Article by Pat Schrawder
WHAT TO EXPECT IN MARINE ELECTRONICS IN THE MONTHS AHEAD
As the Coastal Fisherman season draws to a close, it is a good time to think about what we might expect in the way of new products for next season. While manufacturers are pretty “tight-lipped” about things that are currently on the drawing board, some reasonable expectations can be made.
The plain and simple fact is that most manufacturers are, and have been, holding back on new products due to the slow economy. It takes a lot of funding to design, develop, produce and market any new item. It just doesn’t make good sense from a financial standpoint to be putting that kind of money into new products right now. There may be items in the planning stage, but most companies will hold off on them until they have a reasonable expectation that the economy will pick up.
The market is still very competitive and manufacturers will feel the need to do something, so we may see some further enhancements of already existing models. You can expect to see that around boat show time in late January or early February. On the other hand, this might just be the best time for you to buy something new because there are likely to be some really good sales as companies try to clear out some inventory before the end of the year.
In the meantime, there is still some great fall fishing to be had, but when you finally decide to put your boat away for the winter, don’t forget to take some standard measures to protect your equipment and keep it in good shape for the next season.
Unless your equipment is flush mounted, you do not want to leave anything on your boat that can reasonably be removed. Therefore, all major display items should be taken off, cleaned and stored away in a closet or other dry location. The plugs and connections that are left on the boat should be sprayed with some anti-corrosion chemical (I prefer CRC 2-26) and bagged. It is a good idea to mark these connections. Some of them may be unique to their own item of equipment, but several others are quite similar, if not identical. This is especially true when it comes to antenna connectors. While you may think you know perfectly well what goes to where now, when it comes to next year, it may not be so clear in your mind. An easy way to do this is to wrap the ends with colored electrical tape available at most hardware stores. Put the corresponding color on the case of the equipment and, when it comes time to hook them back up, you just match the colors. Since power plugs that look the same may not be wired the same, getting them mixed up can be costly.
While you have that anti-corrosion chemical out, use it or plain old Vaseline, to coat the metal brackets and fittings on your boat. It will easily wash off next year and, in the meantime, it will protect that metal from becoming dull and developing surface corrosion that can bleed off on your white surfaces.
If you can manage it, remove your batteries and store them in the garage on cardboard or paper. Putting them directly on concrete will allow them to drain down. The battery posts should be coated with a substance made just for batteries.
Taking these few simple steps will help to assure that your equipment is ready to go next year. Here’s wishing you a safe, healthy and happy winter.
Pat and her husband, Larry are owners of L&L Marine Electronics on Golf Course Road in West Ocean City, MD.
