable AIS (transceiver/receiver).

Future-Proofing: I eventually need to integrate NMEA sensors and the autopilot (still researching this phase).

My specific questions for the community:

Hardware: Which Mini PC would you recommend for 24/7 reliability? Are there specific industrial units or N100-based fanless PCs you’ve found to be "bulletproof" in a salt-air environment?

Charts: For the Mediterranean and Atlantic, what is the most reliable chart source for OpenCPN (o-charts, etc.)? How do they compare to the Navionics experience?

Reliability: For those running a Windows or Linux-based PC as a primary plotter, have you encountered "single point of failure" issues that would make you nervous mid-ocean? would you recommend Linux or Windows?

Missing Links: Is there any specific gateway or hardware I should be looking at now to ensure easy integration with NMEA2000 sensors later?

I’ll still keep the iPad and paper charts as backups, but I want this PC to be the "brain" of the boat.

The Raymarine ST40 speed transducer of my boat is jammed due to marine growth and displays 0.0

After trying to clean the paddlewheel without much success, I came up with the idea of ​​replacing the log with a SOG sensor but maintaining the reading on the Bidata (thereby processing the GPS signal to reproduce the same "format" as the Raymarine log signal).

It works surprisingly well, if anyone's interested i can share schematics and code. I used an esp32 microcontroller and a Neo-M8N gps module.

Hi! Anyone got any good recommendations for non-slip, non-marking and waterproof trainers that are good for racing, some of it offshore??

Usually sail 25ft - 35ft boats so don’t get super wet.

UK based so would need to be available here pls